Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9810995-B2
Application number	US-201715407597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Jun 19, 2003
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion region below the projection optical system. First and second holding members move below the projection optical system and each can hold a substrate in a hole of an upper surface thereof. A controller is arranged to control a drive system such that, when one holding member of the first and second holding members is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, the other holding member of the first and second holding members comes close to the one holding member, and such that the close first and second holding members are moved relative to a liquid immersion member so that the other holding member is arranged opposite to the projection optical system in place of the one holding member while the immersion region is substantially maintained below the projection optical system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes 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 lens, which is located at a closest position to an image plane among the plurality of optical elements and has an exit surface arranged to be in contact with the liquid;
a correction system arranged to control a part of the plurality of optical elements to adjust an optical property of the projection optical system;
a liquid immersion member surrounding the lens such that a liquid immersion region is formed with the liquid below the projection optical system by use of the liquid immersion member;
first and second holding members each arranged below the liquid immersion member, and each having an upper surface arranged to be in contact with the liquid immersion region, each of the upper surfaces having a hole configured to hold the substrate;
a drive system having a motor to move the first and second holding members and arranged to support the first and second holding members by levitation;
a measurement system having an encoder arranged to obtain positional information of the first and second holding members; and
a controller coupled to the correction system and the drive system, and arranged to control the drive system based on measured information of the measurement system and to control the correction system to adjust the optical property,
wherein the controller is arranged to control the drive system such that, when one holding member of the first and second holding members is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, the other holding member of the first and second holding members comes close to the one holding member, and such that the close first and second holding members are moved relative to the liquid immersion member so that the other holding member is arranged opposite to the projection optical system in place of the one holding member while the liquid immersion region is substantially maintained below the projection optical system.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the close first and second holding members are moved relative to the liquid immersion member, the liquid immersion region is maintained below the projection optical system by at least one of the close first and second holding members.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the relative movement between the first and second holding members is performed so that the first and second holding members become close to each other in a predetermined direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the projection optical system while the liquid immersion region is maintained below the projection optical system by the one holding member and so that the upper surface of the other holding member is arranged in juxtaposition with the upper surface of the one holding member, and
wherein the close first and second holding members are moved relative to the liquid immersion member in the predetermined direction.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the controller controls the drive system such that a scanning exposure is performed, in which substrate is moved in the predetermined direction and relative to the illumination light.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein, while the liquid immersion region is maintained below the projection optical system by the one holding member of the first and second holding members, a relative movement between the first and second holding members is performed so that a positional relationship between the first and second holding members in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction is adjusted.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the close first and second holding members are moved relative to the liquid immersion member while a positional relationship therebetween is substantially maintained.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein, when the substrate on the first holding member or the second holding member is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, the liquid immersion region is formed on apart of the substrate and covers an illuminated area of the illumination light on the substrate, and
wherein, when the substrate is exposed, the first holding member or the second holding member is moved so that the substrate is moved relative to the liquid immersion region.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first and second holding members are each arranged such that, when the substrate is placed in the hole thereof, a gap between the upper surface thereof and a surface of the substrate is provided and the upper surface thereof and the surface of the substrate are substantially coplanar, and such that at least part of the liquid immersion region is maintained by the upper surface thereof when the at least part of the liquid immersion region is located radially outside of the substrate held in the hole.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the first and second holding members each have a reference member arranged in another hole on the upper surface thereof, which is different from the hole for the substrate, the reference member having a reference that is formed on a surface of the reference member and is used in an alignment of the substrate.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein, in each of the first and second holding members, the reference member is provided such that a surface thereof and the upper surface of the first holding member or the second holding member are arranged substantially coplanar.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the liquid immersion member has an opening through which the illumination light passes, and a collection port arranged at a lower surface side of the liquid immersion member and surrounding the opening to collect the liquid of the liquid immersion region via the collection port.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the liquid immersion member has a supply port arranged at the lower surface side of the liquid immersion member, the supply port being arranged between the opening and the collection port and surrounding the opening to supply the liquid to the liquid immersion region via the supply port.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the liquid immersion member has another collection port that is arranged at the lower surface side of the liquid immersion member and that is arranged further away from the opening than the collection port.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein the liquid immersion member is provided movably with respect to the projection optical system.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein, when the one of the first and second holding members is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, the other one of the first and second holding members can be moved at a position away from a position below the projection optical system, and
wherein different operations are performed between the first holding member and the second holding member both before and after the movement of the close first and second holding members relative to the liquid immersion member.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein, when an exposure process for the substr

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Ebihara Akimitsu

Classifications

• G03F7/70225 Primary

  Optical aspects of catadioptric systems, i.e. comprising reflective and refractive elements · 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

• G03F7/70725

  control · CPC title

• B82Y10/00 Primary

  Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic · CPC title

• G03F7/70333 Primary

  Focus drilling, i.e. increase in depth of focus for exposure by modulating focus during exposure [FLEX] · CPC title