Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20070132979A1
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Butler, Hans, Streefkerk, Bob, Kroon, Mark, Straaijer, Alexander, Lof, Joeri, Simon, Klaus, Kolesnychenko, Aleksey, Den Boef, Arie, De Smit, Joannes, Ottens, Joost, Sengers, Timotheus, Ritsema, Roelof Aeilko, Van De Kerkhof, Marcus, Santen, Helmar, Hoogendam, Christiaan, Loopstra, Erik, Schaik, Frank, Sophia Maria Mertens, Jeroen, Maria Meijer, Hendricus, Maria Bijlaart, Erik, Lambertus Donders, Sjoerd, Hubertus Mulkens, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 8,154,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/69
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70141 Illumination system adjustment, e.g. adjustments during exposure or alignment during assembly of illumination system
• 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 7/7085 Detection arrangement, e.g. detectors of apparatus alignment possibly mounted on wafers, exposure dose, photo-cleaning flux, stray light, thermal load
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70883 of optical system

Abstract

A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and a sensor is filled with a liquid.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on a reticle onto an object to be exposed;

a reference mark that serves as a reference for an alignment between the reticle and the object;

a first fluid that has a refractive index of I or greater, and fills a space between at least part of said projection optical system and the object and a space between at least part of said projection optical system and the reference mark; and

an alignment mechanism for aligning the object by using said projection optical system and the first fluid.

34. An exposure apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising:

a stage for mounting the object; and

a reference plate mounted on said stage and made of a transparent material that transmits light, wherein said reference mark is provided on the reference plate.

35. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said alignment mechanism includes a light-receiving element provided on said reference plate at a back of a surface on which said reference mark is formed, the light-receiving element receiving light that transmits the reference mark,

wherein said exposure apparatus further comprises a second fluid that has a refractive index of 1 or greater, and fills a space between said reference mark and the light-receiving element.

36. An exposure apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said alignment mechanism includes a light-receiving element for receiving light that transmits said reference mark,

wherein said exposure apparatus further comprises a second fluid that fills a space between the reference mark and the light-receiving element, and has a refractive index of 1 or greater.

49. A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

exposing an object using an exposure apparatus according to claim 33;

and

developing the object that has been exposed.

37. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on a reticle onto an object;

a reference mark that serves as a reference for an alignment between the reticle and the object;

a light-receiving element for receiving light that transmits said reference mark; and

a fluid that has a refractive index of 1 or greater, and fills a space between said reference mark and said light-receiving element.

38. An exposure apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising:

a stage for mounting the object; and

a reference plate mounted on said stage and made of a transparent material that transmits light, wherein said reference mark is provided on the reference plate.

39. An exposure apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said projection optical system has a numerical aperture of 0.8 or greater.

40. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on a reticle onto an object;

a reference mark that serves as a reference for an alignment between the reticle and the object; and

an anti-reflection member for preventing a total reflection of light that has passed said reference mark and has not yet been received by a light-receiving element.

41. An exposure apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the light-receiving element is a light intensity sensor for detecting a light intensity change of the light.

42. An exposure apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising a calculating section for calculating a positional relationship between the reticle and the object in an optical-axis direction of said projection optical system, based on the light intensity change detected by the light intensity sensor.

43. An exposure apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising a calculating section for calculating an aberration of said projection optical system based on the light intensity change detected by said light intensity sensor.

44. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on a reticle onto an object;

a light-receiving element for receiving light that transmits a reference mark; and

an adjuster, arranged between the reference mark and the light-receiving element, for adjusting a numerical aperture of the light.

45. An exposure apparatus according to claim 44, wherein said adjuster has a fluid that has a refractive index of 1 or greater, and fills a space between said reference mark and said light-receiving element.

46. An exposure apparatus according to claim 44, wherein said exposure apparatus is an immersion type exposure apparatus that immerses at least part of said projection optical system in a fluid that has a refractive index of 1 or greater.

47. An exposure method for exposing a pattern on a reticle onto an object, said exposure method comprising the step of:

aligning the reticle and the object with each other by using light having a numerical aperture of 1 or greater.

48. An exposure method according to claim 47, wherein at least part of the projection optical system is filled with a fluid having a refractive index of 1 or greater.

50. A projection exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system and projects a pattern onto a substrate through said projection optical system, said apparatus comprising:

a sensor unit which comprises a light-receiving element for detecting light incident through said projection optical system, a vessel in which said light-receiving element is arranged, and a sealing window which transmits the incident light and seals said vessel,

wherein a space between said sealing window and said light-receiving element is filled with a medium having a refractive index which is greater than 1, the medium comprising a liquid.

51. An apparatus according to claim 50, further comprising a supply unit which supplies the liquid to said sensor unit.

52. An apparatus according to claim 50, further comprising a recovery unit which recovers the liquid from said sensor unit.

53. An apparatus according to claim 50, further comprising a liquid supply unit which supplies liquid to a space between said projection optical system and one of the substrate and said sensor unit, and a liquid source which stores the liquid, wherein the liquid in the liquid source is supplied to both said sensor unit and said liquid supply unit.

54. A sensor unit comprising a light-receiving element which detects light, said unit comprising:

a vessel in which said light-receiving element is arranged; and

a sealing window which transmits light incident thereon and seals said vessel,

wherein a space between said sealing window and said light-receiving element is filled with a liquid having a refractive index which is greater than 1.