Source: http://patents.com/us-9366972.html
Timestamp: 2018-02-26 03:51:57
Document Index: 50747497

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 03', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 04', 'Application No. 200910002111', 'Application No. 03', 'Application No. 2011', 'Application No. 2011', 'Application No. 2012', 'Application No. 201110083335', 'Application No. 201005011', 'Application No. 2012', 'Application No. 2011']

US Patent # 9,366,972. Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method - Patents.com
United States Patent 9,366,972
Lof , et al. June 14, 2016
A lithographic projection apparatus includes a support structure to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate, the substrate table including a support surface to support an intermediary plate between the projection system and at least one of the substrate and an object positioned on the substrate table and not in contact with the at least one of the substrate and the object; and a liquid supply system to provide a liquid, through which the beam is to be projected, in a space between the projection system and the at least one of the substrate and the object.
Lof; Joeri (Eindhoven, NL), Butler; Hans (Best, NL), Donders; Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus ('s-Hertogenbosch, NL), Kolesnychenko; Aleksey Yurievich (Helmond, NL), Loopstra; Erik Roelof (Eindhoven, NL), Meijer; Hendricus Johannes Maria (Veldhoven, NL), Mertens; Jeroen Johannes Sophia Maria (Duizel, NL), Mulkens; Johannes Catharinus Hubertus (Maastricht, NL), Ritsema; Roelof Aeilko Siebrand (Eindhoven, NL), Van Schaik; Frank (Eindhoven, NL), Sengers; Timotheus Franciscus ('s-Hertogenbosch, NL), Simon; Klaus (Eindhoven, NL), De Smit; Joannes Theodoor (Eindhoven, NL), Straaijer; Alexander (Eindhoven, NL), Van Santen; Helmar (Amsterdam, NL)
Family ID: 1000001908221
14/701,236
US 20150261102 A1 Sep 17, 2015
12512754 Jul 30, 2009 9057967
11710408 Feb 26, 2007 7593093
10705804 Nov 12, 2003 7199858
Nov 12, 2002 [EP] 02257822
Jun 9, 2003 [EP] 03253636
Current CPC Class: G03F 7/70341 (20130101); G03F 7/707 (20130101); G03F 7/7085 (20130101)
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This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/512,754, entitled "Lithographic Apparatus And Device Manufacturing Method", filed on Jul. 30, 2009, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/710,408, entitled "Lithographic Apparatus And Device Manufacturing Method", filed on Feb. 26, 2007, which is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/705,804, filed Nov. 12, 2003, which claims priority from European patent applications EP 02257822.3, filed Nov. 12, 2002, and EP 03253636.9, filed Jun. 9, 2003, each of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
1. A lithographic apparatus comprising: a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate; an edge seal member configured to at least partly surround an edge of at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table, and a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid in a space between a final element of said projection system and said at least one of said substrate and said object, wherein said substrate table comprises a hydrophobic layer adjacent an edge portion of said edge seal member and adjacent said at least one of said substrate and said object, said hydrophobic layer arranged to face an opposite side of said edge seal member to said projection system and to face an opposite side of said at least one of said substrate and said object to said projection system.
2. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hydrophobic layer has a contact angle of greater than 90.degree. with said liquid.
3. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer is in contact with the opposite side of the edge seal member.
4. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer is out of contact with the opposite side of the at least one of said substrate and said object when the at least one of said substrate and said object is positioned on the substrate table.
5. The lithographic apparatus of claim 4, wherein a gap between the hydrophobic layer and the opposite side of the at least one of said substrate and said object is about 10 .mu.m.
6. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer is made of an inorganic material.
7. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer is made of Teflon or silicon rubber.
8. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge seal member is configured to provide a primary surface facing said projection system substantially co-planar with a primary surface of said at least one of said substrate and said object.
9. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in use, said liquid supply system provides liquid to a localized area of at least one of said object, said edge seal member and said substrate.
10. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge seal member is an integral part of the substrate table.
11. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge seal member is movable relative to the substrate table.
12. A support for contacting an undersurface of a substrate and holding the substrate, at least a portion of a top surface of the substrate to be immersed in liquid, the support comprising: a substrate table configured to hold a substrate; an edge seal member configured to at least partly surround an edge of at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table, and a hydrophobic layer adjacent an edge portion of said edge seal member and adjacent said at least one of said substrate and said object, the hydrophobic layer arranged to face the undersurface of the substrate.
