Patterning Device Support, Lithographic Apparatus, And Method Of Controlling Patterning Device Temperature

• US 20150301456A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Original Assignee: ASML Holding NV, ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: EBERT, Earl William Jr., ONVLEE, Johannes, NAYFEH, Samir A., WARD, Christopher Charles, VAN BOXTEL, Frank Johannes Jacobus, VERDIRAME, Justin Matthew, SCHUSTER, Mark Josef, DELMASTRO, Peter A., ALIKHAN, Abdullah, BURBANK, Daniel Nathan, GALBURT, Daniel Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,632,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70808 Construction details, e.g. housing, load-lock, seals or windows for passing light in or out of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70858 Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature pollution aspects G03F7/70916
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70866 of mask or workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70875 Temperature, e.g. temperature control of masks or workpieces via control of stage temperature

Abstract

A patterning device support (1100) for controlling a temperature of a patterning device (1102) can include a movable component (1104). The movable component can include a gas inlet (1108) for supplying a gas flow across a surface of the patterning device and a gas outlet (1110) for extracting the gas flow. The patterning device support can also include a gas flow generator (1118) coupled to a duct (1114, 1116) for recirculating the gas flow from the gas outlet to the gas inlet.

Claims

1. A lithographic system comprising:

a patterning device support comprising a movable component configured to support a patterning device;

a gas inlet disposed adjacent to and spaced from the movable component, the gas inlet being configured to supply a gas for forming a gas flow across a first surface of the patterning device to modify the temperature of the patterning device, wherein the gas inlet moves with the patterning device during operational use; and

a gas outlet disposed above the movable component and the patterning device and configured to extract the gas flow, wherein the gas outlet remains stationary during operational use.

2. The lithographic system of claim 1, wherein

the gas inlet comprises a nozzle having a length approximate to a length of the patterning device.

3. The lithographic system of claim 1, wherein the opening of the fixed plate has a length approximate to a full range of motion of the patterning device along an axis of the movable component.

4. The lithographic system of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to determine a temperature at a location within the system; and

a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor to control a characteristic of the gas flow and thereby achieve a desired temperature of the patterning device.

5. The lithographic system of claim 1, wherein the gas inlet and the gas outlet are located at opposing ends of the movable component.

6. The lithographic system of claim 1, further comprising a fixed plate disposed above the movable component and the patterning device, wherein the gas outlet is coupled to an opening in the fixed plate.

7. The lithographic system of claim 1, wherein the gas comprises helium.

8. The lithographic system of claim 1, wherein the movable component is a short stroke module configured to finely move the patterning device.

9. The lithographic system of claim 8, further comprising a second movable component configured to substantially follow the first movable component, the gas inlet being coupled to the second movable component.

10. A system to control a temperature of a patterning device in a lithographic apparatus, the patterning device having a first surface with first and second ends, the system comprising:

a patterning device support comprising;

a movable component configured to support the patterning device and to move during operational use, the movable component defining a first opening adjacent the first end of the first surface of the patterning device;

a gas inlet configured to provide a gas flow across the first surface of the patterning device, the gas inlet passing through the first opening of the movable component and having an opening adjacent the first end of the first surface of the patterning device;

a gas outlet having an opening configured to extract the gas flow, the opening of the gas outlet being adjacent the second end of the first surface of the patterning device;

wherein the gas inlet and the gas outlet are configured such that the gas flow is substantially parallel to the first surface of the patterning device, and wherein the gas flow affects the temperature of the patterning device.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a gas supply operatively coupled to the gas inlet to supply the gas flow to the gas inlet.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to determine a temperature of at a location within the system; and

a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor to control a characteristic of the gas flow and thereby achieve a desired temperature of the patterning device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the characteristic of the gas flow to achieve the desired temperature of the patterning device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the characteristic is a temperature, pressure, or flow rate of the gas flow.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the gas inlet comprises a gas supply nozzle having a length that approximates a length of the patterning device, and wherein the gas outlet comprises

a gas extraction nozzle having a length that approximates the length of the patterning device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the gas supply nozzle comprises a plurality of holes along the length of the gas supply nozzle.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the gas extraction nozzle comprises a plurality of holes along the length of the gas extraction nozzle.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the gas supply nozzle and the gas extraction nozzle comprises a temperature control element.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the temperature control element comprises cooled water or a thermoelectric cooling element.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the first surface of the patterning device is a top surface of the patterning device.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the movable component is a short stroke module configured to move the patterning device.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein the gas flow comprises helium.

