JPH11354410A - Aligner and exposure method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a reticle and a stepping to be eliminated, by changing an electronic state of matter having conjugated electrons by applying voltage to vary refractive index of the matter, and focusing exposure beam on a photoresist layer on an exposed object. SOLUTION: In a voltage applying means 20, a first electrode 11 and a second electrode 12 are oppositely positioned on both sides of a transparent element 2, and a voltage applied to the transparent element 2 is controlled by controlling voltage between these electrodes. Refractive index of the transparent element 2 then varies since an electronic state of matter forming the transparent element 2 changes by influence of the voltage applied. Beam L passing through the transparent element 2 is focused on a focus F on an exposed object 24, for example a substrate 22 coated with a photoresist 23, but position of the focus F moves on the exposed object 24 if refractive index of the transparent element 2 changes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus and an exposure method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called photolithography for forming a required pattern on a semiconductor substrate,
Due to the recent demand for higher integration of information amount, there is a demand for finer processing. For example, using a KrF excimer laser (wavelength 254 nm),
It is desired to form a fine pattern of about 3 μm.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when an object to be exposed 100 having a substrate 102 coated with a photoresist 102 is exposed to laser light L to perform predetermined patterning by photolithography, a laser beam source 103 The laser light L emitted from the laser beam is made incident on the reduction lens 104, and is condensed on the object 100 through a reticle (not shown).

In this case, in order to form fine patterning, it is necessary to increase the resolving power of the reduction lens, and to increase the NA of the reduction lens 104, for example, it is necessary to have an NA of about 0.65. I have.

[0005]

However, when the NA of the reduction lens 104 is increased as described above, the depth of focus becomes shallow, and it becomes impossible to form a fine resist pattern on a pattern having irregularities on the base. For example, when a pattern finer than 0.18 μm is formed, the depth of focus is about 0.5 μm. When the depth of focus becomes shallow as described above, the requirement for flattening the device and the requirement for reproducibility of reproducibility of focus alignment by a stepper become more severe.

In addition, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the photoresist, so that the performance as a mask at the time of etching a base film is reduced, and the demand for higher precision in mask alignment becomes severe.

In view of the above, the present invention provides an exposure apparatus and an exposure method capable of omitting a reticle and stepping without increasing the NA of an objective lens.

[0008]

An exposure apparatus according to the present invention is an exposure apparatus that irradiates an object to be exposed having a photoresist layer with light to expose the photoresist layer. At least one or more light-transmitting elements made of a substance having conjugated electrons to be defined, and electric field applying means for applying an electric field to the light-transmitting elements. The electronic state is changed, the refractive index is changed, and the exposure light is focused on the photoresist layer on the object to be exposed.

Further, the exposure method of the present invention is an exposure method for irradiating an object to be exposed having a photoresist layer by irradiating the object with light, wherein at least one of the materials having a conjugated electron is transmitted. Light is incident on the element, an electric field is applied to the light transmitting element, at least one of the intensity of the electric field, and the direction of the electric field is changed, and the refractive index is changed by changing the electronic state of the light transmitting element, The focus of the exposure light is aligned with the photoresist layer on the object to be exposed.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of the present invention, the exposure is performed by controlling the focus position optimally by controlling the application of an electric field to the light transmitting element made of a substance having conjugated electrons. This eliminates the need for a reduction lens and enables the omission of reticles and stepping.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An exposure apparatus according to the present invention is an exposure apparatus for irradiating an object to be exposed having a photoresist layer by irradiating light, and has a conjugated electron defined as described below. At least one or more light-transmitting elements made of a substance to be converted, and electric field applying means for applying an electric field to the light-transmitting element, and the electric field changes the electronic state of the substance having conjugated electrons, thereby obtaining a refractive index. And focuses the exposure light on the photoresist layer on the object to be exposed.

The exposure method of the present invention is an exposure method for irradiating an object to be exposed having a photoresist layer with light to perform exposure. Light is incident on at least one or more of the light transmitting elements, an electric field is applied to the light transmitting element, and at least one of the intensity of the electric field and the direction of the electric field is changed.
The refractive index is changed by changing the electronic state of the light transmitting element, and the focus of the exposure light is aligned with the photoresist layer on the object to be exposed.

Hereinafter, an example of the exposure apparatus of the present invention will be described.
Although described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and can be applied to any conventionally known structure.

