Exposure apparatus and method for producing device

• US 8,130,363 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Naoyuki, Tanimoto, Akikazu, Mizuno, Yasushi, Shiraishi, Kenichi, Nakano, Katsushi, Owa, Soichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/153,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20080225250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/67, 355/72, 250/548
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/52 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/00 Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor using photoresist structures for special production processes, see the relevant places, e.g. B44C, H01L, e.g. H01L21/00, H05K
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/2041 in the presence of a fluid, e.g. immersion; using fluid cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70316 Details of optical elements, e.g. of Bragg reflectors, extreme ultraviolet [EUV] multilayer or bilayer mirrors or diffractive optical elements
• 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 7/70775 Position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70925 Cleaning, i.e. actively freeing apparatus from pollutants, e.g. using plasma cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70958 Optical materials or coatings, e.g. with particular transmittance, reflectance or anti-reflection properties
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7015 Reference, i.e. alignment of original or workpiece with respect to a reference not on the original or workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7088 Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7096 Arrangement, mounting, housing, environment, cleaning or maintenance of apparatus

Abstract

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate in an exposure operation, a liquid supply system having a supply port from which exposure liquid is supplied, and a member which has a surface and which is different from the substrate. In the exposure operation, the liquid supply system supplies the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the substrate. In a cleaning operation, the member is moved to a position at which the surface of the member faces the optical element, and the liquid supply system supplies the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the surface of the member.

Claims

1. A method used in a liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which a substrate is exposed, the method comprising:

supplying an exposure liquid from a supply port onto a surface of the substrate to expose the substrate with a patterned beam through the exposure liquid during an exposure operation;

moving a first member, which is different from the substrate, below the supply port; and

supplying the exposure liquid onto a surface of the first member during a cleaning operation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning operation is performed after the exposure operation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning operation is performed before the exposure operation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first member is moved to a position at which the exposure liquid is supplied onto the surface of the first member during the cleaning operation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposure apparatus includes a movable stage which is movable below the supply port, and wherein the first member is arranged on the movable stage.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first member is arranged at a position which is different from a position at which the substrate is to be held on the movable stage.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the exposure apparatus includes a second member and wherein the surface of the substrate held on the movable stage faces a surface of the second member during the exposure operation and the surface of the first member faces the surface of the second member during the cleaning operation.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the exposure liquid contacts with the second member during the exposure operation and the second member is cleaned using the supplied exposure liquid during the cleaning operation.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the exposure liquid contacts with the surface of the second member during the exposure operation and the surface of the second member is lyophilic for the exposure liquid.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second member includes an optical element from which the patterned beam is irradiated to the substrate during the exposure operation.

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the exposure apparatus includes a second member, the exposure liquid is supplied to a space between the substrate and the second member during the exposure operation, the first member is moved to the position at which the first and second members are opposite to each other during the cleaning operation, and the exposure liquid is supplied to a space between the first member and the second member during the cleaning operation.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the exposure liquid contacts with the second member during the exposure operation, and the second member is cleaned using the supplied exposure liquid during the cleaning operation.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the surface of the substrate faces a surface of the second member during the exposure operation, and the surface of the second member is lyophilic for the exposure liquid.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second member includes an optical element from which the patterned beam is irradiated to the substrate during the exposure operation.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first member includes a plate which is the same size as the substrate.

16. The method according to claim 5, wherein the exposure apparatus further includes another movable stage on which the substrate is held.

17. A liquid immersion exposure apparatus comprising:

an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate in an exposure operation;

a movable member which has a surface and which is different from the substrate, the movable member being movable to a position at which the surface of the member faces the optical element; and

a liquid supply system having a supply port from which exposure liquid is supplied, the liquid supply system (i) supplying the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the substrate during the exposure operation, and (ii) supplying the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the surface of the member during a cleaning operation in which the movable member is moved to the position at which the surface of the member faces the optical element.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the optical element is cleaned in the cleaning operation.

19. A liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which a substrate is exposed, the apparatus comprising:

a first member which has a surface, the first member being different from the substrate;

a movable stage on which the first member is arranged; and

a liquid supply system having a supply port from which an exposure liquid is supplied, the liquid supply system (i) supplying the exposure liquid from the supply port onto a surface of the substrate to expose the substrate with a patterned beam through the exposure liquid during an exposure operation, and (ii) supplying the exposure liquid from the supply port onto the surface of the first member during a cleaning operation.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first member is movable below the supply port.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first member is arranged at a position which is different from a position at which the substrate is held on the movable stage.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a second member, wherein the surface of the substrate faces a surface of the second member during the exposure operation and the surface of the first member faces the surface of the second member during the cleaning operation.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the exposure liquid contacts with the second member during the exposure operation, and the second member is cleaned using the supplied exposure liquid during the cleaning operation.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the exposure liquid contacts with the surface of the second member during the exposure operation and the surface of the second member is lyophilic for the exposure liquid.

25. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the second member includes an optical element from which the patterned beam is irradiated to the substrate during the exposure operation.

26. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a second member, wherein the exposure liquid is supplied to a space between the substrate and the second member during the exposure operation, and the exposure liquid is supplied to a space between the first member and the second member during the cleaning operation.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the exposure liquid contacts with the second member during the exposure operation, and the second member is cleaned using the supplied exposure liquid during the cleaning operation.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the surface of the substrate faces a surface of the second member during the exposure operation, and the surface of the second member is lyophilic for the exposure liquid.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the second member includes an optical element from which the patterned beam is irradiated to the substrate during the exposure operation.

30. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first member includes a plate which is the same size as the substrate.

31. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising another movable stage on which the substrate is held.

32. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a component provided on the movable stage, a surface of which is repellent for the exposure liquid.

33. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

a component which contacts with the exposure liquid; and

a liquid-removing system by which a residual liquid on the component is removed.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the liquid-removing system moves the residual liquid in an area on a surface of the component to outside of the area.

35. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate through an exposure liquid from the supply port of the apparatus defined in claim 19; and

processing the exposed substrate.

36. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

a liquid recovery system having a first recovery port; and

an optical element from which the patterned beam is irradiated to the substrate during the exposure operation, wherein

the first recovery port recovers the liquid on the surface of the substrate from above the substrate during the exposure operation, and the movable stage has a holder for holding the substrate and a second recovery port for recovering the liquid from a space under the optical element after completion of the exposure operation for the substrate.