13. The support of claim 12, wherein the edge seal member is an integral part of the substrate table.
14. The support of claim 12, wherein the edge seal member is movable relative to the substrate table.
15. The support of claim 12, wherein the edge seal member has a top surface for receiving the liquid and an undersurface that is opposite the top surface, wherein the hydrophobic layer is in contact with the undersurface of the edge seal member.
16. The support of claim 12, wherein the hydrophobic layer is out of contact with the undersurface of the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the substrate table.
17. The support of claim 12, wherein a gap between the hydrophobic layer and the undersurface of the substrate is about 10 .mu.m.
18. The support of claim 12, wherein the hydrophobic layer is made of an inorganic material.
19. The support of claim 12, wherein the hydrophobic layer is made of Teflon or silicon rubber.
20. The support of claim 12, wherein the top surface of the edge seal member is substantially co-planar with the top surface of said at least one of said substrate and said object.
The term "patterning device" as here employed should be broadly interpreted as referring to means that can be used to endow an incoming radiation beam with a patterned cross-section, corresponding to a pattern that is to be created in a target portion of the substrate; the term "light valve" can also be used in this context. Generally, the said pattern will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit or other device (see below). Examples of such a patterning device include: A mask. The concept of a mask is well known in lithography, and it includes mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. Placement of such a mask in the radiation beam causes selective transmission (in the case of a transmissive mask) or reflection (in the case of a reflective mask) of the radiation impinging on the mask, according to the pattern on the mask. In the case of a mask, the support structure will generally be a mask table, which ensures that the mask can be held at a desired position in the incoming radiation beam, and that it can be moved relative to the beam if so desired. A programmable mirror array. One example of such a device is a matrix-addressable surface having a viscoelastic control layer and a reflective surface. The basic principle behind such an apparatus is that (for example) addressed areas of the reflective surface reflect incident light as diffracted light, whereas unaddressed areas reflect incident light as undiffracted light. Using an appropriate filter, the said undiffracted light can be filtered out of the reflected beam, leaving only the diffracted light behind; in this manner, the beam becomes patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable surface. An alternative embodiment of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of tiny mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted about an axis by applying a suitable localized electric field, or by employing piezoelectric actuation means. Once again, the mirrors are matrix-addressable, such that addressed mirrors will reflect an incoming radiation beam in a different direction to unaddressed mirrors; in this manner, the reflected beam is patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable mirrors. The required matrix addressing can be performed using suitable electronic means. In both of the situations described hereabove, the patterning device can comprise one or more programmable mirror arrays. More information on mirror arrays as here referred to can be gleaned, for example, from United States patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,891 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,193, and PCT patent applications WO 98/38597 and WO 98/33096, which are incorporated herein by reference. In the case of a programmable mirror array, the said support structure may be embodied as a frame or table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required. A programmable LCD array. An example of such a construction is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,872, which is incorporated herein by reference. As above, the support structure in this case may be embodied as a frame or table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required.
Lithographic projection apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, the patterning device may generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (silicon wafer) that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single wafer will contain a whole network of adjacent target portions that are successively irradiated via the projection system, one at a time. In current apparatus, employing patterning by a mask on a mask table, a distinction can be made between two different types of machine. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion at one time; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus--commonly referred to as a step-and-scan apparatus--each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti-parallel to this direction; since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally <1), the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as here described can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.
For the sake of simplicity, the projection system may hereinafter be referred to as the "lens"; however, this term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection system, including refractive optics, reflective optics, and catadioptric systems, for example. The radiation system may also include components operating according to any of these design types for directing, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and such components may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a "lens". Further, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In such "multiple stage" devices the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposures. Dual stage lithographic apparatus are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,441 and PCT patent application WO 98/40791, incorporated herein by reference.
One of the solutions proposed is for a liquid supply system to provide liquid on only a localized area of the substrate and in between the final element of the projection lens and the substrate (the substrate generally has a larger surface area than the final element of the projection system). One way which has been proposed to arrange for this is disclosed in PCT patent application WO 99/49504, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. As illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 23, liquid is supplied by at least one inlet IN onto the substrate, preferably along the direction of movement of the substrate relative to the final element, and is removed by at least one outlet OUT after having passed under the projection system. That is, as the substrate is scanned beneath the element in a -X direction, liquid is supplied at the +X side of the element and taken up at the -X side. FIG. 23 shows the arrangement schematically in which liquid is supplied via inlet IN and is taken up on the other side of the element by outlet OUT which is connected to a low pressure source. In the illustration of FIG. 22 the liquid is supplied along the direction of movement of the substrate relative to the final element, though this does not need to be the case. Various orientations and numbers of in- and out-lets positioned around the final element are possible, one example is illustrated in FIG. 23 in which four sets of an inlet with an outlet on either side are provided in a regular pattern around the final element.
