Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device

• US 7,932,991 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Owa, Soichi, Nishii, Yasugumi, Nagasaka, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/366,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/52, 355/53, 355/55, 355/67
• 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 7/70733 Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/708 Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7095 Materials, e.g. materials for housing, stage or other support having particular properties, e.g. weight, strength, conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient

Abstract

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by projecting an image of a predetermined pattern through a liquid onto the substrate. The exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which performs the projection, and a liquid supply mechanism which supplies the liquid onto the substrate to form a liquid immersion area on a part of the substrate. The liquid supply mechanism supplies the liquid onto the substrate simultaneously from a plurality of positions which are apart, in a plurality of different directions, from the projection area. The exposure apparatus is capable of forming the liquid immersion area stably and recovering the liquid satisfactorily. It is possible to perform the exposure process accurately while avoiding, for example, the outflow of the liquid to the surroundings.

Claims

1. A liquid supply method used in an exposure apparatus, the method comprising:

supplying liquid from a supply port to a space under a projection optical system of the exposure apparatus in which a first shot area on a substrate is exposed to a patterned beam via the projection optical system while moving the substrate in one direction and a second shot area on the substrate is exposed to the patterned beam via the projection optical system while moving the substrate in another direction opposite to the one direction, the first and second shot areas being successively exposed in a continuous period without stopping the liquid supply from the supply port;

changing a supply amount of the liquid per unit time from the supply port depending on an operation to be executed in the exposure apparatus without stopping the liquid supply from the supply port.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is simultaneously supplied on oppositely-facing sides of a projection area of the projection optical system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is simultaneously supplied on a plurality of sides of a projection area of the projection optical system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the supply amount of the liquid per unit time in a first operation of the exposure apparatus is different from the supply amount of the liquid per unit time in a second operation of the exposure apparatus that is different from the first operation.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the liquid is supplied from the supply port to the space between the projection optical system and the substrate during the exposure, and the first and second operations are performed during the exposure.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the patterned beam is projected onto the substrate in the first operation and the patterned beam is not projected onto the substrate in the second operation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second operation includes stepping movement that is performed between the first and second shot areas on the substrate.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the patterned beam is projected onto the substrate in the first operation and the patterned beam is not projected onto the substrate in the second operation.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein a movement of a substrate table for holding the substrate in the first operation is different from a movement of the substrate table in the second operation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a direction in which the substrate table is moved in the first operation is different from a direction in which the substrate table is moved in the second operation.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the substrate table is moved in a scanning direction in the first operation and the substrate table is moved in a non-scanning direction in the second operation.

12. The method according to claim 4, further comprising recovering the supplied liquid at a first position with a first non-zero recovery force and a second position with a second non-zero recovery force which is different from the first non-zero recovery force.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first position is located away from an optical axis of the projection optical system in a first direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis and the second position is located away from the optical axis in a second direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the supplied liquid is recovered using a recovery port which is configured to continuously or discontinuously surround the projection area, and the liquid recovery by the recover port includes the liquid recovery at the first and second positions.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the supply amount of the liquid per unit time is changed in the continuous period.

16. A device manufacturing method comprising:

supplying liquid from a supply port of an exposure apparatus to a space under a projection optical system of the exposure apparatus;

exposing a substrate to a patterned beam via the projection optical system via the liquid supplied from the supply port in the exposure apparatus, the first shot area on the substrate being exposed to the patterned beam while moving the substrate in one direction and a second shot area on the substrate is exposed to the patterned beam while moving the substrate in another direction opposite to the one direction, the first and second shot areas being successively exposed in a continuous period without stopping the liquid supply from the supply port;

changing a supply amount of the liquid per unit time from the supply port depending on an operation to be executed in the exposure apparatus without stopping the liquid supply from the supply port.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the liquid is simultaneously supplied on oppositely-facing sides of a projection area of the projection optical system.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the liquid is simultaneously supplied on a plurality of sides of a projection area of the projection optical system.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the supply amount of the liquid per unit time in a first operation of the exposure apparatus is different from the supply amount of the liquid per unit time in a second operation of the exposure apparatus that is different from the first operation.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the liquid is supplied from the supply port to the space between the projection optical system and the substrate during the exposure, and the first and second operations are performed during the exposure.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the patterned beam is projected onto the substrate in the first operation and the patterned beam is not projected onto the substrate in the second operation.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the second operation includes stepping movement that is performed between the first and second shot areas on the substrate.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the patterned beam is projected onto the substrate in the first operation and the patterned beam is not projected onto the substrate in the second operation.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein a movement of a substrate table for holding the substrate in the first operation is different from a movement of the substrate table in the second operation.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein a direction in which the substrate table is moved in the first operation is different from a direction in which the substrate table is moved in the second operation.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the substrate table is moved in a scanning direction in the first operation and the substrate table is moved in a non-scanning direction in the second operation.

27. The method according to claim 19, further comprising recovering the supplied liquid at a first position with a first non-zero recovery force and a second position with a second non-zero recovery force which is different from the first non-zero recovery force.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the first position is located away from an optical axis of the projection optical system in a first direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis and the second position is located away from the optical axis in a second direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the supplied liquid is recovered using a recovery port which is configured to continuously or discontinuously surround the projection area, and the liquid recovery by the recover port includes the liquid recovery at the first and second positions.

30. The method according to claim 16, wherein the supply amount of the liquid per unit time is changed in the continuous period.