JP2003068620A - Exposure equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To smoothly exchange a reticle without increasing the size of an apparatus. SOLUTION: The unloading of a reticle R placed on a stage RST movable in the scanning direction and the loading of the reticle onto the stage are performed in a direction parallel to the scanning direction in a plane parallel to the moving surface 60a of the stage. This is performed from a direction intersecting the scanning direction by a reticle exchange robot 32 arranged on one side of the robot. For this reason, for example, if there is an empty space on the side in the scanning direction within the moving range of the stage, the reticle exchange robot can be arranged in that space, so that the reticle exchange can be performed without increasing the size of the exposure apparatus. It can be done smoothly. When the stage is moved from the exposure position to the exchange position for reticle exchange, the moving distance in the scanning direction is shortened regardless of the number of reticles that can be placed on the stage along the scanning direction. Therefore, the size of the apparatus is also suppressed from this point.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus used in a lithography process for manufacturing semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a lithography process for manufacturing semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements, etc., high integration of semiconductor elements, etc., and large size of substrates such as wafers, masks or reticles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "reticles") From the viewpoint of increasing throughput, step-and-repeat type reduction projection exposure equipment or step-and-scan type scanning exposure equipment (so-called scanning stepper) that is an improved version of this stepper A movable projection exposure apparatus is mainly used.

For example, in a conventional scanning stepper, a reticle exchange mechanism for loading and unloading a reticle with respect to a reticle stage holding a reticle is shown in FIG.
The mechanism shown in the plan view of FIG.
The reticle exchange mechanism 620 shown in FIG. 14 exchanges the reticle in the following manner.

First, a library robot (not shown) previously carries the library cassette (not shown),
As shown in, the reticle R1 placed on the standby table 610 is suction-held by the hook portions 612a to 612c of the arms 608A and 608B. In parallel with this, on the reticle stage RST, the reticle R
2 is the hook portions 614a to 606 of the arms 606A and 606B.
It is adsorbed and held by 14c. Then, by a vertical movement / rotation mechanism (not shown), the arm drive unit 602 that drives the arms 608A, 608B, 606A, 606B integrally with the vertical movement / rotation shaft 604 is driven upward by a predetermined amount. Thereby, the arms 608A, 608B, 606A, 60
The reticles R1 and R2 held by 6B are unloaded from the standby table 610 and the reticle stage RST, respectively.

Next, the up / down movement / rotation mechanism integrally drives the up / down movement / rotation shaft 604 to rotate the arm drive unit 602 by 180 ° so that the reticle R1 is above the reticle stage RST and the reticle R2 is above the standby table 610. Be transported. Then, the vertical movement / rotation mechanism drives the vertical movement / rotation shaft 604 to descend, and the arm drive unit 602 causes the arm 6 to move.
08A, 608B, 606A, 606B are integrally lowered. As a result, reticles R1 and R2 are loaded into reticle stage RST and standby table 610, respectively. After that, the arms 608A and 608B and the arms 606A and 606B are retracted upward, whereby the reticle exchange is completed.

[0006]

By the way, in response to the recent miniaturization of device rules (minimum practical line width) accompanying the high integration of semiconductor elements, the high throughput required for the exposure apparatus is realized. Therefore, a multi-reticle holder type reticle stage capable of mounting a plurality of (for example, two) reticles on the same stage is currently being developed. When this reticle stage of the multi-reticle holder system is adopted, multiple exposure such as so-called double exposure can be performed without exchanging the reticle, so that resolution and DOF (depth of focus) can be reduced without reducing throughput as much as possible. It is expected that the exposure accuracy will be improved by improving the exposure.

However, it is not a realistic choice to directly adopt the above-mentioned conventional reticle exchanging mechanism for the above-mentioned reticle stage of the double reticle holder system. The reason is as follows.

That is, in the case of the reticle stage of the multi-reticle holder system, it is necessary to arrange the reticles along the moving direction in order to move any of the reticles to the exposure position. This means that the distance in the moving direction of the long stroke (hereinafter abbreviated as “long stroke direction”) is necessarily increased. In addition, like the conventional reticle exchange mechanism described above, if a reticle exchange mechanism of the type that exchanges the reticle from the long stroke direction side of the reticle stage is adopted, in order to exchange any reticle, the reticle stage Either the moving distance in the long stroke direction must be further lengthened or the arm must be lengthened.
In the former case, the exposure apparatus becomes larger due to the increase in the length of the exposure apparatus in the long stroke direction of the reticle stage, and in the latter case, the turning radius of the arm inevitably becomes larger, so that the reticle exchange mechanism becomes larger. This is because it is necessary to secure a space for the turning, which leads to an increase in the size of the exposure apparatus.

The present invention has been made under the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to make a mask on a mask stage almost without increasing the size of the apparatus and regardless of the number of masks that can be mounted on the mask stage. It is to provide a new exposure apparatus that can be smoothly replaced.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask (R) onto a substrate (W), wherein the mask is placed and A mask stage (RST) movable at least in the first axis direction; disposed on one side in a direction orthogonal to the first axis in a plane parallel to the moving surface (60a) of the mask stage including the first axis And a mask transfer device (32) for carrying out the mask on the mask stage and carrying the mask on the mask stage from a direction intersecting the first axis direction in a plane parallel to the moving surface. It is an exposure apparatus provided.

According to this, the mask carried on the mask stage movable at least in the first axis direction (long stroke direction) and the mask carried on the mask stage can be carried out by the mask stage. It is performed from a direction intersecting the first axis direction in a plane parallel to the moving surface by a mask transfer device arranged on one side in a plane parallel to the moving surface and orthogonal to the first axis. Therefore, for example, when there is an empty space on the lateral side in the long stroke direction within the movement range of the mask stage, by arranging the mask transport device in the space, the mask is prevented from increasing in size without increasing the size of the exposure device. It becomes possible to exchange smoothly. Further, when the mask stage is moved from the exposure position to the exchange position for mask replacement, only one mask can be placed on the mask stage, or a plurality of masks can be mounted along the long stroke direction, for example. It is possible to shorten the moving distance in the long stroke direction (the first axis direction) regardless of whether or not it can be placed. Therefore, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the masks on the mask stage can be smoothly replaced without increasing the size of the apparatus and regardless of the number of masks that can be mounted on the mask stage.

In this case, as in the exposure apparatus according to the second aspect, the mask carrying device places the mask carried between the mask carrying device and the mask carrying device, and at least a pair of rotatable mask carry-in / carry-out devices. Buffer (25A,
25B) may be further provided.

In this case, as in the exposure apparatus according to the third aspect, each of the mask loading / unloading buffers can also serve as an alignment mechanism for the mounted mask.

In each of the exposure apparatuses described in claims 1 to 3, as in the exposure apparatus described in claim 4, the mask stage is capable of mounting a plurality of masks at the same time. .

In each of the exposure apparatuses described in claims 1 to 4, various configurations can be adopted as a mask transporting apparatus for transporting the mask. However, as in the exposure apparatus according to claim 5, the mask is used. The transfer device has a hand (27A, 27B) for holding the mask at a tip portion thereof, and is capable of driving the hand in a plane parallel to the moving surface and in a second axial direction orthogonal to the moving surface ( 51A, 51B),
It is also possible to provide a robot (32) having at least one of the above, and as in the exposure apparatus according to claim 6, the mask carrying apparatus holds the hand (2) holding the mask.
27A, 227B) in a substantially symmetrical arrangement at the front end, and the pair of hands can be driven in a plane parallel to the moving surface and in a second axial direction orthogonal to the moving surface (2).
51), and a robot (232) may be provided.

Further, as in the exposure apparatus according to claim 7,
The mask transfer device has a hand (327A, 327B) for holding the mask at a tip portion thereof, and the hand is provided in a plane parallel to the moving surface and orthogonal to the moving surface.
A pair of robots (332) equipped with axially drivable arms (351A, 351B); a holding member (101) for holding the pair of robots in a substantially symmetrical arrangement with respect to a plane parallel to the moving surface. ; May be provided.

In the exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
The mask loading / unloading buffer (18) capable of simultaneously mounting a plurality of masks transported between the mask stage and the mask stage by the mask transporting device as in the exposure apparatus according to claim 8.
9) is further provided, and the mask stage can mount a plurality of masks at the same time side by side in the first axis direction, and the mask transfer device has a plurality of hands (427A, 427B) holding the masks. An arm (451) having parallel arrangements at its tip and capable of driving the hand in a plane parallel to the moving surface and in a second axial direction orthogonal to the moving surface,
The robot (432) having the above may be provided.

In this case, as in the exposure apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the mask loading / unloading buffer can also serve as an alignment mechanism for the mounted mask.

In each of the above-described exposure apparatuses according to claims 5 to 9, as in the exposure apparatus according to claim 10, the mask transfer device is arranged at a predetermined mask exchange position for exchanging a mask on the mask stage. A plurality of support members (45A, 45B) arranged on one side in the second axis direction for transferring the mask to and from each of the hands, and the mask stage in which the plurality of support members are at least in the exchange position. An elevator unit (35) having a drive mechanism (95) for driving between a carry-in position for carrying the mask into and a standby position on the one side of the replacement position in the second axial direction;
It may be further provided, and like the exposure apparatus according to claim 11, the mask transfer device is arranged on one side in the second axis direction at a predetermined mask exchange position for exchanging a mask on the mask stage. A plurality of supporting members (63) for transferring the mask to and from the respective hands at a transfer position on the other side in the second axis direction of the mask stage in the exchange position, and the plurality of supporting members. A center-up unit (61) having a drive mechanism (67) for driving between the transfer position and the standby position on the one side in the second axis direction of the mask stage in the exchange position.
May be further provided.

