JP2005322721A - Information storage method and information use method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save an enormous amount of information used in an exposure apparatus etc. at low cost without having special knowledge so that it can be managed efficiently and easily, and to store the information in the exposure apparatus etc. Provide information usage methods to be used.
In a storage unit 53, status information indicating the apparatus status of the exposure apparatus, apparatus information indicating various setting values and apparatus performance of the exposure apparatus, process information relating to exposure processing performed by the exposure apparatus, and various measurement information are sequentially stored. Remembered. For these pieces of information, the creation program of the system controller 55 creates metadata according to MPEG-7. The metadata is weighted according to the usage frequency of the metadata by the search program, etc., and the above information is selected according to the weight and the metadata is updated.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an information storage method for storing information related to the position of an object obtained by measurement or operation information related to the operation of an exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate, and the position measurement apparatus. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a method for using information used in the exposure apparatus.

  In a photolithography process which is one of manufacturing processes of a semiconductor element, a liquid crystal display element, an imaging element, a thin film magnetic head, and other devices, an exposure process, a development process, and various substrate processes are repeatedly performed. The above-described exposure processing is performed by using a pattern formed on a mask or reticle (hereinafter referred to as a mask when these are collectively called) using an exposure apparatus, a wafer or a glass plate coated with a photoresist or other photosensitive agent ( Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as a substrate), and the development process is a process of developing a photosensitive agent on the substrate after the exposure process to form a resist pattern on the substrate. The above-described substrate processing is, for example, processing for etching the substrate into the shape of a resist pattern, processing for doping impurities into the substrate, processing for forming wiring on the substrate, and other processing.

  A single layer is formed on the substrate by performing the exposure process, the development process, and various substrate processes. The various devices described above are manufactured by repeatedly performing the exposure process, the developing process, and the various substrate processes several times to several tens of times while exchanging a plurality of masks, and overlapping a plurality of layers. In an exposure process using an exposure apparatus, each time a layer is formed, an alignment process for measuring the position of the mask and the substrate and aligning the mask and the substrate (hereinafter referred to as alignment), and using the exposure light as a mask An exposure process is performed in which the substrate is exposed with exposure light through the mask through irradiation.

  The alignment process described above is a pre-alignment process that roughly aligns the substrate, a search alignment process that measures rough position information of the position measurement marks provided on the substrate, and the position information of the position measurement marks is highly accurate. In order to measure and align the position information of the mask and the substrate in each of these steps, a fine alignment process is provided to accurately position the substrate based on the measurement result. Various control information is required. Also in the above exposure step, various control information such as information indicating the photosensitive characteristics of the photosensitive agent applied on the substrate and information for setting the illumination conditions of the mask is required.

  In the exposure apparatus, various information such as operation information when performing various operations for maintenance and management or apparatus information indicating the apparatus state and measurement information indicating the measurement result of the position measurement mark is stored for a certain period. It is recorded in the recording device as a log file. When a problem occurs in the exposure apparatus, the cause is investigated by referring to the contents recorded in the log file. Thus, in the exposure apparatus, various control information for causing the exposure apparatus to perform a predetermined operation, and various information indicating the operation result or the apparatus state are used.

  In order to utilize such information for maintenance of the exposure apparatus, it is important to manage the information recorded in the recording apparatus. That is, it is necessary to grasp all the information where the information is recorded in the recording apparatus. If such information management is insufficient, necessary information cannot be obtained from the information recorded in the recording device, and the information cannot be effectively used for maintenance or the like. In addition, since various kinds of control information, apparatus information and measurement information used in the exposure apparatus are enormous, and the exposure apparatus is often operated continuously for 24 hours, the amount of information to be managed becomes extremely enormous. . For this reason, conventionally, management of various types of information used in the exposure apparatus has been performed only by those who have sufficient knowledge.

Note that the following Patent Document 1 refers to a log file provided in an exposure apparatus and totals only information indicating an error occurrence state, so that no special knowledge about errors is required in the exposure apparatus. There is disclosed a technique that enables an error occurrence status to be grasped.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-069001

  By the way, when performing maintenance or the like of the exposure apparatus, apparatus information and measurement information of the exposure apparatus may be required as well as information indicating an error occurrence state. In order to obtain necessary information from such information, sufficient knowledge for managing the information recorded in the recording apparatus of the exposure apparatus is necessary as described above, and therefore a person who does not have this knowledge is necessary. There was a problem that information could not be obtained.

  In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to create and manage a database of information recorded in the recording device. However, since various kinds of information used in the exposure apparatus are enormous, the information recorded in the storage device is only for the most recent predetermined period due to the limitation of the recording capacity of the recording apparatus. Has the special property of being destroyed (erased or overwritten). There is a problem that it is difficult to manage such information with special characteristics using a commercially available database management program.

  Although it is conceivable to independently develop a database management program tailored to the particularity of information, there is a problem that development and maintenance take cost and time. Furthermore, since the database developed independently is an original standard, it is difficult to change the database. If a change is necessary, a new database must be created again, which makes management extremely complicated. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and stores information so as to be able to efficiently and easily manage enormous information used in an exposure apparatus or the like at low cost and without special knowledge. It is an object to provide a storage method and an information use method for using the information in an exposure apparatus or the like.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an information storage method of the present invention is an information storage method for storing information on the position of an object (W), which irradiates a detection beam on the object, and irradiates the detection beam with the detection beam. A first step of receiving a beam generated on the surface of an object, measuring the surface of the object to obtain measurement data information, and managing the measurement data information measured in the first step according to a first rule And a second step of creating reference data (MD) defining the first rule, storing the measurement data information according to the first rule, and storing the reference data separately from the measurement data information A third step, a fourth step of updating the content of the reference data created in the second step to a content defining a second rule different from the first rule, and the measurement data information Save according to the second rule It is characterized in that and and a fifth step of the said measurement data information to store the reference data updated separately by the fourth step.
The information storage method of the present invention is an information storage method for storing operation information related to the operation of an exposure apparatus (EX) that transfers and exposes a pattern formed on a mask (R) onto a substrate (W). A first step of obtaining the operation information; a second step of creating reference data defining the first rule in order to manage the operation information obtained in the first step according to the first rule; A third step of storing the operation information in accordance with the first rule and storing the reference data separately from the operation information, and a content of the reference data created in the second step A fourth step of updating the content to define a second rule different from the rule, storing the operation information in accordance with the second rule, and storing the reference data updated in the fourth step separately from the operation information Including a fifth step of storage It is.
According to these inventions, when the measurement data information on the object surface or the operation information of the exposure apparatus is obtained, the reference data defining the first rule for managing them is created and stored individually. Further, when the reference data is changed to the second rule different from the first rule, the measurement data information or the operation information of the exposure apparatus is stored according to the second rule, and the updated reference amount data is separately from these. Saved.
In order to solve the above problems, an information use method according to the present invention is an information use method that uses the information in a position measurement device (44) that obtains information related to the position of the object (W), and is provided on the object. A first step of irradiating a detection beam, receiving a beam generated on the surface of the object by the irradiation of the detection beam, measuring the surface of the object, and obtaining measurement data information; and measuring in the first step A second step of creating numerical data information representatively representing the characteristics of the measurement data information by performing a predetermined calculation process on the measurement data information as reference data for managing the measured measurement data information; The numerical data information was compared with the measurement data information obtained by performing the first step after the second step, and the change amount between them was obtained in the third step and the third step. The amount of change is a predetermined tolerance If more, is characterized by a fourth step of allowed to perform a predetermined operation to the position measuring device on the basis of the variation amount.
The information use method of the present invention relates to the operation of an exposure apparatus (EX) that transfers and exposes a pattern formed on a mask (R) onto a substrate (W) via a projection optical system (PL). An information usage method using motion information, wherein a first operation for obtaining the motion information, and a predetermined calculation for the motion information as reference data for managing the motion information obtained in the first step A second step of processing to create numerical data information representative of the characteristics of the motion information; the numerical data information; and the motion information obtained by performing the first step after the second step; And a fourth step of causing the exposure apparatus to perform a predetermined operation based on the amount of change obtained in the third step. It is said.
According to these inventions, when the measurement data information on the object surface or the operation information of the exposure apparatus is obtained, a predetermined calculation process is performed on the measurement data information or the operation information to represent the characteristics of the measurement data information or the operation information. Numerical data information is generated as reference data. When measurement data information or operation information is obtained after creating this reference data, the measurement data information or operation information is compared with numerical data information to determine the amount of change between them, and the amount of change is a predetermined amount. If it is equal to or greater than the allowable value, a predetermined operation is executed in the position measuring apparatus or the exposure apparatus based on the change amount.

