Exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, maintenance method, and exposure method

• US 8,115,902 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shiraishi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Artman, Thomas R
• Application Number:
  US12/457,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20090244503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/50, 355/52, 355/53, 355/67, 355/72, 355/75, 355/77
• 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

Abstract

An exposure apparatus can prevent disadvantages of supplying liquid of reduced cleanliness and formation of watermarks. The exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, and includes a liquid supply mechanism for supplying the liquid, and a measuring device which measures a time during which the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply mechanism is stopped.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, comprising:

a measuring device which measures an elapsed time of a non-immersed state;

a liquid supply system having a flowpath that supplies the liquid onto the substrate; and

a control device that causes the flowpath to be cleaned when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined allowable time.

2. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control device controls the liquid supply system to flush the flowpath with the liquid to remove old liquid from the flowpath by starting the supply of the liquid when the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined allowable time.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the predetermined allowable time is determined taking a proliferation time of bacteria in the flowpath into consideration.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply system is started with the projection optical system facing a predetermined object.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined object comprises a stage which can move along the end face of the projection optical system.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure light is irradiated onto the substrate with an end face of the projection optical system contacting the liquid;

and

the predetermined allowable time is determined taking a drying time of liquid adhered to the end face of the projection optical system into consideration.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined allowable time is determined such that impurities do not adhere to the end face of the projection optical system due to drying of the liquid on the end face.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate stage which holds the substrate;

and wherein,

when the predetermined allowable time is exceeded, the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply system is started with the projection optical system being arranged facing a flat section of the substrate stage.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply system is started with the substrate or a dummy substrate held on the substrate stage.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is pure water.

11. A method for producing a device, the method comprising:

transferring a pattern onto the substrate with the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and

processing the substrate to form the device.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-immersed state is a state in which the liquid is not present on the substrate.

13. A maintenance method of an exposure apparatus having a projection optical system which projects an image of a pattern via a liquid onto a substrate, the method comprising:

measuring an elapsed time of a non-immersed state; and

cleaning a flowpath of a liquid supply system that supplies the liquid to the substrate when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined allowable time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the flowpath is cleaned by flushing the flowpath with the liquid supplied by the liquid supply system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the supplied liquid also flows past a final optical element of the projection optical system during the flushing.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the non-immersed state is a state in which the liquid is not present on the substrate.

17. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a protection optical system and a liquid, comprising:

a measurement device which measures an elapsed time of a non-immersed state of the projection optical system; and

a control device that causes the generation of a warning signal when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined allowable time.

18. The exposure apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control device causes the liquid to be supplied when the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined allowable time.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a liquid supply system having a flowpath that supplies the liquid, and

the predetermined allowable time is determined taking a proliferation time of bacteria in the flowpath into consideration.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein a supply of the liquid from a liquid supply system is started with the projection optical system facing a predetermined object.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined object comprises a stage which can move along an end face of the projection optical system.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the exposure light is irradiated onto the substrate with an end face of the projection optical system contacting the liquid;

and

the predetermined allowable time is determined taking a drying time of liquid adhered to the end face of the projection optical system into consideration.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the predetermined allowable time is determined such that impurities do not adhere to the end face of the projection optical system due to drying of the liquid on the end face.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a substrate stage which holds the substrate;

and wherein,

when the predetermined allowable time is exceeded, a supply of the liquid from a liquid supply system is started with the projection optical system being arranged facing a flat section of the substrate stage.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply system is started with the substrate or a dummy substrate held on the substrate stage.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the liquid is pure water.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a liquid supply system having a flowpath that supplies the liquid and a valve for opening and closing the flowpath;

and

the elapsed time is a time that has elapsed since the valve is operated to stop the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply system.

28. A method for producing a device, the method comprising:

transferring a pattern onto the substrate with the exposure apparatus according to claim 17; and

processing the substrate to form the device.