According to an aspect, there is provided a lithographic projection apparatus comprising: a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate, said substrate table comprising an edge seal member configured to at least partly surround an edge of at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table and to provide a primary surface facing said projection system substantially co-planar with a primary surface of the said at least one of said substrate and said object; and a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid, through which said beam is to be projected, in a space between said projection system and said at least one of said substrate and said object, wherein said liquid supply system provides liquid to a localized area of at least one of said object, said edge seal member and said substrate.
Another way to minimise the amount of liquid which escapes into the gap between the edge seal member and the substrate or object is to provide the substrate table with a hydrophobic layer facing edge portions of said edge seal member and the substrate or object on an opposite side of the edge seal member and the substrate or object to the projection system. Such a hydrophobic layer may be any material which exhibits hydrophobic properties, for example Teflon, silicon rubber or other plastics materials. Inorganic coatings are generally desired because they have better radiation resistance than organic coatings. In an embodiment, the liquid has a contact angle of greater than 90.degree. with the hydrophobic layer. This reduces the chances of liquid seeping into the gap.
According to an aspect, there is provided a lithographic projection apparatus comprising: a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate, said substrate table comprising: an edge seal member configured to at least partly surround an edge of at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table, and a further edge seal member configured to extend across the gap between said edge seal member and said at least one of said substrate and said object and to be in contact with said at least one of said substrate and said object; and a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid, through which said beam is to be projected, in a space between said projection system and said at least one of said substrate and said object.
According to an aspect, there is provided a lithographic projection apparatus comprising: a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate, said substrate table comprising: an edge seal member configured to at least partly surround an edge of at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table, and at least one of a vacuum port and a liquid supply port positioned to provide respectively a vacuum or liquid to the gap between said edge seal member and said at least one of said substrate and said object on a side opposite said projection system; a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid, through which said beam is to be projected, in a space between said projection system and said at least one of said substrate and said object.
According to an aspect, there is provided a lithographic projection apparatus comprising: a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate, said substrate table comprising a support surface configured to support an intermediary plate between said projection system and at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table and not in contact with said at least one of said substrate and said object; and a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid, through which said beam is to be projected, in a space between said projection system and said at least one of said substrate and said object.
According to an aspect, there is provided a lithographic apparatus comprising: a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate; and a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid, through which said beam is to be projected, in a space between said projection system and at least one of said substrate and an object positioned on said substrate table, wherein a structure of the liquid supply system extends along at least part of the boundary of said space between said projection system and said substrate table and capillaries extend away from said substrate table and are positioned between said structure and said projection system.
According to an aspect, there is provided a device manufacturing method comprising: providing a liquid in a space between a projection system and at least one of a substrate and an object positioned on a substrate table; projecting a patterned beam of radiation, through said liquid, onto a target portion of the substrate using the projection system; and
Although specific reference may be made in this text to the use of the apparatus described herein in the manufacture of ICs, it should be explicitly understood that such an apparatus has many other possible applications. For example, it may be employed in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, liquid-crystal display panels, thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms "reticle", "wafer" or "die" in this text should be considered as being replaced by the more general terms "mask", "substrate" and "target portion", respectively.
FIGS. 7a-d illustrate four versions of a third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1 schematically depicts a lithographic projection apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention. The apparatus comprises: a radiation system Ex, IL, for supplying a projection beam PB of radiation (e.g. DUV radiation), which in this particular case also comprises a radiation source LA; a first object table (mask table) MT provided with a mask holder for holding a mask MA (e.g. a reticle), and connected to first positioning means for accurately positioning the mask with respect to item PL; a second object table (substrate table) WT provided with a substrate holder for holding a substrate W (e.g. a resist-coated silicon wafer), and connected to second positioning means for accurately positioning the substrate with respect to item PL; a projection system ("lens") PL (e.g. a refractive system) for imaging an irradiated portion of the mask MA onto a target portion C (e.g. comprising one or more dies) of the substrate W.
