Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorHideaki Hara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exposure apparatus is provided which can supply and collect a liquid in a prescribed state, and that can suppress degradation of a pattern image projected onto a substrate. The exposure apparatus is provided with a nozzle member (70) having a supply outlet (12) that supplies a liquid (LQ) and a collection inlet (22) that collects a liquid (LQ), and a vibration isolating mechanism (60) that supports the nozzle member (70) and vibrationally isolates the nozzle member (70) from a lower side step part (7) of a main column (1).
Claims54
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus comprising:
- a projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements, via which an exposure light is projected;
- a stage having a holder by which a substrate is held, the stage being movable below the projection optical system and the held substrate being exposed to the exposure light;
- a nozzle member provided above the stage, the nozzle member having at least any one of a supply outlet that supplies a liquid and a collection inlet that collects the supplied liquid, the supply outlet being arranged to supply the liquid onto an upper surface of the substrate held by the holder from above the substrate and the collection inlet being arranged to collect the liquid from the upper surface of the substrate held by the holder from above the substrate;
- and
- a vibration isolating mechanism that structurally supports the nozzle member and vibrationally isolates the nozzle member from a support member, the vibration isolating mechanism dynamically vibrationally isolating the nozzle member from the support member.
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus comprising:
- a projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements, via which an exposure light is projected;
- a stage having a holder by which a substrate is held, the stage being movable below the projection optical system and the held substrate being exposed to the exposure light;
- a nozzle member provided above the stage, the nozzle member having at least any one of a supply outlet that supplies a liquid and a collection inlet that collects the supplied liquid, the supply outlet being arranged to supply the liquid onto an upper surface of the substrate held by the holder from above the substrate and the collection inlet being arranged to collect the liquid from the upper surface of the substrate held by the holder from above the substrate;
- and
- a vibration isolating structure having an electromagnetic drive apparatus to move the nozzle member.
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus comprising:
- a projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements, via which an exposure light is projected;
- a stage having a holder by which a substrate is held, the stage being movable below the projection optical system and the held substrate being exposed to the exposure light;
- a nozzle member provided above the stage, the nozzle member having at least any one of a supply outlet that supplies a liquid and a collection inlet that collects the supplied liquid, the supply outlet being arranged to supply the liquid onto an upper surface of the substrate held by the holder from above the substrate and the collection inlet being arranged to collect the liquid from the upper surface of the substrate held by the holder from above the substrate;
- a position measurement system configured to obtain positional information of the nozzle member;
- and
- a vibration isolating structure configured to prevent vibrations from being transmitted to the projection optical system from the nozzle member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.