Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 7,463,330 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Baselmans, Johannes Jacobus Matheus, Mulkens, Johannes Catharinus Hubertus, Streefkerk, Bob, Mertens, Jeroen Johannes Sophia Maria, Hoogendam, Christiaan Alexander, Donders, Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutledge; Della J.
• Application Number:
  US10/885,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20060007419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/67, 355/71, 355/72, 355/75, 378/34, 378/35
• 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 7/70866 of mask or workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7026 Focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7034 Leveling

Abstract

In immersion lithography after exposure of a substrate is complete, a detector is used to detect any residual liquid remaining on the substrate and/or substrate table.

Claims

1. A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:

a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;

a projection system arranged to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate;

a liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate table; and

a residual liquid detector configured to detect liquid remaining on the substrate when the substrate is held by the substrate table and/or on the substrate table, after an exposure is completed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drying station configured to dry the substrate, the substrate table, or both in the event that liquid is detected by the residual liquid detector.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises a level sensor configured to measure the position of a surface in a direction substantially parallel to an optical axis of the projection system, a tilt of a surface about axes substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection system, or both.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein detection of liquid on the substrate, substrate table, or both is effected by the level sensor giving a measurement outside a normal operating range or varying significantly from a previous measurement or reference value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises an alignment sensor configured to measure the position of a marker in a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection system.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein detection of liquid on the substrate, substrate table, or both is effected by the alignment sensor giving a measurement outside a normal operating range or varying significantly from a previous measurement or reference value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises one or more devices selected from the group comprising an air gauge, a capacitive sensor, an automatically focusing spot projector, a scatterometer, a camera, an infrared sensor, and a laser configured to supply a grazing angle laser beam of radiation and a detector to detect scattered radiation.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises a monitoring circuit configured to monitor a force applied by an actuator to maintain the substrate table at a constant vertical position.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection system is provided at an exposure station and the residual liquid detector is provided at a measurement station, the measurement station being physically separate from the exposure station.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector is configured to generate, upon detection of residual liquid, an alarm or error signal to instruct performance of a drying action.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector is arranged to detect residual liquid in parallel with projection of the patterned beam by the projection system.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises a capacitive sensor.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises an air gauge.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises a scatterometer including a laser configured to supply a laser beam of radiation and a detector to detect scattered radiation from the laser beam.

15. A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:

a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;

a projection system arranged to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate;

a liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate; and

a detector configured to detect a property of a surface of the substrate and/or the substrate table after an exposure with liquid in the space is completed, wherein a measurement of the property by the detector that is outside a normal operating range or varies significantly from a previous measurement before application of liquid to the surface is indicative of the presence of liquid on the surface.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the detector comprises a level sensor configured to measure the position of the surface in a direction substantially parallel to an optical axis of the projection system, a tilt of the surface about axes substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection system, or both.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the detector comprises an alignment sensor configured to measure the position of a marker on the surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection system.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the projection system is provided at an exposure station and the detector is provided at a measurement station, the measurement station being physically separate from the exposure station.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a drying station configured to dry the substrate, the substrate table, or both in the event of the measurement of the property outside the normal operating range or varying significantly from a previous measurement before application of liquid to the surface.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the detector is configured to generate, upon the measurement of the property outside the normal operating range or varying significantly from a previous measurement before application of liquid to the surface, an alarm or error signal or to instruct performance of a drying action.

21. A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:

a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;

a projection system arranged to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate;

a liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate;

a liquid detector configured to detect residual liquid remaining on the substrate and/or the substrate table; and

a drying station configured to dry the substrate, the substrate table, or both in the event that residual liquid is detected by the liquid detector.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the liquid detector comprises a level sensor configured to measure the position of a surface in a direction substantially parallel to an optical axis of the projection system, a tilt of a surface about axes substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection system, or both, wherein detection of residual liquid on the substrate, substrate table, or both is effected by the level sensor giving a measurement outside a normal operating range or varying significantly from a previous measurement or reference value.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the liquid detector comprises an alignment sensor configured to measure the position of a marker in a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection system, wherein detection of residual liquid on the substrate, substrate table, or both is effected by the alignment sensor giving a measurement outside a normal operating range or varying significantly from a previous measurement or reference value.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the projection system is provided at an exposure station and the liquid detector is provided at a measurement station, the measurement station being physically separate from the exposure station.

25. A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:

a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;

a projection system arranged to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate;

a liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate;

a radiation source configured to direct a beam of radiation onto or adjacent a surface of the substrate and/or the substrate table; and

a detector configured to detect reflected or refracted radiation from the beam and determine, from the detection, presence of liquid on the surface after exposure of the substrate with liquid in the space, the detector being arranged to detect the reflected or refracted radiation in parallel with projection of the patterned beam by the projection system.