Dual stage lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20060227308A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Brink, Marinus Aart Van Den, Benschop, Jozef Petrus Henricus, Loopstra, Erik Roelof
• Granted Patent: US 7,161,659 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 7/70725 control
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70733 Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask

Abstract

The invention relates to a dual stage lithographic apparatus, wherein to substrate stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement for bringing the lithographic apparatus from a first situation, wherein immersion liquid is confined between a first substrate held by the first stage of the said stages and a final element of a projection system of the apparatus, towards a second situation, wherein the said liquid is confined between a second substrate held by the second stage of the two stages and the final element, such that during the joint scan movement the liquid is essentially confined within said space with respect to the final element.

Claims

1. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;

a measuring system for measuring characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;

a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;

a liquid confinement system for confining liquid between a final element of the projection system and the substrate;

a positioning system and at least two substrate stages constructed to hold substrates, wherein the positioning system is constructed for moving the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed for positioning one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate;

wherein the stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement for bringing the lithographic apparatus from a first situation, wherein the said liquid is confined between a first substrate held by the first stage of the said stages and the final element, towards a second situation, wherein the said liquid is confined between a second substrate held by the second stage of the two stages and the final element, such that during the joint scan movement the liquid is essentially confined within said space with respect to the final element.

2. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first stage and second stage has an immersion cross edge at or near a side of the stage which is constructed and arranged to cooperate with an immersion cross edge of another stage during the joint scan movement.

3. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each immersion cross edge comprises an essentially plane surface.

4. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged for positioning the respective stages during their said joint scan movement such that surfaces of their respective immersion cross edges remain at an essentially mutual constant distance, whereby the distance is in the range of zero until 1 millimeter, wherein a preferred distance is about 0.1 millimeter.

5. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the stages is provided with a channel system having an opening in a surface of the immersion cross edge of the stage, wherein the channel system is constructed and arranged for generating a flow of gas and/or liquid along the immersion cross edge during the joint scan movement.

6. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the stages is provided with a water gutter under its immersion cross edge, wherein the water gutter is capable of catching liquid possible dripped along the immersion cross edge.

7. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the two stages is provided with an interferometer-mirror near the immersion cross edge, wherein the interferometer-mirror is staggered with respect to the immersion cross edge and preferably placed in a niche of the stage in order to protect the interferometer-mirror from contamination and/or damage.

8. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the stages is provided with an interferometer-mirror near the immersion cross edge, wherein the interferometer-mirror is placed at a level below the level of the said water gutter in order to protect the interferometer-mirror from contamination.

9. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 1, having one exposure station situated between a first metrology station and a second metrology station such that alternately substrates measured by the first metrology station and substrates measured by the second metrology station may be fed towards the exposure station.

10. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 1, having a base frame carrying a metro frame which supports the measuring system and the projection system, wherein the metro frame is dynamically isolated from the base frame, and wherein the measuring system comprises at least an encoder plate for cooperating with an encoder head placed at one of the stages for measuring the position of that stage.

11. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one encoder plate extends in the exposure station and the metrology station.

12. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the lithographic apparatus is provided with a machine frame which is preferably separated from the base frame, wherein the machine frame is provided with a first part of a planar motor for cooperating with respective second parts of the planar motor in the respective stages, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged to control the planar motor in order to position the said stages in six degrees of freedom between the metrology station and the exposure station.

13. Lithographic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the lithographic apparatus is provided with a machine frame which is preferably separated from the base frame, wherein the machine frame has two essentially parallel guides extending in a first direction in a horizontal plane, wherein each guide is coupled to an element which can be moved along the guide by means of a motor, and wherein each element is coupled to a stage by means of a motor for moving the stage in a second direction directed in the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged for controlling the motors in order to move the stages in the plane.

18. A lithographic product produced with a lithographic apparatus according to claim 1.

14. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;

a measuring system for measuring characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;

a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;

a positioning system and at least two stages constructed to hold substrates, wherein the positioning system is constructed for moving the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed for positioning one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate;

a base frame carrying a metro frame which supports the measuring system and the projection system, wherein the metro frame is dynamically isolated from the base frame, and wherein the measuring system comprises an encoder system extending in both the metrology station and the exposure station for measuring the position of the stages.

15. A lithographic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the encoder system comprises at least one encoder plate which is connected to the metro frame or the projection system, wherein the at least one encoder plate is constructed and arranged for cooperating with an encoder head placed at one of the stages for measuring the position of that stage.

16. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;

a measuring system for measuring characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;

a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;

a positioning system for positioning at least two substrate stages of the lithographic apparatus, wherein the stages are constructed to hold substrates;

a machine frame which is provided with a first part of a planar motor for cooperating with respective second parts of the planar motor in the respective stages, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged to control the planar motor for moving the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station and for moving each of the said stages in the exposure station in six degrees of freedom on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of the substrate on the stage, wherein the machine frame is constructed and arranged to allow the stages to pass each other while moving between the metrology station and the exposure station.

17. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;

a measuring system for measuring characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;

a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;

a positioning system and at least two stages constructed to hold substrates, wherein the positioning system is constructed for moving the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed for positioning one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate,

a machine frame having two essentially parallel guides extending in a first direction in a horizontal plane, wherein each guide is coupled to an element which can be moved along the guide by means of a motor, and wherein each element is coupled to a stage by means of a motor for moving the stage in a second direction directed in the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged for controlling the motors in order to move the stages in the plane, wherein the machine frame is constructed and arranged to allow the stages to pass each other while moving between the metrology station and the exposure station.