Nikon Corporation

Hiroaki Takaiwa

Hiroyuki Nagasaka

Shigeru Hirukawa

Nobutaka Magome

Dai Arai

Hideaki Hara

Takashi Horiuchi

Soichi Owa

Kenichi Shiraishi

Masahiro Nei

Yasufumi Nishii

Yoshihiko Kudo

Hirotaka Kohno

Jiro Inoue

Motokatsu Imai

Hitoshi Ishizawa

Ryuichi Hoshika

Andrew J Hazelton

Naoyuki Kobayashi

Makoto Shibuta

Yasuyuki Sakakibara

Hisatsune Kadota

Yuichi Yoshida

An exposure apparatus includes a projection system having a final optical element via which an exposure beam is projected, an immersion member having an opening through which the exposure beam is projected, liquid supply ports and liquid recovery ports, a stage which is movable below and relative to the projection system and the immersion member, the stage including a holder configured to hold a substrate, and a detection system configured to detect a residual liquid on at least one of the substrate held on the holder of the movable stage and the movable stage. A liquid immersion area that covers only a portion of the upper surface of the substrate is formed on an upper surface of the substrate held on the holder of the movable stage, while supplying immersion liquid via the liquid supply ports and removing the immersion liquid via the liquid recovery ports.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus (EX) is an apparatus which exposes a substrate (P) by irradiating exposure light (EL) onto the substrate (P) via a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (). The exposure apparatus (EX) has a substrate table (PT) for holding the substrate (P), and a plate member () having a liquid repellent flat surface (A) is replaceably provided to the substrate table (PT) to prevent the liquid from remaining, maintaining excellent exposure accuracy.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, method for producing device, and optical part

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes a projection system having a last optical element, a liquid supply system having a first path through which immersion liquid is supplied to a supply opening, and a liquid removal system having a second path connected to the first path. The liquid removal system removes the immersion liquid from the first path using the second path so that the supply flow path becomes a substantially gas filled space.

Liquid recovery apparatus, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image onto the substrate through a liquid. The exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system by which the pattern image is projected onto the substrate, and a movable member which is movable relative to the projection optical system. A liquid-repellent member, at least a part of a surface of which is liquid-repellent, is provided detachably on the movable member, the liquid-repellent member being different from the substrate.

Exposure method, substrate stage, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

To provide a substrate holding apparatus which can prevent a liquid from entering into a rear surface side of a substrate. A substrate holding apparatus is provided with a base material, a first holding portion formed on the base material for holding the substrate, and a second holding portion formed on the base material for holding a plate member by surrounding the circumference of a processing substrate held by the first holding portion. The second holding portion holds the plate member so as to form a second space on the side of the rear surface of the plate member. On the rear surface of the plate member, an absorbing member is arranged for absorbing the liquid entered from a gap between the substrate held by the first holding portion and the plate member held by the second holding portion.

Substrate holding device, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by filling a liquid between a projection optical system and the substrate, and projecting the image of a pattern onto the substrate through the projection optical system and the liquid, and includes a liquid removing mechanism that intermittently blows a gas against a reference member, movable mirror, and the like, to which the liquid is adhered in order to remove that liquid.

Exposure apparatus with component from which liquid is protected and/or removed and device fabricating method

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid. The exposure apparatus has a stage which includes a substrate holder for holding the substrate, a detachable member detachably disposed on the stage so that its upper surface contacts an immersion region, and a sensor having a light transmissive member. The detachable member, on which an opening is formed in the upper surface, is disposed on the stage so that the light transmissive member is arranged within the opening.

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid. The exposure apparatus includes a stage that is movable below the projection optical system while holding the substrate and a detector that is capable of detecting a liquid adhered to a rear surface of the substrate. As an alternative, or in addition, the apparatus can include a detector that is capable of detecting a liquid adhered to an optical member disposed at the stage.

Immersion exposure apparatus and method that detects liquid adhered to rear surface of substrate

A lithographic projection apparatus includes a substrate table by which a substrate is held, a projection system via which a patterned beam is projected onto the substrate to expose the substrate through liquid, and a liquid supply system. The liquid supply system includes a supply flow path, and supplies the liquid via the supply flow path during the exposure. The liquid supply system also includes a device by which the supply flow path is connected with a vacuum system to prevent liquid in the supply flow path from leaking.

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and liquid includes a movable member having an upper surface, a part of which holds the substrate. A liquid immersion system that has a supply port and a recovery port supplies the liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the upper surface via the supply port of a supply path and recovers the liquid of a liquid immersion region formed in the space via the recovery port of a recovery path. A flow path is connected to the supply path between the supply port and a source of the liquid, the flow path permitting flow therethrough to remove liquid that remains in the supply path, the liquid that remains in the supply path having been supplied from the source of the liquid without being discharged from the supply port.

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by projecting an image of a pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that fills a space between the projection optical system and the substrate. The exposure apparatus has a liquid supply system having a supply path that supplies liquid to the space between the projection optical system and the substrate. A liquid recovery system having a recovery path recovers the liquid from the space during the exposure. The apparatus also includes a suction path with which at least part of the supply path of the liquid supply system is connected when the exposure apparatus functions abnormally.

A lithographic projection apparatus includes a substrate table configured to hold a substrate, a projection system arranged to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate, a liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate, and a residual liquid detector configured to detect liquid remaining on the substrate and/or the substrate table after an exposure is completed.

Growing community of inventors

Kumagaya, Japan

Hiroaki Takaiwa