JP2001319868A - Exposure apparatus, semiconductor device manufacturing method, semiconductor manufacturing factory, and exposure apparatus maintenance method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To eliminate the need for warm-up time and periodic maintenance for oxygen concentration measurement. Reduce power consumption for oxygen concentration measurement. Further, the adverse effect of the oxygen concentration measuring means due to heat is prevented. SOLUTION: In an exposure apparatus provided with an oxygen concentration measuring means for measuring an oxygen concentration on an optical path of exposure light, the oxygen concentration measuring means 2 to 6 measure the oxygen concentration by detecting attenuation of the exposure light 7 due to oxygen. measure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a semiconductor manufacturing factory, and a maintenance method for an exposure apparatus used in semiconductor manufacturing or the like. The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring an oxygen concentration on an optical path in a case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, semiconductors have made remarkable progress, and semiconductors have been miniaturized. Further, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, the wavelength of an exposure light source is shortened in order to achieve transfer of a finer pattern. With the shortening of the wavelength of the exposure light source, recently, excimer pulse lasers such as KrF, ArF, and F2 have been used. Among them, for ArF and F2 lasers,
Since the absorption by oxygen is large, the region of the semiconductor exposure apparatus through which the laser beam passes is usually made to be anoxic or filled with a gas such as nitrogen. However, when oxygen is not completely replaced with nitrogen or the like, there is contamination (contaminant) in the air containing oxygen, which is caused by A.
In some cases, a chemical reaction is caused by the rF or F2 laser and adheres to the surface of the optical component, thereby attenuating the transmittance of the optical component. In order to avoid this phenomenon, it is necessary to reduce the oxygen concentration in the region through which the laser beam passes to a level of several ppm.

Conventionally, as a method of detecting that the oxygen concentration has reached this level, there is a method of measuring the oxygen concentration using a zirconia solid electrolyte type oxygen concentration meter utilizing a limiting current.

[0004]

However, the conventional zirconia solid electrolyte type oxygen concentration meter has the following problems. Since the temperature of the sensor element needs to be about 450 ° C., and a heater must be attached, power consumption is large. It takes several minutes for the temperature of the sensor element to reach about 450 ° C., and a warm-up time is required before an accurate oxygen concentration can be measured. Heat generated by the heater induces gas generation, and has various adverse effects on optical components.
A response time of about several tens of seconds is required for a change in oxygen concentration. In addition, existing oximeters have a lifetime and require periodic calibration.

[0005] In addition, problems resulting from these problems include a decrease in operation efficiency of the device due to a longer warm-up time of the device, and a need for periodic maintenance.
There are problems such as a decrease in device operation efficiency due to an increase in maintenance time, an increase in power consumption, and an increase in equipment operation costs due to replacement of optical components.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and eliminates the need for a warm-up time for oxygen concentration measurement in an exposure apparatus, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a semiconductor manufacturing factory, and a maintenance method for an exposure apparatus. The task is to Another object is to eliminate the need for periodic maintenance of the oxygen concentration measuring means. Another object is to reduce power consumption for oxygen concentration measurement. Another object is to prevent an adverse effect of the oxygen concentration measuring means due to heat.

[0007]

In order to solve these problems, a first exposure apparatus according to the present invention is an exposure apparatus having an oxygen concentration measuring means for measuring an oxygen concentration on an optical path of exposure light. The oxygen concentration measuring means measures the oxygen concentration by detecting attenuation of exposure light due to oxygen.

The second exposure apparatus is the first exposure apparatus, wherein the oxygen concentration measuring means includes a plurality of light energy sensors for detecting light energy of exposure light at a plurality of positions on the optical path, It is characterized in that the oxygen concentration is measured based on the output of the sensor.

The third exposure apparatus is characterized in that in the first or second exposure apparatus, the light source of the exposure light is a short wavelength laser.

A fourth exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to third exposure apparatuses, wherein the oxygen concentration measuring means corrects an energy decay rate due to light energy absorption of oxygen according to a wavelength of the exposure light. Is performed, and the oxygen concentration is measured based on the result.

