Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

• US 8,289,500 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kiuchi, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): Artman, Thomas R
• Application Number:
  US12/382,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20090208885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 355/72, 355/50, 355/53, 355/77
• US Class Current: 355/77
• 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 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70725 control
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70733 Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask

Abstract

An exposure apparatus includes a first optical member from which an exposure beam is emitted; a first object movable at a light-exit side of the first optical member; a second object movable, independently of the first object, at the light-exit side of the first optical member; and a driving unit that moves the first object and the second object in a first direction within a predetermined plane including a first position opposing the first optical member in a state in which the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other and in which positions of the first object and the second object in a second direction within the predetermined plane are shifted.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate with an exposure beam, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a first optical member from which the exposure beam is emitted;

a first object movable at a light-exit side of the first optical member;

a second object movable, independently of the first object, at the light-exit side of the first optical member; and

a driving unit that moves the first object and the second object in a first direction within a predetermined plane including a first position opposing the first optical member in a state in which the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other and the first object and the second object are offset from each other in a second direction within the predetermined plane.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first object and the second object have a substantially same shape and size as each other.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the first object and the second object can move while holding a substrate.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the driving unit makes the first object and the second object close to or in contact with each other such that a liquid is held between the first optical member and at least one of the first object and the second object.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, comprising:

a device that has a second optical member and acquires positional information of a substrate held on at least one of the first object and the second object, wherein

each of the first object and the second object can move to a second position opposing the second optical member,

an operation of setting the first object at the first position and exposing a substrate held on the first object is performed in parallel with at least part of an operation of setting the second object at the second position and acquiring positional information of a substrate held on the second object, and

the driving unit moves the first object and the second object while the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other after exposure of the substrate held on the first object and before exposure of the substrate held on the second object.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when the first object and the second object are moved while the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other after exposure of the substrate held on the first object and before exposure of the substrate held on the second object, the driving unit offsets the first object and the second object with respect to each other in the second direction such that the first object is set at a position closer to the second optical member than the second object.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first object has four end faces around the substrate held on the first object,

the second object has four end faces around the substrate held on the second object,

a plurality of shot regions is set on each substrate and the plurality of shot regions is sequentially exposed, and

the driving unit, when the first object and the second object are moved while the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other after exposure of the substrate held on the first object and before exposure of the substrate held on the second object, offsets the first object and the second object with respect to each other in the second direction such that part of an end face of the first object, the end face of the first object being close to the shot region most recently exposed on the substrate held on the first object, is close to or in contact with part of an end face of the second object, the end face of the second object being close to the shot region that is exposed first on the substrate held on the second object.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first object has four end faces around the substrate held on the first object and has third optical members provided on three of the four end faces, the third optical members being illuminated with a first measuring beam for position measurement,

the second object has four end faces around the substrate held on the second object and has fourth optical members provided on three of the four end faces, the fourth optical members being illuminated with a second measuring beam for position measurement, and

the driving unit, when the first object and the second object are moved while the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other after exposure of the substrate held on the first object and before exposure of the substrate held on the second object, makes part of the end face of the first object without the third optical member and part of the end face of the second object without the fourth optical member close to or in contact with each other in the first direction.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the first object and the second object has a reflecting member which is illuminated with a measuring beam for position measurement, the reflecting member including a first reflecting surface including a component of a third direction substantially orthogonal to the predetermined plane, a second reflecting surface which includes the third direction component and is substantially symmetrical to the first reflecting surface, and a third reflecting surface substantially orthogonal to at least one of the first direction and the second direction;

and an end face projecting outward beyond the reflecting member, and

the driving unit moves the first object and the second object while part of the end face of the first object, the end face projecting outward beyond the reflecting member, is close to or in contact with part of the end face of the second object, the end face projecting outward beyond the reflecting member.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a width of an overlapping portion of the first and second objects due to the offset between the first and second objects in the second direction while the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other has a minimum possible value to allow a liquid to be held with the first optical member.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes:

a first driving unit which has a first stator and a first mover operating in conjunction with the first stator and moves the first object in the predetermined direction within the predetermined plane;

a second driving unit which has a second stator and a second mover operating in conjunction with the second stator and moves the second object in the predetermined direction;

a first support member which is provided with the first stator and movably supports one end of the first object; and

a second support member which is provided with the second stator and movably supports one end of the second object and wherein

the first support member is separated from the second support member at a predetermined interval in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the driving unit includes:

a third driving unit which has a third stator connected to the first mover and a third mover operating in conjunction with the third stator and moves the first object in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction; and

a fourth driving unit which includes a fourth stator connected to the second mover and a fourth mover operating in conjunction with the fourth stator and moves the second object in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

13. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate by use of the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and

developing the exposed substrate.

14. An exposure method for exposing a substrate with an exposure beam, the method comprising:

bringing a first object and a second object, which are movable at a light-exit side of a first optical member from which the exposure beam is emitted, close to or in contact with each other in a first direction within a predetermined plane including a first position opposing the first optical member; and

moving the first object and the second object in the first direction in a state in which the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other and in which the first object and the second object are offset from each other in a second direction within the predetermined plane.

15. The exposure method according to claim 14, wherein a liquid is held between the first optical member and at least one of the first object and the second object while the first object and the second object move in the first direction.

16. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate by use of the exposure method according to claim 14; and

developing the exposed substrate.