The source LA (e.g. an excimer laser) produces a beam of radiation. This beam is fed into an illumination system (illuminator) IL, either directly or after having traversed conditioning means, such as a beam expander Ex, for example. The illuminator IL may comprise adjusting means AM for setting the outer and/or inner radial extent (commonly referred to as .sigma.-outer and .sigma.-inner, respectively) of the intensity distribution in the beam. In addition, it will generally comprise various other components, such as an integrator IN and a condenser CO. In this way, the beam PB impinging on the mask MA has a desired uniformity and intensity distribution in its cross-section.
2. In scan mode, essentially the same scenario applies, except that a given target portion C is not exposed in a single "flash". Instead, the mask table MT is movable in a given direction (the so-called "scan direction", e.g. the y direction) with a speed v, so that the projection beam PB is caused to scan over a mask image; concurrently, the substrate table WT is simultaneously moved in the same or opposite direction at a speed V=Mv, in which M is the magnification of the lens PL (typically, M=1/4 or 1/5). In this manner, a relatively large target portion C can be exposed, without having to compromise on resolution.
The edge seal member 17 may form an integral part of the substrate table WT (as illustrated in FIG. 4 as edge seal member 117) or may be temporarily mounted relative to the remainder of the substrate table by the use of, for example, vacuum suction or through use of electromagnetic forces. In an embodiment, the edge seal member 17 is moveable relative to the remainder of the substrate table (as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6) such that the height above the substrate table WT of the primary surface of the edge seal member 17 may be adjusted such that it is substantially co-planar with the primary surface of the substrate W. In this way the same edge seal member 17 may be used for different thicknesses of substrate W (thickness tolerance is about 25 .mu.m though the embodiment can account for up to about 0.2 mm variation). The positioning mechanism for the edge seal member 17 may be through use of piezoelectric elements or electromagnetism, worm gear, etc. A suitable mechanism is described in relation to the second embodiment described below.
Obviously the further wedge member 173 could be replaced by an alternative shape, for example a rod positioned perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the wedge 172. If the coefficient of friction between the wedge member 172 and the further wedge member 173 is greater than the tangent of the wedge angle then the actuator 170 is self-braking meaning that no force is required on the wedge member 172 to hold it in place. This is advantageous as the system will then be stable when the actuator 171 is not actuated. The accuracy of the mechanism 170 is of the order of a few .mu.m.
This embodiment is described in relation to an edge seal member 117 which is an integral part of the substrate table WT. However, this embodiment is equally applicable to an edge seal member 17 which is movable relative to the substrate table WT. In this embodiment it is not vital however that the edge seal member 17 has an upper surface co-planar with the primary surface of the substrate, but this is desired. A vacuum port 46 connected to a vacuum source is provided underneath and adjacent edge portions of the edge seal member 117 and the substrate W on the opposite side of the substrate W to the projection system PL. In an embodiment, the port 46 is annular and formed by a continuous groove but may be discontinuous i.e. a discrete number of openings arranged in a circular pattern. In its simplest form the embodiment may work only with that vacuum supply via port 46. However, the basic idea can be improved by the provision of a substrate table WT as illustrated in detail in FIG. 7a which illustrates a first version of the third embodiment.
A portion 48 of the substrate table WT extends from the edge of the edge seal portion 117 radially inwardly so that it is positioned below the substrate table W on the other side of the substrate W to the projection system PL. Any immersion liquid which leaks through the gap between the portion 48 and the substrate W is attracted towards the vacuum source via port 46. A channel 42 is provided radially inwardly of the vacuum source also under the substrate W and is connected to a gas source. This may be a gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure or it may be that the channel 42 is simply open to the atmosphere. This creates a flow of gas radially outwardly below the substrate W between the portion 48 of substrate table WT below the substrate W and the pimple table 20. (The pimple table 20 has its own vacuum source to hold the substrate in place.) With this flow of gas any liquid escaping between edge seal member 117 and the substrate W is pulled towards an annular compartment 44 (roughly 3.times.3 mm in cross section) in fluid connection with the vacuum source. The compartment 44 is positioned between an annular port 47 open to the gap and the port 46 connected to the vacuum source. The compartment helps in establishing uniform flow around the periphery. The channel 42 is connected to a continuous annular groove (shown as a widening of the duct). The compartment 44, port 47, and/or the groove of channel 42 need not be annular and can be other appropriate shapes or configurations.