A fifth exposure apparatus is the exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth exposure apparatuses, wherein the oxygen concentration measuring means uses another short-wavelength laser beam instead of the exposure beam. It is characterized in that the oxygen concentration on the optical path of exposure light is measured in the same manner as described above.

A sixth exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth exposure apparatuses, further comprising means for outputting an alarm when a value measured by the oxygen concentration measurement means exceeds a predetermined limit value. Features.

A seventh exposure apparatus is characterized in that in any one of the first to sixth exposure apparatuses, the exposure is stopped when the value measured by the oxygen concentration measuring means exceeds a predetermined limit value. .

An eighth exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh exposure apparatuses, wherein when the value measured by the oxygen concentration measuring means exceeds a predetermined limit value, a rapid flow of an inert gas onto the optical path. It is characterized by having means for performing filling.

A ninth exposure apparatus is the exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth exposure apparatuses, wherein the oxygen concentration measuring means is arranged to open the optical path of the exposure light to the atmosphere or to change the optical path of the exposure light to a constant oxygen concentration. In this case, the measurement of the oxygen concentration is performed in consideration of the result of measuring the temporal change of the optical parts on the optical path in the above case.

A tenth exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth exposure apparatuses, further comprising a display, a network interface, and a computer that executes network software, and stores maintenance information of the exposure apparatus on the computer. It is characterized by enabling data communication via a network.

An eleventh exposure apparatus according to the tenth exposure apparatus, wherein the network software is connected to an external network of a factory where the exposure apparatus is installed, and is connected to a maintenance database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus. A user interface for accessing the database is provided on the display, and information can be obtained from the database via the external network.

The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention further comprises the steps of: installing a manufacturing apparatus group for various processes including any one of the first to ninth exposure apparatuses in a semiconductor manufacturing factory;
Manufacturing a semiconductor device by a plurality of processes using the manufacturing apparatus group.

According to a second semiconductor device manufacturing method, in the first semiconductor device manufacturing method, the step of connecting the group of manufacturing apparatuses via a local area network includes the step of connecting the local area network to an external network outside the semiconductor manufacturing factory. At least one of the manufacturing equipment
Data communication of information about the platform.

A third method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the second method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus is accessed via the external network and the manufacturing apparatus is accessed by data communication. Or the production management is performed by communicating data via the external network between the semiconductor manufacturing plant and another semiconductor manufacturing plant.

The semiconductor manufacturing plant according to the present invention comprises
A manufacturing apparatus group for various processes including any one of the ninth exposure apparatuses, a local area network connecting the manufacturing apparatus group, and a gateway that enables the local area network to access an external network outside the factory. And data communication of information on at least one of the manufacturing apparatus groups.

The maintenance method for an exposure apparatus according to the present invention is the maintenance method for any one of the first to ninth exposure apparatuses installed in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, wherein a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus A step of providing a maintenance database connected to an external network of a manufacturing plant; a step of allowing access to the maintenance database from within the semiconductor manufacturing plant via the external network; and maintenance information stored in the maintenance database. Transmitting to the semiconductor manufacturing factory via the external network.

In these configurations of the present invention, the oxygen concentration on the optical path of the exposure light is measured by detecting the attenuation of the exposure light due to oxygen without using an existing oxygen concentration meter. According to this, since no heater is required, power consumption can be reduced. Also, there is no need to wait until the temperature of the sensor element reaches the specified temperature, and no warm-up time is required. In addition, since there is no heater, no gas is generated, and there is no influence on optical components, and maintenance is free. In addition, compared to existing oxygen concentration meters, the service life is longer and periodic calibration is not required, which also makes maintenance free. Therefore, the causes of the decrease in the operation efficiency of the apparatus such as the warm-up time of the apparatus and the periodic maintenance are eliminated, and the problems such as increase in power consumption and replacement of optical parts are eliminated, and increase in the cost of equipment operation is prevented. Will be done.

