Cleaning liquid, cleaning method, liquid generating apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device fabricating method

• US 20080156356A1
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kurita Water Industries Limited, Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kurita Water Industries Limited, Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki, Morita, Hiroshi, Tokoshima, Hiroto
• Application Number:
  US11/987,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20080156356A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/115R
• 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 7/70925 Cleaning, i.e. actively freeing apparatus from pollutants, e.g. using plasma cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes

Abstract

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate through an exposure liquid with exposure light. A cleaning liquid is provided to the exposure apparatus, in order to clean at least part of the exposure apparatus. In the clearing liquid, a prescribed gas of an amount that is greater than or equal to the saturation concentration is dissolved.

Claims

1. A cleaning liquid that is supplied to an exposure apparatus in order to clean at least part of the exposure apparatus, which exposes a substrate with exposure light through an exposure liquid, wherein

a prescribed gas of au amount that is greater than or equal to the saturation concentration is dissolved.

2. A cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the gas includes nitrogen.

3. A cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the gas includes at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, and clean air.

4. A cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the gas of an amount that is greater than or equal to the saturation concentration is dissolved in the exposure liquid.

5. A cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the exposure liquid includes pure water.

6. A cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid contains an alkali.

7. A cleaning liquid according to claim 6, wherein the alkali includes ammonia.

8. A cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied in order to clean at least part of the members of the exposure apparatus that contact the exposure liquid.

9. A cleaning method that cleans at least part of the exposure apparatus, wherein a cleaning liquid according to claim 1 is supplied to the exposure apparatus.

10. A cleaning method according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning liquid is used to clean at least part of the members of the exposure apparatus that contact the exposure liquid.

11. A liquid generating apparatus that feeds a cleaning liquid according to claim 1.

12. A liquid generating apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a connecting part that connects passageways in order to supply the cleaning liquid to the exposure apparatus.

13. A liquid generating apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the passageways include a passageway of the exposure liquid.

14. A liquid generating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the passageways include a passageway that is connected to an exposure liquid producing apparatus that produces the exposure liquid.

15. A liquid generating apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the liquid generating apparatus is connected to the passageway on the downstream side of the exposure liquid producing apparatus.

16. A liquid generating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the liquid generating apparatus is disposed inside an exposure liquid producing apparatus that produces the exposure liquid.

17. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate with exposure light through an exposure liquid, comprising:

a passageway in which a cleaning liquid, in which a prescribed gas of an amount that is greater than or equal to the saturation concentration is dissolved, flows.

18. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the gas includes nitrogen.

19. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the gas includes at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, and clean air.

20. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a connecting part to which a cleaning liquid generating apparatus that feeds the cleaning liquid is connected;

wherein, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid generating apparatus to the passageway through the connecting part.

21. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, fiber comprising:

a cleaning liquid generating apparatus that is capable of generating the cleaning liquid.

22. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the passageways include a passageway of the exposure liquid.

23. An exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the passageway is capable of connecting to an exposure liquid producing apparatus that produces the exposure liquid.

24. An exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the passageway is capable of connecting to the exposure liquid producing apparatus via the cleaning liquid generating apparatus.

25. An exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the cleaning liquid generating apparatus is disposed inside the exposure liquid producing apparatus.

26. An exposure apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

an exposure liquid producing apparatus that produces the exposure liquid;

wherein, the passageway is capable of connecting to the exposure liquid producing apparatus.

27. An exposure apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the passageway is capable of connecting to the exposure liquid producing apparatus via the cleaning liquid generating apparatus.

28. An exposure apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the cleaning liquid generating apparatus is disposed inside the exposure liquid producing apparatus.

29. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the gas includes nitrogen.

30. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the gas includes at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, and clean air.

31. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the cleaning liquid generating apparatus dissolves the gas of an amount that is greater than or equal to the saturation concentration in the exposure liquid, and feeds such as the cleaning liquid.

32. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the exposure liquid includes pure water.

33. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the cleaning liquid contains an alkali.

34. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein at least part of a member that contacts the exposure liquid is cleaned with the cleaning liquid.

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

an optical member that comprises an emergent surface that emits the exposure light; and

a moving body that is capable of moving to a position that opposes the emergent surface;

wherein, at least one of the optical member and the moving body is cleaned with the cleaning liquid.

36. An exposure apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the moving body is a movable substrate stage that holds the substrate, a movable measurement stage whereon a measuring instrument is mounted that is capable of performing a measurement related to exposure, or both.

37. An exposure apparatus according to claim 35, further comprising:

a first immersion member that is capable of forming an immersion space with the cleaning liquid.

38. An exposure apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the first immersion member forms the immersion space with the exposure liquid so that the exposure liquid fills an optical path space of the exposure light between the optical member and the substrate during the exposure of the substrate.

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

a second immersion member that is disposed at a position that is spaced apart from the first immersion member and that forms an immersion space with the exposure liquid so that the exposure liquid fills an optical path space of the exposure light between the optical member and the substrate during the exposure of the substrate.

40. An exposure apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the first immersion member and the moving body move relative to one another in a state wherein the immersion space is formed with the cleaning liquid between the first immersion member and the moving body.

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

a vibration generating apparatus that applies vibrations to the cleaning liquid that forms the immersion space.

42. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a supply port that supplies the cleaning liquid that is fed by the cleaning liquid generating apparatus.

43. An exposure apparatus according to claim 42, further comprising:

a recovery port that recovers the cleaning liquid supplied via the supply port after the cleaning liquid contacts a cleaning target member.

44. Au exposure apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a detection apparatus that detects the quality of the exposure liquid that is recovered from the immersion space, which is formed with the exposure liquid so that the exposure liquid fills the optical path space of the exposure light; and

a control apparatus that, based on the detection results of the detection apparatus, controls the cleaning operation that uses the cleaning liquid.

45. An exposure apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the detection apparatus detects foreign matter in the recovered exposure liquid.

46. A device fabricating method, comprising:

exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 17; and

developing the exposed substrate.