FIG. 1 is a structural view of an example of an exposure apparatus 10 of the present invention. In this example, the exposure apparatus 10 has a first optical surface 2a and a second optical surface 2b which are non-parallel to each other. Light transmitting element 2 made of a substance having conjugated electrons described above
And an electric field applying means 20 comprising a first electrode 11 and a second electrode 12 of a pair of electrodes for applying an electric field thereto.

The electric field applying means 20 includes a first electrode 11 and a second electrode 12 which are opposed to each other with the light transmitting element 2 interposed therebetween. The electric field applied to is controlled. At this time, when the electronic state of the constituent material of the light transmitting element 2 changes due to the influence of the applied electric field, the refractive index changes.

The light L transmitted through the light transmitting element 2 is, for example, an object 2 on which a photoresist 23 is coated on a substrate 22.
4, the light is condensed to form a focal point F. However, as described above, when the refractive index of the light transmitting element 2 changes, the focal point F
Changes on the object 24 to be exposed. Further, the refractive index of the light transmitting element 2 is changed by further changing the intensity and direction of the applied electric field, whereby the position of the focal point F is changed on the exposure target 24. That is, the focus position F can be adjusted on the exposure target 24 by adjusting the intensity and direction of the electric field, and the light source 21 is turned on / off.
Switch off or turn on light transmitted through light transmissive element
By turning on / off the light to be irradiated on the object to be exposed,
Above, a desired pattern can be exposed.

Here, the substance having a conjugated electron of the material of the light transmitting element 2 includes those having a structure described below.

In molecular theory, a structure in which every other double bond and a single bond are connected is called a conjugated double bond, and a structure in which every other triple bond and a single bond are connected is a conjugated triple bond. Called the structure. These are collectively called a conjugated multiple bond structure. A material having such a structure is mentioned as a material of the light transmitting element 2. A structure having only one double bond and a structure having only one triple bond are also included in the structure of the conjugated multiple bond.
In these, not only those having the same atom bonded but also those having a structure in which different atoms are bonded to form a conjugated multiple bond. Further, for example, those having a structure having a double bond and an unpaired electron such as an allyl group, and those having a structure having a double bond and a lone electron pair such as acetamide are also included.

Further, for example, a case where there is superconjugation due to pseudo π (pi) electrons such as a methyl group is included in the substance having conjugated electrons.

That is, a conjugated electron is a π electron, an unpaired electron, a lone electron pair, or a pseudo π electron. Thus, a substance containing at least one of the conjugated electrons is referred to as a substance having conjugated electrons.

Such a conjugated electron has the property of being easily affected by an external electric field. That is, when an external electric field is applied, the conjugated electrons move along the bond. In particular, in a substance having a structure of a conjugated multiple bond composed of many π electrons, the spread of π electrons becomes large, so that the π electrons are easily moved, and are strongly affected by an external electric field.

When a molecule is not electrically neutral and has a positive or negative electric bias, it is more strongly affected by an external electric field. As described above, when an external electric field is applied to a substance having conjugated electrons, the distribution of conjugated electrons in a molecule changes as compared with the case where there is no electric field. This change in the electronic state changes depending on the direction and strength of an external electric field applied to the substance having conjugated electrons. That is, when the original electronic state of a molecule is affected by an external electric field, it changes to a different electronic state.

Therefore, a substance having a conjugated electron is
When an external electric field is applied, light absorption by the molecule also changes. This property is also more strongly affected by an external electric field when the molecule is not electrically neutral and has a positive or negative electric bias.

The time required for a change in state of a molecule of the substance having a conjugated electron due to an external influence will be described by taking light absorption as an example. These substances having conjugated electrons absorb light such as ultraviolet light, visible light, and infrared light as an increase in the kinetic energy of the conjugated electrons. Light absorption occurs within the time required for light to pass through the molecule. For example, the time required for light having a wavelength of 500 nm to travel one wavelength is 500 × 10 ⁻⁹ (m) / 3 × 10 ⁸ (m / s).
From this, 1.67 × 10
^-15 (s), ie, about 2 femtoseconds (10 ^-15 seconds)
It is. That is, the change in electronic state of a molecule of a substance having a conjugated electron due to light absorption is about 2 femtoseconds (1
^0-15 seconds).

As for the state change of a molecule of a substance having a conjugated electron due to an external influence, the same can be said for other characteristics as well as the above-described light absorption. That is, a change in the electronic state of a molecule of a substance having a conjugated electron due to an external electric field occurs in about 2 femtoseconds (10 ⁻¹⁵ seconds).

