Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10007188-B2
Application number	US-201715724777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2017
Priority date	Jun 19, 2003
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a liquid. A liquid immersion member of the exposure apparatus has a lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports. The lower surface has an opening through which illumination light passes. The collection ports are arranged at the lower surface to surround the opening, and the supply ports are arranged at the lower surface and between the opening and the collection ports to surround the opening, such that the liquid is supplied via the supply ports onto the substrate while the substrate is arranged opposite to a plane-convex lens of a projection optical system and such that the liquid is collected via the collection ports from the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate with illumination light via a liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising:
a catadioptric type projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements and a lens barrel, the lens barrel being arranged to hold the plurality of optical elements, the plurality of optical elements having a plane-convex lens, which is located at a closest position to an image plane among the plurality of optical elements and has a planar surface, from which the illumination light exits, arranged to be in contact with the liquid;
a liquid immersion member that surrounds the plane-convex lens such that a liquid immersion region is formed with the liquid below the projection optical system by use of the liquid immersion member;
a holding member arranged below the liquid immersion member and having an upper surface arranged to be in contact with the liquid immersion region such that the substrate is held in a hole provided on the upper surface; and
a drive system arranged to move the holding member such that the substrate is arranged opposite to the plane-convex lens and such that the substrate is moved relative to the liquid immersion region while the liquid immersion region is maintained between the plane-convex lens and the substrate,
wherein the liquid immersion member has a lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports, the lower surface having an opening through which the illumination light passes, the collection ports being arranged at the lower surface to surround the opening, the supply ports being arranged at the lower surface and between the opening and the collection ports to surround the opening, such that the liquid is supplied via the supply ports onto the substrate while the substrate is arranged opposite to the plane-convex lens and such that the liquid is collected via the collection ports from the substrate.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a liquid immersion exposure process in which the substrate is exposed with the illumination light via the projection optical system and via the liquid of the liquid immersion region, the substrate arranged adjacent to the lower surface of the liquid immersion member, and the liquid immersion region is formed at a portion of substrate, the portion including a projection area for a pattern of a mask.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein a supply passage and a collection passage, which are in communication with the supply ports and the collection ports respectively, are provided in the liquid immersion member,
the supply ports are arranged in an annular array, and
the collection ports are arranged in an annular array.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the liquid immersion member has a recessed portion provided at the lower surface in which the collection ports are arranged.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, at least in the liquid immersion exposure process, a supply process and a collection process of the liquid are continuously executed.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the liquid immersion member is provided movably in a vertical direction while the liquid immersion member is adjacent to the plane-convex lens.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the lens barrel has a tapered section provided at an end portion of the lens barrel at the image plane side,
another lens of the plurality of optical elements, which is different from the plane-convex lens, is arranged inside the tapered section, and
the liquid immersion member is arranged lower than the another lens.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a sensor that obtains information of a gap between the liquid immersion member and the substrate,
wherein, when the substrate is arranged adjacent to the liquid immersion member, the gap between the liquid immersion member and the substrate is adjusted based on the information of the gap.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the holding member is arranged such that, when the substrate is placed in the hole, a gap between the upper surface of the holding member and a surface of the substrate is provided and the upper surface of the holding member and the surface of the substrate are substantially coplanar, and such that at least part of the liquid immersion region, which is located outside the substrate held in the hole, is maintained by the upper surface of the holding member.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the holding member has a reference member arranged in another hole on the upper surface of the holding member, which is different from the hole for the substrate, and
the reference member has a reference that is formed on a surface of the reference member and is used in an alignment of the substrate.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein, in the holding member, the reference member is provided such that a surface of the reference member and the upper surface of the holding member are arranged substantially coplanar.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising an encoder that is arranged to obtain positional information of the holding member in the liquid immersion exposure process such that the holding member is moved based on the positional information obtained, by the encoder.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a mask stage arranged above the projection optical system to hold a mask illuminated with the illumination light,
wherein, in the liquid immersion exposure process, the mask stage and the holding member are moved such that a scanning exposure, in which the mask and the substrate are each moved relative to the illumination light, is performed.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
illumination light is ArF excimer laser light,
the liquid is pure water, and
the plane-convex lens is made from quartz or fluorite.

15. A device fabricating method comprising:
exposing a substrate by use of the exposure apparatus of claim 1 ; and
developing the exposed substrate.

16. A method of exposing a substrate with illumination light via a liquid, the method comprising:
forming a liquid immersion region with the liquid below a catadioptric type projection optical system by use of a liquid immersion member, the projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements and a lens barrel, the lens barrel being arranged to hold the plurality of optical elements, the plurality of optical elements having a plane-convex lens, which is located at a closest position to an image plane among the plurality of optical elements and has a planar surface, from which the illumination light exits, arranged to be in contact with the liquid, the liquid immersion member surrounding the plane-convex lens;
arranging the substrate opposite to the plane-convex lens by use of a holding member arranged below the liquid immersion member while the substrate is held in a hole provided on an upper surface of the holding member; and
moving the holding member such that the substrate is moved relative to the liquid immersion region while the liquid immersion region is maintained between the plane-convex lens and the substrate,
wherein the liquid immersion member has lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports, the lower surface having an opening through which the illumination light passes, the collection ports

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Ebihara Akimitsu

Classifications

• G03F7/70758

  Drive means, e.g. actuators, motors for long- or short-stroke modules or fine or coarse driving · CPC title

• G03F7/70716

  Stages · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• G03F7/70341

  Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply (chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041) · CPC title

• G03F7/70816

  Bearings · CPC title