According to the present invention, the reference data is created separately from the measurement data information on the object surface or the operation information of the exposure apparatus, and the measurement data information or the operation information is managed using the reference data. There is an effect that even a person who does not have special knowledge can efficiently and easily obtain necessary information from a vast amount of information. In addition, since the measurement data or the exposure operation is stored according to the reference data rules in accordance with the change of the reference data, the amount of information that can be stored is limited due to the limitation of the storage area of these data. However, there is no inconsistency between the measurement data information or the operation information and the reference data, and management can be performed efficiently and easily.
Further, according to the present invention, numerical data information representatively representing measurement data information on the object surface or operation information of the exposure apparatus is created, and this numerical data information is compared with newly obtained measurement data information or operation information. Since the position measurement device or the exposure apparatus performs a predetermined operation according to the change amount, the apparatus status can be changed during the operation without stopping the operation of the position measurement device or the exposure apparatus. There is an effect that can be. As a result, since the process of adjusting the apparatus state of the position measuring apparatus or the exposure apparatus can be omitted, the operation time of the apparatus can be improved.

  Hereinafter, an information storage method and an information use method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of an exposure apparatus EX in which an information storage method and information use method according to an embodiment of the present invention are used. The exposure apparatus EX shown in FIG. 1 moves the pattern formed on the reticle R to the wafer W while moving the reticle R as a mask and the wafer W as a substrate relative to the projection optical system PL in FIG. Is a step-and-scan exposure apparatus that manufactures a semiconductor element by sequentially transferring to a semiconductor device.

  In the following description, if necessary, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set in the drawing, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 is set so that the X axis and the Y axis are parallel to the wafer W, and the Z axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the wafer W. In the XYZ coordinate system in FIG. 1, the XY plane is actually set to a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is set to the vertically upward direction. In this embodiment, the direction in which the reticle R and the wafer W are moved synchronously (synchronous movement direction SD) is set in the Y direction.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an exposure light source that emits exposure light IL that is a parallel light beam having a substantially rectangular cross section, for example, an ArF excimer laser light source (wavelength 193 nm). Exposure light IL comprising an ultraviolet pulse with a wavelength of 193 nm from the exposure light source 1 passes through a beam matching unit (BMU) 2 and enters a variable dimmer 3 as an optical attenuator. The main control system 24 controls the start and stop of light emission of the exposure light source 1 and the output (oscillation frequency, pulse energy, number of pulses). Further, the main control system 24 adjusts the dimming rate in the variable dimmer 3 stepwise or continuously.

  The exposure light IL passing through the variable dimmer 3 enters a first fly-eye lens 6 as a first-stage optical integrator (a homogenizer or a homogenizer) through a beam shaping system 5 including lens systems 4a and 4b. To do. The exposure light IL emitted from the first fly-eye lens 6 passes through the first lens system 7a, the optical path bending mirror 8, and the second lens system 7b, and the second fly as a second stage optical integrator. The light enters the eye lens 9. The exit surface of the second fly-eye lens 9, that is, the optical Fourier transform surface (the pupil plane of the illumination system and the optical plane conjugate with the pupil plane of the projection optical system PL) with respect to the pattern surface of the reticle R has a plurality of apertures. An aperture stop plate 10 having a stop is rotatably arranged by a drive motor 10e. The aperture stop plate 10 is connected to the rotation shaft of the drive motor 10e, and the aperture stop disposed on the exit surface of the second fly-eye lens 9 is switched by driving the drive motor 10e to rotate the aperture stop plate 10. be able to. The drive of the drive motor 10e is controlled by a main control system 24 that controls the overall operation of the exposure apparatus EX.

  The exposure light IL that has been emitted from the second fly-eye lens 9 and passed through one of the aperture stops formed on the aperture stop plate 10 is incident on the beam splitter 11 having a high transmittance and a low reflectivity. The exposure light reflected by the beam splitter 11 enters an integrator sensor 22 composed of a photoelectric detector via a condensing lens 21. The detection signal of the integrator sensor 22 is supplied to the main control system 24. The relationship between the detection signal of the integrator sensor 22 and the illuminance of the exposure light IL on the wafer W is measured in advance with high accuracy and stored in a storage unit (not shown) in the main control system 24. The main control system 24 controls the exposure amount for the wafer W based on the detection signal of the integrator sensor 22.

  The exposure light IL transmitted through the beam splitter 11 sequentially enters the fixed blind (fixed illumination field stop) 14 and the movable blind (movable illumination field stop) 15 through the lens systems 12 and 13 along the optical axis IAX. The fixed blind 14 is a linear slit-shaped or rectangular (hereinafter collectively referred to as “slit-shaped”) illumination field extending in a direction orthogonal to the synchronous movement direction SD at the center in a circular field of the projection optical system PL described later. Has an opening. The movable blind 15 is configured to be movable in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis IAX. For example, in order to prevent unnecessary exposure at the start and end of scanning exposure on each shot area on the wafer W, This is used to vary the width of the illumination field area in the scanning direction. Further, it is used to vary the width of the illumination field in accordance with the size of the pattern area of the reticle R in the direction (non-scanning direction) orthogonal to the scanning direction SD.

  The fixed blind 14 is disposed on a surface defocused by a predetermined amount in the optical axis IAX direction from the conjugate surface with respect to the surface on which the pattern of the reticle R is formed (hereinafter referred to as the reticle surface). In this way, the fixed blind 14 is defocused and arranged in order to prevent variations in the exposure amount (DOSE amount) at an arbitrary point on the wafer W in order to prevent the exposure light IL irradiated on the wafer W from being irradiated. This is because the illuminance distribution in the synchronous movement direction SD has a trapezoidal shape. The exposure light IL that has passed through the movable blind 15 during exposure passes through a mirror 17 for bending an optical path, an imaging lens system 18, a condenser lens 19, and a main condenser lens system 20 in this order, and a pattern of a reticle R as a mask. The illumination field (illumination field area) IA of the surface (lower surface) is illuminated.

