Exposure apparatus, method for producing device, and method for controlling exposure apparatus

• US 8,451,424 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2006
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Magome, Nobutaka, Kobayashi, Naoyuki, Takaiwa, Hiroaki, Sakakibara, Yasuyuki, Kadota, Hisatsune
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Application Number:
  US11/338,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,680 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/55, 355/72, 355/75, 359/380, 359/886, 250/492.4, 427/553
• US Class Current: 355/53
• 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 7/70525 Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70725 control
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70858 Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature pollution aspects G03F7/70916
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70866 of mask or workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/709 Vibration, e.g. vibration detection, compensation, suppression or isolation

Abstract

An exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by projecting an image of a pattern on the substrate (P) via a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (1). The exposure device (EX) has a liquid supply mechanism (10) which supplies the liquid (1) between the projection optical system (PL) and the substrate (P). The liquid feeding mechanism (10) stops the supply of the liquid (1) when abnormality is detected. This suppresses influence to devices and members in the periphery of the substrate caused by leakage of the liquid forming a liquid immersion area, thereby realizing satisfactory exposure processing.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate by radiating an exposure light beam onto the substrate through a liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system which projects an image of a pattern onto the substrate;

a liquid supply system which supplies the liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate during the exposure, wherein the liquid supply system stops the supply of the liquid when any abnormality is detected; and

a liquid recovery system which recovers the liquid supplied by the liquid supply system, wherein the abnormality includes abnormality of recovery operation performed by the liquid recovery system.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality of the operation of the liquid recovery system is detected by comparing an amount of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply system with an amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the abnormality of the operation of the liquid recovery system is detected when a difference between the amount of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply system and the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system is not less than a threshold value.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the liquid recovery system includes a flow meter which measures the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system, and

the liquid supply system includes a flow meter which measures the amount of the liquid supplied by the liquid supply system.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an oversupply is detected on the basis of the amount of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply system and the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system.

6. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing an image of a pattern onto a substrate using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 1; and

processing the exposed substrate.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the liquid recovery system includes a flow meter which measures an amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system, and

the abnormality of the operation of the liquid recovery system is detected based on the measurement of the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid recovery system connects to a vacuum system, and the abnormality of recovery operation includes a malfunction of the vacuum system.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid recovery system includes a gas/liquid separator, and the abnormality of recovery operation includes a malfunction of the gas/liquid separator.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply system includes a valve which stops the supply of the liquid when the abnormality is detected.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the valve mechanically stops the supply of the liquid when a power source of the exposure apparatus is stopped.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electric unit,

wherein supply of electric power to the electric unit is stopped when the abnormality is detected.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a movable member which holds the substrate, wherein the electric unit includes a motor which moves the movable member.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a suction port,

wherein suction from the suction port is stopped when the abnormality is detected.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising

a movable member which holds the substrate, and

a gas bearing which has the suction port and by which the movable member is moved while making no contact with a guide surface,

wherein the suction port sucks gas existing between the movable member and the guide surface.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality includes abnormality of a positional relationship between the projection optical system and a movable member which holds the substrate.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the abnormality of the positional relationship is a state in which the liquid cannot be retained under the projection optical system.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising

a first area which is defined on the movable member, and

a second area which includes an end portion of the projection optical system on an image plane side,

wherein the liquid is retained between at least a part of the first area and the second area to form a liquid immersion area in a situation in which the first area is opposed to the second area, and the abnormality of positional relationship is between the first area and the second area.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the abnormality of the positional relationship includes a state in which at least a part of the liquid immersion area protrudes to outside from the first area.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein movement of the movable member is stopped when the abnormality of the positional relationship between the first area and the second area is detected.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality includes leakage of the liquid.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising

a detector which detects the leakage of the liquid, and

a controller which controls operation of the exposure apparatus on a basis of a result of detection performed by the detector.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the detector is arranged in a liquid recovery port which is provided for a movable member that holds the substrate.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a flat portion which is substantially flush with a surface of the substrate and which is provided around the substrate held by the movable member.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the liquid recovery port includes a groove which is formed so as to surround the substrate.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the detector optically detects the leakage of the liquid.

