Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorYuichi SHIBAZAKI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A purge cover is equipped whose upper end is connected to an illumination unit and the lower end has a pair of plate sections facing an upper surface of a reticle stage and a reticle via a predetermined clearance. Therefore, gaseous circulation can be substantially blocked via the clearance between reticle stage RST and the plate sections. This allows a space which is almost airtight surrounded by the purge cover, the reticle stage and/or the reticle to be formed on the optical path of the illumination light that reaches the projection optical system from the illumination unit. Further, the space above which is almost airtight serves as a purge space that is purged with CDA and the like.
Claims58
An exposure apparatus which synchronously moves a mask and an object and transfers a pattern formed on the mask onto the object, the apparatus comprising:
- a slider which moves with predetermined strokes in a first direction in which the mask synchronously moves, and holds the mask in a state where an upper surface on both sides in the first direction with the mask in between is substantially flush with the upper surface of the mask;
- an illumination system which illuminates the mask by an illumination light;
- and
- an opposing member which has an opposing surface section that faces the upper surface of the slider and the mask via a predetermined clearance gap, placed on the illumination system side with respect to the slider at a position different from an optical path of the illumination light in the first direction, wherein
- the upper surface of the mask and the slider are moved proximate to the opposing member at the time of synchronous movement with the object.
An exposure apparatus which synchronously moves a mask and an object and transfers a pattern formed on the mask onto the object, the apparatus comprising:
- a slider which holds the mask, and moves in a first direction in which the mask is synchronously moved;
- an illumination system which illuminates the mask by an illumination light;
- and
- a cooling member which performs temperature control of the mask, and is placed on the illumination system side with respect to the slider at a position different from an optical path of the illumination light in the first direction, wherein
- the slider is moved in a state where a surface of the mask is proximal to the cooling member.
An exposure method in which a mask and an object are relatively scanned synchronously in a predetermined direction with respect to an irradiation area by an illumination light, and a pattern formed on the mask is transferred on to the object, the method comprising:
- setting a cooling area on at least one side in the predetermined direction of the irradiation area of the illumination light in the vicinity of a movement plane of the mask;
- and
- cooling the mask which passes through the cooling area during relative scanning of the mask and the object with respect to the irradiation area.
An exposure method in which a mask and an object are synchronously moved and a pattern formed on the mask is transferred onto the object, the method comprising:
- preparing
- a slider which moves with predetermined strokes in a first direction in which the mask synchronously moves, and holds the mask in a state where an upper surface on both sides in the first direction with the mask in between is substantially flush with the upper surface of the mask;
- an illumination system which illuminates the mask by an illumination light;
- and
- an opposing member which has an opposing surface section that faces the slider and the upper surface of the mask via a predetermined clearance gap, placed on the illumination system side with respect to the slider at position different from an optical path of the illumination light in the first direction, and
- the upper surface of the mask and the slider are moved proximate to the opposing member at the time of the synchronous movement with the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.