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US 7,256,864 B2Granted
Liquid immersion lithography system having a tilted showerhead relative to a substrate
AssigneesASML Holding N.V., ASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsNicolaas Ten Kate, Erik Roelof Loopstra, Aleksandr Khmelichek, Louis J. Markoya, Harry Sewell
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Abstract
A liquid immersion lithography system includes projection optics and a showerhead. The projection optics are configured to expose a substrate with a patterned beam. The showerhead includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle that are configured to be at different distances from a surface of the substrate during an exposure operation.
Claims5
An immersion lithography system, comprising:
- projection optics that direct a patterned beam onto a substrate supported by a substrate stage;
- and
- a showerhead that delivers liquid between the projection optics and the substrate, wherein the showerhead includes a first nozzle located at a first distance from the substrate and a second nozzle located at a second distance from the substrate;
- and
- a controller configured to adjust one of the first and second distances with respect to the first or second nozzle based on a scanning parameter received from the projection optics or the substrate stage, while maintaining the showerhead at a constant angle with respect to the substrate.
2 more elements
The immersion lithography system of clam 1, wherein the scanning parameter is a scanning speed.
A method, comprising:
- projecting a patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a substrate, supported by a substrate stage, using a projection system;
- using a liquid supply system to at least partially fill a space between the projection system and the substrate with an immersion liquid;
- and
- producing an immersion liquid portion having a first and a second meniscus using the liquid supply system, while maintaining the liquid supply system at a constant angle with respect to the substrate, wherein the first meniscus is larger than the second meniscus, wherein sizes of the first and second menisci are based on a scanning speed detected or known with respect to the substrate stage.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.