Nikon Corporation

The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.

Other

Fujisyoji Co.ltd.

Naoyuki Kobayashi

Soichi Owa

Akikazu Tanimoto

Nobutaka Magome

Kenichi Shiraishi

Yasushi Mizuno

Katsushi Nakano

Shigeru Hirukawa

Masahiro Nei

Yasuhiro Omura

Hideo Mizutani

Hiroshi Chiba

Hiroaki Takaiwa

Shigemasa Takagi

Yasuyuki Sakakibara

Hisatsune Kadota

Michael R Sogard

Dai Arai

Kyoichi Suwa

Saburo Kamiya

John K Eaton

Hiroaki Imamura

Hiroshi Asakawa

Toshio Inami

Hideaki Kusama

Atsushi Moriyama

Tetsuo Imatomi

Yoshihiro Fujita

Tokujiro Moriyama

Tomoaki Katsumata

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor film capable of forming a semiconductor film with high crystalline quality using a solid-state laser is provided. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor film according to the present disclosure includes the steps of (a) irradiating an amorphous semiconductor film with a first pulsed laser beam emitted from a solid-state laser, and then after the step (a), (b) irradiating the semiconductor film with a second pulsed laser beam including intensity lower than that of the first pulsed laser beam.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor film

Provided is a method of manufacturing a display, a display, and a liquid crystal television that can improve productivity and make a grain size uniform. A method of manufacturing a display includes: (A) deriving, when a laser beam is applied to an aSi filmprovided on a substrateto thereby polycrystallize the aSi filmand form a pSi film, a relationship between energy density of the laser beam and a grain size of the pSi film; (B) selecting a predetermined range of the energy density in the derived relationship; and (C) irradiating a first area including the aSi filmwith a laser beam at energy density in the selected range of the energy density to thereby polycrystallize the aSi filmand form the pSi film

Method of manufacturing display, display, and liquid crystal television

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes a projection system, a liquid supply inlet, a first liquid collection outlet, and a separator fluidically connected to the first liquid collection outlet, the separator separating one of liquid and gas, which have been collected via the first liquid collection outlet, from the other. A stage which holds a substrate has a second liquid collection outlet that collects a portion of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply inlet which comes from a gap between an upper surface of the substrate and an upper surface of the stage.

Exposure apparatus, method for producing device, and method for controlling exposure apparatus

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light on the substrate through liquid. The exposure apparatus has a substrate holder for holding the substrate, a substrate stage capable of moving the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a temperature adjusting system for adjusting the temperature of the substrate holder. The temperature of the substrate is controlled so that there is no difference in temperature between the substrate and the liquid, thereby preventing a reduction in exposure accuracy resulting from variation in temperature of the liquid.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device

A liquid immersion exposure method exposes a substrate with exposure light through liquid, and uses a projection system, a stage system having a holder that holds the substrate, a supply port via which the liquid is supplied arranged such that an upper surface of the substrate faces the supply port and that is spaced a first distance from an optical axis of the projection system, and a recovery port via which the liquid is collected arranged such that the upper surface of the substrate faces the recovery port, which is spaced a second distance greater than the first distance from the optical axis of the projection system, and that encircles the supply port. In the method, the substrate held on the holder is positioned based on a detection result of an alignment system that detects an alignment mark of the substrate not through the liquid.

Exposure apparatus and method for producing device

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes a projection system, a liquid supply inlet, a liquid collection outlet, a separator fluidically connected to the liquid collection outlet, the separator separating one of liquid and gas, which have been collected via the liquid collection outlet, from the other, a first flow-meter which measures an amount of the liquid collected via the liquid collection outlet, and a second flow-meter which measures an amount of liquid to be supplied via the liquid supply inlet.

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes a projection system, a liquid supply inlet, a liquid collection outlet, a separator fluidically connected to the liquid collection outlet, the separator separating one of liquid and gas, which have been collected via the liquid collection outlet from the other, and a flow-meter configured to measure an amount of the liquid collected via the liquid collection outlet.

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus comprising: a projection system, a stage system having a holder that holds a substrate, a supply port that is arranged such that an upper surface of the substrate faces the supply port, and a recovery port that is arranged to surround the supply port and collects an immersion liquid from the upper surface of the substrate such that only a portion of the upper surface of the substrate is covered with the immersion liquid. The apparatus also comprises an alignment system which detects an alignment mark of the substrate not through the immersion liquid. The substrate held on the holder is positioned based on a detection result of the alignment system to align the substrate with an exposure light projected through the immersion liquid by the projection system.

An exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate through exposure liquid filled in a space between the optical element and the substrate. The apparatus also includes a member having a flow passage in which exposure liquid flows, the flow passage being in fluidic communication with the space. The apparatus also includes a cleaning system which cleans the member.

A cleaning of a liquid immersion exposure apparatus is performed at a different time than an exposure operation. A stage is placed under a liquid supply inlet during a cleaning operation. The cleaning operation is performed at the different time than the exposure operation in which an immersion liquid is supplied onto a substrate held on a holder of the stage. The immersion liquid is supplied from a liquid supply inlet during the cleaning operation. The immersion liquid is supplied to a portion of the stage different from a portion at which the substrate is held by the holder of the stage.

A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes a movable member having a substrate holder and a surface disposed adjacent to the substrate holder, the surface capable of positioning under a projection optical system. A liquid immersion system has a supply path and a recovery path. The liquid immersion system supplies the liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the surface via the supply path and recovers the supplied liquid of a liquid immersion area formed under the projection optical system via the recovery path. A controller stops a supply of the liquid to the space under the projection optical system by the liquid immersion system on receipt of a signal indicating the occurrence of an abnormality. The abnormality causes a possibility of leakage due to at least a part of the supplied liquid not being recovered via the recovery path and outflowing from the liquid immersion area.

An exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by projecting an image of a pattern on the substrate (P) via a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (). The exposure device (EX) has a liquid supply mechanism () which supplies the liquid () between the projection optical system (PL) and the substrate (P). The liquid feeding mechanism () stops the supply of the liquid () when abnormality is detected. This suppresses influence to devices and members in the periphery of the substrate caused by leakage of the liquid forming a liquid immersion area, thereby realizing satisfactory exposure processing.

There is provided an exposure apparatus capable of forming a desirable device pattern by removing unnecessary liquid when performing exposure by projecting a pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system and the liquid. The exposure device projects an image of the pattern onto the substrate P via the projection optical system and the liquid so as to expose the substrate P. The exposure device includes a liquid removing mechanismwhich removes the liquid remaining on a partarranged in the vicinity of the image plane of the projection optical system.

Growing community of inventors

Fukaya, Japan

Naoyuki Kobayashi