In each of the above-mentioned exposure apparatuses according to claims 1 to 11, as in the exposure apparatus according to claim 12, the mask transfer device is provided separately from the mask stage in a vibrational manner. Can be

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION << First Embodiment >> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6C.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an exposure apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. This exposure apparatus 10 is
The exposure apparatus main body 30 and a reticle transport system 150 provided near the exposure apparatus main body 30 are provided.

The exposure apparatus main body 30 is provided with a reticle R1 (or R) as a mask by illumination light from a light source (not shown).
Illumination unit ILU for illuminating 2), 2 reticles R
1, reticle stage RST as a mask stage for holding R2, projection optical system PL for projecting illumination light emitted from reticle R1 (or R2) onto wafer W1 (or W2) as a substrate, and wafers W1, W2 And two wafer stages WST1 and WST2 for holding the respective wafers. The exposure apparatus main body 30 further includes a main body 36 that holds the reticle stage RST, the projection optical system PL, wafer stages WST1 and WST2, and the like.

Examples of the light source include KrF excimer laser light (wavelength 248 nm), ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193 nm), or F ₂ laser light (wavelength 15 nm).
A pulsed laser light source that outputs pulsed ultraviolet light (7 nm) is used.

The illumination unit ILU is, for example, an illumination system housing 40 and a variable dimmer, a beam shaping optical system, an optical integrator (fly-eye lens,) arranged in the illumination system housing 40 in a predetermined positional relationship.
Internal reflection type integrator, diffractive optical element, etc.), condensing optical system, vibrating mirror, illumination system aperture stop plate, relay lens system, reticle blind, main condenser lens, mirror and lens system, etc., on the reticle stage RST. A predetermined illumination area (slit-shaped or rectangular-shaped illumination area linearly extending in the X-axis direction) on the held reticle R1 (or R2) is illuminated with a uniform illuminance distribution.
Here, the rectangular slit-shaped illumination light with which the reticle R1 (or R2) is irradiated is set to extend in the X-axis direction (non-scanning direction) in the center of the circular projection field of the projection optical system PL in FIG. The width of the illumination light in the Y-axis direction (scanning direction) is set to be substantially constant.

An example of the illumination unit ILU is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-259533 (corresponding US Pat. No. 5,30).
No. 7,207) and the like are used.

The main body 36 is a base plate B.
A plurality of (here, four) support members 4 provided on P
2 and a lens barrel surface plate 46 that is supported substantially horizontally via vibration damping units 44 that are respectively fixed to the upper portions of the support members 42.
And a suspension column 48 suspended downward from the lower surface of the lens barrel surface plate 46, and a support column 52 provided on the lens barrel surface plate 46.

Each of the vibration isolation units 44 has a support member 42.
Is configured to include an air mount and a voice coil motor, which are arranged in series (or in parallel) on the upper part of which the internal pressure can be adjusted. Each vibration isolation unit 44 is configured to insulate microvibration from the floor surface F transmitted to the lens barrel surface plate 46 via the base plate BP and the support member 42 at the micro G level.

The lens barrel surface plate 46 is made of a casting or the like, and has a circular first opening (not shown) formed in the center thereof in plan view (as viewed from above), and ± from the first opening. It has a pair of second openings (not shown) formed at positions substantially the same distance in the Y direction. The projection optical system PL is inserted into the inside of the first opening from above with the optical axis direction thereof as the Z-axis direction, and via a flange provided slightly below the center in the height direction of the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel. , Is attached to the lens barrel surface plate 46. Alignment systems ALG1 and ALG2 are inserted from above into the inside of each of the pair of second openings, and the alignment systems ALG1 and ALG2 are respectively attached to the lens barrel bases 46 via the flanges provided on the outer periphery similarly to the projection optical system PL. It is installed.

The suspension column 48 suspends and supports the wafer base surface plate 54 and the lower surface of the lens barrel surface plate 46 in a state where the wafer base surface plate 54 is substantially horizontal.
And a book hanging member 56.

The support column 52 includes four legs 58 provided on the upper surface of the lens barrel surface plate 46 so as to surround the projection optical system PL, and a reticle base surface plate supported substantially horizontally by these legs 58. And 60.

The reticle stage RST is arranged on the reticle base surface plate 60 which constitutes the support column 52, and the upper surface 60a of the reticle base surface plate 60 is the moving surface of the reticle stage RST. Reticle stage RST consists of two reticles (reticle R1 in FIG. 1,
R2) is a reticle stage of a double reticle holder type that attracts and holds R2) by a vacuum chuck, an electrostatic chuck, or the like, for example, a reticle stage drive system 62 including a linear motor (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 4).
The reticle R1, R2 is driven linearly with a large stroke in the Y-axis direction on the reticle base surface plate 60, and can be minutely driven in the X-axis direction and the θz direction (rotational direction around the Z-axis). Has become.

The two reticles on the reticle stage RST are selectively used, for example, in double exposure, and both reticles can be scanned in synchronization with the wafer side.

Within the XY plane of the reticle stage RST
The position (including θz rotation which is the rotation around the Z axis) is
The reticle base is fixed via a moving mirror 79 provided in part.
By the reticle laser interferometer 64 fixed to the board 60
It is detected with a resolution of about 0.5 to 1 nm. Actually
As shown in FIG. 2, the reticle stage RST
From the pair of corner cube mirrors on the + Y side edge of the top surface
Consisting of Y-axis moving mirror 79Y ₁, 79Y₂Is installed at the + X side edge
An X-axis moving mirror 79X composed of a plane mirror is provided in the Y-axis direction.
Has been extended along. In addition, in correspondence with these
Although shown, a pair of pairs used for position measurement in the Y-axis direction
Used for Y-axis laser interferometer and position measurement in X-axis direction
An X-axis laser interferometer is provided, respectively. This
As you can see, there are multiple moving mirrors and laser interferometers.
However, in FIG. 1, these are typically the moving mirror 79 and the reticule.
It is shown as a Luzer interferometer 64. In addition, the above
Of the reticle stage RST instead of the moving mirror of
Surface processing to form a reflective surface (equivalent to the reflective surface of each moving mirror above)
You can do it.

Reticle stage RST measured by reticle laser interferometer 64 (that is, reticle (R1
(Or R2)) position information (or speed information) is sent to the main controller 50 (see FIG. 4). In the main controller 50, the position information (or speed information) output from the reticle laser interferometer 64 is basically a command value (target position, target speed).
The reticle stage drive system 62 is controlled so that

Returning to FIG. 1, the projection optical system PL here is the object plane side (reticle R1 (or R2)).
Side) and the image plane side (wafer W1 (or W2) side) both have telecentric and circular projection fields, and are composed of only refractive optical elements (lens elements) made of quartz or fluorspar as an optical glass material. , 1/5 or 1/6 reduction magnification refractive optics are used. Therefore, the reticle R1 (or R
When 2) is irradiated with pulsed ultraviolet light, the imaging light flux from the portion of the circuit pattern area on the reticle R1 (or R2) illuminated by the pulsed ultraviolet light is projected onto the projection optical system PL.
And a partial inverted image of the circuit pattern is formed at the center of the circular visual field on the image plane side of the projection optical system PL with a slit shape or a rectangular shape each time it is irradiated with each pulse of pulsed ultraviolet light. As a result, the projected partial inverted image of the circuit pattern is formed on the wafer W placed on the image plane of the projection optical system PL.
One (or W2) of the plurality of shot areas is reduced and transferred to the resist layer on the surface of one shot area.

Wafer stages WST1 and WST2
Is arranged above the wafer base surface plate 54 that constitutes the above-mentioned suspension column 48, and is driven by a wafer stage drive system 66 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 4) including, for example, a linear motor, and Y While continuously moving in the axial direction, it moves stepwise in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

Wafers W1 and W2 are held on the upper surfaces of the wafer stages WST1 and WST2 by vacuum suction or the like via wafer holders (not shown). Further, reference mark plates (not shown) having reference marks and other reference marks used for so-called baseline measurement of alignment systems ALG1 and ALG2 are fixed to the upper surfaces of wafer stages WST1 and WST2, respectively. The surface of each of these reference mark plates has substantially the same height as the wafers W1 and W2. Further, movable mirrors 70 and 74 are provided on the upper surfaces of wafer stages WST1 and WST2, respectively. In fact, on the upper surface of one wafer stage WST1, a Y moving mirror extending in the X-axis direction is fixed at the −Y side end, and an X moving mirror extending in the Y-axis direction is fixed at the + X side end. ing. Further, on the upper surface of the other wafer stage WST2, a Y movable mirror extending in the X-axis direction is fixed at the + Y side end, and an X movable mirror extending in the Y-axis direction is fixed at the + X side end. In this way, the wafer stages WST1 and WST
Although two moving mirrors are provided on the upper surface of 2,
These moving mirrors are typically shown as moving mirrors 70 and 74.

Through the movable mirrors 70 and 74, respectively,
Wafer stages WST1 and WST2 XY positions and rotation amounts (rotation amount in the θz direction (yaw amount), rotation amount in the rotation direction around the Y axis (θy direction) (rolling amount), rotation direction around the X axis (θx direction). Amount of rotation (pitching amount))
However, each is measured in real time by the wafer interferometer system 130 (see FIG. 4) at a predetermined resolution, for example, a resolution of about 0.5 to 1 nm.

