Maintenance Method, Exposure Method, Exposure Apparatus, And Method For Producing Device

• US 20070285634A1
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki, Ueda, Motoi, Hoshika, Ryuichi, Okada, Takaya
• Application Number:
  US11/667,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285634A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/30
• 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 7/70975 Assembly, maintenance, transport or storage of apparatus

Abstract

An exposure apparatus irradiates an exposure light beam a state that a space, between predetermined optical elements and among a plurality of optical elements included in a projection optical system, is filled with a liquid. When the exposure light beam is not irradiated during, for example, the maintenance or the like, the liquid in the space is substituted by a functional fluid different from the liquid. This makes it possible to reduce any influence exerted by the liquid on the exposure apparatus.

Claims

1. A maintenance method for an exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate via a projection optical system including a plurality of optical elements, the method comprising:

performing exposure for the substrate by irradiating the exposure light beam in a state that a predetermined space between predetermined optical elements among the plurality of optical elements is filled with a first liquid; and

substituting the first liquid in the predetermined space by a second liquid different from the first liquid when the exposure light beam is not irradiated.

2. The maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined space is a space between a first optical element closest to an image plane of the projection optical system among the plurality of optical elements in the projection optical system and a second optical element next closest to the image plane with respect to the first optical element.

3. The maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid is pure water.

4. The maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid has a function for suppressing generation of living microbes.

5. The maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid includes oxygenated water.

6. The maintenance method according to claim 5, wherein the second liquid is oxygenated water, and concentration of the oxygenated water is not more than 10-6%.

7. The maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein after substituting the first liquid in the predetermined space by the second liquid, a gas is supplied into the predetermined space to remove the second liquid from the predetermined space.

8. The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the gas is blown onto a surface of an object forming the predetermined space.

9. The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the second liquid is a liquid which volatilizes more easily than the first liquid.

10. The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the second liquid includes a third liquid which is soluble in the first liquid and a fourth liquid which volatilizes more easily than the third liquid;

and

the gas is supplied after substituting the first liquid in the predetermined space by the third liquid and the fourth liquid in this order.

11. The maintenance method according to claim 10, wherein the third liquid is methanol, and the fourth liquid is dimethylether or diethylether.

12. The maintenance method according to claim 10, wherein the third liquid is methanol and the fourth liquid is hydrofluorocarbon.

13. The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the gas is supplied while temperature of the object forming the predetermined space is being adjusted.

14. A maintenance method for an exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate, the method comprising:

performing exposure for the substrate by irradiating the exposure light beam in a state that a predetermined space as a part of an optical path space of the exposure light beam is filled with a liquid; and

supplying a gas into the predetermined space, when the exposure light beam is not irradiated, while adjusting a temperature of an object forming the predetermined space to remove the liquid from the predetermined space.

15. The maintenance method according to claim 14, wherein the gas is blown onto a surface of the object forming the predetermined space.

16. The maintenance method according to claim 14, wherein the exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which includes a plurality of optical elements;

and

the predetermined space is a space between predetermined optical elements among the plurality of optical elements.

17. The maintenance method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined space is a space between a first optical element, closest to an image plane of the projection optical system among the plurality of optical elements in the projection optical system, and a second optical element next closest to the image plane with respect to the first optical element.

18. The maintenance method according to claim 14, wherein the exposure apparatus further includes a projection optical system;

and

the predetermined space is a space on a side of the image plane of the projection optical system.

19. An exposure method for exposing a substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate via a projection optical system including a plurality of optical elements, the method comprising:

irradiating the exposure light beam onto the substrate in a state that a predetermined space between predetermined optical elements among the plurality of optical elements is filled with a first liquid; and

substituting the first liquid in the predetermined space by a second liquid different from the first liquid when the exposure light beam is not irradiated.

20. The exposure method according to claim 19, wherein a predetermined space between the substrate and the projection optical system is filled with the first liquid when the exposure light beam is irradiated onto the substrate.