  The exposure light source 1, the beam matching unit 2, the variable dimmer 3, the beam shaping system 5 including the lens systems 4a and 4b, the first fly-eye lens 6, the first lens system 7a, the optical path bending mirror described above. 8, second lens system 7b, second fly-eye lens 9, aperture stop plate 10, beam splitter 11, lens systems 12, 13, fixed blind 14, movable blind 15, mirror 17 for optical path bending, lens for image formation The system 18, the condenser lens 19, and the main condenser lens system 20 constitute an illumination optical system IS.

Under the exposure light IL, the image of the circuit pattern in the illumination field IA of the reticle R passes through the bilateral telecentric projection optical system PL at a predetermined projection magnification β (β is, for example, 1/4 or 1/5). Then, the image is transferred to a slit-like exposure field EA on the wafer W as a substrate disposed on the image plane of the projection optical system PL. The projection optical system PL may be one-side telecentric. Although the projection optical system PL of the present embodiment is a dioptric system (refractive system), it goes without saying that a catadioptric system (catadioptric system) and a reflective system can also be used. In the present embodiment, since the exposure light IL is vacuum ultraviolet light, it is largely absorbed by oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, etc. in normal air. In order to avoid this, the optical path of the exposure light IL from the exposure light source 1 to the wafer W shown in FIG. 1 has a high-purity purge gas (noble gas such as helium or neon) having high transmittance even for vacuum ultraviolet light. Or a so-called inert gas such as nitrogen gas). Further, as the glass material of the refractive member constituting the projection optical system PL, for example, synthetic quartz or fluorite (calcium fluoride: CaF ₂ ) is used.

  The reticle R is sucked and held on a reticle stage 31 as a mask stage, and the reticle stage 31 can move at a constant speed in the Y direction on the reticle base 32 and can also move minutely in the X direction, with the Z axis as the center. It is placed so that it can also be rotated. A movable mirror 33 is attached to one end of the reticle stage 31, and a laser interferometer 34 is provided facing the mirror surface of the movable mirror 33. Although the illustration is simplified in FIG. 1, the movable mirror 33 includes a movable mirror having a mirror surface perpendicular to the X axis and a movable mirror having a mirror surface perpendicular to the Y axis.

  The laser interferometer 34 also includes two Y-axis laser interferometers that irradiate the moving mirror 33 with laser light along the Y axis and an X-axis laser that irradiates the moving mirror 33 with laser light along the X axis. The X and Y coordinates of the reticle stage 31 are measured by one laser interferometer for the Y axis and one laser interferometer for the X axis. Further, the rotation angle around the Z axis of the reticle stage 31 is measured by the difference between the measurement values of the two laser interferometers for the Y axis. Information on the X coordinate, the Y coordinate, and the rotation angle of the reticle stage 31 detected by the laser interferometer 34 is supplied to the main control system 24. The main control system 24 controls the positioning operation of the reticle stage 31 while monitoring the supplied stage position information.

  On the other hand, the wafer W is sucked and held on a wafer stage 37 as a substrate stage (moving stage) via a wafer holder 36, and the wafer stage 37 is parallel to the image plane of the projection optical system PL on the wafer base 38. 2D move along. That is, the wafer stage 37 moves on the wafer base 38 in the Y direction at a constant speed and also moves stepwise in the X direction and the Y direction. Further, the wafer stage 37 incorporates a Z leveling mechanism for controlling the position of the wafer W in the Z direction (focus position) and the tilt angles around the X axis and the Y axis.

  A movable mirror 39 is attached to one end of the wafer stage 37, and a laser interferometer 40 is provided facing the mirror surface of the movable mirror 39. Although the illustration is simplified in FIG. 1, the movable mirror 39 is composed of a movable mirror having a mirror surface perpendicular to the X axis and a movable mirror having a mirror surface perpendicular to the Y axis. The laser interferometer 40 includes two Y-axis laser interferometers that irradiate the moving mirror 39 with a laser beam along the Y-axis and an X-axis laser that irradiates the movable mirror 39 with a laser beam along the X-axis. The X and Y coordinates of the wafer stage 37 are measured by one laser interferometer for the Y axis and one laser interferometer for the X axis. Further, the rotation angle of the wafer stage 37 is measured by the difference between the measurement values of the two Y-axis laser interferometers. Information on the X coordinate, Y coordinate, and rotation angle of the wafer stage 37 measured by the laser interferometer 40 is supplied to the main control system 24. The main control system 24 controls the positioning operation of the wafer stage 37 while monitoring the supplied stage position information.

  A reference member 45 that determines the reference position of the wafer stage 37 is provided at one end on the wafer stage 37. The reference member 45 determines the reference position of the coordinate system of the wafer stage 37, and is used when measuring the relative position of the reticle R with respect to the coordinate system of the wafer stage 37 and when measuring the baseline. . Here, the base line means, for example, the distance between the center position of the projection image of the pattern formed on the reticle R by the projection optical system PL and the center of the measurement visual field of the wafer alignment sensor 44 described later. The reference member 45 has, as reference marks, slit patterns composed of, for example, five light-transmitting L-shaped patterns, and two reference patterns formed of light-reflective chrome (the duty ratio is 1: 1). And are provided.

  In the present embodiment, the imaging light beam for forming a pinhole or slit-shaped image toward the imaging surface of the projection optical system PL is obliquely oriented with respect to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL. An oblique incidence type focal position detection system 43 is provided which includes an irradiation optical system 43a to be supplied and a light receiving optical system 43b for receiving a reflected light beam of the imaging light beam on the surface of the wafer W. The focal position detection system 43 can detect the in-focus state between the wafer W and the projection optical system PL by detecting a positional shift in the Z direction with respect to the imaging surface of the surface of the wafer W. .

  Further, the exposure apparatus of this embodiment includes an off-axis type wafer alignment sensor 44 on the side of the projection optical system PL. The wafer alignment sensor 44 is an FIA (Field Image Alignment) type alignment sensor. The wafer alignment sensor 44 irradiates a wafer mark formed on the wafer W as a detection beam with, for example, a broadband wavelength light beam emitted from a halogen lamp, and uses the reflected light obtained from the wafer W as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or the like. Then, the image signal is supplied to the main control system 24.

  Furthermore, the exposure apparatus of this embodiment includes a reticle alignment sensor 46 disposed above the reticle stage 31. The reticle alignment sensor 46 simultaneously observes a position detection reticle mark formed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the reticle R and a reference member 45 formed on the wafer stage 37 via the projection optical system PL. And directly measures (observes) the relative positional relationship between the wafer stage 37 and the wafer stage 37.

  The measurement result of the reticle / alignment sensor 46 is output to the main control system 24 and subjected to processing such as image processing, arithmetic processing, filtering processing, and the like, and a relative positional deviation amount between the reticle R and the wafer stage 37 is obtained. The main control system 24 finely moves the reticle stage 31 in accordance with the amount of positional deviation, and performs relative alignment between the reticle R and the wafer stage 37. The reticle alignment sensor 46 is a TTR (through-the-reticle) type alignment sensor that is a kind of TTL (through-the-lens) type alignment sensor.

  The main control system 24 is connected to a terminal device 47 including an input device composed of a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse and a display device composed of a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or a liquid crystal display device. The terminal device 47 is equipped with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) (see FIG. 3), and gives various commands according to the operation contents of the operator to the main control system 24 and the main control based on the given commands. This is for displaying the processing results of various processes performed in the system 24.