[0024]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an oxygen concentration measuring section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a gas laser or an F2 laser in which ArF or the like is sealed, and a pulsed laser beam 7 is provided.
Is a light source that generates Part of the pulse light generated by the laser 1 is reflected by the half mirror 2 and is irradiated on the optical sensor 4. On the other hand, the laser beam transmitted through the half mirror 2 travels a certain distance, is partially reflected by the half mirror 3, and is irradiated on the optical sensor 5.

The output of the optical sensor 5 at this time is lower than the output of the optical sensor 4 because the laser light is absorbed by oxygen and attenuated by the length of the optical path. In general, the attenuation rate when absorbed and attenuated by oxygen differs depending on the laser wavelength. In this embodiment, the correction value of the attenuation rate is calculated based on the data of the wavelength of the laser light emitted from the laser 1. Since the amount of attenuation of the laser beam depends on the oxygen concentration in the optical path and the laser wavelength, the oxygen concentration calculator 6 calculates 2 based on the outputs of the optical sensors 5 and 4, the laser wavelength, and the correction value of the attenuation rate. The oxygen concentration between the two half mirrors 2 and 3 can be calculated. At this time, it is necessary to determine the oxygen concentration in consideration of the attenuation of the laser beam by the half mirror 2.

FIG. 2 shows a step exposure type exposure apparatus provided with the oxygen concentration measuring section of FIG. In this exposure apparatus,
The oxygen concentration measuring section in FIG. 1 measures the oxygen concentration in the environment between the laser 1 and the image shifter 8. Note that the oxygen concentration measurement unit in FIG. 1 can be applied to the measurement of the oxygen concentration at any place as long as it is in the optical path of the laser light in the exposure apparatus. Laser device 1, half mirror 2, half mirror 3, optical sensor 4,
The configurations of the optical sensor 5 and the oxygen concentration calculator 6 are the same as those in FIG.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 denotes an image shifter on which the laser light transmitted through the half mirror 3 is incident, 9 denotes a mirror that reflects the laser light passing through the image shifter 8, and 10 denotes a laser light reflected by the mirror 9. Zoom lens,
11 is a mirror that reflects the laser light that has passed through the zoom lens 10, 12 is a fly-eye lens on which the laser light reflected by the mirror 11 enters, and 13 is a sigma switch that receives the laser light that has passed through the fly-eye lens 12. , 14 is a zoom lens on which the laser light having passed through the sigma switch 13 is incident, 15 is a masking blade that restricts the laser light that has passed through the zoom lens 14, 16 is a mirror that reflects the laser light that has passed through the masking blade 15, and 17 is a mirror A reticle illuminated by the laser light reflected by 16, a projection lens 18 for projecting a pattern of the reticle 17 to be illuminated, 1
Reference numeral 9 denotes a stage for holding and positioning a wafer on which a pattern projected by the projection lens 18 is exposed;
Reference numeral 6 denotes a control unit that performs sequence control of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, 27 denotes a display unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and 28 denotes a control unit that controls purging of the laser beam on the optical path by an inert gas.

The optical path of the laser beam 7 is usually purged with an inert gas. The control unit 28 is connected to an intake pump 30 for purging an inert gas, an exhaust pump 31 for discarding gas in the optical path of laser light, and a driver unit 29 for controlling the pumps 30 and 31.

In this configuration, the oxygen concentration calculator 6 comprises:
If the oxygen concentration is higher than the specified value, an alarm is output to the display unit 27 of the device. At the same time, a command to stop the apparatus is output to the control unit 26 to stop the apparatus and stop the exposure. At the same time, the oxygen concentration calculator 6 is used to exhaust the gas in the optical path of the laser beam and fill it with an inert gas.
Outputs a signal to the control unit 28 for filling the inert gas and exhausting the internal gas. By controlling the driver unit 29 based on this signal, the control unit 28 operates the intake pump 30 to perform quick intake, and operates the exhaust pump 31 to perform rapid exhaust operation.
Note that the optical sensors 4 and 5 can also be used for ordinary light quantity measurement.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a pass circuit for increasing the optical path length of a laser in an exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a half mirror that reflects a part of the laser beam 7, and reference numeral 21 denotes a half mirror 20.
Half mirror that reflects a part of the light reflected by
Numeral 25 is a mirror for sequentially reflecting the light reflected by the half mirror 21 to increase the optical path length. The light transmitted through the half mirror 21 enters the optical sensor 4. The light reflected by the mirror 25 enters the optical sensor 5.

