JP2000323393A - Projection exposure apparatus, data conversion apparatus, and recording medium storing data conversion program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (With correction) [PROBLEMS] To provide a projection exposure apparatus which does not require conversion of input data by an operator when the evaluation result of a preceding wafer is fed back to calibrate main exposure conditions. When inputting evaluation parameters, which are provided separately from the projection exposure apparatus and are output by evaluation apparatuses for evaluating the performance of the exposure apparatus, to the exposure apparatus, the projection exposure apparatus is used. 1, a recognizing means for recognizing the format of input data and a converting means for converting input data in a format recognized by the recognizing means into a predetermined data format are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit,
The present invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus used in a photolithography process in forming a fine pattern such as a liquid crystal display or a thin film magnetic head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Manufacturing processes for semiconductor devices including integrated circuits and CCDs, liquid crystal displays, thin film magnetic heads, and the like usually include a process called photolithography. This photolithography step is to apply a photoresist (photosensitive agent) on a semiconductor wafer or a glass plate, expose a mask pattern to the photoresist layer, and perform development after the exposure, so that the photoresist layer is masked or exposed. Reticle (hereinafter referred to as “reticle”)
Is formed.

The process of applying a photoresist to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and the process of developing the substrate after exposure are processed by an apparatus called a coater / developer, and precisely aligned with the substrate on which the photoresist is applied. The step of transferring the fine reticle pattern with the resolution required for the fine pattern is performed by a projection exposure apparatus.

Here, a process of manufacturing an integrated circuit using the projection exposure apparatus will be described. An integrated circuit manufacturing process starts with wafer manufacturing. The wafer is created by slicing an ingot such as single crystal silicon and polishing the surface of the sliced wafer. Next, an oxide film is formed on the polished wafer surface by using, for example, a sputtering method or a CVD method, and a photoresist (photosensitive agent) is applied on the oxide film. A photoresist (photosensitive agent), particularly a positive type, has a property that when exposed to light, that portion is easily dissolved in a chemical (developer).
Next, the circuit pattern on the reticle is projected onto the photoresist by a projection exposure apparatus, and the photoresist is exposed.

After the exposure, the entire wafer is put into a solution for dissolving the photoresist and developed. When the exposed portion is dissolved in the solution, the photoresist is removed and the underlying oxide film is exposed. . Next, the wafer is immersed in a gas or liquid that dissolves the oxide film, the exposed portion of the oxide film is removed, and the wafer surface is exposed (etching). After that, all the photoresist is removed. Next, in a temperature-adjusted furnace, impurities such as phosphorus and arsenic are diffused (doped) in portions where the oxide film is removed and the wafer surface is exposed, and elements such as transistors and diodes are placed in the wafer. Let it form.

[0006] By repeating the above steps from photoresist coating to etching many times while changing the reticle, various elements and complicated patterns are formed on the wafer. At this time, the integrated circuit does not function unless the pattern of the lower layer and the pattern of the upper layer exactly overlap. Therefore, in a projection exposure apparatus, it is necessary to detect the position, size, and the like of a lower layer already formed pattern, and to form an upper layer pattern in accordance with the position, and this alignment is called alignment.

In order to perform accurate alignment, the projection exposure apparatus is calibrated prior to fabrication of an integrated circuit.
For this calibration, an evaluation apparatus separate from the projection exposure apparatus may be used. That is, a test is performed by a projection exposure apparatus, a pattern is formed on a wafer, the pattern is evaluated by an evaluation apparatus separate from the projection exposure apparatus, and an evaluation parameter as a result of the evaluation is calculated. I do. Then, based on the evaluation parameters, a correction parameter for calibrating the projection exposure apparatus is calculated, and the calculated correction parameter is input to the projection exposure apparatus to calibrate the accuracy of the projection exposure apparatus such as alignment. That is being done.

