Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016349631-A1
Application number	US-201515116794-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2015
Priority date	Feb 20, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A lithographic apparatus including a barrier system and a device manufacturing method using such a lithographic apparatus. The barrier system is used to maintain a protected volume of gas within a barrier. The protected volume may be maintained when different components of the lithographic apparatus move relative to each other. The barrier system may be used in different locations within the lithographic apparatus. The geometry of the barrier affects how efficiently the protected volume is maintained, especially at high speeds. The geometry reduces the amount of ambient gas entering the protected volume from outside the barrier.

First claim

1 . A lithographic apparatus comprising a first component and a second component that are configured to undergo relative movement with respect to one another in a scanning direction and/or a stepping direction substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction, wherein:
the first component has a first surface; the second component has a second surface; wherein the first surface and the second surface face each other; at least a specific one of the first surface and the second surface accommodates a barrier system; and the barrier system is configured to provide a barrier operative to reduce or prevent an inflow of ambient gas into a protected volume of gas between the first surface and the second surface; and the barrier system comprises at least one selected from:
a wall enclosing part of the protected volume adjacent the specific one of the first surface and second surface; and/or
at least one opening adapted for a flow of barrier gas therefrom for establishing a gas curtain enclosing part of the protected volume adjacent the specific one of the first surface and second surface;
the barrier has a geometry in a plane in which the scanning direction and the stepping direction lie, and the barrier is operative to guide a flow of ambient gas around the protected volume, the flow of ambient gas being induced by the relative movement of the first component and the second component; the geometry has a first corner and a second corner; the first corner serves as a leading edge of the barrier and the second corner serves as a trailing edge of the barrier when the first component and the second component move relative to one another in a specific one of the scanning direction and the stepping direction; and the first corner serves as the trailing edge of the barrier and the second corner serves as the leading edge of the barrier when the first component and the second component move relative to one another in a further direction opposite to the specific direction.

2 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at the specific one of the first surface and the second surface, an imaginary line in a first direction is defined, the imaginary line passing through the first corner and the second corner.

3 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the geometry is symmetrical about the first direction, and/or wherein the geometry is elongate in the first direction, and/or wherein the first direction is tilted with respect to the specific direction.

4 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the barrier system comprises the at least one opening adapted for a flow of barrier gas therefrom for establishing a gas curtain enclosing part of the protected volume adjacent the specific one of the first surface and second surface and wherein an opening of the at least one opening is an inner opening providing a turbulent flow of barrier gas, and/or wherein an opening of the at least one opening is an outer opening providing a laminar flow of barrier gas.

5 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a radiation beam passes through the protected volume.

6 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the radiation beam is a radiation beam directed to a sensor.

7 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first and/or second component has/have at least one target thereon for detection by the sensor.

8 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sensor is an alignment sensor configured to measure alignment of one object relative to another.

9 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 6 , wherein one of the first component and the second component comprises a substrate table, and the other of first component and the second component comprises a reference frame.

10 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the protected volume is in contact with the sensor.

11 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sensor is a level sensor configured to measure the topography of a surface.

12 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a plate on top of a projection system configured to project a projection beam onto a substrate, and one of the first component and the second component comprises the plate.

13 . The lithographic apparatus of claim 12 , comprising a patterning device table, and the other of the first component and the second component comprises the patterning device table.

14 . A device manufacturing method comprising projecting a projection beam onto a substrate positioned on a substrate table in an apparatus and/or using a beam of radiation to measure a property of the apparatus, wherein the projection beam and/or the beam of radiation passes through a barrier system configured to provide a barrier, the barrier being operative to reduce or prevent an inflow of ambient gas into a protected volume of gas between a first surface and a second surface of the apparatus for passage therethrough of the projection beam and/or the radiation beam, the apparatus comprising a first component having a first surface and further comprising a second component having a second surface, the first component and the second component being configured to undergo relative movement with respect to one another in a scanning direction and/or a stepping direction substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction,
wherein the barrier has a geometry in a plane in which the scanning direction and the stepping direction lie, and the barrier is operative to guide a flow of the ambient gas around the protected volume, the flow of the ambient gas being induced by the relative movement of the first component and the second component; the geometry has a first corner and a second corner; the first corner serves as a leading edge of the barrier and the second corner serves as a trailing edge of the barrier when the first component and the second component move relative to one another in a specific one of the scanning direction and the stepping direction; and the first corner serves as the trailing edge of the barrier and the second corner serves as the leading edge of the barrier when the first component and the second component move relative to one another in a further direction opposite to the specific direction.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein at the specific one of the first surface and the second surface, an imaginary line in a first direction is defined, the imaginary line passing through the first corner and the second corner.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the geometry is symmetrical about the first direction, and/or wherein the geometry is elongate in the first direction, and/or wherein the first direction is tilted with respect to the specific direction.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein a radiation beam passes through the protected volume and the radiation beam is a radiation beam directed to a sensor.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first and/or second component has/have at least one target thereon for detection by the sensor.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein one of the first component and the second component comprises a substrate table, and the other of first component and the second component comprises a reference frame.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein apparatus comprises a plate on top of a projection system configured to project the projection beam onto the substrate, and one of the first component and the second component comprises the plate.

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Nakiboglu Günes
• Van Baren Martijn
• VAN BOXTEL Frank Johannes Jacobs
• Cuypers Koen
• Gosen Jeroen Gerard
• Van Bokhoven Laurentius Johannes Adrianus

Classifications

• G03F7/70858 Primary

  Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature (pollution aspects G03F7/70916) · CPC title

• G03F7/70358 Primary

  Scanning exposure, i.e. relative movement of patterned beam and workpiece during imaging · CPC title

• G03F7/70716

  Stages · CPC title

• G03F7/2059

  using a scanning corpuscular radiation beam, e.g. an electron beam · CPC title

• G03F7/70908

  Hygiene, e.g. preventing apparatus pollution, mitigating effect of pollution or removing pollutants from apparatus · CPC title