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

• US 8,345,216 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• 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: Horiuchi, Takashi, Ohta, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitesell Gordon, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US11/398,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20060257553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/72, 355/30, 355/77, 430/5, 206/710
• 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 substrate conveyance device that conveys a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and a liquid, the substrate conveyance device comprising: a liquid detector that detects the liquid adhering on the substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate conveyance device that conveys a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and a liquid, the substrate conveyance device comprising:

a conveyance path that leads from an exposure area where the patterned image is projected via the projection optical system; and

a liquid detector disposed in the conveyance path between the exposure area and a holding table that is other than a substrate exposure table where the substrate is exposed, and that detects the liquid remaining on an exposed surface of the substrate before the substrate is developed,

wherein the liquid detector detects the liquid remaining on the exposed surface of the substrate based on first information as to a surface of the substrate that has not been exposed yet and second information as to the exposed surface of the substrate.

2. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination device that determines, based on a detection result of the liquid detector, whether liquid removal from the exposed substrate should be performed.

3. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 2, further comprising a removal device that removes the liquid remaining on the substrate.

4. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 3, wherein the removal device sets, based on the detection results of the liquid detector, removal conditions under which the liquid remaining on the substrate is removed.

5. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 4, wherein the removal conditions include a time required for removing the remaining liquid.

6. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the first information is imaging information obtained by imaging the surface of the substrate having not yet been exposed, and the second information is imaging information obtained by imaging the surface of the substrate having been exposed.

7. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the first information includes reflectivity information of the substrate surface, and the second information includes reflectivity information of the substrate surface and reflectivity information of the liquid.

8. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid detector has an irradiation device that irradiates a detection light on the surface of the substrate having been exposed and a tight receiving device that receives the detection light reflected on the substrate surface.

9. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image, via a projection optical system and a liquid, onto the substrate, wherein the exposed substrate is conveyed by use of the substrate conveyance device according to claim 1.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance path leads directly from the exposure area.

11. A substrate conveyance method comprising:

conveying a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and a liquid, the substrate being conveyed in a conveyance path from an exposure area where the pattern image is projected via the projection optical system to a development apparatus that applies a development process to the substrate; and

detecting the liquid remaining on an exposed surface of the substrate on the conveyance path between the exposure area and a holding table that is other than a substrate exposure table where the substrate is exposed before the substrate is developed,

wherein the detection takes place based on first information as to a surface of the substrate that has not been exposed yet and second information as to the exposed surface of the substrate.

12. A substrate conveyance method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining, based on a detection result of the liquid, whether liquid removal for the substrate should be performed.

13. A substrate conveyance method according to claim 12, further comprising:

removing the liquid remaining on the substrate.

14. A substrate conveyance method according to claim 13, wherein based on the detection results of the liquid, removal conditions under which the liquid remaining on the substrate is removed are set.

15. A substrate conveyance method according to claim 11, wherein a detection light is irradiated on the surface of the substrate having been exposed, and the detection light reflected on the substrate surface is received, and the detection of the remaining liquid is performed based on the light-reception results.

16. An exposure method comprising:

exposing a substrate by projecting a pattern image, via a projection optical system and a liquid, onto the substrate; and

conveying the exposed substrate by use of the substrate conveyance method according to claim 11.

17. A device manufacturing method which uses the exposure method according to claim 16.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the conveyance path leads directly from the exposure area.

19. A device manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a substrate conveyance device having a conveyance path by which a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and liquid is conveyed from an exposure area where the pattern image is projected via the projection optical system to a development apparatus that applies a development process to the substrate; and

a liquid detector disposed in the conveyance path between the exposure area and a holding table that is other than a substrate exposure table where the substrate is exposed, and that detects the liquid remaining on an exposed surface of the substrate before the substrate is developed,

wherein the liquid detector detects the liquid remaining on the exposed surface of the substrate based on first information as to a surface of the substrate that has not been exposed yet and second information as to the exposed surface of the substrate.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein during the exposure of the substrate, a recovery system recovers liquid on the surface of the substrate such that a local area of the surface of the substrate is covered by the liquid.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the remaining liquid includes liquid which has not been recovered by the recovery system.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a removal device by which the remaining liquid on the substrate is removed.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising the projection optical system and the recovery system.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein during the exposure for the substrate, the substrate is held by a substrate table, and wherein the liquid detector detects the remaining liquid on the exposed substrate after the exposed substrate is unloaded from the substrate table.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising the projection optical system and the substrate table.

26. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the conveyance path leads directly from the exposure area.

27. A substrate conveyance device that conveys a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and a liquid, the substrate conveyance device comprising:

a conveyance path that leads from an exposure area where the patterned image is projected via the projection optical system; and

a liquid detector disposed in the conveyance path between the exposure area and a holding table that is other than a substrate exposure table where the substrate is exposed, and that detects the liquid remaining on an exposed surface of the substrate before the substrate is developed,

wherein the liquid detector detects the liquid remaining on the exposed surface of the substrate based on first information as to a surface of the substrate which has not been exposed yet and second information as to the exposed surface of the substrate on which a removing operation for the liquid remaining on the substrate has not been performed.

28. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 27, further comprising a removal device that removes the liquid remaining on the substrate after the detection.

29. A substrate conveyance device according to claim 27, wherein the removing operation is not carried out in case that there is no need to remove the liquid remaining on the substrate.

30. A substrate conveyance method comprising:

conveying a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and a liquid, the substrate being conveyed in a conveyance path from an exposure area where the pattern image is projected via the projection optical system to a development apparatus that applies a development process to the substrate; and

detecting the liquid remaining on an exposed surface of the substrate on the conveyance path between the exposure area and a holding table that is other than a substrate exposure table where the substrate is exposed, before the substrate is developed,

wherein the detection takes place based on first information as to a surface of the substrate which has not been exposed yet and second information as to the exposed surface of the substrate on which a removing operation for the liquid remaining on the substrate has not been performed.

31. A substrate conveyance method according to claim 30, further comprising:

removing the liquid remaining on the substrate after the detection.

32. A substrate conveyance method according to claim 30, wherein the removing operation is not carried out in case that there is no need to remove the liquid remaining on the substrate.

33. A device manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a substrate conveyance device having a conveyance path by which a substrate having been exposed with a pattern image via a projection optical system and liquid is conveyed from an exposure area where the pattern image is projected via the projection optical system to a development apparatus that applies a development process to the substrate; and

a liquid detector disposed in the conveyance path between the exposure area and a holding table that is other than a substrate exposure table where the substrate is exposed, and that detects the liquid remaining on an exposed surface of the substrate before the substrate is developed,

wherein the liquid detector detects the liquid remaining on the exposed surface of the substrate based on first information as to a surface of the substrate which has not been exposed yet and second information as to the exposed surface of the substrate on which a removing operation for the liquid remaining on the substrate has not been performed.

34. A device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising a removal device that removes the liquid remaining on the substrate after the detection.

35. A device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the removing operation is not carried out in case that there is no need to remove the liquid remaining on the substrate.