# US 9,519,229 B2 · Apparatus and methods for inhibiting immersion liquid from flowing below a sustrate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,519,229 B2 - Document ID: US9519229B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/067,569 - Filed: 2011-06-09 - Published: 2011-10-06 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2006-05-25 - Assignees: Nikon Corporation - Applicants: Christopher Margeson - Inventors: Christopher Margeson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519229B2 ## CPC - G03F 7/70716: {Stages} - G03F 7/70341: {Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply (chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041)} - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) ## Abstract A substrate stage is provided with an immersion liquid collection member that surrounds at least an alignment feature of the substrate stage used to align the substrate on the stage by engaging alignment structure of the substrate. The collection member is located at least partly below the periphery of the substrate held by the substrate holding member of the substrate stage. The collection member has an uppermost liquid-receiving surface that preferably is spaced below a lowermost surface of the substrate when the substrate is held by the substrate holding member. The collection member collects liquid that flows along the alignment feature so as to prevent that immersion liquid from flowing along the under-surface of the substrate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A lithographic exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by forming an image of a pattern through an immersion liquid onto the substrate, the lithographic exposure apparatus comprising: a projection optical system that projects the image of the pattern onto the substrate; and a substrate stage that includes a substrate holding member that holds the substrate adjacent to a last optical element of the projection optical system with a gap between the last optical element and a surface of the substrate onto which the image of the pattern is projected, the immersion liquid at least partially filling the gap, the substrate stage including an immersion liquid collection member disposed so as to be located at least partly below the outer periphery of the substrate held by the substrate holding member, the collection member having an uppermost liquid-receiving surface that is spaced below a lowermost surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding member, wherein the collection member includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion is located radially inward of the second portion so that the first portion is disposed closer to a center of the substrate holding member than is the second portion, a surface of the first portion is hydrophobic so as to repel the immersion liquid to assist in causing the immersion liquid to move from the first portion toward the second portion, at least a part of the hydrophobic surface of the first portion is disposed directly under the outer periphery of the substrate held by the substrate holding member, the portion includes a hydroplhilic surface, the hydrophobic surface and the hydrophilic surface are disposed so that the hydrophobic surface and at least a part of the hydrophilic surface of the second portion are parallel to the substrate held by the substrate holding member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second portion is a hydrophilic member that attracts the immersion liquid from the first portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a low-pressure passage communicating with the hydrophilic member to remove the immersion liquid from the hydrophilic member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a part of the second portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate held by the substrate holding member and an upper surface of the second portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a part of the second portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate held by the substrate holding member and an upper surface of the second portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second portion is a porous member and receives the immersion liquid from the first portion, the porous member communicates with a low pressure source that draws the collected immersion liquid from the porous member. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least part of the first portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate and an upper surface of the first portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a hydrophilic member so as to attract the immersion liquid from the first portion toward the second and third portions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a hydrophilic member so as to attract the immersion liquid from the first portion toward the second and third portions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the substrate holding member includes a plurality of protrusions that contact a lower surface of the substrate, the first portion of the collection member includes at least one protrusion disposed below the substrate and having a height that is less than a height of the substrate holding member protrusions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second portion is a hydrophilic member that attracts the immersion liquid from the first portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a low-pressure passage communicating with the hydrophilic member to remove the immersion liquid from the hydrophilic member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate and an upper surface of the second portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate and an upper surface of the second portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a porous member and receives the immersion liquid from the first and second portions, the porous member communicates with a low pressure source that draws the collected immersion liquid from the porous member. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least a part of the first portion is tapered. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second portion is a porous member and receives the immersion liquid from the first portion, the porous member communicates with a low pressure source that draws the collected immersion liquid from the porous member. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least a part of the first portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate and an upper surface of the first portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a hydrophilic member so as to attract the immersion liquid from the first portion toward the second and third portions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a hydrophilic member so as to attract the immersion liquid from the first portion toward the second and third portions. ### Claim 21 A method of forming an image of a pattern onto a substrate, the method comprising: holding the substrate on a substrate stage of a lithographic exposure apparatus with a substrate holding member of the substrate stage; projecting the image through a projection optical system of the lithographic exposure apparatus and onto a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding member while an immersion liquid is disposed in at least a part of a gap between a last optical element of the projection optical system and the surface of the substrate, the image being projected onto the surface of the substrate after passing through the immersion liquid; and collecting immersion liquid that overflows the outer periphery of the substrate with an immersion liquid collection member disposed so as to be located at least partly below the outer periphery of the substrate held by the substrate holding member, the collection member having an uppermost liquid-receiving surface that is spaced below a lowermost surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding member, wherein the collection member includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion is located radially inward of the second portion so that the first portion is disposed closer to a center of the substrate holding member than is the second portion, a surface of the first portion is hydrophobic so as to repel the immersion liquid to assist in causing the immersion liquid to move from the first portion toward the second portion, at least a part of the hydrophobic surface of the first portion is disposed directly under the outer periphery of the substrate held by the substrate holding member, the second portion includes a hydrophilic surface, the hydrophobic surface and the hydrophilic surface are disposed so that the hydrophobic surface and at least a part of the hydrophilic surface of the second portion are parallel to the substrate held by the substrate holding member. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the second portion is a hydrophilic member that attracts the immersion liquid from the first portion. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising removing the immersion liquid from the hydrophilic member via a low-pressure passage that communicates with a low-pressure source. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein a part of the second portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate held by the substrate holding member and an upper surface of the second portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein a part of the second portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate held by the substrate holding member and an upper surface of the second portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the second portion is a porous member and receives the immersion liquid from the first portion, the porous member communicates with a low pressure source that draws the collected immersion liquid from the porous member. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein at least part of the first portion is tapered so that a distance between a plane containing the substrate and an upper surface of the first portion increases as the upper surface progresses radially away from the substrate holding member. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a hydrophilic member that attracts the immersion liquid from the first portion toward the second and third portions. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein the collection member includes a third portion located radially outward of the second portion, the third portion is a hydrophilic member that attracts the immersion liquid from the first portion toward the second and third portions. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the substrate holding member includes a plurality of protrusions that contact a lower surface of the substrate, and further comprising: inhibiting the immersion liquid from flowing along an under-surface of the substrate by disposing at least one protrusion on the first portion, the at least one protrusion being hydrophobic, being disposed below the substrate and having a height that is less than a height of the substrate holding member protrusions. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The method of claim 30, wherein the at least one alignment structure has a hydrophobic surface that repels the immersion liquid.