  Next, the configuration of the main control system 24 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main part of the internal configuration of the main control system 24. As shown in FIG. 2, the main control system 24 includes an FIA arithmetic unit 50, an image processing unit 51, an EGA arithmetic unit 52, a storage unit 53, an illumination condition setting unit 54, a system controller 55, a reticle stage control unit 56, and a wafer stage control. A unit 57, an interface unit 58, and an exposure data file storage unit 59.

  The FIA arithmetic unit 50 performs image processing, arithmetic processing, filtering processing, and the like on the image signal output from the wafer alignment sensor 44 to obtain position information of the wafer mark formed on the wafer W. Specific examples of processing performed by the FIA arithmetic unit 50 include processing for obtaining the contour of a wafer mark, processing for detecting the edge position of each mark element forming the wafer mark from the obtained contour, and processing the wafer from the detected edge position. There is a process for obtaining the mark center of the mark.

  Further, the image signal obtained from the wafer alignment sensor 44 may change depending on the illumination state of the detection beam with respect to the wafer mark or the surface state of the wafer W even if the shape of the wafer mark does not change. For this reason, a plurality of algorithms for obtaining wafer mark position information are prepared in advance in the FIA arithmetic unit 50, and the system controller 55 sets which algorithm is used to obtain position information. The FIA arithmetic unit 50 provides the system controller 55 with the obtained wafer mark position information, the image signal itself obtained from the wafer alignment sensor 44, or information indicating the intermediate calculation result when calculating the wafer mark position information ( For example, the edge position and contrast of each mark element are output. Which information is output is set by the system controller 55. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that all of the above information is output for simplification of description.

  The image processing unit 51 performs processing such as image processing, arithmetic processing, and filtering processing on the image signal output from the reticle / alignment sensor 46, and the reticle mark formed on the reticle R and the reference on the wafer stage 37. The relative position with respect to the reference mark formed on the member 45 is obtained, and the result is output to the system controller 55.

  The EGA arithmetic unit 52 is configured to store an alignment mark (hereinafter referred to as a wafer mark) formed in association with each of several typical (3 to 9) shot areas preset on the wafer W. Based on the positional information measured by the alignment sensor 44 and the FIA arithmetic unit 50 and the designed positional information, EGA (Enhanced Global Alignment) calculation is performed, and all shot areas set on the wafer W are calculated. The regularity of the array is determined by a statistical method.

  The storage unit 53 is composed of an external storage device such as a hard disk, for example, and as shown in FIG. 3, status information indicating the status of the exposure apparatus EX, various setting values of the exposure apparatus EX, apparatus information indicating the apparatus performance, and the exposure apparatus. Process information relating to exposure processing performed in EX, various measurement information, and metadata and weight data which are management information for managing these information are stored. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the terminal device 47, the system controller 55, and the storage unit 53. Details of the metadata will be described later. Here, the status information includes, for example, the name of the exposure apparatus EX, the error status that occurred during the operation of the exposure apparatus EX, and the date and time when various data from each part of the exposure apparatus EX were input to the main control system 24. is there.

  As the apparatus information, for example, offset values set in the wafer stage 37, the reticle stage 31, and the focus position detection system 43, the version of the control program for controlling the operation of the exposure apparatus EX installed in the main control system 24, An apparatus change history indicating the history of repair or modification of the exposure apparatus EX, lens information indicating the aberration, numerical aperture, and assembly time of the projection optical system PL, the type of the exposure light source 1, the wavelength of the exposure light IL, and the exposure light source 1 There are usage time and light source delivery time.

  As the process information, for example, the layer information indicating what layer the exposure processing performed on the wafer W is for, and what purpose the layer is created for, and There is information on a process indicating information indicating presence / absence of CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) processing, information indicating a step on the surface of the wafer W, and information indicating a material of a layer appearing on the surface of the wafer W.

  As the various measurement information, for example, stage position information indicating the positions of the wafer stage 37 and the reticle stage 31, image signals at the time of alignment (including pre-alignment, search alignment, fine alignment, and EGA calculation), and used at the time of alignment. There are information indicating the type and parameters of the algorithm, and calculation information which is information indicating the position information of the wafer mark obtained by the FIA arithmetic unit 50 and the calculation result in the middle thereof.

  The illumination condition setting unit 54 sets the illumination condition of the exposure light IL under the control of the system controller 55. Specifically, the number of pulses of the exposure light source 1 and the intensity of the exposure light IL emitted from the exposure light source 1 are controlled according to the detection result of the integrator sensor 22, and the dimming rate in the variable dimmer 3 is controlled. . Further, the driving motor 10e is driven to change the annular deformation illumination, the illumination coherency σ (σ value = the exit numerical aperture of the illumination optical system / the incident numerical aperture of the projection optical system), or multipolar ( For example, it is set to multipole illumination or the like in which illumination light is divided into four poles), and further, the movable blind 15 is controlled.

  The reticle stage controller 56 drives the reticle stage 31 to adjust the position of the reticle R while monitoring the detection result of the laser interferometer 34 under the control of the system controller 55, and also adjusts the reticle R in the scanning direction SD. The movement control is performed. Similarly, the wafer stage controller 57 drives the wafer stage 37 and adjusts the position of each shot area on the wafer W while monitoring the detection result of the laser interferometer 40 under the control of the system controller 55. At the same time, the movement control of the wafer W in the scanning direction SD is performed.

  The interface unit 58 delivers the instruction content of the operator from the terminal device 47 to the system controller 55 and also outputs information (for example, information indicating a part of the device state or information indicating a warning) output from the system controller 55 to the terminal. Output to device 47. The exposure data file storage unit 59 stores processing required for performing exposure of the wafer W and its processing order, and information on the resist applied on the wafer W for each processing (for example, resist sensitivity). ), Necessary resolution, information on the reticle R to be used, etc. (so-called recipe).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the system controller 55 stores a control program therein, and controls each part of the exposure apparatus EX based on this control program and the recipe stored in the exposure data file storage unit 59. The operation of the entire exposure apparatus EX is controlled. Specifically, an algorithm used in the FIA arithmetic unit 50 is set, and information to be output from the FIA arithmetic unit 50 is set.

  If necessary, gain adjustment of an amplifier (not shown) provided in the FIA calculation unit 50 and replacement of a halogen lamp provided in the wafer alignment sensor 44 through the FIA calculation unit 50 are also performed. In addition, since a plurality of calculation algorithms for the EGA calculation unit 52 are provided in advance and a parameter used for calculation is necessary, the system controller 55 sets which algorithm is used for EGA calculation and parameter setting. I do. Furthermore, a control signal is output to the illumination condition setting unit 54 to set the illumination condition.

  Further, the system controller 55 stores various information output from the FIA arithmetic unit 50 and various measurement results such as detection results of the focus position detection system 43 in the storage unit 53 during a series of exposure processes. Also, out of the information stored in the storage unit 53, the wafer mark position information obtained by the FIA calculation unit 50 is read out and output to the EGA calculation unit 52, and the EGA calculation unit 52 determines the arrangement of the shot areas. . The position adjustment of each shot area on the wafer W is performed by the system controller 55 outputting a control signal based on the arrangement determined by the EGA calculation unit 52 to the wafer stage control unit 57.

