Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20060176456A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation, Nikon Engineering Co. Ltd. (Nikon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation, Nikon Engineering Co. Ltd. (Nikon Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki, Okuyama, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,508,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70341 Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70883 of optical system

Abstract

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region on the substrate, and projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that forms the liquid immersion region. The exposure apparatus includes: a liquid supply mechanism that has a supply port arranged to oppose a surface of the substrate; and a buffer space formed in a channel of the liquid supply mechanism; wherein the liquid is supplied to the supply port after reserving a prescribed amount or more of liquid in the buffer space.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region on the substrate, and projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that forms the liquid immersion region, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a liquid supply mechanism that has a supply port arranged to oppose a surface of the substrate; and

a buffer space formed in a channel of the liquid supply mechanism, wherein

the liquid is supplied to the supply port after reserving a prescribed amount or more of liquid in the buffer space.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the supply port is formed in a slit shape having a prescribed length, and

the liquid that flows out from the buffer space is supplied substantially evenly from the slit-shaped supply port.

3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the buffer space, in the liquid supply mechanism, is formed by narrowing the channel of the liquid so that the liquid is supplied to the supply port after reserving the prescribed amount or more of liquid in the buffer space.

4. An exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

a portion that narrows the channel is provided in vicinity of a corner of the channel.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the channel in the vicinity of the corner is narrowed in a vertical direction more than the channel in front thereof.

6. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

at the corner, the liquid, which has flowed in nearly horizontally, changes its direction to be toward the substrate.

23. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

7. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region on the substrate, and projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that forms the liquid immersion region, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a liquid supply mechanism that has a supply port arranged to oppose a surface of the substrate; and

a channel being connected to the supply port of the liquid supply mechanism, the channel having a corner and a channel portion that is disposed in vicinity of the corner, the channel portion being made narrower than the channel in front thereof.

8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the channel in the vicinity of the corner is narrowed in a perpendicular direction more than the area in front thereof.

9. An exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

at the corner, the liquid, which has flowed in nearly horizontally, changes its direction to be toward the substrate.

24. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 7.

10. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a liquid supply mechanism that is arranged in vicinity of a terminating end of the projection optical system and supplies the liquid; and

a minute gap that is formed between a side surface of the liquid supply mechanism and a side surface of an optical member of the terminating end, which comes into contact with the liquid, of the projection optical system, wherein

at least one of the side surface of the liquid supply mechanism and the side surface of the optical member of the terminating end is liquid repellence treated.

11. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the minute gap vibrationally separates the optical member and the liquid supply mechanism.

12. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the minute gap is small enough to cause a liquid permeation phenomenon.

13. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the liquid repellence treatment is performed on a portion that is separate from the end of the minute gap that comes into contact with the liquid.

25. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 10.

14. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a liquid recovery mechanism that is arranged in the vicinity of a terminating end of the projection optical system and that recovers the liquid; and

a minute gap is formed between a side surface of the liquid recovery mechanism and a side surface of the optical member of the terminating end, which comes into contact with the liquid, of the projection optical system, wherein

at least one of the side surface of the liquid recovery mechanism and the side surface of the optical member of the terminating end is liquid repellence treated.

15. An exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the minute gap vibrationally separates the optical member and the liquid recovery mechanism.

16. An exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the minute gap is small enough to cause a liquid permeation phenomenon.

17. An exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the liquid repellence treatment is performed on a portion that is separated from the end of the minute gap that comes into contact with the liquid.

26. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 14.

18. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a liquid recovery mechanism that recovers the liquid on the substrate along with a gas in vicinity thereof and has a separator that separates a recovered liquid and a recovered gas.

19. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the liquid recovery mechanism has a recovery port that is connected to a vacuum system, and

the separator is arranged between the recovery port and the vacuum system.

20. An exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the recovery port is arranged to surround a projection region where the pattern image is projected.

21. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

a liquid supply mechanism that supplies liquid onto the substrate and has a supply port that supplies the liquid between the projection region and the recovery port.

22. An exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the substrate is exposed while moving the substrate in a prescribed scanning direction, and

the supply port is arranged on at least both sides of the projection region.

27. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 18.

28. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system that projects the pattern image onto the substrate via the liquid; and

a gap formed between a side surface of an optical member, that comes into contact with the liquid, among a plurality of optical elements of the projection optical system and a surface of an object in opposition thereto, permeation of the liquid to the gap being restricted.

29. An exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

at least one of the side surface of the optical member and the surface of the object in opposition thereto is liquid repellent.

30. An exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

a liquid prevention material that restricts the permeation of the liquid is arranged in the gap.

31. An exposure apparatus according to claim 30, wherein

the liquid prevention material includes a film material that covers at least one of the side surface of the optical member and the surface of the object in opposition thereto.

32. An exposure apparatus according to claim 31, wherein

the film material is liquid repellent.

33. An exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

the optical member is arranged at a terminating end of the projection optical system.

34. An exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

the object includes a member constituting a liquid immersion mechanism that forms a liquid immersion region on the substrate.

35. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 28.