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US 8,804,095 B2Granted
Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorMasaomi Kameyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An immersion lithography system includes a wafer stage, a lens for projecting an image onto a wafer located on the wafer stage, an immersion fluid supply for supplying immersion fluid between the lens and the wafer, and a purge fluid conveying device for conveying about the supplied immersion fluid a purge fluid saturated with a component of the immersion fluid.
Claims33
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- a projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements, by which an exposure light is projected;
- a liquid immersion system having a supply inlet via which an immersion liquid is supplied and a recovery outlet via which the supplied immersion liquid is collected, the liquid immersion system forming a liquid immersion space by supplying the immersion liquid via the supply inlet and by collecting the immersion liquid via the recovery outlet;
- and
- an environmental control system having a conduit through which a fluid is supplied to an area adjacent to the liquid immersion space to control a vapor pressure in the area,
- wherein a substrate is exposed to the exposure light from the projection optical system through the immersion liquid in the liquid immersion space covering a portion of a surface of the substrate.
2 more elements
An exposure method comprising:
- forming a liquid immersion space by supplying an immersion liquid via a supply inlet and by collecting the immersion liquid via a recovery outlet;
- projecting an exposure light by a projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements, a substrate being exposed to the exposure light from the projection optical system through the immersion liquid in the liquid immersion space covering a portion of a surface of the substrate;
- and
- supplying a fluid to an area adjacent to the liquid immersion space to control a vapor pressure in the area by using an environmental control system having a conduit through which the fluid is supplied.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.