  Further, the system controller 55 creates metadata as management information for information (status information, device information, process information, and various measurement information) stored in the storage unit 53, as shown in FIG. And a search program for searching for metadata. Since the exposure apparatus EX is often operated continuously for 24 hours, the amount of information output from each part in the exposure apparatus EX becomes extremely large. This enormous amount of information is managed by creating metadata so that even an operator who does not have sufficient knowledge can easily manage it. For example, in the present embodiment, creation of metadata is performed in accordance with MPEG-7, which is a global standard.

  Here, MPEG-7 is an international standard regarding the metadata notation method for multimedia contents established in ISO / IEC JTC1 SC29 / WG11 known as MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group). Is called Multimedia Content Description Interface. Until now, standards such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 have been established in WG11. These standards are mainly related to data compression such as video / audio data. On the other hand, MPEG-7 is a standard for expressing feature data that is a direct search target when searching various data such as character data, image data, moving image data, and audio data.

  The metadata technology typified by MPEG-7 does not target the above-described various data itself, but creates feature data obtained by extracting “features” from the various target data in advance. This feature data is a technique for substituting the management of various types of target data by using the feature data as a direct search target. Since the feature data created here is data for various target data, it is generally called metadata.

  In the present embodiment, metadata is created for status information, device information, process information, and various measurement information stored in the storage unit 53. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of metadata created in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the metadata MD is composed of a first layer to a fourth layer. The first layer is formed by segmenting all processes in which, for example, one semiconductor element is manufactured, and the second layer is segmented for each layer. The third hierarchy is segmented for each layer creation process (wafer loading, pre-alignment, search alignment, fine alignment, etc.), and the fourth hierarchy is segmented for each process performed in each process. is there.

  In the fourth hierarchy, if an error occurs, the error is regarded as one segment. Further, a segment describing data used in each process is stored in the segment of the fourth layer. The contents of this scheme are input signals, calculation outputs, information about variables used in the calculation (for example, information about the shape of the wafer mark), information output by the segment, or received information. is there. This may be information indicating the location where the information is stored, not the information itself. The metadata described above can be generated not only for the measurement value (for example, contrast) itself but also for the processed measurement value (for example, the average value of contrast).

  Metadata that complies with MPEG-7 can be created manually or automatically. In this embodiment, since the exposure apparatus EX is operated continuously for 24 hours, the metadata MD is automatically created by the system controller 55. The metadata MD is created according to a rule according to the contents of a template (a template indicating features to be extracted in advance) provided as a part of the creation program. The following four description tools are used for creating the metadata MD.

(1) Descriptor (D): A basic tool for describing a single feature in multimedia content.
(2) Description Scheme (DS): A framework that defines the structure and semantic relationship between multiple description tools.
(3) Data type: Among the feature description tools, it does not describe the features of the multimedia area, but is a tool used as a component of another descriptor or description scheme.
(4) Description Definition Language (DDL): A language for defining the notation method of descriptors and description schemes.

  In the above configuration, when the exposure process is started, the system controller 55 reads the recipe stored in the exposure data file storage unit 59 and controls the reticle loader (not shown) to carry in the reticle R specified by the recipe. And held on the reticle stage 31. Next, the wafer stage 37 is driven via the wafer stage control unit 57 to place the reference member 45 at a predetermined position.

  When the arrangement of the reference member is completed, the reticle mark formed on the reticle R and the reference mark formed on the reference member 45 are simultaneously observed using the reticle alignment sensor 46. The observation result (image signal) of the reticle / alignment sensor 46 is output to an image processing unit 51 provided in the main control system 24, and subjected to processing such as image processing, arithmetic processing, and filtering processing. By these processes, the relative position between the reticle mark and the reference mark is obtained. Information indicating this relative position is output to the system controller 55, and the system controller 55 finely moves the position of the reticle stage 31 via the reticle stage control unit 56 based on this information, and the relative relationship between the reticle R and the wafer stage 37. Perform proper alignment.

  Next, the system controller 55 controls a wafer loader (not shown) to load the wafer W and hold it on the wafer holder 36. Note that the pre-alignment of the wafer W is performed during the loading of the wafer W by the wafer loader. When the wafer W is held on the wafer holder 36, the position information of a predetermined number (for example, two) of search marks formed as a kind of wafer mark at a predetermined position on the wafer W is measured to roughly determine the wafer W. Search alignment for measuring position information is performed.

  In the search alignment, the wafer stage 37 is moved, and each of the search marks is sequentially placed in the measurement visual field of the wafer alignment sensor 44 and imaged. The image signal obtained by imaging each search mark is subjected to processing such as image processing, arithmetic processing, filtering processing, and the like in the FIA arithmetic unit 50 provided in the main control system 24, and the position information of the search mark is obtained. Desired. In the search alignment, various information such as an image signal obtained from the wafer alignment sensor 44, position information of the search mark, and information indicating the type of algorithm used to obtain the position information and parameters are stored as measurement information. Stored in the unit 53.

  When the search alignment is completed, fine alignment is performed next. In fine alignment, each wafer mark formed in association with each of several typical (3 to 9) shot areas preset on the wafer W is measured by the wafer alignment sensor 44. At this time, since the optical magnification of the wafer alignment sensor 44 is set to be higher than that at the time of search alignment, the system controller 55 sets the search mark in order to place the wafer mark within the measurement field of view of the wafer alignment sensor 44. The wafer stage 37 is sequentially moved while considering the measurement result.

  The measurement results (image signals) of several representative wafer marks are sequentially input from the wafer alignment sensor 44 to the main control system 24, and the FIA arithmetic unit 50 performs processing such as image processing, arithmetic processing, and filtering processing. Thus, each position information is obtained. The positional information is output to the EGA arithmetic unit 52 via the system controller 55, and EGA arithmetic is performed to determine the arrangement of all shot areas set on the wafer W.

  In fine alignment, the image signal obtained from the wafer alignment sensor 44, the position information of the wafer mark, the information indicating the type and parameters of the algorithm used when obtaining the position information of the wafer mark, and the EGA calculation are used. Information such as information indicating the arrangement of shot areas is stored in the storage unit 53 as measurement information. Further, while obtaining the position information of the wafer mark, the system controller 55 outputs a control signal for setting the illumination condition of the illumination optical system IS to the illumination condition setting unit 54 in accordance with the read recipe.

  When the arrangement of the shot areas is obtained, the system controller 55 moves the wafer stage 37 to place one of the shot areas at a predetermined position near the exposure area of the projection optical system PL, and moves the reticle stage 31 to move the reticle. R is arranged at the scanning start position. When the arrangement of the wafer W and the reticle R is completed, the movement of the wafer stage 37 and the reticle stage 31 in the scanning direction SD is started. When the acceleration period of the wafer stage 37 and the reticle stage 31 elapses and the respective speeds become constant, the system controller 55 outputs a control signal to the exposure light source 1 to emit the exposure light IL.

  The exposure light IL illuminates the reticle R after the illuminance is made uniform by the illumination optical system IS and shaped into a slit shape. The exposure light IL transmitted through the reticle R is projected onto the wafer W through the projection optical system PL. At this time, since the reticle R and the wafer W are relatively moved in the scanning direction SD, the pattern of the reticle R is sequentially transferred to the shot area of the wafer W. When the exposure process for one shot area is completed, the system controller 55 moves the wafer stage 37 stepwise in the X direction or the Y direction, and similarly performs the exposure process for the next shot area.