To further explain this in detail, the wafer interferometer system 130 actually includes a pair of wafer Y-axis interferometers 7.
2, 78 and a wafer X-axis interferometer 84. The wafer Y-axis interferometers 72 and 78 are the projection optical system P.
It has a length measuring axis in the Y-axis direction passing through the optical axis of L and the detection centers of the alignment systems ALG1 and ALG2, and the Y-moving mirror on wafer stage WST1 and wafer stage WST2.
A plurality of measuring beams are radiated to the upper Y movable mirror, and the positions of the wafer stages WST1 and WST2 in the Y-axis direction, the pitching amount, and the yawing amount are constantly measured.

Further, the wafer X-axis interferometer 84 passes through the optical axis of the projection optical system PL, the detection center of the alignment system ALG1 and the detection center of the alignment system ALG2, respectively.
It has first to third length measuring axes in the axial direction. This wafer X
The axis interferometer 84 irradiates the respective X-axis moving mirrors with the measurement beam from the first measurement axis during exposure such that the wafer stages WST1 and WST2 move below the projection optical system PL, and the respective measurement beams are emitted. The position of the wafer stage in the X-axis direction and the amount of rolling are measured. Also, the wafer X-axis interferometer 84
Is the wafer stage W below the alignment system ALG1.
At the time of wafer alignment in which ST1 moves, the X-axis moving mirror is irradiated with a measurement beam from the second measurement axis, and the position (and rolling amount) of wafer stage WST1 in the X-axis direction is measured. Further, the wafer X-axis interferometer 84 is
Wafer stage WST below alignment system ALG2
During wafer alignment in which 2 moves, the X-axis moving mirror is irradiated with a measuring beam from the third measuring axis to measure the position (and rolling amount) of wafer stage WST2 in the X-axis direction. Has become.

That is, in the present embodiment, the XY position can be measured for any of the wafer stages at the time of both exposure and alignment without so-called Abbe error.

The measurement value of the wafer interferometer system 130 described above is supplied to the main controller 50 (see FIG. 4).

Instead of the movable mirrors described above, the end faces of wafer stages WST1 and WST2 may be mirror-finished to form a reflecting surface (corresponding to the reflecting surface of each movable mirror).

The alignment systems ALG1 and ALG2
Is an off-axis type mark detection system having the same function. These alignment systems ALG
1 and ALG2 are FIA (File) which is a kind of the image forming type alignment sensor in the present embodiment.
d Image Alignment) type alignment sensor is used. In this embodiment, the alignment system ALG1
Are used for measuring the positions of the alignment marks formed on the wafer on wafer stage WST1 and the reference marks formed on the reference mark plate. The alignment system ALG2 is used for measuring the position of the alignment mark formed on the wafer on the wafer stage WST2 and the position of the reference mark formed on the reference mark plate.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 which is a plan view of FIG. 1, the reticle transport system 150 is mainly composed of a reticle exchange robot 32, a reticle relay section 89 and a reticle supply / collection section 87. It consists of two parts.

The reticle exchange robot 32 carries in (loads) the reticle to and from the reticle stage RST and carries out (unloads) the reticle from the reticle stage RST. As shown in FIG. 1, this reticle exchange robot 32 has a reticle base surface plate 6
The upper plate 21 provided on the −X side of 0 (the back side of the paper in FIG. 1)
And a plurality of legs 23 that support the upper plate 21 from the lower side, and are mounted on a transport system support pedestal 75. The transport system support base 75 is arranged so as to be vibrationally independent of the exposure apparatus main body 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reticle exchange robot 32 has a first arm 51A for loading the reticle on the reticle stage RST, a second arm 51B for unloading the reticle from the reticle stage RST, and each arm 51A. , 51B can freely rotate and expand and contract in a plane parallel to the XY plane, and includes an arm drive unit 53 that can also be driven in the vertical direction, and a rotation drive unit 55 that rotationally drives the arm drive unit 53. It is composed of. In addition,
In FIG. 1, for convenience of illustration, only one arm is shown in a simplified manner.

The tips of the arms 51A and 51B are
It is composed of hands 27A and 27B. A vacuum chuck (not shown) is provided on each of the U-shaped (U-shaped) support portions of these hands 27A and 27B that support the reticle from below (when viewed from above).

The arm driving section 53 has a cylindrical casing, and the first arm 51A and the second arm 5 inside the casing.
1B independently drives a horizontal drive mechanism (not shown) that freely swivels and extends and retracts in a plane parallel to the XY plane, and a vertical movement mechanism (not shown) that independently drives each arm 52A, 52B in the vertical direction. (Illustration) and.

The rotation drive section 55 is provided with a case and a drive section (not shown) for driving the arm drive section 53 provided inside the case in the rotation direction.

In the following description, the arm drive unit 53 and the rotation drive unit 55 are collectively referred to as the arm drive device 5.
Let's call it 7.

The reticle relay unit 89 is supplied by the reticle supply / collection unit 87 as will be described later and is carried in (loaded) to the reticle stage RST, and is carried out (unloaded) from the reticle stage RST and supplied to the reticle. The reticle collected by the collection unit 87 is temporarily placed to relay the reticle stage RST and the reticle supply / collection unit 87. The reticle relay section 89 is provided on the carrier support frame 75.
The upper reticle exchange robot 32 is provided with a pair of carry-in / out buffers 25A and 25B placed on the −Y side (the left side of the paper in FIGS. 1 and 2) at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction.

The one loading / unloading buffer 25A is shown in FIG.
As shown in the enlarged perspective view of FIG. 1, the rotary table 37 on which the reticle is placed is rotated, and the rotary table 37 is rotationally driven about a rotary shaft (not shown) connected to the center of the lower surface of the rotary table 37. And a rotary drive device 29 for rotating.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotary table 37 has a contact type reticle positioning device 141 (see FIG. 4) composed of six positioning pins 31a to 31f.
And three reticle holding members 33a to 33c are provided.

The six positioning pins 31a to 31f constituting the contact type reticle positioning device 141 are movable along the six grooves formed on the rotary table 37. Reticle ("Reticle R" here)
Is the reticle holding member 33 on the rotary table 37.
Immediately after being placed on a to 33c, all the positioning pins 31a to 31f are controlled by the main controller 50 (see FIG. 4) and moved to the positions (positioning positions) shown in FIG. Abut the end face. That is, in this way, the reticle R is moved to the reticle holding members 33a to 33a.
Positioned mechanically on 3c. When this positioning is completed, the reticle holding members 33a to 33c suction-hold the reticle R by, for example, vacuum suction. Immediately after the reticle R is sucked, all the positioning pins 31a to 3a
1f is controlled by main controller 50, and moves from the position shown in FIG. 3 to a position closer to the outer edge of rotary table 37 (positioning cancellation position). In this way, the loading / unloading buffer 2
5A also has a reticle alignment mechanism.

The rotary drive unit 29 includes a rotary motor and the like, and is configured to be able to rotate the rotary table 37 about the Z axis. When the reticle R is not placed on the rotary table 37 in the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25A, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
When the reticle R is placed on the rotary table 37 in a standby state in which a is parallel to a straight line L1 connecting the center of the carry-in / out buffer 25A and the center of the library robot 88 described later, the main controller 50 Under the instruction, the rotary drive device 29 rotationally drives the rotary table 37, and the end surface 37a stands by in a state of being parallel to the straight line L2 connecting the center of the carry-in / out buffer 25A and the center of the reticle exchange robot 32. .

The other loading / unloading buffer 25B has the same structure as the above loading / unloading buffer 25A. That is, the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25B includes a rotary table 39 having a substantially square shape in plan view on which a reticle is placed, and a rotary table centered on a rotary shaft (not shown) connected to the center of the lower surface of the rotary table 39. And a rotary drive device 41 for rotationally driving 39.

Similar to the carry-in / out buffer 25A, the rotary table 39 is provided with a contact type reticle positioning device 151 (see FIG. 4) composed of six positioning pins, and three reticle holding members (not shown). ing.

The rotary drive device 41 includes a rotary motor and the like, and is configured to drive the rotary table 39 to rotate about the Z axis. In the carry-in / out buffer 25B, when the reticle is not placed on the rotary table 39, a predetermined one end surface 39a of the rotary table 39 is provided as shown in FIG.
However, the loading / unloading buffer 25B and the reticle exchange robot 32
When the reticle is placed on the rotary table 39 while waiting in a state parallel to the straight line L3 connecting the centers of
Under the instruction of the main controller 50, the rotary drive device 41 rotationally drives the rotary table 39, and the end surface 39a is located at the center of the carry-in / out buffer 25B and the library robot 8 described later.
It is arranged to stand by in a state of being parallel to a straight line L4 connecting the center of 8.

The reticle supply / collection unit 87 supplies the reticle via the reticle relay unit 89 and collects the reticle via the reticle relay unit 89.
The reticle supply / recovery section 87 is provided with a carrier support frame 75.
It is arranged on a unit support base 131 shown in phantom in FIGS.

The reticle supply / recovery section 87 is mounted on the cassette table 82 disposed on the unit support table 131 and on the cassette table 82 at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction. Reticle cassettes 80 ₁ and 80 ₂ (where one of the reticle cassettes 80 ₂ is not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2) for storing a single reticle, and a cassette base 82 of the unit support base 131 are placed. The library robot 88 including a horizontal articulated robot is provided at a position one step lower than the existing portion.

