Substrate conveyance device and substrate conveyance method, exposure apparatus and exposure method, device manufacturing method

• US 7,995,186 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation, Zao Nikon Co. Ltd. (Nikon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation, Zao Nikon Co. Ltd. (Nikon Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohta, Atsushi, Horiuchi, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITESELL GORDON, STEVEN H
• Application Number:
  US11/652,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20070110916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/67, 355/71, 355/72, 355/75, 378/34, 378/35, 250/492.2
• 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: G03D 3/00 Liquid processing apparatus involving immersion; Washing apparatus involving immersion G03D9/00, G03D11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/2041 in the presence of a fluid, e.g. immersion; using fluid cooling means
• 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 7/7075 Handling workpieces outside exposure position, e.g. SMIF box

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 via which a patterned beam of radiation is projected onto the substrate to produce an exposed substrate;

a liquid supply system by which liquid is supplied to a space between the projection system and the substrate; and

a residual liquid detector that detects liquid remaining on the exposed substrate after an exposure is completed and before the exposed substrate is developed and before the exposed substrate is held on a holding table other than the substrate table, wherein

the residual liquid detector performs liquid detection on a way to the holding table while the substrate is moving relative to the residual liquid detector.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drying station that holds the exposed substrate on the holding table and dries the exposed substrate 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 one or more devices selected from the group comprising a camera, an infrared sensor, and a detector to detect scattered light.

4. 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 separate from the exposure station.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector generates, upon detection of residual liquid, a signal to instruct performance of a drying action.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual liquid detector detects liquid remaining on the exposed substrate after the exposed substrate is moved from under the projection system.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the residual liquid detector detects liquid remaining on the exposed substrate after the exposed substrate is unloaded from the substrate table.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid recovery system by which liquid is recovered from the space between the projection system and the substrate, wherein the space between the projection system and the substrate is locally filled with liquid by the liquid supply system and the liquid recovery system with the patterned beam being projected onto the substrate.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the liquid is not detected by the residual liquid detector, the exposed substrate does not enter a drying station.

10. 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 to produce an exposed substrate, the substrate being held by a substrate table, and, after the projecting is complete and before the exposed substrate is developed and before the exposed substrate is held on a holding table other than the substrate table, detecting residual liquid on the exposed substrate in the lithographic apparatus, wherein

the detecting residual liquid is performed by the residual liquid detector on a way to the holding table while the substrate is moving relative to the residual liquid detector.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising drying the exposed substrate in the event that residual liquid is detected.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein detecting residual liquid is performed by one or more devices selected from the group comprising a camera, an infrared sensor, and a detector to detect scattered light.

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

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the lithographic apparatus, detecting residual liquid on the exposed substrate is performed after the exposed substrate is moved from under the projection system.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the lithographic apparatus, detecting residual liquid on the exposed substrate is performed after the exposed substrate is unloaded from the substrate table.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

locally filling a space between the projection system and the substrate with liquid by supplying liquid to the space and by recovering liquid from the space with the patterned beam being projected onto the substrate.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein if the residual liquid is not detected, the exposed substrate does not enter a drying station.