In this calibration process, the data format of the evaluation parameters output from the evaluation device is generally different from the data format of the correction parameters for calibrating the projection exposure device. In such a case, the operator performs a calculation for converting the evaluation parameters into the correction parameters, and inputs the converted correction parameters to the projection exposure apparatus.

[0009]

However, in the above-described method, a conversion error due to an artificial cause occurs,
The projection exposure apparatus may be incorrectly calibrated.
In particular, in a situation where a plurality of evaluation apparatuses exist for one projection exposure apparatus, each evaluation apparatus outputs an evaluation parameter of a different format. Is more likely to occur, and the burden on operating and managing the entire system also increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a projection exposure apparatus which does not require conversion of input data by an operator.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recognizing means for recognizing a format of input data, and a converting means for converting input data in a format recognized by the recognizing means into a predetermined data format. And a projection exposure apparatus.

[0012]

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This system includes one projection exposure apparatus 1, one coater / developer 2, two evaluation apparatuses 3a and 3b, and a host computer 5. The projection exposure apparatus 1, coater / developer 2, and evaluation apparatuses 3a and 3b are connected to a host computer 5 via a network. The host computer 5 has a built-in storage device 5a.

The projection exposure apparatus 1 has a built-in computer 6 for controlling the projection exposure apparatus 1. The computer 6 is connected to each unit in the projection exposure apparatus 1 and communicates with the host computer 5 via a network. Connected. Computer 6 built in projection exposure apparatus 1
Has an arithmetic processing unit 7, a storage unit 8, an input unit 9, and a display unit 10. The arithmetic processing unit 7 is connected to the storage unit 8, the input unit 9, and the display unit 10. The arithmetic processing unit 7 is connected to each unit in the projection exposure apparatus 1 and is connected to the host computer 5 via a network.

The storage unit 8 stores an exposure program for controlling the exposure processing operation of the projection exposure apparatus 1 and input data (evaluation parameters) of a certain format into data (correction parameters) of a format compatible with the projection exposure apparatus 1. A plurality of conversion programs for conversion are stored. The exposure program and the conversion program are independent and separate programs.

Next, a schematic configuration of the projection exposure apparatus 1 and the coater / developer 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the projection exposure apparatus 1 will be described. In the projection exposure apparatus 1, a reticle 11 on which a device pattern is formed is placed on a reticle stage 12 for aligning the reticle 11.

The reticle stage 12 has a mechanism for moving the position of the reticle 11 or changing its attitude in order to perform the alignment. Reticle 11
The direction parallel to the plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the projection optical system 15 (x-axis direction and y-axis direction) and the direction parallel to the optical axis (z-axis direction) are determined by the mechanism for moving the reticle stage 12. It can be moved precisely. The mechanism for changing the attitude of the reticle 11 allows the reticle 11
Can be rotated about the z-axis direction,
Can be changed. Reticle 11
An alignment mark used for alignment is provided on the upper side.

Further, above the reticle stage 12, there is provided a reticle alignment sensor 13 for detecting the position and orientation of the reticle 11 by detecting an alignment mark on the reticle 11. An illumination system 14 is provided above the reticle 11, and the reticle 11 is illuminated by the illumination system 14. A projection optical system 15 is provided below the reticle stage 12,
A wafer stage 16 is provided below the projection optical system 15. A semiconductor wafer 17 to be exposed is placed on the wafer stage 16.

The wafer stage 16 precisely moves a semiconductor wafer 17 placed on the wafer stage 16 in a direction (x-axis direction and y-axis direction) parallel to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the projection optical system 15. It has a movable mechanism. With this movable mechanism, the semiconductor wafer 17 is precisely moved in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, and the exposure for each shot (each chip) can be repeated.