In one working embodiment, the gap between the portion 48 of substrate table WT and the substrate W is of the order of up to 100 .mu.m (though the gap may not exist i.e. is zero), which prevents a high flow rate of liquid through the gap due to capillary action. The height of the portion 45 of the substrate table WT between the groove connected to channel 42 and compartment 44 is such that the distance between the bottom of the substrate W and the top of that portion 45 (indicated as distance D1 in FIG. 7a) is typically of the order of 100 .mu.m and is chosen such that a uniform gas flow of in the region of at least 1 m/s is achievable with a pressure loss of less than 0.5 bar. Such an arrangement ensures that only very little, if any, liquid passes through the gap D1 and interferes with the pimple table 20. Other values will also work.
A first version of the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7a may suffer from deflection of the outer 10 mm or so of the substrate W. As can be seen from FIG. 7a this area is unsupported even though, as said above, portion 45 can be extended to underneath the substrate W where it supports the substrate W. However, at the very outer radius both the weight of the substrate W and the capillary force of liquid between the substrate W and portion 48 of the substrate table WT can still deflect the edge of the substrate W. This may be deleterious. Solutions to this problem are illustrated in FIGS. 7b-d which illustrate second through fourth versions of the third embodiment.
In the second version illustrated in FIG. 7b, the portion 48 has at least one set of burls 348 positioned around and near to the edge of the periphery of the substrate W (typically in a circular pattern). As the burls 348 are discrete, immersion liquid can still seep between the portion 48 and the substrate W but the weight of the substrate W is supported by the at least one set of burls 348. In an embodiment, the burls 348 have a smaller height than the burls of the pimple table 20 which compensates for the difference in the force downwards on the substrate W caused by the vacuum 22 of the pimple table 20 compared to the force on the substrate W at the edge in the vicinity of burls 348. The calculation must take the stiffness of the burls into account and if the burls are manufactured from a low expansion material such as Zerodur, they should be about 80 nm less high than the burls of the pimple table 20. The gap between the portion 48 and the bottom of the substrate W is in an embodiment about 20 .mu.m.
In the version of FIG. 7b, portion 45 is similar in shape to that of the first version. However, an alternative has a ring or circular pattern of burls 345 positioned above portion 45. The discrete nature of the burls 345 allows gas from channel 42 to be sucked into the compartment 44. These hurls 345 are also about 80 nm less high than the burls of the pimple table 20. In an embodiment, gap D1 in between the burls 345 is about 50 .mu.m. The burls 345 may be formed by the pimple table 20 and need not necessarily be part of the substrate table WT.
From the above two versions of the third embodiment it will be clear that the architecture of the gas seal formed by passages 42 and 47 can be formed either completely by the substrate table WT, completely by the pimple table 20 or by a combination of both. FIGS. 7c and 7d illustrate two further versions of the third embodiment. FIG. 7c illustrates a third version of the third embodiment in which the gas seal is formed by members of the pimple table 20. The portion 45 of the first and second versions is formed by a (annular) portion of the pimple table 2045 and portion 48 of the first and second versions is formed by (annular) portion 2048 of the pimple table 20. Passages 2042, 2047 equivalent to 42 and 47 are formed between the portions 20, 2045 and 2048. However, only a part of the gas flow passes through the two passages 2042, 2047; as illustrated, some gas flows under the pimple table 20 which is effective to block further ingression of immersion liquid which seeps under the outer edge of the pimple table 20. This arrangement has an advantage that all of the accurate dimensions are made in the pimple table 20 and the substrate table WT does not contain any complex grooves.
In a fourth version of the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7d, no inlet channel 42 is provided and gas flows from the pimple table 20 into (annular) port 47. This version has an advantage that a more stable pressure is experienced between the substrate W and the pimple table 20 because the pimple table 20 does not need its own vacuum source. Furthermore, extra passage 2047 which is provided in the third version is no longer necessary and only passage 2042 is used. Thus, a single vacuum source is effective both to clear away leaking immersion fluid as well as holding the substrate in place. A gas source may be required under the pimple table 20 (perhaps the more usual vacuum port in the substrate table under the pimple table can be used for this purpose) so that a flow of gas outwards can be established.