In the oxygen concentration measuring unit shown in FIG. 1 which utilizes the attenuation of laser light by oxygen, the distance between the two half mirrors 2 and 3 increases as the amount of attenuation by oxygen increases, so that the measurement can be performed accurately. Can be. Therefore, due to the structure of the exposure apparatus, a long distance on the optical path of the laser beam,
When it is difficult to arrange two half mirrors,
By providing the pass circuit as shown in FIG. 3, the oxygen concentration can be accurately measured. Note that the optical sensors 4 and 5 can also be used for ordinary light quantity measurement.

Also, by using the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 1, the optical time-dependent change of the optical half mirrors 2 and 3 is measured by measuring the attenuation rate of the laser beam in the open-to-atmosphere state. A correction value due to a change with time is calculated based on the calculated value, and the correction value is used as calibration data in the oxygen concentration calculator 6 to perform additional correction.

Further, in addition to the above-described correction in the open-to-atmosphere state, a gas having a known oxygen concentration is filled on the optical path and the attenuation rate of the laser beam is measured, so that the optical aging of the optical half mirrors 2 and 3 can be performed. The change is measured, and a correction value due to the change with time is calculated based on the measurement result, and the additional correction can be performed by using this as calibration data in the oxygen concentration calculator 6. And a plurality of correction means.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows an exposure apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this exposure apparatus, a pair of two half mirrors 32 and 34 for measuring the amount of attenuation of the laser light is arranged at a position on the optical path of the laser light different from that of the half mirrors 2 and 3 in FIG. ing.
Then, by detecting the light reflected by the half mirrors 32 and 34 by the optical sensors 33 and 35, the amount of attenuation of the laser light at a place different from the case of FIG. 2 on the optical path of the laser light is measured. ing. Optical sensor 33
The data detected at 35 and 35 are the same as in FIG.
It is input to the oxygen concentration calculator 6 and is used for calculating the oxygen concentration between the half mirrors 32 and 34. Other operations are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG. Note that the optical sensors 33 and 35 can also be used for ordinary light quantity measurement.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this exposure apparatus, a pair of two half mirrors 36 and 38 for measuring the amount of laser beam attenuation is placed on the optical path of the laser beam at a position different from the case of the similar half mirror in FIGS. Have been placed. However, in this embodiment, the half mirrors 36 and 38
The optical part 10 is included in between, and it is possible to measure the oxygen concentration in a wide range including the optical part 10. In this case, the light reflected by the half mirrors 36 and 38 is detected by the optical sensors 37 and 39, so that the amount of attenuation of the laser light on the optical path of the laser light at the place including the optical part 10 is measured. That is, the optical sensors 37 and 39
The data detected at is input to the oxygen concentration calculator 6.
Then, in the oxygen concentration calculator 6, the half mirrors 36 and 38 are taken into consideration in consideration of the light attenuation of the optical part 10.
The oxygen concentration between them is calculated. Other operations are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG. The optical sensors 37 and 39 are
It can also be used for ordinary light quantity measurement.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows an exposure apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this exposure apparatus, the oxygen concentration is measured using a laser different from the exposure laser. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a laser different from the exposure laser 1, and reference numeral 41 denotes a half mirror for inputting a laser beam output from the laser 40 onto an optical path of the laser 1. An F2 laser is used as the laser 1 and a laser 4 is used.
ArF is used as 0. Reference numeral 42 denotes a diaphragm mechanism for separating the laser light from the laser 1 and the laser light from the laser 40. When a laser different from the laser for exposure is used for oxygen concentration measurement as in the present embodiment. Required.

The oxygen concentration between the half mirrors 2 and 3 can be calculated by the oxygen concentration calculator 6 in the same manner as in FIG. Other operations are operations according to the embodiment of FIG.

