Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Hitoshi Nakano

Yoshikazu Miyajima

Kiyoshi Arakawa

Kenichi Kobayashi

Hideki Ina

Takahisa Shiozawa

Naoto Sano

Keita Sakai

Setsuo Yoshida

Hideki Nogawa

Fumio Sakai

Masayuki Tanabe

Masato Aketagawa

Takahito Chibana

Tetsuro Mitsui

Katsuhiko Fujii

Sanae Kikuchi

Keiichi Shimizu

A lithography apparatus has a plurality of processing units configured to respectively perform patternings on a plurality of substrates that belong to a lot, and a controller configured to perform, based on specific information that specifies one of the plurality of substrates, determination of one of the plurality of processing units that processes the one of the plurality of substrates, and control the plurality of processing units such that the patternings are performed on the plurality of substrates respectively with the plurality of processing units in parallel based on recipe information corresponding to the lot.

Lithography apparatus, lithography method, program, lithography system, and article manufacturing method

A lithography apparatus includes an original conveying path, a substrate conveying path, and a plurality of patterning devices each configured to perform patterning on a substrate using an original. The plurality of patterning devices are arranged in two rows. The substrate conveying path is provided between and along the two rows. The original conveying path is provided in each of two rows between and along which the two rows of the patterning devices are arranged.

Lithography apparatus and article manufacturing method

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process of molding an imprint material on a substrate with a mold to form a pattern on the substrate, the apparatus including a supply device configured to supply, to a space between the imprint material on the substrate and the mold, a penetrating gas that penetrates at least one of the mold, the imprint material and the substrate and a condensable gas that is liquefied by pressure rise due to the molding, and a controller configured to control the supply device so as to change at least one of a supply amount of the penetrating gas and a supply amount of the condensable gas based on information on a recipe for the imprint process.

Imprint apparatus, imprint method, and method of manufacturing article

A determination method for determining a pattern of a mold is disclosed. The pattern of the mold is used in imprint processing of forming a pattern on imprint material by performing the steps of pressing the imprint material on a substrate against the pattern of the mold in an atmosphere containing condensable gas to be liquefied due to compression, curing the imprint material, and releasing the mold from the imprint material. A processor calculates a shrinkage amount of the pattern on the imprint material. The pattern on the imprint material shrinks by desorbing condensate liquid, which is produced through liquefaction of the condensable gas between the imprint material and the pattern of the mold in the pressing step and which is dissolved in the imprint material, from the imprint material after completion of the pressing step.

Method for determining pattern of mold for imprint, imprint method, and apparatus

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus which includes a projection optical system that projects a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate, and exposes the substrate through the projection optical system and a liquid, the apparatus including a recovery unit which includes a recovery path connected to a recovery port, and is configured to reduce a pressure in the recovery path to recover the liquid, supplied to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate, through the recovery port and the recovery path, and a heating unit which is disposed in the recovery path, and configured to heat the liquid recovered through the recovery port and the recovery path.

Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method

An exposure apparatus including a projection optical system which projects a pattern of an original onto an exposed surface of a substrate, and a supply nozzle configured to supply the liquid through a supply opening into a gap between a final surface of the projection optical system and a part of the exposed surface of the substrate. The supply opening is arranged more distant than the final surface of the projection optical system from the exposed surface of the substrate.

Immersion exposure technique

An exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system and exposes a substrate to a pattern of an original through the projection optical system with a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate filled with a liquid. The apparatus includes (a) a stage configured to hold the substrate and to be moved, and (b) a nozzle structure arranged around the final surface of the projection optical system and having first and second surfaces opposite to a surface of the substrate held by the stage, the first surface being arranged inside the second surface and different from the second surface in a distance from the surface of the substrate. The nozzle structure includes (i) a supply port configured to supply a liquid to the gap, and (ii) a recovery port, arranged on the first surface and outside the supply port, and configured to recover a liquid from the gap.

An exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system and exposes a substrate to a pattern of an original via the projection optical system with a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate filled with liquid. The apparatus includes a supply nozzle having a supply port to supply the liquid to the gap through the supply port, the supply port arranged on a first opposite surface to an exposed surface of the substrate, a recovery nozzle having a recovery port to recover the liquid through the recovery port, arranged more distant than the supply port from a final surface of the projection optical system, the recovery port arranged so as to oppose the exposed surface of the substrate, and a stepped portion having a second opposite surface to the exposed surface of the substrate. A distance between the second opposite surface and the exposed surface of the substrate is different from a distance between the first opposite surface and the exposured surface of the substrate.

An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate to a pattern of an original via a projection optical system, with a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate being filled with liquid. The apparatus includes an ejection member configured to eject a gas through an ejection port outside the liquid, and a suction member configured to suck the gas through a suction portion outside the liquid. The suction port is arranged to be more distant than the ejection port from a center of an optical axis on a final surface of the projection optical system.

An exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system configured to project light from a reticle to a substrate to expose the substrate to light, with a first gap between a final surface of the projection optical system and the substrate being filled with liquid. A substrate stage is configured to hold the substrate and to be moved to position the substrate, a plate has a surface substantially flush with a surface of the substrate held by the substrate stage and configured to be moved independently of the substrate stage, a supply nozzle is configured to supply the liquid, the liquid being supplied to the first gap via the supply nozzle during exposure of the substrate to light, and a recovery nozzle is configured to recover the liquid, the liquid being recovered from the first gap via the recovery nozzle during exposure of the substrate to light. The supply nozzle supplies the liquid to and the recovery nozzle recovers the liquid from, simultaneously, a second gap between the final surface and the plate positioned opposite to the final surface.

An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate to a pattern of an original via a projection optical system, with a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate being filled with liquid. The apparatus includes a substrate stage, movable with respect to the projection optical system, which holds the substrate, a plate, movable with respect to the projection optical system, having a substantially flush surface with an exposed surface of the substrate held by the substrate stage, and an immersion unit configured to supply and to recover the liquid. Supply and recovery by the immersion unit are simultaneously executed while the plate opposes the projection optical system.

An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to light via a reticle. The apparatus includes a substrate stage configured to hold the substrate and to move, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto the substrate, a flat plate having a surface whose height is substantially the same as that of the substrate held by the substrate stage and to move, a supply unit having a supply nozzle and configured to supply liquid through the supply nozzle to a gap formed between a final surface of the projection optical system and at least one of the substrate held by the substrate stage and the flat plate, a recovery unit having a recovery nozzle and configured to recover liquid filling the gap through the recovery nozzle, and a sensor arranged on the flat plate and configured to measure illuminance.

An exposure apparatus having a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of an original to a substrate and exposing a substrate to light via the original with a gap between the substrate and the projection optical system being filled with liquid. The apparatus includes a substrate stage configured to hold the substrate and to move, a supply nozzle configured to supply the liquid to the gap between the substrate and the projection optical system, the supply nozzle entirely surrounding the projection optical system, and a recovery nozzle arranged outside the supply nozzle and configured to recover the liquid from the gap, the recovery nozzle entirely surrounding said supply nozzle.

Disclosed is a semiconductor exposure apparatus which includes a chamber for accommodating therein a main unit of the exposure apparatus, a gas controlling unit for controlling a gas in the chamber, a chemical filter for attracting a chemical substance in a controlling gas, and a dust removing filter for catching a dust particle in a controlling gas, wherein a gas blowing area of the chemical filter is smaller than that of the dust removing filter wherein said chemical filter and said dust removing filter are disposed separately from each other. The chemical filter is mounted obliquely with respect to a direction of flow of a supplied gas. A gas rectifying device is disposed at a gas inlet side of the chemical filter and the dust removing filter. The chemical filter can be a pleat filter, and it is mounted so that the pleat thereof is orthogonal to the direction of flow of the supplied air.

Chemical filter arrangement for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

An atmosphere control technique for an exposure apparatus. An exposure apparatus to which this technique is applied includes, for example, a chamber which contains a space through which exposure light passes, a circulation system which has a path and circulates an inert gas through the path and the chamber, at least one valve provided in the path, a supply system which has a supply port at one end of a zone of the path defined by the at least one valve and supplies an inert gas to the supply port, and an exhaust system which has an exhaust port at the other end of the zone and exhausts a gas from the exhaust port.

Growing community of inventors

Tochigi, Japan

Hitoshi Nakano