Substrate processing method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device by immersing substrate in second liquid before immersion exposure through first liquid

• US 8,040,489 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Mizutani, Takeyuki, Sugihara, Tarou, Fujiwara, Tomoharu, Okumura, Masahiko, Nakano, Katsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Peter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, CHIA HOW MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/666,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20080143980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,184 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53
• US Class Current: 355/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/2041 in the presence of a fluid, e.g. immersion; using fluid cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/38 Treatment before imagewise removal, e.g. prebaking G03F7/265 takes 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 7/70925 Cleaning, i.e. actively freeing apparatus from pollutants, e.g. using plasma cleaning

Abstract

A substrate processing method which includes an exposure step wherein an immersion area of a first liquid is formed on a substrate and the substrate is exposed by being irradiated with an exposure light through the first liquid, and an immersion step wherein the substrate is immersed in a second liquid before the exposure step. By this method, occurrences of problems caused by adhesion marks, which are always involved in immersion exposure, can be reduced.

Claims

1. A substrate processing method comprising:

holding a substrate on a substrate holder;

exposing the substrate held on the substrate holder by forming a liquid immersion area of a first liquid on the substrate and radiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate through the first liquid;

immersing the substrate in a second liquid, before the substrate is loaded on the substrate holder and before exposing the substrate; and

adjusting a temperature of the substrate to be a predetermined temperature after a process of removing the second liquid from the substrate and before the substrate is loaded on the substrate holder, wherein

the predetermined temperature is based on at least one of the temperature of the substrate holder and a temperature of the first liquid.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the substrate includes a base material and a photosensitive material with which a surface of the base material is coated; and

a liquid immersion condition for immersing the substrate in the second liquid is set depending on information about the substrate.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the information about the substrate includes information about the photosensitive material.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3, wherein the information about the substrate includes elution time for which a part of a substance contained in the photosensitive material is eluted into the second liquid.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the information about the substrate includes information about a protective film which covers the photosensitive material therewith.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein the information about the substrate includes the presence or absence of the protective film.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the liquid immersion condition includes a removal condition of the second liquid.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the liquid immersion condition for immersing the substrate in the second liquid includes immersion time.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, further comprising forming a thin film on the photosensitive material with which the base material is coated.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion area of the first liquid is formed on the substrate after removing the second liquid from the substrate.

11. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the substrate is adjusted to compensate a temperature change of the substrate caused by heat of vaporization generated when the second liquid is removed.

12. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid is the same as the second liquid.

13. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid is different from the second liquid.

14. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising preparing the substrate by coating a base material with a photosensitive material, and pre-baking the prepared substrate, wherein the substrate is immersed in the second liquid after pre-baking the substrate.

15. A method for producing a device, comprising:

the substrate processing method as defined in claim 14;

developing the substrate after exposing the substrate; and

processing the developed substrate.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the substrate is adjusted such that the adjusted temperature is approximately the same as the temperature of the substrate holder.

17. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the substrate is adjusted such that the adjusted temperature is approximately the same as the temperature of the first liquid.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are pure water, and the first liquid is different from the second liquid in a property or a component.

19. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion area of a first liquid on the substrate and radiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate through the first liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder on which the substrate is held, the substrate being loaded on the substrate holder after immersing the substrate in a second liquid and after a process of removing the second liquid from the substrate;

a projection system by which the exposure light beam is radiated onto the substrate held by the substrate holder through the first liquid in the liquid immersion area formed on the substrate; and

a temperature adjustment device which adjusts a temperature of the substrate to be a predetermined temperature after the process of removing the second liquid from the substrate and before loading the substrate on the substrate holder, wherein the predetermined temperature is based on at least one of a temperature of the substrate holder and a temperature of the first liquid.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

a transport system which transports the substrate; and

an immersion device which is provided at an intermediate position of a transport passage of the transport system and which immerses the substrate in the second liquid before the temperature of the substrate is adjusted by the temperature adjustment device.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the immersion device sets an immersion condition for immersing the substrate in the second liquid on the basis of information about the substrate.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the temperature adjustment device adjusts the temperature of the substrate to compensate a temperature change of the substrate caused by heat of vaporization generated when the second liquid is removed.

23. A method for producing a device comprising:

exposing a substrate with the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 19; and

developing the substrate to form the device.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first liquid is the same as the second liquid.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are pure water, and the first liquid is different from the second liquid in a property or a component.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first liquid is different from the second liquid.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the temperature of the substrate is adjusted such that the adjusted temperature is approximately the same as the temperature of the substrate holder.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the temperature of the substrate is adjusted such that the adjusted temperature is approximately the same as the temperature of the first liquid.