Exposure apparatus, method for cleaning member thereof, maintenance method for exposure apparatus, maintenance device, and method for producing device

• US 20100134772A1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Owa, Soichi, Hirukawa, Shigeru, Nagasaka, Hiroyuki, Shiraishi, Kenichi
• Application Number:
  US12/656,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134772A1
• 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 7/7085 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 7/70916 Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70925 Cleaning, i.e. actively freeing apparatus from pollutants, e.g. using plasma cleaning

Abstract

An exposure apparatus forms an immersion area of a liquid on the side of the image plane of a projection optical system and performs exposure of a substrate via the projection optical system and the liquid of the immersion region. The exposure apparatus has an optical cleaning unit which irradiates a predetermined irradiation light, having an optical cleaning effect, onto, for example, the upper surface of the substrate stage which makes contact with the liquid for forming the immersion area. Thus, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the exposure accuracy and measurement accuracy due to pollution of the member in contact with the liquid in the immersion region.

Claims

1. A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising:

a projection system configured to project a beam of radiation onto a substrate;

a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;

a liquid retrieval system configured to retrieve liquid from a space between the projection system and the substrate table;

wherein the substrate table comprises, on a surface facing the projection system, a reflector configured to reflect a cleaning beam of radiation projected through the projection system onto an underside of the liquid retrieval system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in use, the reflector is at a distance from the projection system greater than the distance at which the substrate is imaged with the beam of radiation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in use, the reflector is used in the presence of liquid between the underside and the reflector.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid comprising ultra-pure water and (a) a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ozone, or (b) hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of up to 10%, or (c) ozone at a concentration of up to 50 ppm, or (d) oxygen at concentration of up to 10 ppm, or (e) any combination selected from (a)-(d).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector is positioned in a recess in a surface of the substrate table facing the projection system in which a substrate lies during imaging of a substrate.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector is formed on a surface of a substrate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises a reflective member comprising:

a first facet configured to reflect incoming radiation projected through the projection system to a second facet of the reflective member, which second facet is configured to reflect radiation reflected by the first facet onto the underside.

8. A reflective member for positioning under a projection system of an immersion lithographic projection apparatus, the reflective member comprising:

a first facet configured to reflect incoming radiation projected through a projection system of the lithographic apparatus to a second facet of the reflective member, which second facet is configured to reflect radiation reflected by the first facet back in a direction with at least a major component in the direction of the incoming radiation.

9. A reflective member sized for positioning in a recess for a substrate of a substrate table of an immersion lithographic apparatus.

10. A method of irradiating the underside of a liquid supply system positioned around an end of a projection system in an immersion lithographic apparatus, the method comprising:

positioning a reflector under the projection system such that a cleaning beam of radiation projected through the projection system onto the reflector is reflected onto an underside of the liquid supply system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflector is on a surface of the substrate table facing the projection system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the position of the reflector on the surface of the substrate table is a position next to a recess to hold a substrate.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the reflector is in a recess to hold a substrate during imaging.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein positioning includes moving the reflector, in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis of the projection system, away from the projection system.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflector reflects the beam such that it is focused on only a porous member or only on an object radially inwardly, relative to the optical axis of the projection system, of the outer edge of the porous member.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflector reflects the beam off at least two facets.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a first facet of the at least two facets reflects the beam in a direction with at least a major component radially outwardly and perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a second of the at least two facets reflects the beam in a direction with at least a major component in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection system towards the underside.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the projection system is the same projection system as is used for focusing a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate during imaging.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflector reflects different parts of the beam at different angles relative to an angle of impingement.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflector is moved relative to the projection system.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the liquid consists essentially of ultra-pure water and (a) a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ozone, or (b) hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of up to 5%, or (c) ozone at a concentration of up to 50 ppm, or (d) oxygen at concentration of up to 10 ppm, or (e) any combination of (a)-(d).

23. The method of claim 10, wherein if the liquid supply system comprises a porous member on an underside, the under pressure applied to the porous member is reduced such that liquid extends over the whole of the porous member.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein liquid is provided in contact with at least part of the underside.

25. A method of cleaning the underside of a liquid supply system comprising providing liquid consisting of ultra-pure water and one of (a) a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ozone, (b) hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of up to 5%, (c) ozone at a concentration of up to 50 ppm, and (d) oxygen at concentration of up to 10 ppm to the underside and irradiating the underside by reflecting a cleaning beam of radiation projected through a projection system from a reflector onto the underside.