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US 7,119,876 B2Granted
Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsJan-Gerard Cornelis Van Der Toorn, Christiaan Alexander Hoogendam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To facilitate, for example, removal of a substrate between exposures of different substrates, an actuated closing plate is used to replace a substrate, a substrate table, or both, as a part of a boundary of a space in a lithographic apparatus containing liquid without, for example, breaking a seal containing the liquid.
Claims24
A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;
- a projection system configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate;
- a liquid confinement structure configured to confine a liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate, the substrate, the substrate table, or both, configured to form a part of a boundary of the space;
- and
- a closing plate configured to form a part of a boundary of the space in place of the substrate, the substrate table, or both, when moved without substantially disturbing the liquid, the liquid confinement structure, or both,
- wherein (i) the substrate table comprises an active compensator configured to compensate for a change in load on the substrate table in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the substrate table due to the replacement of the substrate, the substrate table, or both, with the closing plate as a part of the boundary of the space, or (ii) the closing plate comprises an active compensator configured to compensate for a change in load on the liquid confinement structure in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the substrate table due to replacement of the closing plate with the substrate, the substrate table, or both, as a part of the boundary of the space, or (iii) both (i) and (ii).
3 more elements
A device manufacturing method, comprising:
- providing a liquid to a space through which a patterned beam passes, a substrate, a substrate table, or both, forming a part of a boundary of the space;
- sealing the liquid to the space, the seal acting between the substrate, a substrate table, or both, and another structure;
- replacing the substrate, the substrate table, or both, with a closing plate as the part of the boundary of the space without breaking the seal;
- compensating for a change in load (i) on the substrate table in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the substrate table due to the replacement of the substrate, the substrate table, or both, with the closing plate as a part of the boundary of the space, or (ii) on a liquid confinement structure, used to at least partly confine the liquid in the space, in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the substrate table due to replacement of the closing plate with the substrate, the substrate table, or both, as a part of the boundary of the space, or (iii) both (i) and (ii);
- and
- projecting a patterned beam of radiation through the liquid onto the substrate.
3 more elements
A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;
- a projection system configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate;
- a liquid confinement structure configured to confine a liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate, the substrate, the substrate table, or both, configured to form a part of a boundary of the space;
- a closing plate displaced in a horizontal plane from the substrate table and configured to form a part of a boundary of the space in place of the substrate, the substrate table, or both;
- an actuator configured to move the closing plate in the horizontal plane at least part of the time separately from the substrate table, and
- wherein the substrate table and the closing plate are releasably coupleable.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.