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US 7,253,879 B2Granted
Liquid immersion lithography system with tilted liquid flow
AssigneeASML Holding N.V.
InventorsAleksandr Khmelichek, Louis Markoya, Harry Sewell
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Abstract
A liquid immersion lithography system including a projection optical system for directing electromagnetic radiation onto a substrate, and a showerhead for delivering liquid flow between the projection optical system and the substrate. The showerhead includes an injection nozzle and a retrieval nozzle located at different heights. The liquid flow is tilted relative to the substrate. A direction from the injection nozzle to the retrieval nozzle is tilted at approximately 1 to 2 degrees relative to the substrate.
Claims3
A method, comprising:
- (a) injecting an immersion fluid into an exposure area between a projection system and a substrate using a showerhead attached to the projection system;
- (b) performing exposure of the substrate through directing patterned illumination onto the substrate through the immersion fluid using the projection system as the substrate is scanned;
- (c) retrieving the immersion fluid from the exposure area after step (b);
- and
- (d) positioning a retrieval nozzle, which performs step (c), at a different height with respect to the substrate and with respect to an injection nozzle, which performs step (a), while maintaining the showerhead at a constant angle with respect to the substrate to form a tilted flow of the immersion fluid during retrieval of the immersion fluid after step (b).
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.