<Embodiment of Semiconductor Production System> Next, an example of a production system of semiconductor devices (semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.) using the above-described exposure apparatus will be described. explain. In this system, maintenance services such as troubleshooting and periodic maintenance of a manufacturing apparatus installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory or provision of software are performed using a computer network outside the manufacturing factory.

FIG. 7 shows the whole system cut out from a certain angle. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a business establishment of a vendor (apparatus supply maker) that provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus. Examples of manufacturing equipment include semiconductor manufacturing equipment for various processes used in semiconductor manufacturing factories, for example, pre-processing equipment (lithography equipment such as exposure equipment, resist processing equipment, etching equipment, heat treatment equipment, film formation equipment, planarization). Equipment) and post-process equipment (assembly equipment, inspection equipment, etc.). In the business office 101, a host management system 10 for providing a maintenance database of manufacturing equipment
8. It has a plurality of operation terminal computers 110 and a local area network (LAN) 109 connecting these to construct an intranet. Host management system 10
Reference numeral 8 includes a gateway for connecting the LAN 109 to the Internet 105, which is an external network of the business office, and a security function for restricting external access.

On the other hand, 102 to 104 are manufacturing factories of a semiconductor manufacturer as users of the manufacturing apparatus. The manufacturing factories 102 to 104 may be factories belonging to different manufacturers or factories belonging to the same manufacturer (for example, a factory for a pre-process, a factory for a post-process, etc.). In each of the factories 102 to 104, a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 106, a local area network (LAN) 111 connecting them to construct an intranet, and a host management unit as a monitoring apparatus for monitoring the operation status of each manufacturing apparatus 106. A system 107 is provided. Each factory 10
The host management systems 107 provided in 2 to 104 are:
It has a gateway for connecting the LAN 111 in each factory to the Internet 105 which is an external network of the factory. This allows access from the LAN 111 of each factory to the host management system 108 on the vendor 101 side via the Internet 105, and only a limited user is permitted access by the security function of the host management system 108. More specifically, the factory notifies the vendor of status information (for example, symptoms of the manufacturing apparatus in which a trouble has occurred) indicating the operating status of each manufacturing apparatus 106 via the Internet 105.
Response information corresponding to the notification (for example, information instructing a coping method for a trouble, software and data for coping), and maintenance information such as the latest software and help information can be received from the vendor. Each factory 10
For data communication between the vendors 2 to 104 and the vendor 101 and data communication on the LAN 111 in each factory, a communication protocol (TCP) generally used on the Internet is used.
/ IP) is used. Instead of using the Internet as an external network outside the factory, it is also possible to use a dedicated line network (such as ISDN) that does not allow access from a third party and has high security. Further, the host management system is not limited to the one provided by the vendor, and a user may construct a database and place it on an external network, and permit access to the database from a plurality of user factories.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the entire system according to the present embodiment cut out from a different angle from FIG. In the above example, a plurality of user factories each having a manufacturing device and a management system of a vendor of the manufacturing device are connected via an external network, and the production management of each factory and at least one device are connected via the external network. The data of the manufacturing apparatus was communicated. On the other hand, in this example, a factory equipped with manufacturing equipment of a plurality of vendors is connected to a management system of each of the plurality of manufacturing equipments via an external network outside the factory, and maintenance information of each manufacturing equipment is stored. It is for data communication. In the figure, reference numeral 201 denotes a manufacturing plant of a manufacturing apparatus user (semiconductor device manufacturer), and a manufacturing line for performing various processes, for example, an exposure apparatus 202, a resist processing apparatus 203;
A film forming apparatus 204 is introduced. Although only one manufacturing factory 201 is illustrated in FIG. 8, a plurality of factories are actually networked in the same manner. Each device in the factory is connected by LAN 206 to form an intranet,
The operation management of the production line is performed by the host management system 205. On the other hand, each business establishment of a vendor (apparatus supply maker) such as an exposure apparatus maker 210, a resist processing apparatus maker 220, and a film forming apparatus maker 230 has a host management system 21 for performing remote maintenance of the supplied equipment.
1, 211, and 231 which include a maintenance database and an external network gateway as described above. A host management system 205 for managing each device in the user's manufacturing plant, and a vendor management system 2 for each device
11, 221, and 231 are connected by the Internet or a dedicated line network which is the external network 200. In this system, if a trouble occurs in any of a series of manufacturing equipment on the manufacturing line,
Although the operation of the production line is suspended, quick response is possible by receiving remote maintenance via the Internet 200 from the vendor of the troubled device, and the suspension of the production line can be minimized.