The movable mechanism is also used for aligning the semiconductor wafer 17. For this reason, the movable mechanism
The semiconductor wafer 17 can be moved not only in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction but also in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 15 (z-axis direction). Further, the attitude of the semiconductor wafer 17 can be changed, that is, the semiconductor wafer 17 can be rotated around the z-axis direction, or the inclination of the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 17 can be changed. To change the tilt of the semiconductor wafer 17 and the position in the z-axis direction,
The movable mechanism of the wafer stage 16 is a semiconductor wafer 17
Is supported by three points (three actuators), and these three points can be individually moved up and down. With this movable mechanism, it is possible to align the surface of the semiconductor wafer 17 with the image plane of the projection optical system 15, that is, to perform autofocus and autoleveling. Although not shown, the positions and rotation amounts of the reticle stage 12 and the wafer stage 16 are constantly measured by a laser interferometer, and the measured values are supplied to a computer 6 described later.

In order to detect an alignment mark on the semiconductor wafer 17, an off-axis type wafer alignment sensor 18 is provided above the wafer stage 16.
And an on-axis (for example, TTL) type wafer alignment sensor 19 is provided above the projection optical system 15.

Further, as described with reference to FIG. 1, the projection exposure apparatus 1 has a built-in computer 6 for controlling each component of the projection exposure apparatus 1. The computer 6 is connected to the illumination system 14, the reticle stage 12, the reticle alignment sensor 13, the wafer stage 16, the wafer alignment sensors 18, 19 and the like.
The computer 6 includes the arithmetic processing unit 7, the storage unit 8, the input unit 9, and the display unit 10 described in FIG. 1, and the arithmetic processing unit 7 is connected to each component of the projection exposure apparatus 1, and Host computer 5 via network
Is connected to

Next, the configuration of the coater / developer 2 will be described. The coater / developer 2 applies a photoresist to the semiconductor wafer 17 before exposure by the projection exposure apparatus 1, and immerses the exposed semiconductor wafer 17 in a solution for dissolving the exposed portion of the photoresist and develops it. Device. The coater / developer 2 is provided with a wafer library 2a for storing a wafer carrier containing one lot of semiconductor wafers 17 (usually 25 wafers). Between the coater / developer 2 and the projection exposure apparatus 1, there is provided an automatic wafer loader 20 for transporting a semiconductor wafer 17 stored in a wafer carrier between these apparatuses.

Next, a schematic operation of the projection exposure apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. Exposure illumination light emitted from the illumination system 14 is applied to the reticle 11, and the pattern image of the reticle 11 is reduced by the projection optical system 15 and projected on the semiconductor wafer 17 on the wafer stage 16. The position and orientation of reticle 11 are adjusted by reticle stage 12 based on information on the position and orientation of reticle 11 detected by reticle alignment sensor 13. Further, the semiconductor wafer 17 is detected by the wafer alignment sensor 18 or 19.
The position is adjusted by the wafer stage 16 based on the position information of the upper alignment mark.

The reticle image projected on the semiconductor wafer 17 is focused by the movable mechanism of the wafer stage 16 and an auto-focus mechanism (not shown), that is, the semiconductor wafer is adjusted to the image plane of the projection optical system 15. Is made. Then, the semiconductor wafer 17 is sequentially moved by the movable mechanism of the wafer stage 16, and the pattern image of the reticle 11 is repeatedly exposed on the semiconductor wafer 17 for each shot. By the above operation, a pattern image is projected onto a predetermined position on the semiconductor wafer 17 with a required positional accuracy, and the photoresist applied on the semiconductor wafer 17 is exposed.

Next, the operation of the coater / developer 2 and the wafer loader 20 will be described. Prior to exposure by the projection exposure apparatus 1, semiconductor wafers are automatically unloaded sequentially from a wafer carrier in which semiconductor wafers to be processed are stored from a wafer library 2a of the coater / developer 2 by an automatic transfer robot. This semiconductor wafer is divided into sections (coating resist,
Via the pre-bake etc.). The automatic wafer loader 20 transports the sent semiconductor wafer to the wafer stage 16 of the projection exposure apparatus 1.

