Patent ID: 9261795
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: G03F,H01L

Claim Text:
1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: (a) coating a resist on the major surface of a substrate; (b) transferring a pattern image of a mask onto the resist by radiating exposure light onto the resist via a projection optical system and immersion water; and (c) after the above (b) step, performing a development process on the resist to form a resist pattern over the major surface of the substrate, wherein the (b) step includes the steps of: (b-1) holding the immersion water in a first immersion area between the resist and each of the lower surfaces of an optical element of the projection optical system and a lower surface of a nozzle portion for supplying and recovering the immersion water, in a state where a first stage for supporting the substrate is located under the projection optical system and the nozzle portion when exposure light is radiated onto the resist; and (b-2) holding the immersion water in a second immersion area between each of the lower surfaces of the optical element of the projection optical system and the lower surface of the nozzle portion and the upper surface of a second stage different from the first stage, in a state where the second stage is located under the projection optical system and the nozzle portion when exposure light is not radiated onto the resist, wherein a transverse spread of the immersion water held in the first immersion area in the (b-1) step is smaller than a transverse spread of the immersion water held in the second immersion area in the (b-2) step by controlling a supply amount of said immersion water using a liquid supply unit or by controlling a supply pressure of said immersion water using a pressure regulation unit.