Method for Processing Substrate, Exposure Method, Exposure Apparatus, and Method for Producing Device

• US 20080137056A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Horiuchi, Takashi, Fujiwara, Tomoharu
• Application Number:
  US11/792,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137056A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/72
• 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 7/70916 Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps

Abstract

In a substrate-processing method including a step of forming a liquid immersion area of a liquid on a substrate and performing exposure for the substrate by irradiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area, a liquid contact time, during which the substrate is in contact with the liquid in the liquid immersion area, is managed. Accordingly, in a device producing process, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of device defect.

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

forming a liquid immersion area of a liquid on a substrate and performing exposure for the substrate by irradiating an exposure light onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area; and

managing a liquid contact time during which the substrate is in contact with the liquid in the liquid immersion area.

2. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 1, wherein the liquid on the substrate is removed to prevent the liquid contact time from exceeding a predetermined allowable time.

3. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 2, further comprising removing the liquid immersion area on the substrate,

wherein when the liquid remains on the substrate after the liquid immersion area has been removed on the substrate, a liquid-remaining time during which the liquid remains on the substrate is also included in the liquid contact time.

4. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 2, wherein the substrate includes a base material and a film formed on a surface of the base material;

and

the allowable time is set based on information about the substrate.

5. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 4, wherein the base material is made of silicon.

6. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 4, wherein the allowable time is set such that an adhesion mark of the liquid is not formed on the substrate.

7. An exposure method, comprising the method for processing the substrate as defined in claim 1.

8. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

forming a liquid immersion area of a liquid on the substrate and performing exposure for the substrate by irradiating an exposure light onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area;

removing the liquid immersion area on the substrate; and

managing a time after the liquid immersion area has been removed on the substrate.

9. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 8, wherein the liquid remaining on the substrate is removed before a time, elapsed after the liquid immersion area has been removed on the substrate, exceeds a predetermined allowable time.

10. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 9, wherein the substrate includes a base material and a film formed on a surface of the base material;

and

the allowable time is set based on information about the substrate.

11. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 10, wherein the base material is made of silicon.

12. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 8, wherein the allowable time is set such that an adhesion mark of the liquid is not formed on the substrate.

13. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 8, wherein a judgment is made whether or not the liquid remaining on the substrate is to be removed, depending on a time elapsed after the liquid of the liquid immersion area has been removed on the substrate.

14. An exposure method, comprising the method for processing the substrate as defined in claim 8.

15. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

forming a liquid immersion area of a liquid on the substrate and performing exposure for the substrate by irradiating an exposure light onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area;

removing the liquid immersion area on the substrate; and

setting a contact angle of the substrate with respect to the liquid so that the liquid remains on the substrate after the liquid immersion area has been removed on the substrate.

16. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 15, wherein the contact angle is set so that an adhesion mark of the liquid is not formed on the substrate.

17. The method for processing the substrate according to claim 15, wherein the contact angle is set by selecting the liquid and a material of the surface of the substrate which comes into contact with the liquid.

18. An exposure method, comprising the method for processing the substrate as defined in claim 15.

19. An exposure apparatus which forms a liquid immersion area of a liquid on a substrate and exposes the substrate by irradiating an exposure light onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder which holds the substrate;

a liquid removing mechanism which removes the liquid on the substrate; and

a controller which manages a liquid contact time during which the substrate is in contact with the liquid in the liquid immersion area.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the liquid removing mechanism removes the liquid on the substrate so as to prevent the liquid contact time from exceeding a predetermined allowable time.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the liquid removing mechanism removes the liquid on the substrate after unloading the substrate from the substrate holder.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the liquid removing mechanism removes the liquid on the substrate before unloading the substrate from the substrate holder.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the exposure apparatus is connected to a substrate processing device which performs developing process for the substrate for which the exposure has been performed;

and

when the liquid contact time exceeds a predetermined allowable time, the substrate is transported to the substrate processing device without removing the liquid by the liquid removing mechanism.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the controller manages the liquid contact time depending on at least one of a substrate to be exposed and a liquid to be used.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a storage device which stores information about the liquid contact time depending on at least one of the substrate to be exposed and the liquid to be used.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a timer which measures the liquid contact time.

36. A method for producing a device, comprising using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 19.

27. An exposure apparatus which forms a liquid immersion area of a liquid on a substrate and exposes the substrate by irradiating an exposure light onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder which holds the substrate; and

a transport system which transports a substrate, which comes into contact with the liquid forming the liquid immersion area, from the substrate holder while the substrate is in a wet state.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 27, wherein a contact angle of the substrate with respect to the liquid is set such that the liquid remains on the substrate after the liquid immersion area has been removed on the substrate.

29. The exposure apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising a cleaning device which cleans the substrate unloaded from the substrate holder.

30. The exposure apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the exposure apparatus is connected to a substrate processing device which performs developing process for the substrate for which the exposure has been performed;

and

the transport system transports the substrate to the substrate processing device while the substrate is in the wet state.

37. A method for producing a device, comprising using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 27.

31. An exposure apparatus which forms a liquid immersion area of a liquid on a substrate and exposes the substrate by irradiating an exposure light onto the substrate through the liquid in the liquid immersion area, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder which holds the substrate; and

a controller which manages a liquid contact time during which the substrate is in contact with the liquid in the liquid immersion area.

32. The exposure apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the controller manages a predetermined allowable time regarding the liquid contact time.

33. The exposure apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the allowable time is set depending on at least one of a substrate to be exposed and a liquid to be used.

34. The exposure apparatus according to claim 33, comprising a storage device which stores information about the allowable time.

35. The exposure apparatus according to claim 31, further comprising a timer which measures the liquid contact time.

38. A method for producing a device, comprising using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 31.