The semiconductor wafer 17 which has been subjected to the exposure processing by the projection exposure apparatus 1 is sent to the coater / developer 2 by the automatic wafer loader 20 and is exposed in each section (wet development, drying, etc.) in the coater / developer 2. The developed semiconductor wafer is subjected to development processing and the like. After that, the semiconductor wafer after the development processing etc.
Wafer library 2a by the aforementioned automatic transfer robot
Is stored in.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Prior to formal exposure processing by the projection exposure apparatus 1, test exposure is performed by using the leading wafer of a lot of 25 or 50 wafers as a pilot wafer, and the processing result of this pilot wafer is evaluated separately from the projection exposure apparatus 1. It is evaluated by.

In the projection exposure apparatus 1, for example, alignment, ie, alignment, of a lower layer pattern already formed on a wafer and a reticle pattern image as an upper layer pattern to be superimposed on the lower layer pattern is performed. In this alignment, the position, the rotation amount, the magnification, and the like of the lower layer pattern already formed on the wafer are measured by the alignment sensor. Based on the measurement result, parameters such as the position, rotation amount, and magnification of the upper layer pattern are calculated, and based on these calculation results, the exposure position, the rotation amount, and the rotation amount of the upper layer pattern (reticle pattern image) are calculated.
The magnification and the like are determined.

However, in the measurement in the alignment,
Since overlay errors may occur due to measurement errors, test exposure is performed prior to formal exposure, the degree of pattern overlap is evaluated using the evaluation device, and evaluation parameters as evaluation results are generated. Therefore, in FIG. 2, the coater / developer 2 applies the pilot wafer taken out of the wafer library 2a (wafer carrier).
After performing the various processes described above, the pilot wafer is placed on the wafer stage 16 in the projection exposure apparatus 1 by the automatic wafer loader 20. Next, in the projection exposure apparatus 1, the pilot wafer is exposed in the same sequence as the main exposure. In the present embodiment, for example,
No. 29, the Enhanced Global Alignment (EGA) method is adopted,
At least three on the pilot wafer, for example 5-10
Each of the shot areas is defined as an alignment shot area, and alignment marks formed in each alignment shot area are detected by the alignment sensor 19 to obtain position information. Further, the computer 6 (arithmetic processing unit 7) determines position information (coordinate values) of each shot area on the pilot wafer by statistically processing the plurality of pieces of position information. The reticle stage 12 and the wafer stage 16 are controlled on the basis of the position information to perform alignment between the reticle 11 and the pilot wafer, and the pilot wafer is controlled by a step-and-repeat method or a step-and-scan method. The pattern image of the reticle 11 is superimposed and transferred onto each upper shot area. Further, the exposed pilot wafer is sent to the coater / developer 2 by the auto wafer loader 20, where it is subjected to development processing and the like. This allows
In each shot area on the pilot wafer, a reticle pattern resist image is formed on the lower layer pattern. Then, this pilot wafer is sent to an evaluation device, and the overlay error between the lower layer pattern and the resist image (upper layer pattern) is measured.

The evaluation parameters include, in addition to the above, process evaluation results, optical characteristics of the projection optical system (focal position, magnification, aberration, telecentricity, etc.), focus level, wafer stage stepping accuracy, and the like. In the scanning exposure method, there is a synchronous movement accuracy between the reticle stage and the wafer stage.

The evaluation parameters obtained by evaluating the degree of pattern overlap are stored in a computer 6 in the projection exposure apparatus 1.
Are converted to correction parameters SCL0, ROT0, and ORT0. The computer 6 substitutes these correction parameters into the following equation (1) to correct the coordinates of the projected image on the wafer.

(Equation 1) However, in the coordinate system of the projected image on the wafer, the coordinates before correction are (x, y), and the coordinates after correction are (X, Y). Also, SC
L0 is a magnification correction component of the shot array, ROT0 is a rotation correction component of the shot array in the Y-axis direction, and ORT0 is a rotation correction component of the X-axis direction based on the rotation component of the shot array in the Y-axis direction. In addition, since the amount of rotation of the coordinates is very small, sin (ROT0) = ROT0 and cos (ROT0) = 1 in the above equation (1).

