Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsMartinus Cornelis Maria Verhagen, Hans Jansen, Marco Koert Stavenga, Jacobus Johannus Leonardus Hendricus Verspay
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Abstract
A lithographic apparatus is disclosed wherein a liquid supply system is configured to at least partly fill a region between a substrate and a projection system of the lithographic apparatus with a liquid and having a liquid confinement structure fixed in a plane substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection system and configured to cooperate with a substrate table configured to hold the substrate in order to restrict the liquid to a region above an upper surface of the substrate table so that a side of the substrate to be exposed is substantially covered in the liquid during exposure.
Claims14
A lithographic apparatus, comprising:
- a moveable substrate table constructed to hold a substrate to be exposed;
- a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion on a side of the substrate to be exposed;
- a liquid supply system configured to at least partly fill a region between the substrate and the projection system with a liquid;
- and
- a liquid confinement structure fixed in a plane substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection system and configured to cooperate with the moveable substrate table in order to restrict the liquid to a region above an upper surface of the substrate table so that a side of the substrate to be exposed is substantially covered in the liquid for all positions of the moveable substrate table relative to the liquid confinement structure during exposure of the substrate.
A device manufacturing method, comprising:
- using a liquid confinement structure, that is fixed in a plane substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of a projection system of a lithographic apparatus and arranged to cooperate with a moveable substrate table of the lithographic apparatus holding a substrate, to restrict a liquid to a region above an upper surface of the substrate table and to maintain a side of the substrate to be exposed entirely immersed in the liquid for all positions of the moveable substrate table relative to the liquid confinement structure during exposure of the substrate;
- and
- projecting a patterned radiation beam through the liquid onto a target portion of the substrate using the projection system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.