The state of the substance which changes due to the external influence includes, for example, various optical characteristics such as a refractive index. The refractive index of a substance has a relation of the square of the refractive index = (dielectric constant) × (magnetic permeability), and is a physical quantity unique to the substance. Therefore, this refractive index also undergoes a state change due to the effect of the external electric field, and the change takes about 2 femtoseconds (1
^0-15 seconds). As described above, the extremely short time required for the state change of a substance having conjugated electrons due to an external electric field is caused by the fact that, in the exposure apparatus of the present invention, an electron whose mass is about 1/1800 as compared with an atom. (Conjugated electrons) can be moved.

FIG. 2 shows an exposure apparatus according to the present invention,
In particular, a schematic diagram of an example of an exposure apparatus in which a plurality of, for example, three light transmitting elements made of a substance having conjugated electrons are provided between a light source 21 that emits exposure light and an object 24 to be exposed. Is shown.

The first to third components of the exposure apparatus 30
The third light transmitting elements 31, 32, 33 are respectively provided with first optical surfaces 31a, 32a,
33a and a second optical surface 31b, 32b, 33b, and has a condensing lens effect.

The exposure apparatus 30 has, for example, first to third electric field applying means 41 to 43, each of which comprises, for example, three electrodes. In this example, the first electric field applying means 41 is constituted by a pair of electrodes 41a and 41b, and the electrodes 41a and 41b are installed in parallel with the first light transmitting element 31 interposed therebetween. I have. Similarly,
The second electric field applying unit 42 includes a pair of electrodes 42a and 42b, and the electrodes 42a and 42b are installed in parallel with the second light transmitting element 32 interposed therebetween.
Similarly, the third electric field applying means 43 includes a pair of electrodes 43a,
The electrodes 43a and 43b are disposed in parallel with the third light transmitting element 33 interposed therebetween.

In the example shown in FIG.
b, 42b, electrodes 41a contrast and 43b as the ground potential, 42a, and controls the potential V ₁ ~V ₃ of 43a.

In the exposure apparatus 30 shown in FIG.
The light L emitted from the light source 21 is first transmitted to the first light transmitting element 3.
Incident on 1. The incident light L is refracted by the first light transmitting element 31 at a predetermined angle θ ₁ degree. The angle θ ₁ is changed by controlling the potential V _{1 of the} electrode 41a to change the electric field applied to the first light transmitting element 31.

Light L emitted from the first light transmitting element 31
Is incident on the second light transmitting element 32. Here, the light L is transmitted by the second light transmitting element 32 at a predetermined angle θ.
_Refracted twice. Similarly, the angle θ ₂ is determined by the electrode 42a
Is controlled by controlling the potential V ₂ of the second light transmitting element 32 to change the electric field applied to the second light transmitting element 32.

The light L emitted from the second light transmitting element 32
Is incident on the third light transmitting element 33. Here, the light L is transmitted by the third light transmitting element 33 at a predetermined angle θ.
Refracted _three times. Similarly, this angle θ ₃ is the same as that of the electrode 43a.
Is controlled by controlling the potential V ₃ of the third light transmitting element 33 to change the electric field applied to the third light transmitting element 33.

The light L emitted from the third light transmitting element 33 is
The light is condensed on the exposure target 24, and a focal point F is formed at a predetermined position.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 2, the incident light L can be continuously refracted by the first to third light transmitting elements 31 to 33, and finally the incident light L The refraction angle is (θ ₁ + θ ₂ + θ ₃ ). That is, as shown in FIG. 2, by providing a plurality of light transmitting elements, it is possible to easily increase the emission angle of the light L until finally reaching the exposure target 24. For example,
Assuming that the incident light L can be refracted by 1 ° by one light transmissive element, by providing n light transmissive elements, the light is finally refracted by n ° and condensed on the object 24 to be exposed. Can be. Further, the emission angle of the light L can be controlled by controlling the magnitude and direction of the electric field between the electrodes disposed in parallel with each light transmitting element interposed therebetween.

As described above, in the example of the exposure apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light transmitting elements 2, 31 to 33 are interposed and the paper plane, that is, the yz plane in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the light transmissive element 2, the light transmissive element 2, in the plane direction parallel to the paper plane, that is, the yz plane, is described. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where a pair of electrodes are provided in parallel with 31 to 33 interposed therebetween and an electric field applying means including two or more pairs of electrodes is provided.