Each of the above correction parameters will be briefly described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the magnification correction component SCL0 of the shot array corrects the scale of the pattern to be superimposed on the lower layer pattern already formed when the lower layer pattern has expanded and contracted in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Is a correction value. This correction value is a positive value when performing correction for expanding the coordinate system. For example, the lower layer pattern extends in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction,
If the design value has increased by 10%, set SCL0 = 0.1.

Rotation correction component RO in the Y-axis direction of the shot array
As shown in FIG. 4, T0 is a correction value for rotating the pattern to be superimposed thereon in accordance with the rotation when the entire lower layer pattern is rotated. This correction value is a positive value when the pattern to be overlaid is rotated counterclockwise.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the rotation correction component ORT0 in the X-axis direction based on the rotation component in the Y-axis direction of the shot array, only the Y-axis of the lower layer pattern rotates and the XY-axis deviates from being orthogonal. When the Y axis of the upper layer pattern is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the correction value is a positive value.

For the correction by the above-described correction parameters in the projection exposure apparatus 1, the evaluation apparatus 3a calculates an error component using the following equation (2) as a deformation model of the pattern on the wafer, and superimposes the error component. Output evaluation parameters SCL1, ROTX1, and ROTY1.

(Equation 2) Here, the predicted coordinates of the alignment mark formed on the wafer are (x, y), and the actually measured coordinates are (X, Y).
SCL1 is the average of the magnification error component in the X-axis direction and the magnification error component in the Y-axis direction of the shot array, ROTX1 is the rotation error component in the X-axis direction of the shot array, and ROTY1 is the Y-axis direction of the shot array. This is a rotation error component. ROTX1 is called a rotation error component in the X-axis direction in the sense that it is effective in calculating the X coordinate, and ROTY1 is called a rotation error component in the Y-axis direction in the sense that it is effective in calculating the Y coordinate.

Therefore, the evaluation parameters SCL1, ROTX1, and ROTY1 calculated by the evaluation device 3a are
In order to convert to the correction parameters SCL0, ROT0, and ORT0 used for correction, the following calculation is required. SCL0 = -SCL1 (1.a) ROT0 = -ROTY1 (1.b) ORT0 =-(ROTX1-ROTY1) (1.c) A conversion program for performing the above calculations is stored in the storage unit 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1. Is stored, and this conversion program converts the evaluation parameters output by the evaluation device 3a into the correction parameters of the projection exposure apparatus 1.

The evaluation device 3b calculates an error component by using the following equation (3) as a deformation model of a pattern on a wafer, and evaluates evaluation parameters SCLX2 and SCLY for superposition.
2. Outputs ROT2 and 0RT2.

(Equation 3) Here, the predicted coordinates of the alignment mark formed on the wafer are (x, y), and the actually measured coordinates are (X, Y).
SCLX2 is a magnification error component of the shot array in the X-axis direction, SCLY2 is a magnification error component of the shot array in the Y-axis direction, ROT2 is a rotation error component of the shot array in the Y-axis direction,
0RT2 is a rotation error component in the X-axis direction based on the rotation error component in the Y-axis direction of the shot array.

Therefore, the evaluation parameters SCLX2, SCLY2, ROT2, and 0RT2 calculated by the evaluation device 3b are replaced with correction parameters SCL0, ROT0, and OR used by the projection exposure apparatus 1 for correction.
To convert to T0, the following calculation is required. SCL0 =-(SCLX2 + SCLY2) / 2 (2.a) ROT0 = -ROT2 (2.b) ORT0 = -ORT2 (2.c) The above calculation is performed in the storage unit 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1. A conversion program is stored, and the conversion program converts the evaluation parameters output by the evaluation device 3b into correction parameters of the projection exposure apparatus 1.