  During the processing described above, detection results indicating the position information of the reticle stage 31 and the wafer stage 37 detected by the laser interferometers 34 and 40 are stored in the storage unit 53 as measurement information. The storage unit 53 also stores state information indicating the apparatus state of the exposure apparatus EX described above, apparatus information indicating various setting values and apparatus performance of the exposure apparatus EX, and process information regarding exposure processing performed by the exposure apparatus EX.

  As described above, status information, apparatus information, process information, and various measurement information are sequentially stored in the storage unit 53 during exposure processing. The system controller 55 reads the status information, device information, process information, and various measurement information stored in the storage unit 53 in accordance with the creation program, and stores the meta data according to the rules according to the contents of the template provided as part of the creation program. Data MD is created. The created metadata is stored in the storage unit 53 in the main control system 24. When state information, device information, process information, and various measurement information are newly added, metadata for these pieces of information is created and added to the metadata MD stored in the storage unit 53 (metadata). Data MD is updated).

  After the metadata MD is created, when the operator operates the terminal device 47 to input a search keyword, the system controller 55 searches the metadata MD stored in the storage unit 53 according to the search program, and the input search Extract only metadata that matches the keyword. At the time of the search, the system controller 55 searches only the metadata MD, and does not search the status information, device information, process information, and various measurement information stored in the storage unit 53. Thus, the operator can efficiently and easily obtain necessary information from a vast amount of information without having special knowledge.

  By creating the above metadata MD, the cause of the trouble can be easily investigated. For example, it is assumed that a trouble has occurred in “Process 1” in the fourth layer of the metadata MD shown in FIG. In order to investigate the cause of this trouble, information relating to “Process 1” is required. However, if the necessary information and its storage location cannot be known, the cause of the trouble cannot be investigated. Although it may be possible to obtain necessary information by searching all of the state information, device information, process information, and various measurement information stored in the storage unit 53, a long time and a great deal of labor are required. . In addition, necessary information may be leaked.

  On the other hand, if the metadata MD is created, and the metadata MD is searched by setting “processing 1” as a search keyword, the segment of “processing 1” can be easily searched in a short time. Further, referring to the scheme stored in this segment, the data used in “Process 1” can be obtained immediately. Further, as a result of analyzing “Process 1”, if it is determined that the cause of the trouble is also related to “Process 2”, the data related to “Process 2” can be easily retrieved immediately. Furthermore, when investigating whether or not the same trouble has occurred in another layer, the layer to be investigated can be input as a search keyword, and similarly necessary data can be obtained.

  Further, by using the metadata MD, a newly developed algorithm (for example, an algorithm used in the FIA arithmetic unit 50) can be verified. In order to verify the algorithm, input data and output data (calculation results for the input data) are required. When many types of data are required as input data, it is easier to use the data obtained while the exposure apparatus EX is operating than to create all of them, and it is based on the actual environment and verified. It is useful in doing.

  However, it is difficult to collect only necessary data from a vast amount of information. In such a case, by using the metadata, it is possible to easily collect data that meets only the necessary conditions. At this time, search efficiency can be improved by using the metadata according to the verification purpose. For example, if the verification is related to the mark shape, the metadata created based on the mark shape is used, and if the verification is compatible with a specific process, the metadata created based on the process type is used.

  In addition, when metadata is created without performing operations (changes, etc.) on the state information, device information, process information, and various measurement information stored in the storage unit 53, the metadata suitable for the application is displayed. Can be created. This is because the creation of metadata has no influence on the above-mentioned various information. If data corresponding to metadata is created by making changes to the various types of information described above, various types of information may be changed each time the data is created, and consistency may not be achieved. . In the present embodiment, such a problem does not occur by creating the above metadata.

  Furthermore, since the metadata is created in accordance with MPEG-7, which is a global standard, if operations based on the standard are applied to various information and metadata stored in the storage unit 53, the metadata There is no problem of inconsistency when updating data. Further, since MPEG-7 is a global standard, it is possible to improve the stability and operability of the system by using a highly reliable application (creation program, search program) according to the standard. Furthermore, if the metadata is created in accordance with MPEG-7, it is not necessary to construct an application for creating, managing, and operating various information and metadata stored in the storage unit 53 from the beginning, thereby reducing costs. be able to.

  By the way, since the capacity of the storage unit 53 is finite, it is physically impossible to store various information obtained in the past without omission. For this reason, when the capacity of the storage unit 53 is insufficient, in order to save various newly obtained information in the storage unit 53, the information stored for a certain period is deleted or the information stored for a certain period of time is deleted. It is necessary to overwrite new information. When such an operation is performed, a mismatch occurs between the information stored in the storage unit 53 and the metadata. In this embodiment, various information is stored by the following method in order to eliminate this inconsistency.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an information storage method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the measurement result of the wafer alignment sensor 44 is stored, and is performed every time a new wafer W is placed on the wafer holder 36. Before the processing shown in FIG. 5 is performed, the reticle mark and the reference mark are observed using the reticle alignment sensor 46 and the relative alignment between the reticle R and the wafer stage 37 is performed. It is held on the wafer holder 36.

  When the wafer W is held on the wafer stage 36, information about the wafer mark formed on the wafer W is measured using the wafer alignment sensor 44 (step S11). Here, the information related to the wafer mark includes an image signal of the wafer mark, a result of filtering processing performed on the image signal by the FIA arithmetic unit 50, or position information of the wafer mark obtained by the FIA arithmetic unit 50. Information.

  Next, metadata is created from the obtained information (step S12). The metadata created here is created in accordance with MPEG-7 and according to the rules according to the contents of a template (a template indicating features to be extracted in advance) provided as a part of the creation program, and is shown in FIG. Have a hierarchical structure. For example, this rule creates “search measurement result” and “EGA measurement result” as metadata for the first layer in the metadata MD shown in FIG. 4 and includes the corresponding data (included in the information obtained in step S11). Data) is assigned to the metadata and stored.

  Specifically, the metadata created in step S12 classifies the wafer mark image signal and position information for each wafer mark shape, or the wafer mark image signal and position information for each measurement error. , And includes a plurality of display form data (data for each wafer mark shape, data for each error content, etc.) for displaying a plurality of different types of features.

  When the creation of metadata is completed, the system controller 55 determines whether or not the storage unit 53 has an area for storing the information obtained in step S11 and the metadata created in step S12 (step S13). If the determination result is “YES”, the information about the wafer mark obtained in step S11 and the metadata created in step S12 are stored in the storage unit 53 (step S14), and the process ends.

  When the above processing is completed, the operator operates the terminal device 47 and inputs a search keyword, thereby enabling a search using metadata. Of the various types of information (state information, device information, process information, various measurement information shown in FIG. 3) stored in the storage unit 53, all information is rarely used at the time of search. Often only is used frequently. For example, the measurement result of the wafer alignment sensor 44 is often referred to when the overlay accuracy during the exposure process is deteriorated.

  In the present embodiment, in order to effectively use a limited storage area of the storage unit 53, such data having a high use frequency (referred to and used) is preferentially stored. In order to enable such data manipulation, as shown in FIG. 3, weight data representing the frequency of use of various types of information (display form data) is stored in the storage unit 53 as shown in FIG. The weights are sequentially updated according to the frequency of use. Here, the greater the frequency of use, the greater the weight, and the greater the weight of the various measurement information indicating that measurement is impossible.