Each of the reticle cassettes 80 ₁ and 80 ₂ has a plurality of shelves (not shown) therein, and the reticle cassettes for predetermined shelves are inserted through an opening (not shown) formed on the + Y side. It is configured so that it can be carried in and out.

The transfer robot 88 is provided with an arm 90 that can be expanded and contracted and swiveled in the XY plane, and a drive unit 92 that drives this arm 90. The library robot 88 is mounted on the upper surface of a slider 96 having an L-shaped XZ section that moves up and down along a column guide 94 extending in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the arm 90 of the library robot 88 can move up and down as well as extend and retract and rotate in the XY plane. Further, the up-and-down movement of the slider 96 is performed by a Z-axis linear element including a mover (not shown) integrally provided on the slider 96 and a stator (not shown) provided inside the support column 94 and extending in the Z-axis direction. It is performed by the motor 98 (see FIG. 4).

The column guide 94 is arranged above the X guide 100 extending in the X-axis direction, as can be seen from the combination of FIGS. The column guide 94 moves along the X guide 100 integrally with the slider 102 fixed to the lower end surface thereof. That is, the slider 102
Is provided with a mover (not shown), and a stator (not shown) that constitutes the X-axis linear motor 104 (see FIG. 4) together with the mover is provided in the X guide 100. The library robot 88 is driven in the Y-axis direction integrally with the column guide 94 by the X-axis linear motor 104.

In this embodiment, the library robot 88 is used.
The drive unit 92, the Z-axis linear motor 98, the X-axis linear motor 104, and the like are controlled by the main controller 50 (see FIG. 4). Note that, hereinafter, the above-mentioned respective units that drive the library robot 88 are collectively referred to as a robot drive device 69 (see FIG. 4).

FIG. 4 simply shows the structure of the control system of the exposure apparatus 10 of this embodiment. This control system is mainly composed of a main controller 50 composed of a workstation (or a microcomputer). The main controller 50 performs the various controls described so far, and also controls the entire device as a whole.

Next, the reticle carrying operation by the reticle carrying system 150 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
A detailed description will be given based on FIG. 5 (A) to FIG. 6 (C).

The reticle transfer system 15 described below
The operation of each unit constituting 0 is controlled by the main control device 50, but in the following, description of the main control device 50 will be omitted in order to avoid complication of the description. Also, from the same purpose, except when it is particularly necessary to perform the vacuum on / off operation by the hand of each robot and the vacuum chucks provided in the reticle stage RST, the carry-in / out buffers 25A, 25B, etc., when transferring the reticle. Omit it.

As a premise, on the exposure apparatus main body 30 side, a double exposure operation (which will be described later) is performed on the wafer W1 (or W2) using the reticles R1 'and R2' on the reticle stage RST. I shall.

A. First, the robot drive device 69 (see FIG.
Reference), the Z direction of the library robot 88 and the X direction.
A new reticle (here, reticle R1) is taken out from the reticle cassette 80 ₁ (or 80 ₂ ) by driving the arm 90 in the axial direction and driving the arm 90 to rotate and extend and retract. Next, the robot driving device 69 drives the library robot 88 and the arm 90, and the reticle R taken out from the reticle cassette 80 ₁ (or 80 ₂ ).
1 is transported by the arm 90 to a position above the loading / unloading buffer 25A. At this time, in the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25A, the rotary table 37 has the end surface 37a shown in FIG.
Is standing by in a direction parallel to the straight line L1.

B. Then, the library robot 88 is driven downward by the robot drive device 69, so that the reticle R1 is loaded from the arm 90 of the library robot 88 onto the rotary table 37 of the carry-in / out buffer 25A. After that, the library robot 88 retracts from the carry-in / out buffer 25A.

C. Next, on the rotary table 37 of the carry-in / out buffer 25A on which the reticle R1 is placed, all of the positioning pins 31a to 31f forming the contact reticle positioning mechanism 141 move to a positioning position where they come into contact with any one end surface of the reticle R1. Then, the reticle R1 is mechanically positioned on the rotary table 37. Upon completion of this positioning, the vacuum of the reticle holding members 33a to 33c on the rotary table 39 is turned on, and then the positioning pins 31a to 31f return to their original positions. Then, the rotary table 37 is rotated by a predetermined angle by the rotary drive device 29, and the end surface 37a of the rotary table 37 is set to be parallel to the straight line L2. Then, the turntable 37 stands by in that direction.

D. On the other hand, the above c. In parallel with this, the library robot 88 saved from the loading / unloading buffer 25A
Is driven in the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction and is rotated / extended / contracted by the robot drive device 69 (see FIG. 4), and a new reticle (or reticle) is transferred from the reticle cassette 80 ₁ (or 80 ₂ ) by the arm 90 of the library robot 88. Here, the reticle R2 is taken out. Next, the robot driving device 69 drives the library robot 88 and the arm 9.
0 is driven and the reticle cassette 80 ₁ (or 8
0 ₂ ), the reticle R2 taken out is carried by the arm 90 to a position above the carry-in / out buffer 25B. The state in the middle of this transportation is shown in FIG. 2, and in this case, the rotary table 39 of the loading / unloading buffer 25B is on standby with the end surface 39a thereof parallel to the straight line L3.

E. Then, the library robot 88 is driven downward by the robot drive device 69, so that the reticle R2 is loaded from the arm 90 of the library robot 88 onto the rotary table 39 of the carry-in / out buffer 25B. After that, the library robot 88 retracts from the carry-in / out buffer 25B.

F. Next, on the rotary table 39 of the carry-in / out buffer 25B on which the reticle R2 is placed, all the positioning pins that make up the contact reticle positioning mechanism 151 move to a positioning position where they come into contact with either end surface of the reticle R2, R2 is mechanically positioned on the turntable 39. When this positioning is completed, the vacuum of the reticle holding member on the rotary table 39 is turned on. After that, the positioning pin returns to the original position, and the rotary table 39 is rotated by a predetermined angle from the direction of FIG.
The end surface 39a of 9 is set to be parallel to the straight line L4. Then, the turntable 39 stands by in that direction.

G. In this way, when the reticles R1 and R2 are placed on both the carry-in / out buffers 25A and 25B, the second arm 51B is swung, expanded and contracted, and vertically moved by the arm driving device 57 that constitutes the reticle exchange robot 32. The tip portion (hand 27B) of the second arm 51B is moved below the reticle R1 placed on the rotary table 37 of the carry-in / out buffer 25A.

H. Then, the arm drive device 57 drives the second arm 51B upward by a predetermined amount. Since the vacuum of the reticle holding members 33a to 33c on the rotary table 37 is turned off almost at the same time when the second arm 51B starts to move up, the reticle R1 is supported from below by the hand 27B while the second arm 51B moves up. , And by further raising the second arm 51B, the reticle R1
Is transferred from the rotary table 37 to the hand 27B.
That is, the reticle R1 is unloaded from the rotary table 37. Then, the second arm 51B rises to a height position where it does not interfere with the rotary table 37.

I. Above a. ~ H. In the meantime, on the reticle stage RST, double exposure by the reticle R1 ′ and the reticle R2 ′ is completed, and the reticle stage RST is moved to the reticle exchange position shown in FIG. The state at this time is shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the library robot 88 uses the loading / unloading buffer 25A,
The reticle is unloaded from the carry-in / out buffer 25A by the second arm 51B after the reticle is carried to each of the carry-in / out buffers 25A.
Of course, the reticle may be unloaded by the second arm 51B when the reticle is placed on the.

From the state shown in FIG. 5A, reticle exchange on reticle stage RST is performed as described below.

J. First, as shown in FIG. 5B, the arm driving device 57 rotates, expands, and vertically moves the first arm 51A so that the hand 27A is positioned below the reticle R1 ′ on the reticle stage RST. Be moved. When the hand 27A is positioned below the reticle R1 'in this way, the arm drive device 57 drives the first arm 51A upward by a predetermined amount, and the reticle R1' is supported from below by the hand 27A during the upward movement. Then, the reticle R1 ′ is transferred from the reticle stage RST to the hand 27A by further raising the first arm 51A. That is, the reticle R1 'is unloaded from the reticle stage RST.

K. Next, the arm drive unit 53 is controlled by the rotation drive unit 55 that constitutes the arm drive device 57, for example, Z
It is rotated counterclockwise around the axis, and the first and second
As the arms 51A and 51B are rotated and driven to extend and retract,
As shown in FIG. 5C, the reticle R1 ′ held by the hand 27A is moved above the carry-in / out buffer 25A, and the reticle R1 held by the hand 27B is moved above the reticle stage RST. After that, the first arm 51A is driven to descend, and the reticle R1 ′ is transferred (loaded) to the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25A during the descending operation. Similarly, the second arm 51B is likewise driven downward, and the reticle R1 is delivered (loaded) onto the reticle stage RST during the downward movement.

L. Next, by the arm driving device 57,
The second arm 51B loaded with the reticle R1 is swung and extended / contracted to move the hand 27B to the reticle R1.
6A, the hand 27B is moved to the lower side of the reticle R2 ′ placed on the + Y side (right side of the drawing) on the reticle stage RST, as shown in FIG. 6A. On the other hand, the first arm 51A is swung and expanded / contracted by the arm driving device 57 to be retracted from below the reticle R1 ′ (above the carry-in / out buffer 25A) and placed on the carry-in / out buffer 25B. The hand 27A is moved to the lower side.

M. Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the arms 51A and 51B are driven upward by the arm driving device 57 to unload the reticle R2 ′ placed on the reticle stage RST and place it on the carry-in / out buffer 25B. The reticle R2 is unloaded. The state immediately after this is shown in FIG.

N. Next, the rotation driving unit 55 that constitutes the arm driving device 57 rotates the arm driving unit 53, and the first and second arms 51A and 51B turn.
The reticle R2 is driven to expand and contract, and the reticle stage RST
The reticle R1 ′ is positioned above, and the reticle R1 ′ is positioned above the carry-in / out buffer 25A. Thereafter, the arms 51A and 51B are driven to descend, the reticle R1 is transferred (loaded) onto the reticle stage RST during the descending, and the reticle R1 ′ is moved to the loading / unloading buffer 2
5B (turntable 39) is delivered (loaded). Thereafter, the arms 51A and 51B are swung and expanded / contracted by the arm driving device 57, the hand 27A retracts from the reticle stage RST, and the hand 27B retracts from the carry-in / out buffer 25B.

When the loading of the reticles R1 and R2 onto the reticle stage RST is completed as described above, FIG.
As shown in (C), the reticle stage drive system 62
As a result, reticle stage RST is driven in the + Y direction upward of projection optical system PL.

The above k. At Reticle R1 '
In the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25A, the rotary drive device 29 rotationally drives the rotary table 37 by a predetermined angle until the library robot 88 collects the reticle in a direction in which the end surface 37a is parallel to the straight line L1. ,stand by. On the other hand, the above n. At Reticle R
In the carry-in / out buffer 25B loaded with 2 ′, the rotary drive device 41 rotationally drives the rotary table 39 by a predetermined angle, and the end surface 39a is parallel to the straight line L3.
It waits until the reticle is collected by the library robot 88.

Next, with respect to the processing sequence on the exposure apparatus main body 30 side, which is performed after the above reticle exchange is completed,
A brief description will be given centering on the control operation of the main controller 50.

First, main controller 50 uses reticle microscope and alignment systems ALG1 and ALG2 (not shown) to perform reticle alignment and alignment system ALG.
1, ALG2 baseline measurement and the like are performed in a predetermined procedure. Next, main controller 50 controls alignment system ALG.
Fine alignment (EGA (enhanced global alignment) or the like) of the wafer W1 (or W2) using 1 (or ALG2) is performed to obtain the array coordinates of a plurality of shot areas on the wafer W1 (or W2).

Next, main controller 50 controls wafer stage drive system 66 while monitoring the measurement value of wafer interferometer system 130 based on the above alignment result, and controls the first stage of wafer W1 (W2). Wafer stage WST1 (or WST2) is moved to the acceleration start position for exposure.

Next, main controller 50 starts scanning of reticle stage RST and wafer stage WST1 (or WST2) in the Y-axis direction via reticle stage drive system 62 and wafer stage drive system 66. Both stages R
When ST and WST1 (or WST2) reach their respective target scanning speeds, reticle R1 is emitted by pulsed ultraviolet light.
The (or R2) pattern area starts to be illuminated, and scanning exposure is started.

Then, different areas of the pattern area of the reticle R1 (or R2) are successively illuminated with pulsed ultraviolet light,
By illuminating the entire pattern area,
The scanning exposure of the first shot on the wafer W1 (or W2) is completed. As a result, the pattern of the reticle R1 (or R2) is reduced and transferred to the first shot via the projection optical system PL.

When the scanning exposure of the first shot is completed in this manner, main controller 50 causes wafer stage WST1 (or WST) via wafer stage drive system 62.
Step 2) is stepwise moved in the X and Y axis directions, and is moved to the acceleration start position for exposure of the second shot, and then the same scanning exposure as above is performed on the second shot.

In this way, the wafer W1 (or W2)
The scanning exposure of the upper shot and the stepping operation for the next shot are repeatedly performed, and the wafer W1 (or W
2) The pattern of the reticle R1 (or R2) is sequentially transferred to all of the above exposure target shots.

When the transfer of the pattern of reticle R1 (or R2) to the entire shot area on wafer W1 (or W2) is completed, main controller 50 scans reticle stage RST via reticle stage drive system 62. After moving the reticle R2 (or R1) to the scanning start position (acceleration start position) by a predetermined amount in the same direction, the reticle R2 (or R1) is similarly moved to the entire shot area on the wafer W1 (or W2). Transfer the pattern.
Here, since the reticle R1 and the reticle R2 may have different exposure conditions and transmittances, the conditions may be measured during reticle alignment, and the conditions may be changed according to the results.

As described above, wafer stage WST1
When the pattern transfer to the wafer W1 (or W2) on (or WST2) is completed, the wafer stage WST2
Double exposure is performed on the wafer W2 (or W1) on (or WST1) in the same manner as above.

In this way, the reticle stage RST
When the exposure using the reticle R1 and the reticle R2 loaded above is completed, the reticle is exchanged again in the same manner as described above. During the above exposure operation, the library robot 88 collects the reticles R1 ′ and R2 ′ used in the previous exposure operation and carries them into _{one of} the reticle cassettes (80 ₁ and 80 ₂ ). ,
The reticle used next is the reticle cassette (8
0 ₁ , 80 ₂ ) from either the input / output buffer 25A, 2
5B is conveyed. The second arm 51B holds the reticle placed on the carry-in / out buffer 25A and waits until the end of the exposure operation, and the first arm 51A waits without holding the reticle near the reticle exchange position. To do.

As described in detail above, according to the exposure apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the reticle carried out on the reticle stage RST and the reticle stage RST are carried out.
The loading of the reticle onto the reticle stage RST is performed from a direction intersecting the non-scan direction by the reticle exchange robot 32 arranged in a direction (non-scan direction) orthogonal to the scan direction in a plane parallel to the moving surface of the reticle stage RST. Be seen. Therefore, for example, when there is an empty space on the lateral side in the scanning direction within the moving range of the reticle stage, the reticle transport system 150 is arranged in that space without increasing the size of the entire exposure apparatus. The reticle can be replaced smoothly. Further, when the reticle stage RST is moved from the exposure position to the exchange position for reticle exchange, the movement distance of the reticle stage RST in the scanning direction can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly perform the reticle exchange on the reticle stage RST without increasing the size of the entire exposure apparatus.

In particular, as in the present embodiment, the reticle stage RST is used as the reticle stage RST, and the upper surface of the reticle stage RST is arranged along the scanning direction.
When the reticle stage of the double reticle holder system on which one reticle is placed is adopted, the distance from the reticle exchange robot 32 can be kept short for any reticle, so that the reticle exchange robot 32 is small in size. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the exposure apparatus as a whole.

Further, since the carry-in / out buffer 25A and the carry-in / out buffer 25B on which the reticle conveyed to and from the reticle stage are mounted are rotatable, the reticle is conveyed to the respective buffers 25A and 25B. The reticle exchange robot 32 and the library robot 88 can be arranged without being restricted by the drive. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the reticle transport system 150 increases, and the layout of each part of the reticle transport system can be changed for the purpose of further size reduction.

Further, the contact-type reticle positioning device 141 and the transfer-in / out buffer 25A,
Since the respective 151 are provided and the reticle mounted on the upper surface thereof can be mechanically aligned, the positional deviation when the reticle is mounted on the reticle stage can be suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, remounting of the reticle is avoided, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of the throughput of the entire exposure process.

Since the reticle transport system 150 is provided so as to be oscillatingly separated from the exposure apparatus main body 30, that is, the reticle stage RST, the reticle transfer system 150 can be used while the exposure operation is being performed on the exposure apparatus main body 30 side. Even if the transport system 150 performs the above-described preparatory operation for reticle exchange, the operation of the reticle transport system 32 is performed by the exposure apparatus main body 3
There is no possibility of becoming a vibration factor of zero. Therefore, while maintaining the pattern transfer accuracy, that is, the exposure accuracy, the throughput is improved as compared with the case where the exposure operation and the reticle exchange operation are sequentially performed by the parallel processing of the exposure operation and the reticle exchange preparation operation. You can

The reticle exchange sequence in the above embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The reticle exchange sequence depends on the carrying-in / out buffers 25A and 25B, the reticle exchange robot 32, the reticle exchange position, and the like. It is possible to adopt a reticle exchange sequence that shortens the time required for reticle exchange.

In the above embodiment, the exchange positions of the two reticles on the reticle stage RST are set to different positions, and when exchanging the reticles, the reticle stage R is replaced.
Although ST is set to the standby state, the present invention is not limited to this, and both reticles may be exchanged at the position of reticle R2 shown in FIG. 2, for example. In this case, it is necessary to move the reticle stage RST in the scanning direction during the exchange of each reticle. However, whichever reticle is exchanged, it is sufficient to control the reticle exchange robot 32 at the same position. It will be relatively easy.

In the above embodiment, the case where both the carry-in / carry-out buffers 25A and 25B have the functions of both carry-in and carry-out buffers has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one of the buffers may be used for the reticle stage. The reticle to be loaded on the reticle stage may be temporarily used as a loading-only buffer, and the other buffer may be used as a unloading-only buffer on which the reticle unloaded from the reticle stage is temporarily placed.

