Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device with electricity removal device by adding additive to liquid

• US 8,797,502 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagahashi, Yoshitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, CHIA HOW MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/929,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53
• US Class Current: 355/30
• 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

A projection exposure apparatus transfers a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate through a liquid. The projection exposure apparatus includes an optical member which projects an image of the pattern onto the substrate and an electricity removal device which removes electricity from the liquid to be supplied to a space between the optical member and a surface of the substrate by adding an additive to the liquid to suppress the liquid from being charged.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate through an optical member and through a liquid of a liquid immersion area, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a movable member which is movable while the substrate is placed thereon; and

a supply unit which has a supply port and a resin piping connected to the supply port, the supply unit supplying the liquid via the resin piping from the supply port onto a part of a surface of the substrate held by the movable member so as to form the liquid immersion area on the substrate, wherein

an additive that suppresses the liquid from being charged is added to the liquid so that the liquid, to which the additive has been added, is supplied onto the part of the surface of the substrate,

the liquid is pure water, and

the liquid, to which the additive has been added, is supplied onto the part of the surface of the substrate via the supply port, and the substrate is exposed via the liquid to which the additive has been added.

2. A method for manufacturing a device including a lithography step, the method comprising:

transferring, in the lithography step, a device pattern onto a substrate by using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 1.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply port is disposed at a position which is above the substrate placed on the movable member and at which the supply port faces the surface of the substrate.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the resin piping has a flow passage for the liquid.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the resin piping has an insulating property.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the resin piping is grounded.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the resin piping has a conductive member which is grounded.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein before the liquid is supplied to the liquid immersion area, the liquid is brought into contact with a conductive member which is grounded.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additive includes carbon dioxide.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery unit which recovers the liquid of the liquid immersion area.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a removal member which removes an impurity from the recovered liquid.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature controller which adjusts a temperature of the liquid to a predetermined temperature.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the temperature controller adjusts the temperature of the liquid to be approximately same as a temperature in the space in which the liquid immersion area is formed.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable member has a surrounding surface surrounding the substrate, and the substrate is placed on the movable member such that the surface of the substrate and the surrounding surface are substantially the same height.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit has a grounded conductive member arranged to remove electricity from the liquid to be supplied onto the part of the surface of the substrate via the supply port.

16. An exposure method for exposing a substrate with a pattern formed on a mask through an optical member and through a liquid of a liquid immersion area, the exposure method comprising:

adding an additive to the liquid to suppress the liquid from being charged;

supplying the liquid, to which the additive has been added, onto a part of a surface of the substrate held by a movable member via a supply port and a resin piping connected to the supply port so as to form the liquid immersion area on the substrate; and

exposing the substrate via the liquid, to which the additive has been added, of the immersion area,

wherein the liquid is pure water.

17. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein the additive is carbon dioxide.

18. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein an inner wall of the resin piping is subjected to a coating with an antistatic agent.

19. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein the resin piping has an insulating property.

20. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein the resin piping is grounded.

21. The exposure method according to claim 20, wherein the resin piping has a conductive member which is grounded.

22. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein before the liquid is supplied to the liquid immersion area, the liquid is brought into contact with a conductive member which is grounded.

23. The exposure method according to claim 16, further comprising recovering the liquid of the liquid immersion area.

24. The exposure method according to claim 23, further comprising removing an impurity from the recovered liquid.

25. The exposure method according to claim 16, further comprising controlling a temperature of the liquid to be adjusted to a predetermined temperature.

26. The exposure method according to claim 25, wherein the controlling the temperature of the liquid includes adjusting the temperature of the liquid to be approximately same as a temperature in the space in which the liquid immersion area is formed.

27. A method for manufacturing a device including a lithography step, the method comprising:

transferring, in the lithography step, a device pattern onto a substrate by using the exposure method as defined in claim 16.

28. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein the movable member has a surrounding surface surrounding the substrate, and the substrate is placed on the movable member such that the surface of the substrate and the surrounding surface are substantially the same height.