Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20060209278A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Miyake, Toshihiro, Kiuchi, Tohru
• Granted Patent: US 7,433,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/023 permitting adjustment
• 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 7/70825 Mounting of individual elements, e.g. mounts, holders or supports workpiece or mask holders G03F7/707
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/709 Vibration, e.g. vibration detection, compensation, suppression or isolation

Abstract

An exposure apparatus projects a pattern image onto a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, and the projection optical system has an optical member that comes into contact with the liquid and an optical group arranged between the optical member and a reticle. A holding mechanism that holds the optical member and the optical group holds the optical member so that it is movable relative to the optical group.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system that includes an optical member that comes into contact with a liquid and an optical group arranged between said optical member and a pattern and that projects an image of said pattern onto a substrate via said liquid, and

a holding mechanism that holds said optical member and said optical group, wherein

said holding mechanism holds said optical member so as to be movable relative to said optical group.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said holding mechanism has a first holding member that holds said optical member that comes into contact with said liquid, a second holding member that holds said optical group, and a connection mechanism that softly connects said first holding member with said second holding member.

3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said connection mechanism vibrationally separates said first holding member and said second holding member.

4. An exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said connection mechanism absorbs vibration of said first holding member so as to suppress the transmission of vibration from said first holding member to said second holding member.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said first holding member holds a lens element having a prescribed optical axis as said optical member that comes into contact with said liquid, and

said first holding member is connected to said second member so as to be movable relative to said second member along said optical axis, and about an orthogonal axis that is orthogonal to said optical axis.

6. An exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said first holding member is connected to said second holding member so as to tiltable relative to said second holding member.

7. An exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

said first holding member is kinematically supported to said second holding member.

8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said connection mechanism includes an elastic member.

9. An exposure apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising

a load reduction mechanism that reduce an action of the load of said first holding member on said connection mechanism.

10. An exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said load reduction mechanism supports the load of said first holding member on said second holding member without contact.

11. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising

an image adjustment mechanism that adjusts said image of said pattern said image projected onto said substrate.

12. An exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism compensates for changes in a quality of said image of said pattern that would otherwise occur in conjunction with fluctuations in said optical member relative to said optical group.

13. An exposure apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising

a first detector that detects a positional relationship between said optical group and said optical member, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism adjusts said image based on detection results of said first detector.

14. An exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism compensates for fluctuations in a positional relationship between said optical member and an exposure surface of said substrate.

15. An exposure apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a second detector that detects the positional relationship between said optical member and said exposure surface of said substrate, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism adjusts said image based on detection results of said second detector.

16. A device manufacturing method that uses an exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

17. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region of a liquid on the image plane side of a projection optical system, and projecting a pattern onto said substrate via said projection optical system and said liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a ring-shaped member that is provided so as to surround the side surface of a optical member or the side surface of a holding member and has at least one of either a liquid supply port or a liquid recovery port said optical member being among a plurality of optical members of said projection optical system and coming into contact with said liquid, said holding member holding said optical member; and

a first seal member that blocks penetration of liquid between said optical member or the side surface of said holding member and said ring-shaped member.

18. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

said first seal member has flexibility.

19. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

said first seal member has a main unit portion and a contact portion, said a main unit portion formed in a ring shape and being attached to one of either said side surface or said ring-shaped member, said contact portion coming into contact with the other and connected to said main unit portion via a binge portion.

20. An exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

at least said contact portion of said first seal member has flexibility.

21. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

said first seal member includes a sheet-shaped member.

22. An exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

said first seal member is liquid repellent.

23. An exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

said side surface, and the side so that opposes said side surface of said ring-shaped member are respectively liquid repellent.

24. An exposure apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising

a second seal member that blocks the flow of gas between said optical member and said holding member.

25. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region of a liquid on the image plane side of a projection optical system, and projecting a pattern onto said substrate via said projection optical system and said liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a holding member that holds a optical member being among a plurality of optical members of said projection optical system and coming into contact with said liquid; and

a seal member that blocks a flow of gas between said optical member and said holding member.

26. An exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

said holding member holds said optical member or said plurality of optical members, and

said seal member blocks a flow of gas between the exterior and the interior space of said holding member that holds said plurality of optical members.

27. An exposure apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

said holding member has a support portion that kinematically supports said optical member, and

said seal member is provided in vicinity of said support member.

28. An exposure apparatus according to claim 27, wherein

said seal member has a main unit portion that is attached to one of either said optical member or said holding member and a contact portion that that comes into contact with the other and is connected to said main unit portion via a hinge portion

29. An exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

said seal member is replaceable.

30. An exposure apparatus according to claim 29, wherein

said seal member is replaced according to the exposure light irradiation time.

31. A device manufacturing method that uses an exposure apparatus according to claim 30.