Nikon Corporation

Other

Nikon Research Corporation of America

Douglas C Watson

W Thomas Novak

Andrew J Hazelton

Alton Hugh Phillips

Michael B Binnard

Michael R Sogard

Mike Binnard

Christopher S Margeson

Fardad A Hashemi

Hidemi Kawai

Martin E Lee

Bausan Yuan

Pai-Hsueh Yang

Yukiharu Okubo

Shinobu Tokushima

Shinji Shinohara

Toshimasa Shimoda

Takuma Tsuda

Alexander H Cooper

Jean-Marc Gery

Kazuya Ono

David Michael Williamson

Alex Ka Tim Poon

Derek Coon

Scott Coakley

Alec Paul Robertson

Hideaki Sakamoto

Hiroto Horikawa

Hiromitsu Yoshimoto

Travis D Bow

Yi-Ping Hsin

Jin Nishikawa

Michael Kovalerchik

Masato Hatasawa

Yusaku Uehara

Yoshifumi Nakakoji

Hideyuki Hashimoto

Akio Ohta

Yoichi Arai

Kirk Lok

Thomas W Novak

Thomas W Nowak

An immersion lithography apparatus includes a projection system having a last optical element, a plurality of liquid supply openings that surround a path of exposure light that exits an end surface of the last optical element and face downwardly, and a plurality of liquid recovery openings that surround the path of the exposure light, are arranged radially outward of the liquid supply openings, and face downwardly. An upper surface of a substrate is opposite to the liquid supply openings and the liquid recovery openings. A portion of the upper surface of the substrate is covered with immersion liquid, which flows across the end surface of the last optical element. The substrate is exposed with the exposure light through the immersion liquid between the end surface of the last optical element and the upper surface the substrate.

Liquid jet and recovery system for immersion lithography

An immersion lithography apparatus and method places an object for a cleanup process on a holder of a movable stage of the immersion lithography apparatus, a wafer being held on the holder of the stage and exposed during a liquid immersion lithography process. During the liquid immersion lithography process, device pattern projection is performed and a device pattern image is projected onto the wafer held on the holder to fabricate semiconductor devices. During the cleanup process, a liquid is supplied via a supply port from above the stage holding the object on the holder. During the cleanup process, the object is held on the holder in place of the wafer and the object is used without performing device pattern projection.

Cleanup method for optics in immersion lithography using object on wafer holder in place of wafer

An immersion lithography apparatus includes an optical assembly including an optical element, and configured to project a beam onto a substrate through immersion liquid, a containment member surrounding a path of the beam, a stage on which the substrate is held and moved below a bottom surface of the containment member with the substrate spaced from the bottom surface of the containment member, and a support system having an actuator to support and move the containment member. The containment member includes a first supply opening via which water as the immersion liquid is released, a recovery opening via which the immersion liquid is recovered from a gap between the containment member and the substrate and/or the stage, and a second supply opening via which the water is released to the gap, the second supply opening being provided radially inward of the recovery opening.

Environmental system including a transport region for an immersion lithography apparatus

A liquid immersion lithography apparatus includes a projection system including an optical member of which an incidence side has a convex lens shape, the projection system being configured to project an image through a liquid on a workpiece, and a liquid immersion member arranged below the optical member, the liquid immersion member having a plurality of openings through which the liquid is allowed to flow. A material of which the optical member is made is more resistant to the liquid than a material of which the liquid immersion member is made.

Focus arrangements for laser radar and other applications provide compensation of orientation-dependent gravitational forces. A linear stage can be preloaded and provided with balanced linear encoders so that gravitational force induced pitch, yaw, and roll can be reduced, detected, or compensated. Alternatively, movable focus elements can be secured to actuator driven spring assemblies that are controlled to compensate orientation-dependent gravitational forces.

Orientation independent focus mechanisms for laser radar

An immersion lithography apparatus includes an optical assembly that projects a beam onto a substrate through an immersion liquid, a containment member surrounding a path of the beam, a stage holding the substrate, an isolator having a first actuator which limits vibrations of the optical assembly, and a support system having a second actuator to support the containment member and move it by the second actuator. The containment member includes a first supply opening via which water as the immersion liquid is released, a recovery opening via which the immersion liquid is recovered from a gap between the containment member and the substrate and/or the stage, and a second supply opening via which the water is released to the gap between the containment member and the substrate and/or the stage, the second supply opening being provided radially inward of the recovery opening.

A chamber assembly () for providing a sealed chamber () adjacent to a workpiece () to counteract the influence of gravity on the workpiece () includes a chamber housing (), and a seal assembly () that expands and/or contracts to better seal against the workpiece (). Further, the chamber assembly () can include one or more transducer assemblies () that expand or contract to quickly respond to leaks or injections of fluid in chamber assembly () to maintain a constant and stable chamber pressure in the chamber assembly (). Moreover, the chamber assembly () can utilize a pressure source () that directs a lager amount of fluid () through a fluid passageway () to accurately maintain the pressure within the chamber assembly ().