FIG. 3 shows that the third electrode 13 and the fourth electrode 1 are arranged in a direction parallel to the paper plane, that is, the yz plane.
4 shows a schematic view of an exposure apparatus 40 when the light-transmitting device 4 is installed in parallel with the light transmitting element 1 interposed therebetween.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, a case where one light transmitting element 1 is arranged will be described. However, the exposure apparatus of the present invention is not limited to this example, and as shown in FIG. The same can be applied to a case where a plurality of light transmitting elements are provided, and a pair of electrodes are arranged so as to sandwich each of the plurality of light transmitting elements.

In FIG. 3, parts corresponding to FIG.
The same reference numerals are given. In the focal position control device 40 having the structure shown in FIG. 3, a predetermined electric field is applied by the electric field applying means 20 composed of the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, and the third electric field is applied.
Field applying means 41 comprising the first electrode 13 and the fourth electrode 14
Similarly, a predetermined electric field is applied to adjust the strength of these electric fields to a predetermined value.

The light L from the light source 21 is incident on the light transmitting element 1 and transmitted through the light transmitting element 1 to focus on the object to be exposed. At this time, the position F of the focal point depends on the intensity of the electric field. By adjusting the pod direction, the exposure target 2 in FIG.
4 can be adjusted over a wide range over two dimensions, or over three dimensions including the depth direction on the exposure target 24, and the exposure position and the depth of focus can be adjusted. Thereby, fine pattern exposure can be easily performed without using stepping, using a reticle, or increasing the NA of the reduction lens as in the conventional exposure method.

Further, the exposure apparatus of the present invention may have a configuration in which three pairs of electrodes are arranged as shown in FIG. In this case, the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 are transparent to the incident light L in a paper plane, that is, a plane direction perpendicular to the yz plane, and in a positional relationship perpendicular to the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12. It is assumed that an electric field applying unit 51 is installed as a pair of electrodes including a fifth electrode 15 and a sixth electrode 16. The fifth electrode 15 and the sixth electrode 16, which are transparent to the incident light L, are made of ITO.
Or SiO _X or the like.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the fifth electrode 15 and the sixth electrode 16 are a pair of electrodes transparent to the incident light L, but the present invention is not limited to this example. Rather than an electrode having a portion partially transparent to incident light, an electrode partially having a translucent portion,
The same can be applied to an electrode that is entirely translucent. In FIG. 4, portions corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the exposure apparatus 50 having the structure shown in FIG.
A predetermined electric field is applied between the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, a predetermined electric field is similarly applied between the third electrode 13 and the fourth electrode 14, and furthermore, a transparent electrode is used. A predetermined electric field is also applied between a certain fifth electrode 15 and a sixth electrode 16,
The strength of these electric fields is adjusted to various values. In this way, the light L incident on the light transmitting element 1 is
, And the position of the focal point F can be adjusted at any position in the space on the side from which light is emitted.
As a result, the focus position can be controlled over a wide range over two dimensions on the object 24 or over three dimensions including the depth direction on the object 24, and fine pattern exposure can be easily performed. Can be.

Further, as described above, in the exposure apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the wavelength of the light L emitted from the light source 21 is shortened, and the parallelism of the light incident on the light transmitting element is improved. By doing so, the resolution can be improved,
For example, a spot of exposure light having a diameter of about 0.1 μm can be formed on the object to be exposed.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the shape of the light source 21 is
A square shape is desirable when viewed from the side, but the same can be applied to a circular shape. Here, light source 2
FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show the relationship between the focus state of the exposure light and the exposure pattern when the exposure is performed on the object to be exposed when the shape of No. 1 is circular as viewed from the light transmitting element 1 side. Show.

As shown in FIG. 5A, on the object 24 to be exposed,
By forming a circular exposure light spot S and moving the spots S while overlapping them while shifting them by the radius, a predetermined pattern as shown in FIG. 5B can be exposed.

Next, the entire surface of a disk-shaped object to be exposed having a diameter of, for example, 12 inches, that is, a diameter of 30 cm, is moved by shifting the circular exposure light spots by the radius length as described above. A description will be given of an example in which the exposure is performed by the following method. At this time, the diameter of the spot S is 0.1 μm.

The number of irradiations of spots of exposure light for exposing a disk-shaped object to be exposed having a diameter of 30 cm to the radius length, that is, the number of spots is [(30 (cm) / 2) /0.1 ( μm)] × 2 = 3 ×
It becomes 10 ⁶ (pieces). Therefore, the number of times of irradiation of the spot of the exposure light on the entire surface of the disk-shaped object to be exposed having a diameter of 30 cm, that is, the number of spots is π × (3 × 10 ⁶ ) × (3 × 10 ⁶ ) = 2.8 × 10 ¹³
(Pieces).