<< Second Embodiment >> Next, an exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same reference numerals will be used for the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.
In the exposure apparatus of the second embodiment, the configuration of the reticle exchange robot in the exposure apparatus 10 of the first embodiment described above, and a part of the operation during reticle exchange that accompanies this, is the first implementation described above. It is the same as the above-described first embodiment except for the form. Therefore, in the following, such differences will be mainly described.

FIG. 7 shows a reticle transport system 250 in the exposure apparatus of the second embodiment. Reticle exchange robot 132 that constitutes this reticle transport system 250
Unlike the reticle exchange robot 32 of the first embodiment, is composed of only one arm and is suspended and supported from a support base (not shown).

That is, the reticle exchange robot 132
Is a vertical movement / swivel drive unit 157 fixed to the support base.
And a first arm portion 151a rotatably connected to the vertical movement / rotation drive portion 157 at one longitudinal end thereof.
The other end of the arm 151a includes a second arm 151b whose one end in the longitudinal direction is connected, and an arm 152 including a hand 151c connected to the second arm 151b.

The arm 152 is provided with an actuator capable of driving in the rotation (θz rotation) direction in the horizontal plane at each connecting portion (joint portion), and control for each connecting portion becomes possible. There is. For this reason, the control accuracy and the degree of freedom of the reticle exchange robot 132 are extremely high. Further, the vertical movement / rotation drive unit 157 is also provided with an actuator that drives the first arm unit 151 a forming the arm 152 in the vertical direction.
2, that is, the hand 151c can be freely driven in the vertical direction.

The method of exchanging the reticle on the reticle stage RST by the reticle transport system 250 of the second embodiment will be briefly described below. In the second embodiment, the operation of the reticle exchange robot, that is, the operation of unloading a new reticle from the loading / unloading buffer 25B and loading it onto the reticle stage RST, and the used reticle on the reticle stage RST. Since the operation of unloading from the above and loading on the carry-in / out buffer 25A is different from that of the first embodiment, this point will be mainly described. Also, the reticle exchange robot 13
2 is driven by an actuator provided in each part, but the description of the actuator is omitted to avoid complication of the description.

First, the reticle exchange robot 132 waits until the reticle stage RST whose exposure operation has been completed is positioned at the reticle exchange position shown in FIG.
Then, when the reticle stage RST is positioned at the reticle exchange position, the arm 152 is swung, expanded and contracted, and moved up and down to move the reticle R on the reticle stage RST.
The hand unit 151c is moved to the lower side of 1 '. Then
When the arm 152 (hand part 151c) is driven upward, the reticle R1 ′ is supported by the hand part 151c, and when it is further moved upward, the reticle R1 ′ is supported.
1'is transferred to the hand unit 151c.

Then, at the stage where the hand portion 151c has risen to a height at which it does not interfere (contact) with the reticle stage RST, the reticle R1 'is located above the carry-in / out buffer 25A.
Arm 152 is driven through substantially the shortest distance.

Then, when the reticle R1 'is moved above the carry-in / out buffer 25A, the arm 152 is driven downward, and the reticle R1' is transferred (loaded) to the carry-in / out buffer 25A. Next, the hand unit 151c
A new reticle R1 is evacuated from the carry-in / out buffer 25A.
In order to carry the sheet onto the reticle stage RST, the movement is started toward the carry-in / out buffer 25B.

Even when the arm 152 moves to the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25B, the arm 152 also moves through almost the shortest distance, and after receiving the reticle R1 at the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25B, the reticle R1 'is mounted on the reticle stage RST until just before. The reticle R1 is loaded in the position where it was placed. FIG. 7 shows a state immediately before the reticle R1 is positioned above the reticle stage RST.

The replacement of the other reticle R2 'is also performed in the same manner as above.

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and in addition, the reticle exchange robot 13 is provided.
Since 2 is composed of only one arm and has a small turning radius, it is possible to further reduce the size of the reticle transport system 250. Further, since each connecting portion (joint portion) of the reticle exchange robot 132 has an actuator and can be independently controlled, the degree of freedom in control is increased and the reticle exchange position can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, it is possible to change the design for the purpose of downsizing the reticle transport system 250.

In the above second embodiment, the reticle exchange robot 132 is suspended and supported.
The configuration is not limited to this, and may be configured to be mounted on the transport system support frame 75 as in the first embodiment.

<< Third Embodiment >> Next, an exposure apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 9B. Here, the same reference numerals are used for the same or equivalent components as those of the first and second embodiments described above, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted. The exposure apparatus of the present embodiment is different from the exposure apparatus 10 of the first embodiment described above only in part of the reticle exchange robot and in part in the operation of reticle exchange, and the rest is described above. It is similar to the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, such differences will be mainly described.

FIG. 8 shows a reticle transport system 350 in the exposure apparatus of the third embodiment. Reticle exchange robot 232 that constitutes this reticle transport system 350
Is the reticle exchange robot 1 of the second embodiment described above.
Similar to 32, it is composed of only one arm 251, but a hand 233 forming the tip portion of the arm 251.
And the point of being installed on the transport system support base 75 via the vertical movement / rotation drive device 257.

That is, the hand 233 of the third embodiment.
Is a rotary plate 222 independently rotatably driven near one end of the second arm 151b, and two hand parts 227A provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rotary plate 222.
And 227B.

Hereinafter, the reticle exchange method using the reticle exchange robot 232 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The operations other than the operation of the reticle exchange robot 232 are the same as those in the first and second embodiments described above, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

First, while the reticle stage RST is performing the exposure operation, as shown in FIG. 9A, the reticle exchange robot 232 is driven toward the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25A, and the carry-in / carry-out buffer 25A. The reticle R1 placed on the top is loaded by the hand portion 227A in the same manner as in the above-described respective embodiments and stands by.

Next, when the exposure operation of the reticle stage RST is completed, the reticle stage RST is driven by the reticle stage drive system 62 and positioned at the reticle exchange position shown in FIG. 9B, the reticle exchange robot. By an actuator provided in each connecting portion of 232, the rotating hand 233 is rotated by 180 °,
The arm 251 is rotated, expanded and contracted, and the like, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), the hand unit 227B that does not hold the reticle unloads the reticle R1 ′ on the reticle stage RST waiting at the reticle exchange position.

Next, the rotary hand 233 is driven to rotate by 180 ° so that the hand portion 227A holding the new reticle R1 is positioned on the reticle stage RST on which the reticle R1 ′ was mounted up to the previous time. Figure 8
Shows the state at this time.

Then, the arm 251 of the reticle exchange robot 132 is driven downward, and the reticle R1 is loaded. Then, the arm 251 is swung, expanded and contracted, and moved up and down, so that the used reticle R1 ′ held by the hand portion 227B is placed on the carry-in / out buffer 25B. At this time, the hand portion 227A simultaneously moves the reticle R1.
Are evacuating from below. Then, the carry-in / out buffer 25
After placing B on the reticle R1 ′, the hand unit 227
B is retracted from below the reticle R1 '.

Thereafter, the new reticle R2 and the used reticle R2 'placed on the reticle stage RST are replaced in the same manner as described above.

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the third embodiment, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained, and in addition, the two hand parts 227A, 22 are provided.
Since the rotary hand 233 having the 7B is provided, it is possible to further reduce the time required to replace the reticle.

<< Fourth Embodiment >> Next, an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the same reference numerals will be used for the same or equivalent components as those of the first to third embodiments described above, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted. FIG. 10 shows a reticle transport system 450 of the fourth embodiment in a plan view. In this reticle transport system 450, the configuration of the reticle exchange robot is different from that of the first embodiment described above, and the other parts are the same. Therefore, in the following,
The configuration of the reticle exchange robot 332 will be mainly described.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the reticle exchange robot 332 seen from the −Y direction to the + Y direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the reticle exchange robot 33
Reference numeral 2 denotes a support 101 as a holding member in which three plate-shaped members are combined in a U-shape (or a U-shape), and a support 1
01 fixed to the first arm 351A and the first arm 3
Second arm 351 configured to be substantially vertically symmetrical with 51A
B and. The tips of the arms 351A and 351B are formed by hands 327A and 327B.

The support 101 is a plate member 103A.
And a first frame member 103B having a U-shaped (U-shaped) XZ cross section and an XY cross section that are vertically erected at the -X end portion on the plate member 103A, and the first frame member 103B is horizontal. The first frame member 103A supported by the second frame member 103C having the same shape as the first frame member 103A. The second frame member 103C is directly supported by the first frame member 103B from below and also indirectly supported by the reinforcing member 109 made of a substantially triangular plate member.

An opening (not shown) is provided in a part of the plate member 103A, and the plate member 103 is communicated with the opening.
The tubular member 105B is connected from the lower side of A. A support member 111 for supporting the plate member 103A from below is provided on a part of the tubular member 105B.

Further, an opening (not shown) is provided in a part of the second frame member 103C, and a tubular member 105A is connected so as to communicate with the opening.

The first arm 351A is suspended and supported on the lower surface of the second frame member 103C by screwing or the like, and the second arm 351B is fixed on the upper surface of the plate member 103A by screwing or the like.

Cable / Piping 1 of the first arm 351A
07A is connected to a power supply device (not shown) or the like through the opening of the second frame member 103C and the tubular member 105A, and the cable / pipings 107B of the second arm 351B connects the opening of the plate-shaped member 103A and the tubular member 105B. It is connected to a power supply device or the like (not shown) via the.

In the fourth embodiment, reticles are exchanged in almost the same sequence as in the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained, and the arms hardly interfere with each other. The arm is controlled without being restricted when driving the other arm, and it is possible to realize higher throughput than that of the first embodiment.

