Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 7,433,019 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kiuchi, Tohru, Miyake, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutledge; Della J.
• Application Number:
  US11/325,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20060209278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/67, 355/71, 430/5, 430/22, 430/30, 430/311, 430/322, 378/34, 378/35
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/023 permitting adjustment
• 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 7/70825 Mounting of individual elements, e.g. mounts, holders or supports workpiece or mask holders G03F7/707
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/709 Vibration, e.g. vibration detection, compensation, suppression or isolation

Abstract

An exposure apparatus projects a pattern image onto a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, and the projection optical system has an optical member that comes into contact with the liquid and an optical group arranged between the optical member and a reticle. A holding mechanism that holds the optical member and the optical group holds the optical member so that it is movable relative to the optical group.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system that includes an optical member that comes into contact with a liquid and an optical group arranged between said optical member and a pattern and that projects an image of said pattern onto a substrate via said liquid,

a first holding member that holds said optical member;

a second holding member that holds said optical group; and

a connection mechanism that connects said first holding member and said second holding member and reduces a transmitted vibration from said first holding member toward said second holding member.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said connection mechanism softly connects said first holding member to said second holding member.

3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said connection mechanism absorbs vibration of said first holding member so as to suppress the transmission of vibration from said first holding member to said second holding member.

4. An exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said first holding member holds a lens element having a prescribed optical axis as said optical member that comes into contact with said liquid, and

said first holding member is connected to said second member so as to be movable relative to said second member along said optical axis, and about an orthogonal axis that is orthogonal to said optical axis.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said first holding member is connected to said second holding member so as to be tiltable relative to said second holding member.

6. An exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said first holding member is kinematically supported to said second holding member.

7. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said connection mechanism includes an elastic member.

8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising

a load reduction mechanism that reduces an action of the load of said first holding member on said connection mechanism.

9. An exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said load reduction mechanism supports the load of said first holding member on said second holding member without contact.

10. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an image adjustment mechanism that adjusts said image of said pattern, said image projected onto said substrate.

11. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism compensates for changes in a quality of said image of said pattern that would otherwise occur in conjunction with fluctuations in said optical member relative to said optical group.

12. An exposure apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising

a first detector that detects a positional relationship between said optical group and said optical member, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism adjusts said image based on detection results of said first detector.

13. An exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image adjustment mechanism compensates for fluctuations in a positional relationship between said optical member and an exposure surface of said substrate.

14. An exposure apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second detector that detects the positional relationship between said optical member and said exposure surface of said substrate, wherein

said image adjustment mechanism adjusts said image based on detection results of said second detector.

15. A device manufacturing method that uses an exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

16. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connection mechanism holds said first holding member so as to be displacable relative to said second holding member.

17. An exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said connection mechanism comprises a flexure that connects said first holding member and said second holding member so that said first holding member is displacable relative to said second holding member.

18. An exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said vibration is absorbed by deformation of said flexure.

19. An exposure apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a first detector that detects the displacement of said optical member.

20. An exposure apparatus, comprising:

a projection optical system that comprises an optical member coming into contact with a liquid and an optical group disposed between said optical member and a pattern and that projects an image of said pattern onto a substrate via said liquid;

a ring-shaped member that is provided so as to surround said optical member and has at least one of either a liquid supply port or a liquid recovery port;

a first seal member that is disposed between and contacts said optical member and said ring-shaped member and that blocks penetration of liquid into a gap formed between said optical member and said ring-shaped member; and

a substrate stage that holds said substrate and is movable relative to said projection optical system and said ring-shaped member.

21. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said first seal member has flexibility.

22. An exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

said first seal member has a main unit portion and a contact portion, said main unit portion formed in a ring shape and being attached to one of either said optical member or said ring-shaped member, said contact portion coming into contact with the other and connected to said main unit portion via a hinge portion.

23. An exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

at least said contact portion of said first seal member has flexibility.

24. An exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said first seal member includes a sheet-shaped member.

25. An exposure apparatus according to claim 24, wherein

said first seal member is liquid repellent.

26. An exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

said gap is formed between the side surface of said optical member and the inner side surface of said ring-shaped member, and said side surface and said inner side surface are respectively liquid repellent.

27. An exposure apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising

a holding member that holds said optical member;

and

a second seal member that blocks the flow of gas between said optical member and said holding member.

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

a barrel that holds said optical group, and

a second seal member that blocks a flow of gas between the exterior and the interior space of said barrel.

29. An exposure apparatus according to claim 27, wherein

said holding member has a support portion that kinematically supports said optical member, and

said second seal member is provided in vicinity of said support member.

30. An exposure apparatus according to claim 29, wherein

said seal member has a main unit portion that is attached to one of either said optical member or said holding member and a contact portion that that comes into contact with the other and is connected to said main unit portion via a hinge portion.

31. An exposure apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said second seal member is replaceable.

32. An exposure apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said second seal member is replaced according to the exposure light irradiation time.

33. A device manufacturing method that uses an exposure apparatus according to claim 32.

34. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate via a liquid, comprising:

a first holding member that holds an optical member, said optical member being in contact with said liquid;

a second holding member that holds a plurality of optical members; and

a connection mechanism that connects said first holding member with said second holding member and vibrationally separates said first holding member and said second holding member.

35. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said connection mechanism has an elastic member.

36. An exposure apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said elastic member has a flexure.

37. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said connection mechanism holds said optical member in contact with said liquid so that said optical member has at least three degrees of freedom.

38. An exposure apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said optical member is a lens element having an optical axis, and wherein said at least three degrees of freedom include a direction along said optical axis and two directions about two axes orthogonal to said optical axis.

39. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said connection mechanism kinematically supports said first holding member relative to said second holding member.

40. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said connection mechanism has a load canceling mechanism that reduces the action of the load of said first holding member.

41. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said connection mechanism reduces the transmission of vibration between said first holding member and said second holding member.

42. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, further comprising a first detector that detects a positional relationship between said first holding member and said second holding member.

43. An exposure apparatus according to claim 42, further comprising an image adjustment mechanism that adjusts an image of a pattern based on at least a detection result of said first detector, said image of said pattern being projected onto said substrate.

44. An exposure apparatus according to claim 43, further comprising a second detector that detects a positional relationship between said optical member and an exposure surface of said substrate, and wherein said image adjustment mechanism adjusts said image of said pattern based on a detection result of said second detector.

45. An exposure apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said connection mechanism connects said first holding member to said second holding member so that said optical member can be displaced due to the contact with said liquid.

46. An exposure apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said connection mechanism has a flexure.

47. An exposure apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said connection mechanism absorbs vibration being transmitted via said liquid.

48. An exposure apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said connection mechanism absorbs said vibration by displacement of said optical member.

49. An exposure apparatus according to claim 45, further comprising a first detector that detects the displacement of said optical member.