Each of the manufacturing apparatuses installed in the semiconductor manufacturing factory includes a display, a network interface, and a computer that executes network access software and apparatus operation software stored in a storage device. The storage device is a built-in memory, a hard disk, a network file server, or the like. The network access software includes a dedicated or general-purpose web browser, and provides, for example, a user interface having a screen as shown in FIG. 9 on a display. The operator who manages the manufacturing equipment in each factory refers to the screen and refers to the manufacturing equipment model (401), serial number (402), trouble subject (403), date of occurrence (404), and urgency (40).
5), symptom (406), coping method (407), course (40)
8) Input information such as in the input items on the screen. The input information is transmitted to the maintenance database via the Internet, and the resulting appropriate maintenance information is returned from the maintenance database and presented on the display. In addition, the user interface provided by the web browser further realizes a hyperlink function (410 to 412) as shown in the figure, so that the operator can access more detailed information of each item or use the software library provided by the vendor for the manufacturing apparatus. The latest version of software to be extracted can be extracted, and an operation guide (help information) can be extracted for reference by a factory operator. Here, the maintenance information provided by the maintenance database includes information on the features of the present invention described above, and the software library also provides software for realizing the features of the present invention.

Next, a semiconductor device manufacturing process using the above-described production system will be described. FIG. 10 shows a flow of the whole semiconductor device manufacturing process.
In step 1 (circuit design), the circuit of the semiconductor device is designed. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the circuit pattern design. Step 3
In (wafer manufacture), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon. Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process, and an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and assembly such as an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (chip encapsulation). Process. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, a semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7). The pre-process and the post-process are performed in separate dedicated factories, and maintenance is performed for each of these factories by the above-described remote maintenance system. Further, information for production management and apparatus maintenance is also communicated between the pre-process factory and the post-process factory via the Internet or a dedicated line network.

FIG. 11 shows a detailed flow of the wafer process. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the wafer's surface. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the wafer surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. Step 1
In 5 (resist processing), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. Step 16 (exposure) uses the above-described exposure apparatus to print and expose the circuit pattern of the mask onto the wafer. Step 17 (development) develops the exposed wafer. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer. Since the manufacturing equipment used in each process is maintained by the remote maintenance system described above, troubles can be prevented beforehand, and if troubles occur, quick recovery is possible. Productivity can be improved.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the oxygen concentration is measured by detecting the attenuation of the exposure light due to oxygen without using the existing oxygen concentration meter, it is not necessary to use a heater or a zirconia solid electrolyte. Therefore, the oxygen concentration can be measured with extremely low power, and the oxygen concentration can be measured in a very short time. In addition, the means for measuring the oxygen concentration can have an extremely long life and does not require periodic calibration.

For this reason, warm-up, periodic maintenance, and the like are not required, the maintenance time of the apparatus can be reduced, and the operation efficiency of the apparatus can be improved. Also,
It is possible to prevent an increase in equipment operation costs without using a sensor that consumes a large amount of power.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an oxygen concentration measuring unit of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an exposure apparatus of a step exposure system including the oxygen concentration measuring section of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a path circuit for increasing the optical path length of a laser in an exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an exposure apparatus of a step exposure system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an exposure apparatus of a step exposure system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an exposure apparatus of a step exposure system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a semiconductor device production system viewed from a certain angle.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a semiconductor device production system viewed from another angle.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a user interface.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a device manufacturing process.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a wafer process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: laser device, 2: half mirror, 3: half mirror, 4: optical sensor, 5: optical sensor, 6: oxygen concentration calculator, 7: laser beam, 8: image shifter, 9: mirror,
10: zoom lens, 11: mirror, 12: fly's eye lens, 13: sigma switching, 14: zoom lens, 15:
Masking blade, 16: mirror, 17: reticle,
18: Projection lens, 19: Stage, 20, 21: Half mirror, 22-25: Mirror, 26: Control unit, 27:
Display unit, 28: control unit, 29: driver unit, 30: intake pump, 31: exhaust pump, 32: half mirror, 3
3: light sensor, 34: half mirror, 35: light sensor,
36: half mirror, 37: optical sensor, 38: half mirror, 39: optical sensor, 40: laser head for measurement, 4
1: half mirror, 42: aperture, 101: office, 10
2-104: Manufacturing plant, 105: Internet, 10
6: manufacturing apparatus, 107: host management system, 108:
Host management system, 109: local area network, 110: operation terminal computer, 111: local area network, 200: external network, 2
01: manufacturing factory, 202: exposure apparatus, 203: resist processing apparatus, 204: film forming processing apparatus, 205: host management system, 206: LAN, 210: exposure apparatus maker,
211, 221, 231: host management system, 22
0: resist processing apparatus maker, 230: film forming apparatus maker.

