Patent ID: 9551943
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: B82Y,G03F,Y10T

Claim:
1. An exposure apparatus that performs a scanning exposure of a substrate with illumination light via a projection optical system and liquid, the exposure apparatus comprising: a mask stage arranged above the projection optical system to hold a mask onto which the illumination light is illuminated; a first drive system having a first motor to drive the mask stage such that the mask is moved relative to the illumination light in the scanning exposure, a liquid immersion member provided adjacent to a lower end of the projection optical system to surround a plane-convex lens of a plurality of optical elements of the projection optical system, and to form a liquid immersion region with the liquid below the projection optical system, the plane-convex lens having a planar surface, from which the illumination light is emitted, that is arranged to contact with the liquid, first and second movable members each having an upper surface that is arranged to contact with the liquid immersion region, and each arranged below the projection optical system to hold the substrate in a hole provided on the upper surface such that at least part of the liquid immersion region is maintained by the upper surface when the at least part of the liquid immersion region is located outside the substrate held in the hole; a second drive system having a second motor, parts of which are provided on the first and second movable members respectively, the second drive system being arranged to support the first and second movable members by levitation and to drive one of the first and second movable members that is arranged opposite to the projection optical system such that the substrate is moved relative to the illumination light in the scanning exposure; a measurement system having a first measurer to obtain positional information of the mask stage, and a second measurer to obtain positional information of the first and second movable members; and a controller coupled to the measurement system and to the first and second drive systems to control the first drive system based on the positional information obtained by the first measurer and to control the second drive system based on the positional information obtained by the second measurer such that the mask and the substrate are moved relative to the illumination light in the scanning exposure, wherein the controller is arranged to control the second drive system such that, when one movable member of the first and second movable members is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, the other movable member of the first and second movable members comes close to the one movable member, and such that the close first and second movable members are moved relative to the liquid immersion member so that the other movable member is arranged opposite to the projection optical system in place of the one movable member while the liquid immersion region is substantially maintained below the projection optical system.