23. A patterning device support for controlling a temperature of a patterning device, comprising:

a movable component configured to move the patterning device, the movable component comprising;

a gas inlet configured to supply a gas flow across a surface of the patterning device;

a gas outlet configured to extract the gas flow;

a gas flow generator configured to recirculate the gas flow from the gas outlet to the gas inlet; and

a duct in fluid communication with the gas inlet and the gas outlet and configured to pass the gas flow from the gas outlet to the gas inlet.

24. The patterning device support of claim 23, wherein the duct for recirculating the gas flow comprises an outlet duct extending from the gas outlet to the gas flow generator, and an inlet duct extending from the gas flow generator to the gas inlet.

25. The patterning device support of claim 23, further comprising a temperature control element configured to condition the temperature of the gas flow.

26. The patterning device support of claim 25, wherein the temperature control element is downstream from the gas flow generator.

27. The patterning device support of claim 23, wherein the gas flow generator comprises a gas amplifier.

28. The patterning device support of claim 27, wherein the gas inlet forms the gas amplifier.

29. The patterning device support of claim 23, further comprising a temperature control element configured to condition the temperature of a gas supply to the gas flow generator.

30. The patterning device support of claim 23, wherein the gas flow generator comprises a pump.

31. The patterning device support of claim 30, wherein the pump is configured to be driven by a fan, the fan being driven by external gas flow caused by a scanning motion of the patterning device support.

32. The patterning device support of claim 30, wherein the pump is configured to be driven by a piston, the piston being driven by inertia caused by a scanning motion of the patterning device support.

33. The patterning device support of claim 23, wherein the duct for passing the gas flow comprises an outlet duct and an inlet duct;

wherein the outlet duct comprises a first branch extending from the gas outlet to the gas flow generator, and a second branch extending from the gas outlet to a second gas flow generator; and

wherein the inlet duct comprises a first branch extending from the gas flow generator to the gas inlet, and a second branch extending from the second gas flow generator to the gas inlet.

34. The patterning device support of claim 23, further comprising a movable component configured to support and move the patterning device.

35. The patterning device support of claim 34, wherein the movable component comprises a short-stroke module.

36. The patterning device support of claim 35, further comprising a long-stroke module at least partially surrounding the short-stroke module, wherein the duct is coupled to the long-stroke module.

37. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam;

a patterning device support configured to control a temperature of a patterning device, comprising;

a movable component configured to move the patterning device, the movable component comprising;

a gas inlet configured to supply a gas flow across a surface of the patterning device;

a gas outlet configured to extract the gas flow;

a gas flow generator configured to recirculate the gas flow from the gas outlet to the gas inlet; and

a duct in fluid communication with the gas inlet and the gas outlet and configured to pass the gas flow from the gas outlet to the gas inlet; and

a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate.

38. The lithographic apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a controller configured to adjust a first characteristic of the gas flow to achieve a desired temperature of the patterning device.

39. The lithographic apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a sensor configured to measure a second characteristic of the gas flow, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the sensor and configured to adjust the first characteristic of the gas flow based on the measured second characteristic.

40. The lithographic apparatus of claim 39, wherein the second characteristic comprises at least one of temperature, pressure, and flow rate.

41. The lithographic apparatus of claim 38, wherein the first characteristic comprises at least one of temperature, pressure, or flow rate.

42. A method for controlling a temperature of a patterning device, comprising:

flowing a gas across a surface of the patterning device from a gas inlet of a patterning device support to a gas outlet of the patterning device support; and

recirculating the gas from the gas outlet to the gas inlet.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising controlling a characteristic of the gas flowing across the surface of the patterning device to control the temperature of the patterning device.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising stopping the flow of gas across the surface of the patterning device when loading or unloading the patterning device on a movable component of a lithographic apparatus.

45. The method of claim 42, further comprising stopping the flow of gas across the surface of the patterning device when no cooling of the patterning device is desired.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein controlling the characteristic of the gas flowing across the surface of the patterning device to control the temperature of the patterning device is based on an expected dose of an exposure of the patterning device.