Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 7,456,929 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shibuta, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/665,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355 72- 76
• US Class Current: 355/53
• 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 7/70525 Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70733 Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70991 Connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure stations, particular arrangement of exposure apparatus and pre-exposure and/or post-exposure apparatus; Shared apparatus, e.g. having shared radiation source, shared mask or workpiece stage, shared base-plate; Utilities, e.g. cable, pipe or wireless arrangements for data, power, fluids or vacuum

Abstract

An exposure apparatus which prevents damages due to leaked out liquid from expanding and can maintain exposure accuracy and measuring accuracy. The exposure apparatus includes first and second stages (ST1, ST2) which can independently move within an XY-plane on an image plane side of a projection optical system (PL); a drive mechanism (SD) which moves the first stage and the second stage together with the stage being close to or in contact with each other; a liquid immersion mechanism (1) which forms a liquid immersion area on an upper plane of at least one of the stages of the first stage and the second stage; and a detecting device (60) which detects liquid leaked out from between the first stage and the second stage.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate via a projection optical system, comprising:

a first stage and a second stage that are movable, on an image plane side of the projection optical system, independently of each other in a two-dimensional plane substantially parallel to the image plane,

a driving system that moves the first stage and the second stage together within a predetermined region including a position directly beneath the projection optical system with the first stage and the second stage being close to or in contact with each other,

a liquid immersion system that forms a liquid immersion region of a liquid on an upper surface of at least one of the stages of the first and second stages,

a controller that, by moving the first and second stages together, moves the liquid immersion region between the upper surface of the first stage and the upper surface of the second stage with the liquid being retained between the projection optical system and the upper surface of the at least one of the stages, and

a detecting device that detects the liquid having leaked from between the first and second stages when the liquid immersion region is moved from the upper surface of one of the stages of the first and second stages to the upper surface of the other stage of the first and second stages.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting device detects the liquid in a non-contact manner.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting device includes a light projecting portion that emits a detecting light and a light receiving portion which is disposed in a predetermined position relative to the detecting light.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the second stage has a second side surface that faces a first side surface of the first stage, and

the light projecting portion is provided on either one of the first side surface and the second side surface, and the light receiving portion is provided on the other of the first side surface and the second side surface.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a base member that movably supports each of the first and second stages, and wherein

the detecting light proceeds in a vicinity of the base member.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising gas bearings that are provided on the first and second stages, respectively, and support in a non-contact manner the first and second stages relative to an upper surface of the base member, and wherein

the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion are provided adjacent to the gas bearings.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the stages of the first and second stages moves while holding the substrate, and the other stage of the first and second stages moves, with a measuring device that performs a measurement related to the exposure process being mounted on the other stage.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second stages moves while holding a substrate.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion system stops supplying the liquid when leakage of the liquid is detected.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the liquid immersion system continues recovering the liquid which forms the liquid immersion region when leakage of the liquid is detected by the detecting device.

11. A device manufacturing method comprising:

loading a substrate on one of the first and second stages of the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and

projecting an image of a pattern onto the substrate held by the one stage.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the other stage has no substrate holder for holding a substrate.

13. A control method of an immersion lithography apparatus that exposes a pattern image onto a substrate via a projection optical system and an immersion liquid supplied between the projection optical system and an upper surface of the substrate, the immersion lithography apparatus including a first stage and a second stage that are movable, on an image plane side of the projection optical system, independently of each other in a two-dimensional plane substantially parallel to the image plane, the method comprising:

moving the first and second stages together within a predetermined region including a position directly beneath the projection optical system with the first and second stages being close to or in contact with each other,

forming a liquid immersion region of the immersion liquid on an upper surface of at least one of the stages of the first and second stages,

moving the first and second stages together so as to move the liquid immersion region between the upper surface of the first stage and the upper surface of the second stage with the immersion liquid being retained between the projection optical system and the upper surface of the at least one of the stages, and

detecting whether the immersion liquid has leaked from between the first and second stages when the liquid immersion region is moved from the upper surface of one of the stages of the first and second stages to the upper surface of the other stage of the first and second stages.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the detecting is performed by a detecting device that detects the liquid in a non-contact manner.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the detecting is performed by emitting a detecting light from a light projecting portion and by receiving the detecting light with a light receiving portion which is disposed in a predetermined position relative to the detecting light.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein:

the second stage has a second side surface that faces a first side surface of the first stage, and

the light projecting portion is provided on either one of the first side surface and the second side surface, and the light receiving portion is provided on the other of the first side surface and the second side surface.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the immersion lithography apparatus includes a base member that movably supports each of the first and second stages, and wherein

the detecting light proceeds in a vicinity of the base member.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the immersion lithography apparatus includes gas bearings that are provided on the first and second stages, respectively, and support in a non-contact manner the first and second stages relative to an upper surface of the base member, and wherein

the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion are provided on the gas bearings.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising moving one of the stages of the first and second stages while holding the substrate, and moving the other stage of the first and second stages, with a measuring device that performs a measurement related to the exposure process being mounted on the other stage.

20. The method according to claim 13, further comprising moving each of the first and second stages while holding a substrate.

21. The method according to claim 13, further comprising stopping a supplying of the liquid to the immersion region when leakage of the liquid is detected.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising recovering the liquid which forms the liquid immersion region when leakage of the liquid is detected.

23. A device manufacturing method comprising:

loading a substrate on one of first and second stages of the immersion lithography apparatus controlled according to claim 13; and

projecting an image of a pattern onto the substrate held by the one stage.