Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 8,488,099 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki, Kohno, Hirotaka, Nishii, Yasufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A
• Application Number:
  US11/578,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20080018866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,015 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355 72- 73, 355/77, 355/52, 355/55, 355/67, 355/71, 430/5, 430/8, 430/22, 430/311, 430/322, 250/492.1, 250/492.2, 250/492.22, 250/548
• US Class Current: 355/30
• 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

Abstract

An exposure apparatus is provided that performs well a liquid supply operation for forming a liquid immersion region and a liquid recovery operation to form a liquid immersion region in a desired state, thereby allowing high exposure accuracy and high measurement accuracy. The exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by irradiating exposure light (EL) onto the substrate (P) via a liquid (LQ), and includes a liquid supply mechanism (10) that has a supply port (13) capable of supplying the liquid (LQ) substantially in parallel with a surface of the substrate (P).

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a liquid, comprising:

a projection optical system having an optical member, the substrate being exposed to the exposure light from the optical member through the liquid between the optical member and the substrate;

a liquid recovery system having a recovery port, and

a plurality of porous members including a first porous member and a second porous member provided over the recovery port, each of the first and second porous members having a plurality of pores, and the pores of the first porous member being different from the pores of the second porous member in size,

wherein the liquid on the substrate is recovered into a recovery flow passage after passing through the pore of the first porous member and then passing through the pore of the second porous member.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the first and second porous members comprises a mesh member.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the pores of the first and second porous members have a similar shape, and

the first and second porous members are provided over the recovery port such that positions of the pores of the respective first and second porous members are misaligned.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the recovery port is provided so as to face the substrate located on the image plane side of the projection optical system and so as to surround a projection region of the projection optical system.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the liquid is supplied between the projection region of the projection optical system and the recovery port.

6. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus of claim 1; and

processing the exposed substrate.

7. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a liquid, comprising:

a projection optical system having an optical member, the substrate being exposed to the exposure light from the optical member through the liquid between the optical member and the substrate; and

a liquid immersion member disposed such that the liquid immersion member surrounds the optical member, the liquid immersion member being provided with a first porous member and a second porous member, each of the first and second porous members having a plurality of pores, and a size of the pores of the first porous member being different from a size of the pores of the second porous member,

wherein the liquid between the first porous member and the substrate is sucked and recovered into a recovery flow passage after passing through the pore of the first porous member and then passing through the pore of the second porous member.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the liquid immersion member is provided with a recovery port over which the first and second porous members are provided.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and second porous members are provided in a stack over the recovery port.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first and second porous members are provided in a stack.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a shape of the pores of the first porous member is similar to a shape of the pores of the second porous member.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a shape of the pores of the first porous member is different from a shape of the pores of the second porous member.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the liquid between the first porous member and the substrate is sucked and recovered with a gas.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the liquid immersion member has a lower surface provided such that the lower surface surrounds an optical path of the exposure light, the substrate being opposite to the lower surface of the liquid immersion member and the distance between the first porous member and the substrate is longer than the distance between the lower surface and the substrate.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first porous member is provided further away from the optical path of the exposure light than the lower surface.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first porous member is provided so as to surround the lower surface.

17. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus of claim 7; and

processing the exposed substrate.

18. A method used in an exposure apparatus, the method comprising:

exposing a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a liquid between an optical member of a projection optical system and the substrate; and

recovering the liquid from on the substrate through pores of first and second porous members of a liquid immersion member which is disposed such that the liquid immersion member surrounds the optical member, a size of the pores of the first porous member being different from a size of the pores of the second porous member,

wherein the liquid between the first porous member and the substrate is sucked and recovered into a recovery flow passage after passing through the pore of the first porous member and then passing through the pore of the second porous member.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the liquid immersion member is provided with a recovery port over which the first and second porous members are provided.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first and second porous members are provided in a stack over the recovery port.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first and second porous members are provided in a stack.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein a shape of the pores of the first porous member is similar to the shape of the pores of the second porous member.

23. The method according to claim 18, wherein a shape of the pores of the first porous member is different from a shape of the pores of the second porous member.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein the liquid between the first porous member and the substrate is sucked and recovered with a gas.

25. The method according to claim 18, wherein the liquid immersion member has a lower surface provided such that the surface surrounds an optical path of the exposure light, the substrate being opposite to the lower surface of the liquid immersion member and the distance between the first porous member and the substrate is longer than the distance between the lower surface and the substrate.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first porous member is provided further away from the optical path of the exposure light than the lower surface.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first porous member is provided so as to surround the lower surface.