US 4,786,947 AGranted

Projection exposure apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsMasao Kosugi, Toshikazu Matsushita, Shuichi Yabu, Masakatsu Ohta

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A semiconductor device manufacturing projection exposure apparatus in which a pattern of a reticle is projected onto a semiconductor wafer through a projection optical system having a lens element and in which the reticle is irradiated with a light of a predetermined wavelength to thereby transfer the pattern of the reticle onto the semiconductor wafer. The apparatus includes a chamber adapted to house the reticle, the wafer and the projection optical system in a substantially closed space, detectors for detecting a temperature and a pressure of a gas contained in the space, and an adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature and pressure of the gas in the chamber, from the outside of the chamber, the operation of the adjusting unit being controlled on the basis of the detection by the detectors, whereby the temperature and pressure of the gas contained in the space are regulated so as to be best suited to retain a predetermined optical performance of the projection optical system and, whereby, high-precision pattern transfer is assured.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An apparatus for transferring a pattern of a first member onto a second member, said apparatus comprising:

projection optical means for optically projecting the pattern of the first member onto the second member;
means for illuminating the first member so as to transfer, with said projection optical means, the pattern of the first member onto the second member;
chamber means for housing at least said projection optical means in a substanitally closed space, said chamber means having an inlet port and an outlet port;
means for detecting pressure in said substantially closed space;
and
means for controlling the pressure in said space on the basis of detection by said detecting means so as to retain a predetermined optical performance of said projection optical means, said controlling means comprising (i) a gas passageway in communication with said space via said inlet port and said outlet port, respectively, (ii) gas flowing means for flowing a gas in said passageway into said space through said inlet port and for extracting a gas in said space to said passageway through said outlet port and (iii) means for controlling the degree of opening of at least one of said inlet port and outlet port in accordance with the detected pressure.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/045,203Filed 4 May 1987 · continuation
Priority: JP 00147910 Jan 1985
Granted: 22 Nov 1988
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H10P 95/00
Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the
G03F 7/70833
Construction details, e.g. housing, load-lock, seals or windows for passing light in or out of apparatus: mounting of optical systems, e.g.…
G03F 7/70858
Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials: environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature
G03F 7/70875
Of mask or workpiece: temperature, e.g. temperature control of masks or workpieces via control of stage temperature