  Returning to FIG. 5, when the wafer W is held on the new wafer stage 36, information on the wafer mark is similarly measured using the wafer alignment sensor 44 (step S <b> 11), and metadata is obtained from the obtained information. It is created (step S12). When the creation of metadata is completed, the system controller 55 determines whether or not the storage unit 53 has an area for storing the information obtained in step S11 and the metadata created in step S12 (step S13).

  When the determination result is “NO”, the creation program refers to the weight data stored in the storage unit 53 and calculates information candidates to be deleted from the various types of information stored in the storage unit 53 (step S15). . In this process, information that is used less frequently is listed as information to be deleted. When candidates for information to be deleted are listed, a process for updating metadata is performed (step S16). Here, the metadata obtained in step S12 is newly attached, and the metadata attached to the information listed as candidates in step 15 is removed to update the metadata. In this way, the metadata is created according to a new rule taking weight data into account.

  Next, the information listed as candidates in step S15 is deleted from the storage unit 53, the information newly measured in step S11 is stored in the storage unit 53, and the metadata updated in step S16 is further updated in step S16. The information measured in S11 is stored separately. Here, when the metadata is stored in the storage unit 53, the size of the storage area is changed according to the size of the weight data (the size is increased for a larger weight, and only the smaller weight is selected). It is desirable to save (reducing the size).

  For example, when the weight for the position information of the wafer stage 36 is large and the weight for the measurement result of the wafer alignment sensor 44 is small, the size of the area for storing the position information of the wafer stage 36 is increased, and the wafer alignment sensor 44 The size of the area for storing the measurement result is reduced. By performing such an operation, the storage area of the storage unit 53 can be used effectively. In the above description, the case where the measurement result of the wafer alignment sensor 44 is stored has been described as an example, but other measurement results, various operation information of the exposure apparatus EX, and metadata for this operation information are also the same. It can be saved by the method.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, various information is deleted and metadata is updated so that inconsistency does not occur between the various information stored in the storage unit 53 and the metadata. Therefore, even if various operations stored in the storage unit 53 are operated, a search can be performed without any problem. In addition, when performing operations on various types of information stored in the storage unit 53, priority is given to those that are frequently used or those that indicate that measurement is impossible among the various types of measurement information. Therefore, it is possible to leave information with high utility value by omitting information with low utility value. In addition, since information with low utility value is omitted, it is possible to increase the efficiency and speed of the search.

  In the above embodiment, one piece of metadata is created for various types of information stored in the storage unit 53, but a plurality of pieces of metadata may be created. For example, metadata when an error occurs, metadata when the position measurement accuracy is poor and below a predetermined accuracy, and metadata when no abnormality has occurred. By creating such a plurality of metadata, metadata for each purpose can be created, and systematic important data can be stored.

  Although the information storage method according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the stored metadata can be used not only for storing metadata but also for controlling the exposure apparatus EX. Next, a method for using information according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, in step S16 shown in FIG. 5, when the metadata is updated, a change amount of the metadata is obtained, and this change amount is fed back to the exposure apparatus EX. Here, since the metadata can be regarded as features extracted from various information stored in the storage unit 53, it is possible to acquire temporal changes of various parameters.

  In the following description, the case where the contrast of the wafer alignment sensor 44 is controlled will be described as an example. In this case, a template for creating metadata is prepared in advance for the contrast (obtained by the FIA arithmetic unit 50) obtained from the image signal captured by the wafer alignment sensor 44. When the metadata is created and updated by the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. 5, the control of the system controller 55 is performed when the values of the metadata before the update and the metadata to be updated are significantly different. The program performs processing to improve contrast.

  Specifically, a control signal is output to the wafer alignment sensor 44 via the FIA arithmetic unit 50 to replace the halogen lamp, or a control signal is output to the FIA arithmetic unit 50 to perform wafer alignment. Gain adjustment for the image signal from the sensor 44 is performed. At this time, it is desirable to perform a warning process and notify the operator accordingly. Whether or not the value of the metadata has changed significantly is preferably set, for example, by setting a threshold value in advance and programming the generation program so as to determine that the metadata value has changed significantly when the threshold value is exceeded. .

  In the exposure apparatus EX, so-called autofocus processing is performed in which the surface of the wafer W is matched with the image plane of the projection optical system PL in accordance with the detection result of the focal position detection system 43. If the movement amount in the Z direction of the wafer stage 37 at the time of autofocus is stored as metadata, if the movement amount is large when the metadata is sequentially updated, the focus offset can be obtained therefrom. If this focus offset is obtained, the amount of movement of the wafer stage 37 in the Z direction during autofocusing can be reduced, so the time for aligning the surface of the wafer W with the image plane of the projection optical system PL is shortened. As a result, throughput can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restrict | limited to the said embodiment, It can change freely within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the system controller 55 creates metadata is described as an example for simplification of description. However, in order to reduce the load on the system controller 55, what is the system controller 55? It is desirable to provide a separate apparatus for creating metadata.

  In the above embodiment, metadata is created and stored in the exposure apparatus EX. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a plurality of exposure apparatuses EX are connected by a network, and status information, apparatus information, process information, various measurement information, and operation information from each exposure apparatus EX are collected by a host computer. Then, metadata for each exposure apparatus EX of the host computer may be created and stored, and further, each exposure apparatus EX may be controlled. With such a configuration, it is possible to perform management in consideration of the correlation between the exposure apparatuses EX.

In the above-described embodiment, an ArF excimer laser light source has been described as an example of the exposure light source 1. However, as the exposure light source 1, for example, g-line (wavelength 436 nm) and i-line (wavelength 365 nm) are used. Emitting ultra high pressure mercury lamp, KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm), ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm), F ₂ laser (wavelength 157 nm), Kr ₂ laser (wavelength 146 nm), high frequency generator of YAG laser, or semiconductor laser The high frequency generator can be used. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the step-and-scan type exposure apparatus has been described as an example. The present invention can also be applied to a repeat type exposure apparatus.

  The present invention is not limited to an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor element, but also used for manufacturing a display including a liquid crystal display element (LCD) or the like, and an exposure apparatus for transferring a device pattern onto a glass plate, a thin film magnetic head The present invention can also be applied to an exposure apparatus that is used for manufacturing and transfers a device pattern onto a ceramic wafer, and an exposure apparatus that is used to manufacture an image sensor such as a CCD.

  Furthermore, in an exposure apparatus that transfers a circuit pattern onto a glass substrate or a silicon wafer in order to manufacture a reticle or mask used in an optical exposure apparatus, EUV exposure apparatus, X-ray exposure apparatus, electron beam exposure apparatus, or the like. The present invention can also be applied. Here, in an exposure apparatus using DUV (far ultraviolet) light, VUV (vacuum ultraviolet) light, or the like, a transmission type reticle is generally used. As a reticle substrate, quartz glass, fluorine-doped quartz glass, fluorite, Magnesium fluoride or quartz is used. Further, in a proximity type X-ray exposure apparatus or an electron beam exposure apparatus, a transmission mask (stencil mask, membrane mask) is used, and a silicon wafer or the like is used as a mask substrate. Such an exposure apparatus is disclosed in WO99 / 34255, WO99 / 50712, WO99 / 66370, JP-A-11-194479, JP-A2000-12453, JP-A-2000-29202, and the like. .

