Immersion exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method with residual liquid detector

• US 7,990,517 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Horiuchi, Takashi, Takaiwa, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Peter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/651,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/55, 355/67
• US Class Current: 355/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/42 for automatic sequential copying of the same original G03B27/34, G03B27/53 take precedence
• 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 7/7085 Detection arrangement, e.g. detectors of apparatus alignment possibly mounted on wafers, exposure dose, photo-cleaning flux, stray light, thermal load
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70916 Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps

Abstract

A lithographic projection apparatus includes 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 residual liquid detector configured to detect liquid remaining on the substrate and/or the substrate table after an exposure is completed. A device manufacturing method includes projecting, using a projection system of a lithographic apparatus, a patterned beam of radiation through a liquid onto a substrate, the substrate being held by a substrate table, and, after the projecting is complete, detecting residual liquid on the substrate and/or the substrate table.

Claims

1. A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:

a substrate table by which a substrate is held;

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

a liquid supply system that supplies a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate held by the substrate table;

a residual liquid detector that detects liquid remaining on the substrate table, or the substrate and the substrate table, after an exposure is completed and while the substrate is held by the substrate table, wherein the residual liquid detector is provided between an exposure station where the patterned beam is projected onto the substrate by the projection system and an unload position where the exposed substrate is unloaded from the substrate table.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector comprises one or more of a light-receiving detector, an infrared sensor, and a detector to detect scattered light.

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

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

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection system is provided at the exposure station.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector is provided at a measurement station.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the projection system is provided at the exposure station.

8. A device manufacturing method comprising:

projecting, using a projection system of a lithographic apparatus, a patterned beam of radiation through a liquid onto a substrate, the substrate being held by a substrate table during the projecting;

detecting residual liquid on the substrate table, or the substrate and the substrate table, after the projecting is complete and while the substrate is held by the substrate table on a way to an unload position where the exposed substrate is unloaded from the substrate table.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein detecting the residual liquid is performed by one or more of a light-receiving detector, an infrared sensor, and a detector to detect scattered light.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein projecting the patterned beam of radiation is performed at an exposure station and detecting the residual liquid is performed at a measurement station, the measurement station being physically separate from the exposure station.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the projection system is provided at an exposure station and the detecting of the residual liquid is performed at the exposure station.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein drying of the substrate, the substrate table, or both is performed at a drying station that is physically separate from the exposure station.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the detecting of the residual liquid is performed at a measurement station, the measurement station being physically separate from a drying station at which drying of the substrate, the substrate table, or both is performed.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the projection system is provided at an exposure station, the measurement station being physically separate from the exposure station.