In a first version of this embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 8a, a further edge seal member 500 is used to bridge the gap between the edge seal member 117 and the substrate W. The further edge seal member is affixed to the edge seal member 117. The further edge seal member 500 is removably attachable against the surface of the substrate W opposite the primary surface. In this embodiment the further edge seal member 500 can be a flexible edge seal member which is actuatable to contact the under surface of the substrate W. When the flexible edge seal member 500 is deactivated it falls away from the substrate under gravity. The way this may be achieved is illustrated in FIG. 9 and is described below.
Furthermore, the edge seal member 500 can be arranged to engage with the top surface of the object (that surface closest to the projection system PL) rather than the bottom surface. Also, the further edge seal member 500 may be provided attached to or near the top surface of the edge seal member 117 as opposed to under the edge seal member 117 as is illustrated in FIG. 8a.
A second version of this embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 8b. Two further edge seal members 500a, 500b are used. The first of these edge seal members 500a is the same as in the first version. The second of these edge seal members 500b is affixed to the substrate table 20 i.e. underneath the substrate W and extends with its free end radially outwardly from its attachment point. The second further edge seal member 500b clamps the first further edge seal member 500a against the substrate W. Compressed gas can be used to deform or move the second further edge seal member 500b.
A third version of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 8c. The third version is the same as the second version except the first further edge seal member 500c clamps the second further edge seal member 500d to the substrate W. This avoids, for example, the need for the compressed gas of the second version.
A flexible further edge seal member 500 may be fashioned from any flexible, radiation and immersion liquid resistant, non-contaminating material, for example, steel, glass e.g. Al.sub.2O.sub.3, ceramic material e.g. SiC, silicon, Teflon, low expansion glasses (e.g. Zerodur.TM. or ULE.TM.), carbon fibre epoxy or quartz and is typically between 10 and 500 .mu.m thick, in an embodiment between 30 and 200 .mu.m or 50 to 150 .mu.m in the case of glass. With a flexible further edge seal member 500 of this material and these dimensions, the typical pressure to be applied to the duct 510 is approximately 0.1 to 0.6 bar.
A layer 60, positioned on the opposite side of the substrate W to the projection system PL and under the substrate at its edge leaving a gap between the substrate W and the layer 60 of about 10 .mu.m, comprises any material which is hydrophobic such as Teflon.TM., silicon rubber, or other plastics material. Inorganic materials are desired because they have better radiation resistance. In this way, liquid which finds its way into the gap between the substrate W and the edge seal member 117 when the liquid supply system is positioned over the edge of the substrate W is repelled such that an effective seal is formed and liquid does not find its way to the pimple table 20. In an embodiment, the immersion liquid has a contact angle of at least 90.degree. with the hydrophobic layer 60.
The gap seal member 100 may be held in place by the application of a vacuum 105 to its underside (that is a vacuum source exposed through a vacuum port on the primary surface of the edge seal member 117). The liquid supply system can pass over the edge of the substrate W without the loss of liquid because the gap between the substrate W and the edge seal member 117 is covered over by the gap seal member 100. The gap seal member 100 can be put in place and removed by the substrate handler so that standard substrates and substrate handling can be used. Alternatively, the gap seal member 100 can be kept at the projection system PL and put in place and removed by appropriate mechanisms (e.g. a substrate handling robot). The gap seal member 100 should be stiff enough to avoid deformation by the vacuum source. Advantageously the gap seal member 100 is less than 50, in an embodiment 30 or 20 or even 10 .mu.m thick to avoid contact with the liquid supply system, but should be made as thin as possible.
.times..sigma..times..times..times..times..theta..times..times..rho. ##EQU00001##
where .sigma. is the interfacial tension, .theta. the contact angle between the liquid and the capillaries W and .rho. the liquid density. Thus by making cos .theta. positive (i.e. making the inner surface of the capillaries hydrophobic, for example by a coating) the capillaries can support a portion of liquid with height h above the gap so that a larger gap can be spanned.
By applying a voltage between the hydrophobic coated capillaries and the liquid, cos .theta. can be reduced to around zero and this allows free flow of liquid through the capillaries 600 (according to equation 1 above) so that liquid can be removed from the liquid supply system under the projection system PL in little time by keeping the length of the capillaries low. This is advantageous for keeping the liquid clean. When the edge of the substrate W is imaged, the voltage can be removed so that the gap can be spanned. In order to lift the liquid film from the substrate W, it is proposed to coat the substrate W edges with a hydrophobic material (or the resist on the substrate W edges can be removed as the substrate material itself is hydrophobic).
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