Here, one disk-shaped object to be exposed having a diameter of 30 cm is overlapped with one spot of 0.1 μm diameter for one second while being shifted by the radius length as described above, and the position is moved. When exposing, the exposure time per spot is: 1 (second) /2.8×10 ¹³ (pieces) = 0.36 × 10
^-13 = 36 × 10 ^-15 (seconds) = 36 (femtoseconds). That is, if light is irradiated only 36 (femtoseconds) per spot, one disk-shaped object to be exposed having a diameter of 30 cm can be exposed in one second. The time required for exposing the object to be exposed is affected by the wavelength of the exposure light to be irradiated and the material of the photoresist.

The light transmitting element used in the exposure apparatus of the present invention described above can be made of the following substances having various conjugated electrons. For example, as carotenoid-based materials, β-carotene, phycoxanthin, and the like,
Flavones, flavonols, anthocyan-based materials such as flavin and anthocyanins, and porphyrin-based materials such as tetrapyrrole derivatives. In addition, amino acids, nucleic acids, hydrocarbon compounds such as ethylene, and other, conjugated electron holding substance having a triple bond, such as polyacetylene, and a substance holding a super conjugated electron,
Vitamin A and the like can be used.

In addition, as long as the substance has a so-called conjugated electron, the invention can be applied not only to an organic substance but also to an inorganic substance. For example, the same can be applied to glass, silicon dioxide, and the like.

The above-mentioned mixture of various organic substances and various inorganic substances, and also a mixture of these organic substances and inorganic substances can be applied according to various conditions and applications.

Further, the light transmitting element used in the exposure apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the shape shown in the above-mentioned embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. Various shapes are possible. For example, FIG.
A, a plate, a square pillar, a polyhedron shown in FIG. 6B, FIG. 6C
6D, a meniscus lens shape shown in FIG. 6D, a triangular prism shape shown in FIG. 6E, a shape obtained by cutting a sphere shown in FIG. 6F by a plane, a semi-cylindrical shape shown in FIG. 6G, and a hollow rod shape shown in FIG. 6H. , Other spherical, conical, triangular pyramid, polygonal pyramid, ring, polygonal bar, gourd-shaped, three-dimensional pyramid cut in a plane parallel to the bottom surface, the side of a quadrangular prism curved outward or inward A solid body, a solid body with at least one side curved to the outside or inside, a solid body with a conical generatrix curved outside or inside, a solid body that combines a curved surface and a plane, or a combination of multiple curved surfaces Various shapes that can refract incident light, such as a three-dimensional object, can be applied.

When the conjugated electron-containing substance is a solid, it can be processed into various shapes. When the conjugated electron-containing substance is a liquid, it can be processed with respect to incident light of various shapes such as glass and quartz. This can be applied by sealing with a container made of a transparent material. When it is a gas, it can be applied by sealing it with a container made of a material transparent to incident light such as glass or quartz of the above-mentioned various shapes.

The wavelength of the light incident on the light transmitting element is
It is necessary to make a selection depending on the substance applied to the light transmitting element. This will be described below. When butadiene, hexatriene, and tryptophytochromobilin are used as materials applied to the light transmitting element,
Table 1 shows examples of the wavelength of the incident light L to be applied in each case.

[0056]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, in butadiene, the wavelength of the longest absorption band, that is, the wavelength showing the maximum absorption of the absorption band is 235 nm. Light having a wavelength of about 1.4 times the length of 300 nm or more can be used.
For hexatriene, the longest absorption band wavelength is 27
In consideration of the spread of the absorption band, light having a wavelength of 350 nm or more can be used. For tryptophan, the longest absorption band has a wavelength of 280 nm, and considering the spread of the absorption band, light having a wavelength of 400 nm or more can be used. For phytochromobilin, the longest absorption band has a wavelength of 690 nm, and considering the spread of the absorption band, light having a wavelength of 800 nm or more can be used.

As described above, the wavelength of light to be applied is selected to be longer than the longest absorption wavelength because the absorption of a substance having conjugated electrons is not a line spectrum but has a width in an absorption band. This is because, unless the light has a wavelength longer by at least the width of the absorption band than the longest absorption wavelength, the light is absorbed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the prism 70 made of the substance having the conjugated electrons is incident on the prism 70 at an incident angle of 60 °.
In the case where light is incident, and the refractive index n of the prism 70 is changed to 1.28 to 1.32,
Table 2 shows the refraction angle r of the emitted light and the change amount Δr of the refraction angle based on the case where n is 1.30.

