Immersion exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method with measuring device

• US 8,520,184 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shiraishi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, CHIA HOW MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/570,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20070291239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,003 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 356/509, 359/665
• 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: 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 7/70875 Temperature, e.g. temperature control of masks or workpieces via control of stage temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70916 Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps

Abstract

There is provided an exposure apparatus capable of accurately performing an exposure process and a measurement process based on a liquid immersion method. The exposure apparatus (EX), which forms a liquid immersion area (AR2) of a liquid (LQ) on an image surface side of a projection optical system (PL), and exposes a substrate (P) via the projection optical system (PL) and the liquid (LQ) of the immersion area (AR2), is provided with a measuring device (60) which measures at least one of a property and composition of the liquid (LQ) for forming the liquid immersion area (AR2).

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system via which a substrate is exposed to an exposure beam through an immersion liquid;

a liquid supply system including a supply channel fluidly connected to a space under the projection optical system, which supplies the immersion liquid;

a first liquid recovery system including a recovery channel fluidly connected to the space which recovers the supplied immersion liquid from the space, the immersion liquid recovered from the space being disposed of without returning to the supply channel;

a liquid immersion area forming member below which the substrate is moved during the exposure, and via which the first liquid recovery system recovers the immersion liquid from the space, the liquid immersion area forming member having an opening through which the exposure beam is projected;

a first measuring system which measures at least one of a property and composition of the immersion liquid recovered from the space and discharged from the liquid immersion area forming member; and

a controller which determines whether or not to perform a cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on a measurement result of the first measuring system.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second measuring system which measures at least one of the property and composition of the immersion liquid in the liquid supply system.

3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquid supply system comprises a branch channel branched from the supply channel at a position along the supply channel,

and the second measuring system measures the immersion liquid at the branch channel.

4. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a notifying device and a plurality of adjusting devices respectively provided at a plurality of predetermined positions of a flow channel in which the liquid flows, capable of regulating at least one of the property and composition of the liquid, wherein

the controller specifies at least one adjusting device of the plurality of adjusting devices, based on a measurement result of the second measuring system, and informs by means of the notifying device, information related to the specified adjusting device.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an adjusting device by which at least one of the property and composition of the immersion liquid is adjusted, wherein

the controller initiates the action to perform a maintenance for the adjusting device on the basis of a measurement result of the second measuring system.

6. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a movable substrate stage that holds the substrate,

wherein another measuring system includes a port provided on the substrate stage and measures at least one of the property and composition of the immersion liquid obtained via the port.

7. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring system measures at least one of the property and composition of the immersion liquid, concurrently with an exposure operation.

8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device which is connected to the first measuring system and which stores the measurement result of the first measuring system in correspondence with a time course.

9. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device which is connected to the first measuring system and stores the measurement result of the first measuring system, wherein a plurality of shot areas on the substrate are sequentially exposed, and the storage device stores the measurement result of the first measuring system in correspondence with the shot areas.

10. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second liquid recovery system which recovers the immersion liquid, which is not recovered by the first liquid recovery system; and

a detector which detects whether the second liquid recovery system has recovered the liquid.

11. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether a measurement result of the first measuring system is abnormal.

12. An exposure apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a notifying device,

wherein when the measurement result is abnormal, the controller issues a visible or audible warning by the notifying device.

13. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cleaning device which cleans the liquid immersion area forming member, wherein

the controller commences the cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member using the cleaning device based on a measurement result of the first measuring system.

14. An exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cleaning device supplies a functional liquid having a predetermined function to the liquid immersion area forming member.

15. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate via an immersion liquid; and

measuring at least one of a property and composition of the immersion liquid recovered by the first liquid recovery system of the exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

16. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid recovery system comprises a branch channel branched from the recovery channel at a position along the recovery channel, and the first measuring system measures at least the composition of the immersion liquid at the branch channel.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring system measures at least one of the property and the composition of the recovered immersion liquid including impurities generated from the substrate.

18. An exposure apparatus comprising:

a projection optical system via which a substrate is exposed to an exposure beam through an immersion liquid;

a liquid supply system including a supply channel fluidly connected to a space under the projection optical system, which supplies the immersion liquid;

a liquid recovery system including a recovery channel fluidly connected to the space which recovers the supplied immersion liquid from the space, the immersion liquid recovered from the space being disposed of without returning to the supply channel;

a liquid immersion area forming member below which the substrate is moved, and via which the supplied immersion liquid is recovered by the liquid recovery system from the space, the liquid immersion area forming member having an opening through which the exposure beam is projected

a first measuring system which measures a characteristic of the immersion liquid recovered from the space and discharged from the liquid immersion area forming member; and

a controller which determines whether or not to perform a cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on a measurement result of the first measuring system.

19. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a second measuring system that measures the characteristic of the immersion liquid in the liquid supply system.

20. An exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the liquid supply system comprises a branch channel branched from the supply channel at a position along the supply channel, and the second measuring system measures the characteristic of the immersion liquid at the branch channel.

21. An exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the controller controls an exposure operation based on a measurement result of the first measuring system.

22. An exposure apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

an adjusting device by which the characteristic of the immersion liquid is adjusted, wherein

the controller initiates an action to perform a maintenance for the adjusting device on the basis of a measurement result of the second measuring system.

23. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first measuring system measures the characteristic of the immersion liquid, concurrently with an exposure operation.

24. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

a cleaning device which cleans the liquid immersion area forming member, wherein

the controller commences the cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on a measurement result of the first measuring system.

25. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the liquid recovery system comprises a branch channel branched from the recovery channel at a position along the recovery channel, and the first measuring system measures the characteristic of the immersion liquid at the branch channel.

26. An exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the immersion liquid includes a composition of the immersion liquid.

27. A device manufacturing method comprising:

exposing a substrate via an immersion liquid; and

measuring a characteristic of the immersion liquid with the first measuring system of the exposure apparatus according to claim 18.

28. A method used in a liquid immersion exposure apparatus, the method comprising:

forming a liquid immersion area of an immersion liquid using a liquid immersion area forming member;

exposing a substrate to an exposure beam through an opening of the liquid immersion area forming member disposed above the substrate, via a projection optical system of the apparatus and the immersion liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate;

supplying the immersion liquid to a space under the projection optical system via a supply channel;

recovering the immersion liquid from the space through the liquid immersion area forming member, the immersion liquid recovered from the space being disposed of without returning to the supply channel; and

measuring at least one of a property and composition of the immersion liquid recovered from the space and discharged from the liquid immersion area forming member; and

determining whether or not to perform a cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on the measuring.

29. A method according to claim 28, further comprising:

measuring at least one of the property and composition of the immersion liquid to be supplied to the space in a liquid supply system by which the immersion liquid is supplied to the space through the liquid immersion area forming member.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein the measurement of at least one of the property and composition of the immersion liquid is performed during the exposure.

31. A method according to claim 28, further comprising:

commencing the cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on the measurement result.

32. A method according to claim 28, further comprising initiating cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on a result of the measurement to ensure desired performance of the exposure apparatus.

33. A method according to claim 28, wherein the liquid immersion area forming member includes a porous member.

34. A method according to claim 33, further comprising initiating replacement of the porous member based on a result of the measurement to ensure desired performance of the exposure apparatus.

35. A method used in a liquid immersion exposure apparatus, the method comprising:

forming a liquid immersion area of an immersion liquid using a liquid immersion area forming member;

exposing a substrate to an exposure beam through an opening of the liquid immersion area forming member disposed above the substrate, via a projection optical system of the apparatus and the immersion liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate;

supplying the immersion liquid to a space under the projection optical system via a supply channel;

recovering the immersion liquid from the space through the liquid immersion area forming member, the immersion liquid recovered from the space being disposed of without returning to the supply channel; and

measuring a characteristic of the immersion liquid recovered from the space and discharged from the liquid immersion area forming member; and

determining whether or not to perform a cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on the measuring.

36. A method according to claim 35, further comprising:

measuring the characteristic of the immersion liquid in a liquid supply system by which the immersion liquid is supplied to the space through the liquid immersion area forming member.

37. A method according to claim 35, wherein the measurement of the characteristic of the immersion liquid is performed during the exposure.

38. A method according to claim 35, further comprising:

commencing the cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on the measurement result.

39. A method according to claim 35, further comprising initiating the cleaning of the liquid immersion area forming member based on a result of the measurement to ensure desired performance of the exposure apparatus.

40. A method according to claim 35, wherein the liquid immersion area forming member includes a porous member.

41. A method according to claim 40, further comprising initiating replacement of the porous member based on a result of the measurement to ensure desired performance of the exposure apparatus.