Next, the operation of the operator and the flow of processing executed by the projection exposure apparatus 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. However, A1 to A3 in the following text represent steps of a flowchart showing an operation by the operator, and B1 to B6 are:
4 shows steps of a flowchart of a process executed by the projection exposure apparatus 1. This processing is executed by an exposure program stored in a storage unit 8 built in the computer 6 in the projection exposure apparatus 1.

The operation by the operator will be described.
First, test exposure is performed by the projection exposure apparatus 1 to create an evaluation wafer. After the creation, the operator operates the host computer 5 and sends an instruction to the evaluation device 3a or 3b to execute the evaluation of the created evaluation wafer (A
1), the evaluation apparatus to which the instruction has been sent starts evaluation of the wafer. After completion of the evaluation, the evaluation parameters are output from the evaluation device, and the operator stores the output evaluation parameters in the storage device 5a in the host computer 5 (A2). Thereafter, the operator instructs the projection exposure apparatus 1 to execute actual exposure processing (A3). When the operator instructs the execution of the exposure processing, at the same time as the instruction, the host computer 5 sends to the projection exposure apparatus 1 an address in the storage device 5a of the host computer 5 at which the execution condition parameters used for the exposure processing are stored. ,
The address at which the evaluation parameter is stored and the format information of the evaluation parameter are notified. Then, the processing by the projection exposure apparatus 1 is started.

Next, the flow of processing by the projection exposure apparatus 1 will be described. This processing is executed by an exposure program stored in the storage unit 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1. When the execution of the actual exposure processing is instructed to the projection exposure apparatus 1, the processing by the projection exposure apparatus 1 is started. Projection exposure apparatus 1
First, the execution condition parameters are read from the notified address in the storage device 5a in the host computer 5 and stored in the storage unit 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1 (B1). Similarly, an evaluation parameter is read from the notified address in the storage device 5a in the host computer 5, and stored in the storage unit 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1 (B2).

Next, the flow is branched based on the format information of the evaluation parameter notified when the execution of the exposure processing is instructed (B3). That is, if it is determined from the format information that the evaluation parameter is an output of the evaluation device 3a, the process proceeds to step B4. If it is determined that the evaluation parameter is an output of the evaluation device 3b, the process proceeds to step B5.

In step B4, the evaluation parameters SCL1, ROTX1, and ROTY1 are converted into correction parameters SCL0, ROT0, and ORT0 according to the equations (1.a) to (1.c). In step B5, the evaluation parameter SCLX is calculated by the equations (2.a) to (2.c).
2, SCLY2, ROT2, ORT2 are correction parameters SCL0, ROT0, OR
Converted to T0. The conversion in steps B4 and B5 is
This is performed by a conversion program stored in the storage unit 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1. The correction parameters converted by the conversion program are also stored in the storage unit 8.

After the correction parameters are stored in the storage unit 8, the exposure processing by the projection exposure apparatus 1 is started (B
6) First, an exposure process is performed after various corrections are performed with reference to the correction parameters stored in the storage unit 8. This exposure processing includes a series of processing such as reticle transport, wafer transport, various alignments and exposure.

The conversion program stored in the storage section 8 in the projection exposure apparatus 1 is a separate program separate from the exposure program for performing the exposure processing similarly stored in the storage section 8. Therefore, for example, even when an evaluation device having a new evaluation parameter output format is introduced, a conversion program corresponding to this format may be added, and there is no need to significantly change the exposure program. in this way,
By making the conversion program and the exposure program separate and independent programs, it is easy to deal with the new evaluation parameter format, and it is also possible for the user to create a conversion program.

In the above embodiment, the format information of the evaluation parameter and the contents of the evaluation parameter are notified from the host computer 5 to the projection exposure apparatus 1. As another embodiment, the format information of the evaluation parameter and the evaluation parameter are described. The contents may be input by the operator from the input unit 9 of the computer 6 in the projection exposure apparatus 1. At this time, when the format information of the evaluation parameter is input from the input unit 9, the computer 6 in the projection exposure apparatus 1
The display unit 10 displays an evaluation parameter input promotion screen corresponding to the input format.