When the reticle exchange robot of this embodiment is adopted, the area (footprint) occupied by the robot is almost the same as that of the reticle exchange robot having one arm as in the second embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire exposure apparatus.

In the fourth embodiment, when the first arm and the second arm are moved up and down, the hands of the arms may interfere (contact) with each other. Therefore, the arms are moved up and down. It is very effective to employ an elevator unit and a center-up unit, which will be described later, that can load and unload the reticle without using the reticle.

<< Fifth Embodiment >> Next, an exposure apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same reference numerals are used for the same or equivalent components as those in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted. The exposure apparatus of the fifth embodiment is the same as the above-described first to first embodiments.
Only a part of the reticle transport system in the exposure apparatus 10 of the fourth embodiment and a part of the operation at the time of reticle exchange according to this are different, and the others are the same as in the above-described first to fourth embodiments. Has become. Therefore, in the following, the difference will be mainly described.

FIG. 12 schematically shows a reticle transport system 550 according to the fifth embodiment in a plan view.
The reticle transport system 550 is different from the reticle transport system 250 according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 7) in the configuration of the reticle relay unit and the reticle exchange robot, and is otherwise substantially the same.

The reticle exchange robot 432 and the reticle relay section 189 as the mask loading / unloading buffer of the fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

The reticle exchange robot 432 has a second
Reticle exchange robot 132 of the embodiment (see FIG. 7)
However, instead of the hand portion 151c holding one reticle, the tip of the arm 451 is formed by a hand portion 151c 'capable of holding two reticles at the same time. More specifically, the hand part 151c ′ is provided with a rotary drive part 91 provided at one end of the second arm part 151b and having an actuator for rotary drive therein, and the rotary drive part 91 with respect to the rotary drive part 91. And plate-shaped hand support portion 93 provided symmetrically
A and 93B, and a hand portion 42 for holding a reticle supported on the hand supporting portions 93A and 93B, respectively.
7A and 427B. Each hand unit 427A,
The 427B is mounted on the reticle stage RST.
They are arranged at almost the same intervals as the intervals between the reticles.

The reticle relay section 189 differs from the reticle relay section 89 according to the first to fourth embodiments described above in that a plurality of reticle relay sections 189 (here, two reticle relay sections 189 are provided).
It is configured so that a reticle can be placed.

That is, the reticle relay section 189 holds the reticle mounting table 143, the contact type reticle positioning devices 141 and 151 provided on the reticle mounting table 143 similar to those in the above-described embodiments, and the reticle from below. A reticle holding unit (not shown) is provided. The distance between the contact type reticle positioning devices 141 and 151, that is, the reticle mounting distance on the reticle mounting table 143, is the distance between the hand parts 427A and 427B (that is, the distance between the two reticles on the reticle stage RST). Interval) is set to the same.

A reticle exchange method by the reticle transport system 550 of the fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the reticle stage RST is positioned at the reticle exchange position, the reticle exchange robot 432 that does not hold the reticle is driven, and the used reticle R1 'on the reticle stage RST, Hand parts 427A, 427B on the lower side of R2 '
Position. Next, the reticle exchange robot 432 is driven to move upward, whereby the reticles R1 ′ and R2 ′ are supported from below by the respective hand parts 427A and 427B, and are further driven to move upward, so that the reticle R1 ′,
R2 ′ is transferred to the hand units 427A and 427B.

After that, when the hand parts 427A and 427B are raised to a position where they do not interfere (contact) with the reticle stage RST, the arm 451 is rotated and expanded / contracted, and the hand parts 427 holding the reticles R1 'and R2'.
A and 427B are located above the reticle relay portion 189. Next, the reticle exchange robot 432 is driven downward, and the reticles R1 ′ and R2 ′ are delivered (loaded) onto the reticle relay unit 189. After that, hand part 4
27A and 427B are retracted from the reticle relay unit 189.

Next, the robot 88 sequentially carries the reticles R1 'and R2' on the reticle relay section 189 into _{one of} the reticle cassettes (80 ₁ and 80 ₂ ). Further, the robot 88 uses the reticle cassettes (80 ₁ , 8
0 ₂ ), new reticle R1 and R2 are transported onto reticle relay unit 189.

When the robots 88 carry the reticles R1 and R2 onto the reticle relay section 189 as described above,
The contact type reticle alignment mechanisms 141 and 151 align the reticles R1 and R2. When this alignment is completed, the arms 451 are arranged so that the hand parts 427A and 427B are located below the reticles R1 and R2, respectively. Is swiveled, expanded and contracted, and driven vertically.

After the hand parts 427A and 427B are positioned under the reticles R1 and R2 as described above, the arm 451 is driven to rise and the hand parts 427A and 427A,
The reticle R on the reticle relay section 189 by the 427B.
1, R2 are received (unloaded) at the same time.

Next, the arm 451 is rotated, expanded and contracted, and vertically driven so that the reticles R1 and R2 are positioned on the reticle stage RST, and after this driving, the reticle exchange robot 432 is driven downward. ,
Two reticles R1 and R2 are simultaneously loaded on the reticle stage RST, and then the hand units 427A and 427 are loaded.
B is retracted from reticle stage RST.

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment, two reticles can be unloaded from the reticle stage RST at the same time, and two reticles can be simultaneously received from the reticle relay section 189. Further, since two reticles can be loaded on the reticle stage RST at the same time, the time required for reticle replacement when the reticle stage of the double reticle holder type that holds two reticles is adopted is shortened. It is possible.

In order to further reduce the time required for reticle exchange, two library robots 88 may be prepared for two reticles. Also, 2
It is also possible to provide two reticle relay portions on which one reticle can be placed. In this case, the reticle exchange robot 4
While the reticle 32 is unloading the reticle from the reticle stage RST, two new reticles are placed on one reticle relay section, and the reticle exchange robot 432 unloads the reticle and relays the other reticle. Immediately after placing two used reticles on the reticle, the reticle exchange robot 432 loads the two new reticles placed on one reticle relay section onto the reticle stage RST. You can By doing so, the time required for reticle exchange can be further shortened. In this case, a multi-stage structure in which two reticle relay portions are arranged vertically may be used.

In the above embodiment, a so-called single arm double hand type reticle exchanging robot having two hands with one arm is adopted, but the arm having these two hands is vertically symmetrical. Two
A reticle exchanging robot of a so-called double-arm double-hand type, which is configured to be provided, may be adopted. In this case, before unloading the used reticle on the reticle stage RST with one arm,
Since the other arm can hold two new reticles, it is possible to load two reticles at the same time immediately after the two reticles are unloaded by one arm, which is necessary for reticle replacement. The time can be further shortened.

In each of the first to fifth embodiments described above,
Loading / unloading buffer 25A (or reticle relay unit 189)
The case where the arm that receives the reticle from the reticle (herein, the “first arm 51A” in the first embodiment is cited) directly loads the reticle on the reticle stage RST has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, the elevator unit 35 may be provided above the reticle exchange position, for example, as shown in FIG.

This elevator unit 35 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), two hand parts 45A and 45B as support members, and these hand parts 45A and 45B.
Is simultaneously driven in the opening and closing directions (opposite directions in the X axis direction in FIG. 13A), and is also driven in the up and down direction (Z axis direction). The drive mechanism 95 is a hand opening / closing mechanism 47 that drives the hand parts 45A and 45B in the opening / closing direction in which they approach or separate from each other.
And a vertical movement / rotation mechanism 76 for driving the hand opening / closing mechanism 47 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and the rotation (θz rotation) direction in the horizontal plane.

By providing such an elevator unit 35 above the reticle exchange position, the reticle R is rotated by 90 ° because the reticle is loaded from the non-scanning direction as in the above embodiment. Even if it is necessary, the first arm 51A moves the reticle R to the elevator unit 3 as shown in FIG. 13 (A).
5, the reticle (here, reticle R) is handed over to the hand parts 45A, 45B by the opening / closing operation and the lowering operation of the hand parts 45A, 45B of the elevator unit 35 by the drive mechanism 95, and thereafter,
The reticle R can be loaded by adopting a sequence in which the reticle R is rotated by 90 ° by the drive mechanism 95 and then loaded on the reticle stage RST. In addition, a reticle stage in which the portion on which the reticle R is placed is dug down (see FIG. 13B described later).
Even if a stage having such a shape is adopted, the reticle R can be loaded and unloaded by using the elevator unit 35. In this case, the elevator unit 35 is the reticle base surface plate 6
Since it is arranged above 0, the enlargement of the exposure apparatus as a whole is suppressed.

As described above, when the elevator unit 35 is provided, the mask transfer device is constituted by the reticle exchange robot and the elevator unit.

In addition to the elevator unit 35, a center-up unit 61 may be provided at the reticle exchange position as shown in FIG. 13 (B).

Most of the center-up unit 61 is embedded inside the reticle base surface plate 60 corresponding to the reticle exchange position, and a plurality of pin portions 63 capable of supporting the reticle from the lower side. And a vertical movement mechanism 67 as a drive mechanism for driving the center up 65 in the vertical direction. In the center-up unit 61, the vertical movement mechanism 67 causes the pin portion 6 that constitutes the center-up 65.
Numeral 3 is capable of appearing and disappearing on the upper surface side of the reticle base surface plate 60.