  Next, an embodiment of a microdevice manufacturing method using the exposure apparatus EX in the lithography process will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a manufacturing process of a microdevice (a semiconductor chip such as an IC or LSI, a liquid crystal panel, a CCD, a thin film magnetic head, a micromachine, etc.). As shown in FIG. 6, first, in step S40 (design step), the function / performance design (for example, circuit design of a semiconductor device) of the microdevice is performed, and the pattern design for realizing the function is performed. Subsequently, in step S41 (mask manufacturing step), a mask (reticle) on which the designed circuit pattern is formed is manufactured. On the other hand, in step S42 (wafer manufacturing step), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon.

  Next, in step S43 (wafer processing step), using the mask and wafer prepared in steps S40 to S42, an actual circuit or the like is formed on the wafer by lithography or the like as will be described later. Next, in step S44 (device assembly step), device assembly is performed using the wafer processed in step S43. Step S44 includes processes such as a dicing process, a bonding process, and a packaging process (chip encapsulation) as necessary. Finally, in step S45 (inspection step), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the microdevice manufactured in step S44 are performed. After these steps, the microdevice is completed and shipped.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed flow of step S43 in FIG. 6 in the case of a semiconductor device. In FIG. 7, in step S51 (oxidation step), the surface of the wafer is oxidized. In step S52 (CVD step), an insulating film is formed on the wafer surface. In step S53 (electrode formation step), an electrode is formed on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step S54 (ion implantation step), ions are implanted into the wafer. Each of the above steps S51 to S54 constitutes a pre-processing process at each stage of the wafer processing, and is selected and executed according to a necessary process at each stage.

  At each stage of the wafer process, when the above-described pre-processing step is completed, the post-processing step is executed as follows. In this post-processing process, first, in step S55 (resist formation step), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. Subsequently, in step S56 (exposure step), the circuit pattern of the mask is transferred to the wafer by the lithography system (exposure apparatus) and the exposure method described above. Next, in step S57 (development step), the exposed wafer is developed, and in step S58 (etching step), the exposed members other than the portion where the resist remains are removed by etching. In step S59 (resist removal step), the resist that has become unnecessary after the etching is removed. By repeatedly performing these pre-processing steps and post-processing steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer.

  If the micro device manufacturing method described above is used, in the exposure step (step S56), the processing efficiency of the main control system 24 is performed and the exposure processing is executed, and the time required for the exposure processing can be shortened. Therefore, as a result, a highly integrated device having a fine pattern and high yield can be produced with high yield and high throughput.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the whole structure of the exposure apparatus EX in which the information storage method and information usage method by one Embodiment of this invention are used. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main part of an internal configuration of a main control system 24. 3 is a block diagram showing internal configurations of a terminal device 47, a system controller 55, and a storage unit 53. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the metadata produced in this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an information storage method according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of a microdevice. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed flow of step S43 of FIG. 6 in the case of a semiconductor device.

Explanation of symbols

44 Wafer alignment sensor (position measuring device)
EX exposure system MD metadata (data for reference)
PL projection optical system R reticle (mask)
W wafer (object, substrate)

Claims (12)

An information storage method for storing information about the position of an object,
A first step of irradiating a detection beam on the object, receiving a beam generated on the surface of the object by irradiation of the detection beam, and measuring the surface of the object to obtain measurement data information;
A second step of creating reference data defining the first rule in order to manage the measurement data information measured in the first step according to the first rule;
Storing the measurement data information according to the first rule, and storing the reference data separately from the measurement data information;
A fourth step of updating the content of the reference data created in the second step to a content defining a second rule different from the first rule;
A fifth step of storing the measurement data information in accordance with the second rule, and storing the reference data updated in the fourth step separately from the measurement data information. The reference data is obtained by extracting and displaying a predetermined feature from the measurement data information,
The reference data defining the first rule includes a plurality of display form data for displaying a plurality of different types of features,
In the fourth step, when the reference data is updated from the reference data that defines the first rule to the reference data that defines the second rule, The information storage method according to claim 1, wherein a weight corresponding to each use frequency or importance is assigned, and then updated to reference data that defines the second rule. Among the weights for the display form data, the larger the usage frequency, the larger the weight,
The information storage according to claim 2, wherein the weight of the display form data indicating that measurement is impossible among the weights for the display form data is increased as compared with other display form data. Method.   When the reference data defining the second rule is stored in a storage area of a storage device, the reference data is stored in the storage device while allocating an area size in the storage area according to the weight. The information storage method according to claim 2 or 3.   The reference data includes numerical data representatively representing the characteristics of the measurement data information obtained by performing a predetermined calculation process on the measurement data information. 5. The information storage method according to any one of 4.   The information storage method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, in the second step, the reference data is created according to an international standard MPEG-7. In a position measurement device that acquires information related to the position of an object, an information use method that uses the information,
A first step of irradiating a detection beam on the object, receiving a beam generated on the surface of the object by irradiation of the detection beam, and measuring the surface of the object to obtain measurement data information;
As reference data for managing the measurement data information measured in the first step, predetermined measurement processing is performed on the measurement data information to create numerical data information representatively showing the characteristics of the measurement data information A second step;
A third step in which the numerical data information is compared with the measurement data information obtained by performing the first step after the second step, and a change amount between them is obtained;
And a fourth step of causing the position measuring device to perform a predetermined operation based on the amount of change if the amount of change obtained in the third step is equal to or greater than a predetermined allowable value. How to use information on measuring devices.   8. The information use method according to claim 7, wherein in the fourth step, the position measuring device is caused to perform a warning operation based on the change amount being equal to or greater than the predetermined allowable value. An information storage method for storing operation information related to the operation of an exposure apparatus that transfers and exposes a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate,
A first step of obtaining the operation information;
A second step of creating reference data defining the first rule in order to manage the operation information obtained in the first step according to the first rule;
Storing the operation information according to the first rule, and storing the reference data separately from the operation information;
A fourth step of updating the content of the reference data created in the second step to a content defining a second rule different from the first rule;
A fifth step of storing the operation information in accordance with the second rule, and storing the reference data updated in the fourth step separately from the operation information. The operation information includes measurement information relating to a moving amount or a moving position of a moving stage that moves while holding the substrate,
10. The information storage method according to claim 9, wherein the reference data includes numerical data representatively representing characteristics of the measurement information obtained by performing predetermined calculation processing on the measurement information. . An information use method using operation information related to operation of an exposure apparatus that transfers and exposes a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate via a projection optical system,
A first step of obtaining the operation information;
As reference data for managing the motion information obtained in the first step, a second arithmetic operation is performed on the motion information to generate numerical data information representatively representing the characteristics of the motion information. Process,
A third step of comparing the numerical data information with the operation information obtained by performing the first step after the second step, and determining a change amount between them;
And a fourth step of causing the exposure apparatus to perform a predetermined operation based on the amount of change obtained in the third step. The operation information includes measurement information relating to a moving amount or a moving position of the moving stage that holds and moves the substrate in the focus direction of the projection optical system,
12. The information use method according to claim 11, wherein in the fourth step, the exposure apparatus is caused to move the moving stage in the focus direction based on the amount of change.

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