That is, the arithmetic processing unit 7 of the computer 6 incorporated in the projection exposure apparatus 1 recognizes the item of the evaluation parameter to be input from the format information of the input evaluation parameter, and displays this item on the display unit 10. Display the input promotion screen that matches with.

For example, from the format information of the evaluation parameter,
When it is recognized that the evaluation parameter calculated by the evaluation device 3a is input, the display unit 10 displays the evaluation parameter SC.
A screen prompting you to enter L1, ROTX1, and ROTY1 is displayed. The operator inputs each evaluation parameter from the input unit 9 along this display. At this time, the operator does not need to perform the calculation for converting the evaluation parameters into the correction parameters of the projection exposure apparatus 1 as a matter of course.

When it is recognized that the evaluation parameters calculated by the evaluation device 3b are input, the display unit 10 displays a screen prompting the input of the evaluation parameters SCLX2, SCLY2, ROT2, and ORT2. The operator inputs each evaluation parameter from the input unit 9 along this display.

In the above embodiment, the operator
The format information of the evaluation parameter is input from the host computer 5 or the input unit 9 of the projection exposure apparatus 1, the format of the evaluation parameter is determined based on this information, and the conversion program used for the conversion calculation is selected. As an embodiment of the present invention, a configuration may be adopted in which a conversion program is selected without inputting format information of an evaluation parameter. That is, when the evaluation device outputs the evaluation parameters, the evaluation device ID is output at the same time, and these are stored in the storage device 5a in the host computer 5. The computer 6 in the projection exposure apparatus 1 reads the evaluation device ID stored in the storage device 5a, determines the format of the evaluation parameter based on the ID, and selects a conversion program.

In the above embodiment, if the numerical value to be corrected by the correction parameter is a numerical value unique to the projection exposure apparatus itself regardless of the process or the product,
At the time when the evaluation parameters are output from the evaluation device, conversion into correction parameters is performed without waiting for the execution of the actual exposure processing to start, and the converted correction parameters are converted into the projection exposure device 1.
May be configured to be stored in the storage unit 8 in the inside. The exposure program executed thereafter may use the stored correction parameters as they are.

As other examples of the evaluation parameters, there are an exposure amount by a projection exposure apparatus, a distortion of a projection lens, and the like. Further, in the above embodiment, the conversion of the parameters is realized by the conversion program stored in the storage unit 8, that is, software, but it is also possible to realize this by hardware.

The projection optical system 15 is not limited to a reduction system, but may be a unit magnification system or an enlargement system.
Any of a refractive optical system, a reflective optical system, and a catadioptric optical system may be used. Further, the projection exposure apparatus 1
An AND stitch method may be employed, and the exposure of each shot area may employ either a static exposure method or a scanning exposure method. Further, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a proximity type or contact type exposure apparatus that does not use a mirror projection aligner, a photo repeater, or a projection optical system. Further, the present invention may be applied to an exposure apparatus that uses a charged particle beam such as an electron beam or an ion beam, or an X-ray.
Further, a soft X-ray region generated from a laser plasma light source or SOR, for example, a wavelength of 13.4 nm or 11.5 nm
The present invention may be applied to an exposure apparatus using EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) light.

In the above-described embodiment, the pilot wafer that has been subjected to the test exposure by the projection exposure apparatus 1 is subjected to development processing and the like by the coater / developer 2, and then is carried into the evaluation apparatus. The detected resist image is to be detected. However, the pilot wafer subjected to the test exposure by the projection exposure apparatus 1 is sent to the evaluation apparatus as it is, and the evaluation apparatus detects the latent image of the reticle pattern formed on the photoresist on the pilot wafer instead of the above-described resist image. You may make it. When the photoresist is of a chemically amplified type or a surface reaction type, for example, post-baking of the pilot wafer is performed in the coater / developer 2 before the pilot wafer subjected to the test exposure is carried into the evaluation apparatus. After that, the above-described latent image detection may be performed in the evaluation device. In this case, at least the development processing can be omitted, so that the measurement time can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, a development process and an etching process may be performed on the pilot wafer subjected to the test exposure, and a reticle pattern formed on the pilot wafer may be detected instead of the above-described resist image or latent image. .

