Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device

• US 8,482,716 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation, Nikon Engineering Co. Ltd. (Nikon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation, Nikon Engineering Co. Ltd. (Nikon Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki, Okuyama, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Application Number:
  US11/597,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,952 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/67, 355/71, 355/77, 355/30, 250/492.1, 250/548, 378/34, 378/35
• 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 7/70833 Mounting of optical systems, e.g. mounting of illumination system, projection system or stage systems on base-plate or ground
• 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 7/70883 of optical system

Abstract

Exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by irradiating the substrate with exposure light via a projection optical system and a liquid. The exposure apparatus is provided with a liquid immersion mechanism for supplying the liquid and recovering the liquid. The liquid immersion mechanism has an inclined surface, which is opposite to a surface of the substrate and is inclined with respect to the surface of the substrate, and a liquid recovering port of the liquid immersion mechanism is formed in the inclined surface. A flat portion is provided between the substrate and the projection optical system. A liquid immersion area can be maintained to be small.

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; and

a liquid immersion device which supplies the liquid and which recovers the liquid, wherein;

the liquid immersion device has an inclined surface which is facing a surface of the substrate and which is inclined with respect to a surface perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection optical system;

the inclined surface of the liquid immersion device is arranged such that a surface of the substrate is facing the inclined surface during exposure;

the inclined surface is inclined upwardly and radially outwardly with respect to the optical axis;

the inclined surface is formed to surround a projection area onto which the exposure light beam is radiated; and

the liquid immersion device has a recovery port, which is formed on a face of the inclined surface and which recovers the liquid on the substrate during the exposure.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is formed so that a distance between the inclined surface and the surface of the substrate is increased at positions separated farther from the optical axis.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion device has a wall portion at a circumferential edge of the inclined surface to suppress leakage of the liquid.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery port is formed to surround a projection area onto which the exposure light beam is radiated.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery port includes an opening of a porous member.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the porous member includes a mesh.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the porous member includes a first surface which includes the inclined surface and a second surface;

an angle is formed between the first surface and the second surface; and

the second surface has an opening for recovering the liquid.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second surface is inclined.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion device has a lower surface which is formed between the inclined surface and a projection area irradiated with the exposure light beam, which is substantially in parallel to the surface of the substrate, which is formed continuously to the inclined surface, and which is formed to surround the projection area.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion device includes a member which has an opening, through which the exposure light beam passes, and which is arranged so that a space is formed between the member and an end surface of the projection optical system, and wherein the liquid is supplied to the space formed between the projection optical system and the member and the liquid is supplied from the space onto the substrate through the opening of the member.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the member has a flat portion which is formed opposite to the surface of the substrate.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the flat portion is formed to surround the opening of the member.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the liquid immersion device has a groove which is arranged outside the flat portion, and the groove is communicated therein with a gas around an image plane of the projection optical system.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the groove is formed to surround a projection area onto which the exposure light beam is radiated.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the member has a lower surface which is arranged such that the surface of the substrate is opposite to the lower surface.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the lower surface is arranged such that the lower surface surrounds the opening of the member.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the recovery port is arranged farther outward from the opening of the member than is the lower surface.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the recovery port is arranged such that the recovery port surrounds the lower surface.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the inclined surface is arranged farther outward from the opening of the member than is the lower surface.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the inclined surface is arranged such that the inclined surface surrounds the lower surface.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the liquid immersion device has a groove which is arranged farther outward from the opening of the member than is the lower surface and which is communicated therein with a surrounding gas space.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the groove is arranged such that the groove surrounds the lower surface.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the recovery port is arranged farther outward from the opening of the member than is the groove.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the lower surface is substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion device has a groove which is arranged between the inclined surface and a projection area onto which the exposure light beam is radiated, the groove has an opening which is arranged opposite to the substrate, and the groove is communicated therein with a gas around an image plane of the projection optical system.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the groove is formed to surround the projection area.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface includes a plurality of inclined surfaces which are inclined at different angles with respect to the surface perpendicular to the optical axis.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is inclined at an angle of 3 to 20 degrees with respect to the surface perpendicular to the optical axis.

29. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an entire surface of the inclined surface is the liquid recovery port.

30. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fin is provided on the inclined surface.

31. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid immersion device continues supply and recovery of the liquid during exposure for the substrate such that a liquid immersion area of the liquid is locally formed on a portion of the surface of the substrate during the exposure.

32. A device manufacturing method comprising:

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

processing the exposed substrate to form a device.