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An exposure apparatus comprising an oxygen concentration measuring means for measuring an oxygen concentration on an optical path of exposure light, wherein the oxygen concentration measuring means measures the oxygen concentration by detecting an attenuation of the exposure light due to oxygen. An exposure apparatus, characterized in that 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said oxygen concentration measuring means includes a plurality of light energy sensors for detecting light energy of exposure light at a plurality of positions on said optical path, and measures oxygen concentration based on an output of said light energy sensor. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source of the exposure light is a short-wavelength laser. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentration measuring means corrects the energy decay rate due to the absorption of light energy of oxygen in accordance with the wavelength of the exposure light, and measures the oxygen concentration based on the result. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 5. The oxygen concentration measuring means uses another short-wavelength laser beam instead of the exposure light, and measures the oxygen concentration on the optical path of the exposure light in the same manner as in the case of the exposure light. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that outputs an alarm when a value measured by the oxygen concentration measuring unit exceeds a predetermined limit value. . 7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure is stopped when a value measured by the oxygen concentration measuring means exceeds a predetermined limit value. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for rapidly filling the optical path with an inert gas when a value measured by the oxygen concentration measuring means exceeds a predetermined limit value.
8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7. 9. The oxygen concentration measuring means according to claim 1, wherein a time-dependent change of the optical parts on the optical path when the optical path of the exposure light is opened to the atmosphere or when the optical path of the exposure light is filled with a certain concentration of oxygen. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the oxygen concentration is measured in consideration of the measurement. 10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display, a network interface, and a computer that executes network software, and stores maintenance information of the exposure apparatus via a computer network. Exposure equipment that enables data communication. 11. The network software,
Provided on the display is a user interface for accessing a maintenance database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus connected to an external network of a factory where the exposure apparatus is installed, and from the database via the external network. The device according to claim 10, which makes it possible to obtain information. 12. A step of installing a group of manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including the exposure apparatus according to claim 1 in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, and manufacturing a semiconductor device by a plurality of processes using the group of manufacturing apparatuses. And a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. 13. A method for connecting said group of manufacturing apparatuses via a local area network, and performing data communication between said local area network and an external network outside said semiconductor manufacturing factory, the information relating to at least one of said group of manufacturing apparatuses. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: 14. A semiconductor manufacturing factory different from the semiconductor manufacturing factory by accessing a database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus via the external network to obtain maintenance information of the manufacturing apparatus by data communication. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein data is communicated with the device via the external network to control production. 15. A manufacturing apparatus group for various processes including the exposure apparatus according to claim 1, a local area network connecting the manufacturing apparatus group, and an external network outside the factory from the local area network. A semiconductor manufacturing plant having a gateway for enabling access and capable of performing data communication of information on at least one of the manufacturing apparatus groups. 16. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, which is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing plant.
9. A maintenance method for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus provides a maintenance database connected to an external network of the semiconductor manufacturing plant; An exposure apparatus comprising: a step of permitting access to the maintenance database via a network; and a step of transmitting maintenance information stored in the maintenance database to a semiconductor manufacturing factory via the external network. Maintenance method.