Nikon Corporation

Susumu Makinouchi

Akihiro Watanabe

Toru Imai

Motokatsu Imai

Naomasa Shiraishi

Nobutaka Magome

Akikazu Tanimoto

Toshio Ueda

Yasuyuki Sakakibara

Hiroyuki Nagasaka

Masato Takahashi

Kazuya Ota

Hideo Mizutani

Bausan Yuan

Hidemi Kawai

Seiro Murakami

Masaichi Murakami

Toshikazu Umatate

Yuuki Ishii

Shoji Ishizaka

Hideyuki Miyajima

Hideyaki Hashimoto

An encoder apparatus comprises a first scale member with a scale region on which a scale is arranged; a detector that detects light from the scale region; and a retaining member with a retaining surface that is arranged so as to face a surface of the first scale member including the scale region via a predetermined gap, and that retains a liquid at least between the retaining surface and the first scale member.

Encoder apparatus using liquid to suppress detection failure

An exposure apparatus forms an immersion area by supplying a liquid onto a part of a substrate, and forms a prescribed pattern on the substrate through the liquid. A spare immersion area which is capable of holding part of the liquid on the substrate, is formed at the outer circumference of the immersion area. It is possible to prevent the separation of the liquid, which is disposed between a lower surface of a projection optical system and a substrate surface, from the lower surface of the projection optical system in accordance with the relative movement of the projection optical system and the substrate.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device fabrication method

A movable body apparatus is equipped with a Y measuring system equipped with an encoder and an interferometer that measure the position of a stage in one axis (Y-axis) direction. The interferometer irradiates a reflection surface arranged on the stage with a measurement light close to a measurement light of the encoder, and receives its reflected light. In this case, the encoder and the interferometer commonly use an optical member fixed to the stage. Accordingly, the Y interferometer and the Y encoder have substantially the equal measurement axis.

Movable body apparatus, exposure apparatus and pattern formation apparatus, and device manufacturing method

An encoder includes: a light modulation section which modulates at least a portion of light that is emitted from a light source; a moving member which has an incidence plane, on which a plurality of light beams of the light incident, and is relatively movable in at least one direction; and at least two light receiving sections which respectively receive interference fringes that are generated in at least two regions on the moving member, wherein the light enters into the moving member such that at least two interference fringes move in opposite directions on the moving member in accordance with a modulation by the light modulation section.

Encoder that detects positional information of a moving body generating interference fringes that move in opposite directions

An encoder emits modulated light from a light source section and lets a first light and a second light separated from the modulated light interfere with each other in a moving grating. In the encoder, the light emitted from the light source section is electrically modulated, and the first light and the second light have different light path lengths.

Encoder that optically detects positional information of a moving body from different optical paths lengths

A moving grating is arranged on a side of a wafer stage, a light source irradiates a light to the moving grating, diffracted lights generated from the moving grating are interfered by fixed scales and an index scale of which positional relation with the light source is fixed, and a detection instrument detects the interfered light. In this case, since the moving grating is arranged on a side of the wafer stage, upsizing of the entire wafer stage can be suppressed. Further, since interference occurs between a plurality of diffracted lights (e.g., the &#xb1;1st-order diffracted light) passing extremely close optical paths, influence caused by a fluctuation of ambient atmosphere becomes less in comparison to conventional interferometers, and thus, a high-precision measurement of positional information of the movable body is possible.

Movable-body apparatus, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus forms an immersion area by supplying a liquid onto a part of a substrate, and forms a prescribed pattern on the substrate through the liquid. A spare immersion area, which is capable of holding part of the liquid on the substrate, is formed at the outer circumference of the immersion area. It is possible to prevent the separation of the liquid, which is disposed between a lower surface of a projection optical system and a substrate surface, from the lower surface of the projection optical system in accordance with the relative movement of the projection optical system and the substrate.

A reflection mirror that causes an illumination light to be incident on a movable scale is oscillated in an X-axis direction based on a modulation signal. Accordingly, the optical path of the illumination light, of the illumination light and another illumination light generated at an index scale, periodically changes, and as a consequence, the illumination light is periodically modulated. Accordingly, an extra scanner that scans the illumination light or another illumination light with respect to the movable scale does not have to be arranged, which allows an apparatus to be reduced in size and cost.

Encoder that optically detects positional information of a movable body by changing a path length through periodic oscillation of an optical element

A mirror block on which moving gratings are arranged is fixed to the lower surface of a stage. Fixed gratings are placed on the upper surface of a stage platform that is opposed to the lower surface of the stage. A Y encoder that measures Y positional information of the stage is configured including the moving gratings and the fixed gratings. Similarly, an X encoder that measures X positional information of the stage is configured including the moving gratings and the fixed grating.

Position measuring system and position measuring method, Movable body apparatus, movable body drive method, exposure apparatus and exposure method, pattern forming apparatus, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus that by irradiating an exposure light, via a projection optical system and a liquid, on a substrate placed on the image plane side of the projection optical system, exposes the substrate, the exposure apparatus includes: a liquid supply system that supplies the liquid onto the substrate and a liquid recovery system that recovers the liquid having been supplied on the substrate. When the exposure light is being irradiated on the image plane side of the projection optical system, the liquid recovery system does not perform recovery of the liquid.

Immersion exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method with no liquid recovery during exposure

A light via first and second index scales is split by a beam splitter, and one of the split lights is received by a first light-receiving element via a movable scale and also the other of the split lights is received by a second light-receiving element via a reference scale, and therefore by computing positional information of the movable scale using an output of the first light-receiving element (a first output) and an output of the second light-receiving element (a second output), movement information of the movable scale can be measured with high precision without being affected by drift of the modulation center (the oscillation center) of the beam.

Positional information detecting device

When an incident light is obliquely incident on an index scale, the optical path length of light A becomes longer than the optical path length of light B and an optical path length difference occurs, which causes a phase difference in both of the diffracted lights incident on a photodetection element. According to the phase difference, intensity of a photoelectric detection signal output from the photodetection element changes. That is, due to a periodic change in the incident angle of the incident light, the phase difference between light A and light B is modulated, and the interference signal becomes greatly modulated.

Encoder that optically detects positional information of a scale

A method is provided for transferring a mask pattern on a mask onto each of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate by synchronously moving the mask and the substrate with respect to an exposing radiation flux. The method includes the steps of optimizing run-up distances of the mask and the substrate with respect to each of the plurality of shot areas, determining respective acceleration starting positions for the mask and the substrate for the shot area to be exposed in accordance with the corresponding run-up distances optimized in the step of optimizing, and accelerating the mask and the substrate from the respective acceleration starting positions to respective scanning speeds. The method further includes the steps of maintaining the respective scanning speeds of the mask and the substrate to synchronously move the mask and the photosensitive substrate, and directing the exposing radiation flux towards the mask to project the image of the mask pattern onto the shot area when the mask and the substrate complete respective run-up distances in the step of maintaining.

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Zama, Japan

Susumu Makinouchi