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US 6,295,121 B1Granted
Exposure apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorGen Nakamura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exposure apparatus includes a light supplying device for supplying exposure light, an optical system for directing the exposure light to a substrate to be exposed, a cover for covering a predetermined portion of the optical system, a gas supply device for supplying an inert gas to the inside of the cover, a detector for detecting a quantity of the inert gas inside the cover and a controller for controlling the light supplying device on the basis of an output of the detector.
Claims66
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- light supplying means for supplying light;
- an optical system for directing the light to a substrate to be exposed;
- a cover for covering a predetermined portion of said optical system;
- gas supplying means for supplying an inert gas to the inside of said cover;
- detecting means for detecting a quantity of the inert gas inside said cover;
- control means for controlling said light supplying means on the basis of an output of said detecting means;
- and
- notifying means for notifying an operator of information related to the quantity of inert gas on a basis of an output of said detecting means.
5 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- light supplying means for supplying exposure light;
- an optical system for directing the exposure light to a substrate to be exposed;
- a cover for covering a predetermined portion of said optical system;
- gas supplying means for supplying an inert gas to the inside of said cover;
- detecting means for detecting a quantity of inert gas inside said cover;
- and
- discriminating means for discriminating whether a detected value, detected by said detecting means, exceeds a predetermined value, wherein, when said discriminating means discriminates an excess of the detected value beyond the predetermined value, said discriminating means produces a signal for allowing supply of the exposure light by said light supplying means.
4 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- light supplying means for supplying light;
- an optical system for directing the light to a substrate to be exposed, wherein said optical system includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a mask and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the mask, illuminated by said illumination optical system, onto the substrate to be exposed;
- a cover for covering a predetermined portion of said optical system, wherein the predetermined portion to be covered by said cover is a portion of or the whole of said illumination optical system;
- gas supplying means for supplying an inert gas to the inside of said cover;
- detecting means for detecting a quantity of the inert gas inside said cover;
- control means for controlling said light supplying means on the basis of an output of said detecting means;
- and
- notifying means for notifying information related to the quantity of inert gas, wherein said notifying means comprises display means for displaying the information.
5 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an optical system for directing light to a substrate to be exposed;
- a cover for covering a predetermined portion of said optical system, wherein said cover has one of a door and a lid;
- gas supplying means for supplying an inert gas to the inside of said cover;
- detecting means for detecting a quantity of the inert gas inside said cover;
- notifying means for notifying information related to the quantity of inert gas, on the basis of an output of said detecting means;
- fixing means for fixing said door to said cover as said door or said lid is being closed;
- and
- a sensor for detecting closure/opening of said door or said lid.
5 more elements
A device manufacturing method, comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer to a device pattern by use of an exposure apparatus as recited in any one of the preceding claims;
- and
- developing the exposed wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.