21. The exposure method according to claim 20, further comprising substituting the second liquid in the predetermined space further by another liquid other than the second liquid after substituting the first liquid in the predetermined space by the second liquid.

22. The exposure method according to claim 21, wherein the second liquid is methanol;

and

the another liquid is one liquid selected from a group consisting of diethylether, dimethylether and hydrofluorocarbon.

41. A method for producing a device, comprising:

performing exposure by using the exposure method as defined in claim 19;

developing the substrate after performing the exposure step; and

processing the developed substrate.

23. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate, comprising:

a projection optical system which includes a plurality of optical elements; and

a liquid immersion mechanism which fills a predetermined space between predetermined optical elements among the plurality of optical elements with a first liquid, and which substitutes the first liquid in the predetermined space by a second liquid different from the first liquid when the exposure light beam is not irradiated.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the predetermined space is a space between a first optical element, closest to an image plane of the projection optical system among the plurality of optical elements in the projection optical system, and a second optical element next closest to the image plane with respect to the first optical element.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the first liquid is pure water.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the second liquid has a function for suppressing generation of living microbes.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the liquid immersion mechanism includes:

a supply port which is connected to the predetermined space;

a first liquid supply device which is capable of supplying the first liquid;

a second liquid supply device which is capable of supplying the second liquid; and

a switching device which makes switching between supply of the first liquid by the first liquid supply device through the supply port and supply of the device liquid by the second liquid supply section through the supply port.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the liquid immersion mechanism includes a liquid recovery mechanism which recovers the liquid from the predetermined space;

and

a gas supply system which supplies a gas into the predetermined space to remove the second liquid from the predetermined space after the first liquid in the predetermined space has been substituted by the second liquid.

29. The exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the gas supply system blows the gas onto a surface of an object forming the predetermined space.

30. The exposure apparatus according to claim 28, comprising a temperature-adjusting device which adjusts temperature of an object forming the predetermined space when the gas is supplied from the gas supply system.

31. The exposure apparatus according to claim 30, comprising a temperature detector which detects the temperature of the object,

wherein the temperature-adjusting device adjusts the temperature of the object based on a result of detection performed by the temperature detector.

32. The exposure apparatus according to claim 29, comprising:

a temperature detector which detects temperature of the object; and

a control device which controls an operation of the gas supply system based on a result of detection performed by the temperature detector.

40. A method for producing a device, comprising using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 23.

33. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate, comprising:

a liquid immersion mechanism which fills a predetermined space as a part of an optical path space for the exposure light beam when irradiating the exposure light beam onto the substrate;

a gas supply system which supplies a gas into the predetermined space when the exposure light beam is not irradiated to remove the liquid from the predetermined space; and

a temperature-adjusting device which adjusts temperature of an object forming the predetermined space when supplying the gas.

34. The exposure apparatus according to claim 33, wherein a liquid supply channel of the liquid immersion mechanism and a gas supply channel of the gas supply system are made to be common at least partially.

35. The exposure apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the gas supply system blows the gas onto a surface of the object forming the predetermined space.

36. The exposure apparatus according to claim 33, comprising a projection optical system which includes a plurality of optical elements, wherein the predetermined space is a space between predetermined optical elements among the plurality of optical elements.

37. The exposure apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the predetermined space is a space between a first optical element closest to an image plane of the projection optical system among the plurality of optical elements in the projection optical system and a second optical element next closest to the image plane with respect to the first optical element.

38. The exposure apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising a projection optical system,

wherein the predetermined space is a space on a side of an image plane of the projection optical system.

42. A method for producing a device, comprising utilizing the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 33.

39. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate, comprising:

a projection optical system which includes a plurality of optical elements;

a liquid immersion mechanism which fills a predetermined space between predetermined optical elements among the plurality of optical elements with a liquid; and

a gas supply system which supplies a gas into the predetermined space when the exposure light beam is not irradiated.