27. An exposure method comprising:

supplying a liquid to a space between a projection optical system and a substrate by a liquid supply system;

recovering the supplied liquid by a liquid recovery system; and

exposing the substrate via the supplied liquid,

wherein the liquid supply system stops the supply of the liquid when any abnormality is detected, and the abnormality includes abnormality of recovery operation performed by the liquid recovery system.

28. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the abnormality of the operation of the liquid recovery system is detected by comparing an amount of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply system with an amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system.

29. The exposure method according to claim 28, wherein the abnormality of the operation of the liquid recovery system is detected when a difference between the amount of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply system and the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system is not less than a threshold value.

30. The exposure method according to claim 28, wherein

the liquid recovery system includes a flow meter which measures the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system, and

the liquid supply system includes a flow meter which measures the amount of the liquid supplied by the liquid supply system.

31. The exposure method according to claim 28, wherein an oversupply is detected on the basis of the amount of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply system and the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system.

32. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein

the liquid recovery system includes a flow meter which measures an amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system, and

the abnormality of the operation of the liquid recovery system is detected based on the amount of the liquid recovered by the liquid recovery system.

33. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the liquid recovery system connects to a vacuum system, and the abnormality of recovery operation includes a malfunction of the vacuum system.

34. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the liquid recovery system includes a gas/liquid separator, and the abnormality of recovery operation includes a malfunction of the gas/liquid separator.

35. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the liquid supply system includes a valve which stops the supply of the liquid when the abnormality is detected.

36. The exposure method according to claim 35, wherein the valve mechanically stops the supply of the liquid when a power source is stopped.

37. The exposure method according to claim 27, further comprising:

stopping supply of electric power to an electric unit when the abnormality is detected.

38. The exposure method according to claim 37, wherein the electric unit comprises a motor which moves a movable member which holds the substrate.

39. The exposure method according to claim 27, further comprising:

stopping suction from a suction port when the abnormality is detected.

40. The exposure method according to claim 39, wherein

a gas bearing has the suction port and moves a movable member which holds the substrate while making no contact with a guide surface, and

the suction port sucks gas existing between the movable member and the guide surface.

41. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the abnormality includes abnormality of a positional relationship between the projection optical system and a movable member which holds the substrate.

42. The exposure method according to claim 41, wherein the abnormality of the positional relationship is a state in which the liquid cannot be retained under the projection optical system.

43. The exposure method according to claim 42, wherein

a first area is defined on the movable member,

a second area includes an end portion of the projection optical system on an image plane side,

the liquid is retained between at least a part of the first area and the second area to form a liquid immersion area in a situation in which the first area is opposed to the second area, and

the abnormality of positional relationship is between the first area and the second area.

44. The exposure method according to claim 43, wherein the abnormality of the positional relationship includes a state in which at least a part of the liquid immersion area protrudes to outside from the first area.

45. The exposure method according to claim 43, wherein movement of the movable member is stopped when the abnormality of the positional relationship between the first area and the second area is detected.

46. The exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the abnormality includes leakage of the liquid.

47. The exposure method according to claim 46, further comprising:

detecting the leakage of the liquid,

wherein operation of an exposure apparatus is performed on the basis of a result of the detection.

48. The exposure method according to claim 46, wherein a detector is arranged in a liquid recovery port which is provided for a movable member that holds the substrate.

49. The exposure method according to claim 48, wherein the movable member has a flat portion which is substantially flush with a surface of the substrate and which is provided around the substrate held by the movable member.

50. The exposure method according to claim 48, wherein the liquid recovery port includes a groove which is formed so as to surround the substrate.

51. The exposure method according to claim 48, wherein the detector optically detects the leakage of the liquid.