In this case, when the reticle stage RST is positioned at the reticle exchange position, the center-up 65 is driven upward by the vertical movement mechanism 67 of the center-up unit 61, and is formed on the reticle base surface plate 60 and the reticle stage RST. The pin portion 63 of the center-up 65 projects to the upper surface side of the reticle stage RST through the opening. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13B, the reticle R held by the first arm 51A standing by above the reticle stage RST is centered up 65.
To be delivered to. Thereafter, the first arm 51A retracts from above the reticle stage RST, the center up 65 is driven downward, and the reticle R is loaded on the reticle stage RST. Further, when the reticle R is unloaded, the reverse operation is performed.

As described above, by providing the center-up unit 61 in the reticle base surface plate 60, as shown in FIG.
Even when the reticle stage in which the reticle is placed is dug down as shown in FIG. 3B, the reticle is loaded on the reticle stage RST without changing the configuration of the reticle exchange robot. It is possible to In this case, since the center-up unit 61 is provided below the reticle exchange position, the use of this center-up unit hardly increases the size of the entire exposure apparatus.

As described above, the center-up unit 6
When 1 is provided, the mask transfer device is configured by the reticle exchange robot and the center-up unit 61.

The elevator unit 35 and the center-up unit 61 may be used together.

When a double reticle holder type reticle stage is used as reticle stage RST, the reticle stage may be moved with respect to the elevator unit or the center-up unit, and two reticles may be exchanged. However, above (or below) one reticle and above (or below) the other reticle.
An elevator unit (or a center-up unit) capable of moving between and may be adopted. Further, two elevator units or two center-up units may be provided for each reticle.

Although the reticle stage of the double reticle holder system is adopted as the reticle stage in each of the above embodiments, the reticle stage of the single reticle holder system and the reticle stage of the single reticle holder system are not limited to this. It is also possible to adopt a twin reticle stage or the like having two.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, a reticle stage capable of simultaneously holding three or more reticles may be adopted as the reticle stage. In the fifth embodiment, the number of reticles is set. Depending on the situation, a reticle exchange robot configured to hold three or more reticles at the same time may be adopted.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the double wafer stage type exposure apparatus for simultaneously performing parallel processing using two wafer stages has been described, but the applicable range of the present invention is not limited to this, and a single wafer is used. The present invention can be suitably applied to a stage type exposure apparatus.

The application of the exposure apparatus is not limited to the exposure apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing, and for example, an exposure apparatus for liquid crystal for transferring a liquid crystal display element pattern to a rectangular glass plate, a thin film magnetic head, a micromachine, It can be widely applied to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a DNA chip or the like. Further, not only microdevices such as semiconductor elements, but also glass substrates or silicon wafers for manufacturing reticles or masks used in light exposure apparatuses, EUV exposure apparatuses, X-ray exposure apparatuses, electron beam exposure apparatuses, etc. The present invention can also be applied to an exposure apparatus that transfers a circuit pattern onto a substrate.

The light source of the exposure apparatus of the above embodiment is
Not only UV pulse light sources such as F ₂ laser light source, ArF excimer laser light source, KrF excimer laser light source, but also ultra-high pressure mercury lamps that emit g-line (wavelength 436 nm), i-line (wavelength 365 nm) and other bright lines can be used. Is. In addition, single wavelength laser light in the infrared region or visible region emitted from a DFB semiconductor laser or a fiber laser is amplified by a fiber amplifier doped with erbium (or both erbium and ytterbium),
It is also possible to use harmonics whose wavelength is converted into ultraviolet light using a nonlinear optical crystal. Further, the magnification of the projection optical system is not limited to a reduction system, and may be a unity magnification system or a magnification system.

For a semiconductor device, the step of designing the function / performance of the device, the step of producing a reticle based on this design step, the step of producing a wafer from a silicon material, and the reticle pattern by the exposure apparatus of the above-described embodiment It is manufactured through a step of transferring to a wafer, a device assembling step (including a dicing step, a bonding step, a packaging step), an inspection step, and the like.

[0173]

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the mask on the mask stage can be replaced without increasing the size of the apparatus and regardless of the number of masks that can be mounted on the mask stage. The effect is that it can be carried out smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a reticle transport system and a reticle stage according to the first embodiment.

3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the carry-in buffer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram (No. 1) for explaining the reticle transport operation by the reticle transport system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram (No. 2) for explaining the reticle transport operation by the reticle transport system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a reticle transport system and a reticle stage according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a reticle transport system and a reticle stage according to a third embodiment.

9A and 9B are views for explaining the operation of the reticle exchange robot 233 of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a reticle transport system and a reticle stage according to a fourth embodiment.

11 is a side view of the reticle exchange robot of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a reticle transport system and a reticle stage according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 13 (A) is a diagram for explaining an elevator unit according to a modified example, and FIG. 13 (B) is a diagram for explaining a center-up unit according to the modified example.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a conventional reticle transport device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Exposure device, 25A, 25B ... Mask loading / unloading buffer, 27A, 27B, 227A, 227B, 427A,
427B ... Hand unit (hand), 32, 132, 23
2, 332, 432 ... Reticle exchange robot (robot, mask transfer device), 35 ... Elevator unit, 4
5A, 45B ... Hand part (support member), 51A ... First arm (arm), 51B ... Second arm (arm), 60
a ... moving surface, 61 ... center up unit, 63 ... pin portion (supporting member), 67 ... vertical moving mechanism (driving mechanism), 9
5 ... Driving mechanism, 101 ... Support (holding member), 251,
351A, 351B, 451 ... Arm, 189 ... Reticle relay section (mask loading / unloading buffer), 327A, 327
B: hand, R1, R2 ... reticle (mask), RST
... Reticle stage (mask stage), W1, W2 ...
Wafer (substrate).

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01L 21/68 H01L 21/68 G K 21/30 514D F term (reference) 5F031 CA05 CA07 DA01 DA17 FA04 FA07 FA09 FA11 FA12 FA14 FA15 GA03 GA08 GA15 GA25 GA35 GA40 GA43 GA47 GA48 GA49 GA50 HA13 HA16 HA33 HA42 HA53 HA55 HA59 JA06 JA14 JA17 JA22 JA32 JA38 KA02 KA06 KA07 KA08 KA11 KA12 LA07 LA08 MA27 5F046 AA23 BA04 BA05 CC01 CC02 CC03 CC06 CC06 CD02 CD02 CD06 CC13 CD02 CD02 CD06 CD13 CD02 CD02

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate, comprising: a mask stage on which the mask is placed and movable in at least a first axis direction; and a first axis. The mask is arranged on one side in a direction orthogonal to the first axis in a plane parallel to the moving surface of the mask stage, and unloading of the mask on the mask stage and loading of the mask on the mask stage are performed on the moving surface. An exposure apparatus, comprising: a mask transfer device that operates in a direction that intersects the first axis direction in a parallel plane. 2. The mask carrying device carries a mask carried between the mask carrying device and the mask stage, and further comprises a pair of at least rotatable mask carrying-in / out buffers. The exposure apparatus described. 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the mask carry-in / out buffers also serves as an alignment mechanism for a placed mask. 4. The mask stage is capable of mounting a plurality of masks at the same time.
The exposure apparatus according to any one of 1. 5. The mask carrying device has a hand for holding the mask at a tip portion thereof, and the hand can be driven in a plane parallel to the moving surface and in a second axis direction orthogonal to the moving surface. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a robot including at least one arm. 6. The mask carrying device has a hand holding the mask in a substantially symmetrical arrangement at a tip portion thereof, and the pair of hands are in a plane parallel to the moving surface and orthogonal to the moving surface. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a robot having an arm that can be driven in a second axis direction. 7. The mask carrying device has a hand for holding the mask at a tip portion thereof, and the hand can be driven in a plane parallel to the moving surface and in a second axis direction orthogonal to the moving surface. 5. A pair of robots provided with arms; and a holding member that holds the pair of robots in a substantially symmetrical arrangement with respect to a plane parallel to the moving surface. The exposure apparatus according to the item. 8. The mask transfer device further comprises a mask loading / unloading buffer capable of simultaneously mounting a plurality of masks transferred to and from the mask stage, wherein the mask stage simultaneously transfers a plurality of masks to each other. The mask transfer device can be placed side by side in the first axial direction, and the mask transfer device has a plurality of hands holding the mask in a parallel arrangement at a tip portion thereof, and the hands are in a plane parallel to the moving surface and The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a robot including an arm that can be driven in a second axis direction orthogonal to the moving surface. 9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mask loading / unloading buffer also serves as an alignment mechanism for the mounted mask. 10. The mask transfer device is disposed on one side in the second axis direction at a predetermined mask exchange position for exchanging a mask on the mask stage, and delivers the mask to and from each hand. Driving a plurality of supporting members, and driving the plurality of supporting members between at least a carry-in position for carrying the mask into the mask stage in the exchange position and a standby position on the one side in the second axial direction of the exchange position. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9, further comprising an elevator unit having a drive mechanism that operates. 11. The mask transfer device is disposed on one side in the second axis direction at a predetermined mask exchange position for exchanging a mask on the mask stage, and the second axis of the mask stage in the exchange position. A plurality of support members for delivering the mask to and from the respective hands at the delivery position on the other side in the direction, and the mask stage at the delivery position and the exchange position for the plurality of support members in the second axial direction. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9, further comprising a center-up unit having a drive mechanism that is driven to and from a standby position on one side. 12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mask transfer device is provided so as to be oscillatingly separated from the mask stage.