Vacuum chamber assembly for supporting a workpiece

A mirror assembly () for directing a beam () from an illumination source () to a reticle () includes a mirror () and a back plate (). The mirror () includes a mirror body (A) that defines a reflective first surface (B) that directs the beam (), a mirror mounting region (), a mirror perimeter region () that encircles the mirror mounting region (), and mirror slot () that separates the mirror perimeter region () from the mirror mounting region (). The back plate () retains and engages the mirror mounting region () of the mirror () with the mirror perimeter region () spaced apart from the back plate (). Further, the mirror body (A) can include a second surface (C) that is substantially opposite the first surface (B), and the mirror mounting region () extends between the second surface (C) to near the first surface (B). Further, the mirror slot () extends from the second surface (C) to near the first surface (B).

Mirror assembly for an exposure apparatus

An exposure method that uses a substrate (M) held by a holding member () to perform exposure processing, comprising a holding process, which holds a prescribed region (AR) of the substrate as the holding region by means of the holding member, and a deformation process, which selectively deforms one side of the holding region of the substrate held by the holding process with respect to the other side. According to the present invention, a prescribed region of the substrate is held as a holding region by means of a holding member, and one side of the holding region of said held substrate is selectively deformed with respect to the other side, so it is possible to selectively eliminate the nonlinear deformation components attributable to holding of the substrate with respect to one side from among the two sides of the substrate using the holding region as a reference. Since it is possible to put the pattern projected via the substrate into a linearly correctable status, it is possible to reduce warping of the pattern.

Exposure method and device manufacturing method including selective deformation of a mask

A liquid immersion lithography apparatus includes a projection system, an opening from which liquid is supplied to a space under the projection system, the opening being connectable to a liquid source via a flow passage to supply the liquid to the space and the opening being connectable to a vacuum source via the flow passage, and a holding member by which a substrate is held, the holding member being movable below the projection system and the opening. The substrate held by the holding member is exposed through the liquid that is supplied from the opening and that covers only a portion of an upper surface of the substrate.

A reaction assemblyfor a stage assemblythat moves a devicealong a first axis includes a base countermassand a first transverse countermassThe stage assemblyincludes a stageand a stage moverthat includes a moving componentthat is coupled to the stageand a reaction componentthat is secured to the base countermassThe first transverse countermassis guided to allow for movement along a first transverse axisand the first transverse countermassis coupled to the base countermassso that movement of the base countermassalong the first axis causes the first transverse countermassto move along the first transverse axis

Reaction assembly for a stage assembly

An exemplary device includes first and second portions that are movably connected together by first and second sets, respectively, of multiple blades interleaved with each other at an overlap region. When the overlap region is compressed, displacement of the first and second portions relative to each other is prevented so as to provide relatively high stiffness in first and second orthogonal directions (e.g., z- and y-directions) and relatively low stiffness in a third orthogonal direction (e.g., x-direction). The device can be used in coordination with an actuator, wherein operation of the actuator and compression of the overlap region are automated.

Multiple-blade holding devices

Methods and apparatus for reducing vibrations in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system associated with the cooling of mirrors are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus includes a first assembly, a structure, a vibration isolator, and a hose arrangement. The first assembly includes a heat exchanger and a mirror assembly. The structure is subject to vibrations, and the vibration isolator is arranged to attenuate the vibrations when the vibrations are transmitted through the hose arrangement. The hose arrangement being coupled between the heat exchanger and the structure, and the vibration isolator is coupled to the hose arrangement.

High heat load optics with vibration isolated hoses in an extreme ultraviolet lithography system

Embodiments of the invention compensate for one or more effects of a stage motor in a precision stage device. A feedforward module receives an input signal corresponding to the effect of the motor and generates a feedforward control signal that can be used to modify a motor control signal to compensate for the effect of the motor. In some embodiments, a control system is provided to compensate for a back-electromotive force generated by a motor, while in other embodiments, a control system may compensate for an inductive effect of a motor. Embodiments of the invention may be useful in precision stage devices, for example, lithography devices such as steppers and scanners.

Control systems and methods for compensating for effects of a stage motor

A lithographic projection apparatus that is arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system has a liquid supply system arranged to supply a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate. The apparatus also includes a liquid collecting system that includes a liquid collection member having a permeable member through which a liquid is collected from a surface of an object opposite to the liquid collection member, wherein the permeable member has a plurality of passages that generate a capillary force.

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Campbell, CA, United States of America

Douglas C Watson