In the above embodiment, the pattern of the reticle is transferred onto the pilot wafer by the test exposure. However, the pattern to be transferred onto the pilot wafer is not limited to the circuit pattern. For example, an alignment mark, a mark dedicated to measurement, or the like is transferred alone or together with a circuit pattern onto a pilot wafer, and the evaluation device detects a transfer image of the alignment mark or the mark dedicated to measurement to obtain the above-described evaluation parameter. It may be. That is, the pattern transferred onto the pilot wafer in the test exposure may have any shape and the like. Further, the reticle used for the test exposure may be any of a reticle for manufacturing a device used for the main exposure and a test reticle dedicated to measurement.

In the above-described embodiment, since the evaluation device obtains the evaluation parameters related to the overlay error and the like, the projection exposure device 1 performs the test exposure of the pilot wafer in the same sequence as the main exposure. For example, when obtaining evaluation parameters related to the optical characteristics of the projection optical system 15, the stepping accuracy of the wafer stage 16, and the like, the test exposure of the pilot wafer is performed in a completely different sequence and processing conditions from the main exposure.

[0057]

According to the present invention, even when the data format of the correction parameter of the projection exposure apparatus is different from the data format of the evaluation parameter of the evaluation apparatus, the projection exposure apparatus converts the evaluation parameter into the correction parameter. So do
The evaluation parameters calculated by the evaluation apparatus can be directly input to the projection exposure apparatus, so that it is not necessary to convert the parameters, and it is possible to reduce the possibility of causing a conversion error.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a semiconductor manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projection exposure apparatus and a coater / developer.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a magnification correction component of a shot array.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a rotation correction component of a shot array in a Y-axis direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a rotation correction component in the X-axis direction based on a rotation component in the Y-axis direction of the shot array.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of an operation by an operator and a process executed by the projection exposure apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Projection exposure apparatus 2 Coater / developer 2a Wafer library 3a Evaluation apparatus 3b Evaluation apparatus 5 Host computer 5a Storage device 6 Computer 7 Arithmetic processing unit 8 Storage unit 9 Input unit 10 Display unit 11 Reticle 12 Reticle stage 13 Reticle alignment sensor 14 Illumination system 15 Projection lens 16 Wafer stage 17 Semiconductor wafer 18 Off-axis wafer alignment sensor 19 On-axis (TTL type) wafer alignment sensor 20 Auto wafer loader

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A projection exposure apparatus comprising: recognition means for recognizing a format of input data; and conversion means for converting input data in a format recognized by the recognition means into a predetermined data format. 2. The conversion means comprises: storage means for storing a plurality of conversion formulas or conversion programs for converting the input data; and the plurality of conversion formulas or conversion programs based on recognition by the recognition means. 2. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit for selecting any one of the following. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input data is an evaluation parameter which is provided separately from the projection exposure apparatus and is output by a plurality of evaluation apparatuses for evaluating the performance of the projection exposure apparatus. Item 3. The projection exposure apparatus according to item 1 or 2. 4. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the input data is alignment data or exposure condition data of the projection exposure apparatus. 5. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recognition unit recognizes a format of the input data based on identification data for identifying the evaluation device. 6. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognition unit includes a display unit that displays a format of the recognized input data. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognizing means recognizes a format of the input data based on a notification from a host computer connected to the projection exposure apparatus via a network. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1. 8. A data conversion apparatus comprising: recognition means for recognizing a format of input data; and conversion means for converting input data in a format recognized by the recognition means into a predetermined data format. 9. A recording medium storing a data conversion program for recognizing a format of input data and converting the input data in the recognized format into a predetermined data format.