Nikon Corporation

Ikuo Hikima

Mitsunori Toyoda

Hisashi Nishinaga

Osamu Tanitsu

Tsuneyuki Hagiwara

Yasushi Mizuno

Masahiro Nakagawa

Naonori Kita

Nozomu Emura

Akikazu Tanimoto

Saburo Kamiya

Akira Miyaji

An exposure apparatus includes an optical member that can be provided on a stage. The optical member has a first surface contacting a liquid when moved to face a projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device

An exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate with light via a projection system and liquid, and includes a stage that moves below the projection system, and a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface. An optical member provided on the stage has a first surface contacting the liquid when moved to face the projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.

A part of exposure beam through a liquid via a projection optical system enters a light-transmitting section, enters an optical member without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.

A part of exposure beam through a liquid(LQ) via a projection optical system(PL) enters a light-transmitting section(), enters an optical member() without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.

A substrate stage holds a substrate irradiated with exposure light via a liquid. A measurement apparatus measures information on the exposure light and has a light receiving device detachable from the substrate stage. The light receiving device receives the exposure light while being held in the substrate stage.

Measurement apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus comprises a projection optical system, to project the image of an object on a first plane onto a second plane, a laser means for outputting a light beam to the projection optical system for projection, a measuring device for detecting a fluctuation of the optical characteristic of the projection optical system attributable to deviation of the wavelength of the light beam output from the laser and a control device responsive to the measuring device to adjust the wavelength of the light beam.

Exposure apparatus using excimer laser source

A laser working system comprises supplying means for supplying a laser beam, a working unit which includes a stage for supporting a workpiece and means for exposing the workpiece to the laser beam, and a room unit which includes wall means for surrounding the working unit and accomodates the working unit to spatially isolate it from outside of the wall means. The supplying means is arranged outside the room unit and includes first and second laser units each for generating the laser beam. The laser working system further comprises beam guiding means which creates first light path for optically communicating the first laser unit with the working unit through the wall means, and second light path for optically communicating the second laser unit with the working unit through the wall means, respectively.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Ikuo Hikima