[0060]

[Table 2]

When the incident angle is 60 °, the refraction angle is r °, and the refractive index is n, the following relational expression holds. r = sin ⁻¹ ｛n × sin [90 ° −sin ⁻¹ (sin
60 ° / n)]｝

According to (Table 2), the refractive index n is 0.
01, the traveling direction of the emitted light is about 3.57.
It can be seen that the degree also changes. At this time, the change in the dielectric constant is from about 1.69 to about 1.72, which is only about 0.72.
It changed by about 03, that is, about 1.5%.

According to the present invention described above, light L is incident from a light source on a light transmitting element made of a substance having a conjugated electron, transmitted through the light transmitting element, and focused on the object to be exposed. According to this, according to this, a predetermined electric field is applied to the light transmitting element, and the intensity and direction of the electric field are adjusted, so that the two-dimensional pattern on the object to be exposed or the depth of the object to be exposed is obtained. The position of the focal point F and the depth of the focal point can be adjusted in a wide range over three dimensions including the vertical direction. Thereby, fine pattern exposure can be easily performed without using stepping, using a reticle, or increasing the NA of the reduction lens as in the conventional exposure method.

[0064]

According to the above-described exposure apparatus and exposure method of the present invention, a predetermined electric field is applied to a light transmitting element made of a substance having conjugated electrons, and the intensity and direction of the electric field are adjusted. As a result, the position of the focal point F and the depth of the focal point can be adjusted in a two-dimensional manner on the object to be exposed or in a wide three-dimensional range including the depth direction of the object to be exposed. That is, according to the present invention,
There is no need to use a stepping mechanism to control the exposure position as in conventional exposure methods, no need to create a reticle, and no need to increase the NA of the reduction lens for condensing exposure light. Thus, fine pattern exposure can be easily performed.

Further, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the refractive index of the light transmitting element can be changed at a high speed and surely by using an electric means. In addition, the exposure can be performed accurately, and the exposure of the object to be exposed can be performed in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an example of an exposure apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of another example of the exposure apparatus of the present invention in which a plurality of light transmitting elements are provided.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of another example of the exposure apparatus of the present invention in which two pairs of electrodes are provided.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another example of the exposure apparatus of the present invention in which three pairs of electrodes are provided.

FIG. 5A shows a locus of movement of a circular spot having a focal point when exposure is performed on a predetermined pattern. B shows an exposure pattern.

6A to 6H show examples of the shape of the light transmitting element of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a state diagram of refraction of outgoing light when the incident angle of light on the prism is 60 °.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a conventional exposure apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, light transmitting element, 10, 30, 40, 50 exposure apparatus, 11 first electrode, 12 second electrode, 13 third electrode
Electrode, 14 fourth electrode, 15 fifth electrode, 16
Sixth electrode, 20, 41, 51 Electric field applying means, 21
Light source, 24,100 object to be exposed, 22,101 substrate,
23, 102 photoresist, 41 first electric field applying means, 42 second electric field applying means, 43 third electric field applying means, 70 prism, 103 laser beam source, 104 reduction lens

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toru Sugimoto 2-5 Ogino, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An object to be exposed having a photoresist layer,
An exposure apparatus for irradiating light to expose the photoresist layer, wherein at least one or more light transmitting elements made of a substance having conjugated electrons, and an electric field applying means for applying an electric field to the light transmitting elements And applying an electric field to change the electronic state of the substance having the conjugated electrons, change the refractive index, and focus the exposure light on the photoresist layer on the object to be exposed. Exposure apparatus. 2. An exposure method for irradiating an object to be exposed having a photoresist layer with light by irradiating the object with light, wherein light is incident on at least one or more light transmitting elements made of a substance having conjugated electrons. Applying an electric field to the light transmitting element, changing at least one of the intensity of the electric field and the direction of the electric field to change an electronic state of the light transmitting element, thereby changing a refractive index, and An exposure method comprising: aligning a focal point of exposure light with respect to the photoresist layer. 3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electric field applying means is at least a pair of electrodes. 4. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein said electric field applying means is at least a pair of electrodes. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the electric field applying means is made transparent or translucent for transmitting incident light. 6. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of said electric field applying means is made transparent or translucent for transmitting incident light. 7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light incident on the light transmitting element is any one of infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet light. 8. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein the light incident on the light transmitting element is any one of infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet light. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the light to be irradiated on the object is turned on / off.
3. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein pattern exposure is performed by switching to FF.