Source: http://www.google.fr/patents/US8269944
Timestamp: 2018-01-21 11:02:38
Document Index: 737089183

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 60', 'Application No. 200717562', 'Application No. 200605084', 'Application No. 200605084', 'Application No. 200605084', 'Application No. 2009', 'Application No. 2007175623', 'Application No. 200717562', 'Application No. 05', 'Application No. 05', 'Application No. 200380105467', 'Application No. 200480009702', 'Application No. 200480009702', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 09920027510', 'Application No. 10', 'Application No. 2006', 'Application No. 04746097', 'Application No. 2005', 'Application No. 200717576', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 200717561', 'Application No. 04746097', 'Application No. 200580002269', 'Application No. 2012', 'Application No. 03777352', 'Application No. 2005800002269', 'Application No. 200580002269', 'Application No. 200380105467', 'Application No. 2009', 'Application No. 2010', 'Application No. 2010', 'Application No. 2010', 'Application No. 10185953', 'Application No. 10185992', 'Application No. 05704182', 'Application No. 04721260', 'Application No. 2009', 'Application No. 200605084', 'Application No. 170735', 'Application No. 2005800002269', 'Application No. 200580002269', 'Application No. 2008', 'Application No. 2011', 'Application No. 2011', 'Application No. 200605084', 'Application No. 09015888', 'Application No. 200717564', 'Application No. 200503619', 'Application No. 04721260', 'Application No. 200480015978', 'Application No. 200480015978']

Brevet US8269944 - Apparatus and method for maintaining immersion fluid in the gap under the ... - Google Brevets
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which a substrate is exposed to an exposure beam, includes an optical member through which the substrate is exposed to the exposure beam, a cover member having a surface, a first holding system that detachably holds the cover member, and a second holding system...http://www.google.fr/patents/US8269944?utm_source=gb-gplus-shareBrevet US8269944 - Apparatus and method for maintaining immersion fluid in the gap under the projection lens during wafer exchange in an immersion lithography machine
Numéro de publication US8269944 B2
Numéro de demande US 11/882,837
Autre référence de publication CN101002140A, CN101002140B, CN101980086A, CN101980086B, CN101980087A, CN101980087B, EP1616220A2, EP1616220A4, EP1616220B1, EP2613192A2, EP2613192A3, EP2613192B1, EP2613193A2, EP2613193A3, EP2613193B1, EP2613194A2, EP2613194A3, EP2613194B1, EP2613195A2, EP2613195A3, EP2613195B1, EP2618213A2, EP2618213A3, EP2618213B1, EP2887143A1, EP2887143B1, EP3141953A2, EP3141953A3, US7327435, US7372538, US7545479, US8035795, US8351019, US8488100, US8514367, US8610875, US8634057, US8848166, US8848168, US8879047, US9081298, US9329493, US9500960, US20060023186, US20060033894, US20070195300, US20070216886, US20070247602, US20070252965, US20070273857, US20080074634, US20100203455, US20110025999, US20110026000, US20130301020, US20130301021, US20130301022, US20130308107, US20150268563, US20160238948, WO2004090577A2, WO2004090577A3
Numéro de publication 11882837, 882837, US 8269944 B2, US 8269944B2, US-B2-8269944, US8269944 B2, US8269944B2
Citations de brevets (432), Citations hors brevets (181), Référencé par (2), Classifications (19), Événements juridiques (2)
US 8269944 B2
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which a substrate is exposed to an exposure beam, includes an optical member through which the substrate is exposed to the exposure beam, a cover member having a surface, a first holding system that detachably holds the cover member, and a second holding system that holds the cover member which is released from the first holding system. The surface of the cover member held by the second holding system is opposite to the optical member.
1. A liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which a substrate is exposed to an exposure beam through an immersion liquid, the apparatus comprising:
a first holding system that detachably holds the cover member;
a second holding system that holds the cover member which has been released from the first holding system, wherein the surface of the cover member is disposed opposite to the optical member while the cover member is held by the second holding system; and
a stage assembly which is movable relative to the optical member,
wherein the first holding system holds the cover member on the stage assembly.
2. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
3. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
4. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage assembly includes a substrate table on which the substrate is retained.
5. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first holding system holds the cover member on the substrate table.
6. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first holding system holds the cover member when the substrate table is under the optical member.
7. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first holding system holds the cover member when the substrate is exposed.
8. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrate table is movable relative to the second holding system.
9. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate table is moved away from the optical member when the cover member is held by the second holding system.
10. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a substrate exchange operation of the substrate on the substrate table is performed, while the second holding system holds the cover member.
11. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a gap between the optical member and the cover member is filled with the immersion liquid while the second holding system holds the cover member.
12. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein during a transition from a first state in which the cover member is held by one of the first and second holding systems to a second state in which the cover member is held by the other of the first and second holding systems, the optical member is kept in contact with the immersion liquid.
13. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage assembly is movable relative to the second holding system.
14. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gap between the optical member and the cover member is filled with the immersion liquid while the second holding system holds the cover member.
15. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein during a transition from a first state in which the cover member is held by one of the first and second holding systems to a second state in which the cover member is held by the other of the first and second holding systems, the optical member is kept in contact with the immersion liquid.
16. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
17. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the cover member is attracted to the second holding system.
18. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a wafer which is exposed to the exposure beam through optical member and the immersion liquid fills a gap between the wafer and the optical member.
19. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid system that supplies the immersion liquid.
20. The liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the liquid system also recovers the immersion liquid.
21. A liquid immersion exposure method in which a substrate is exposed to an exposure beam through an immersion liquid, the method comprising:
providing the substrate opposite to an optical member through which the substrate is exposed to the exposure beam;
holding the cover member released from the first holding system by a second holding system so that the cover member is opposite to the optical member,
wherein the first holding system holds the cover member on a stage assembly which is movable relative to the optical member.
22. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 21, wherein the first holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
23. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 22, wherein the second holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
24. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 21, wherein the second holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
25. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 21, wherein the stage assembly includes a substrate table on which the substrate is retained.
26. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 25, wherein the first holding system holds the cover member on the substrate table.
27. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 25, wherein the first holding system holds the cover member when the substrate table is under the optical member.
28. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 27, wherein the first holding system holds the cover member when the substrate is exposed.
29. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 25, wherein the stage assembly is movable relative to the second holding system.
30. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 29, further comprising moving the substrate table away from the optical member when the second holding system holds the cover member opposite to the optical member.
31. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 30, further comprising performing a substrate exchange operation of the substrate on the substrate table, while the second holding system holds the cover member opposite to the optical member.
32. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 25, wherein a gap between the optical member and the cover member is filled with the immersion liquid while the second holding system holds the cover member.
33. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 32, wherein during a transition from a first state in which the cover member is held by the first holding system to a second state in which the cover member is held by the second holding system opposite to the optical member, the optical member is kept in contact with the immersion liquid.
34. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 21, wherein a gap between the optical member and the cover member is filled with the immersion liquid while the second holding system holds the cover member.
35. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 34, wherein during a transition from a first state in which the cover member is held by the first holding system to a second state in which the cover member is held by the second holding system opposite to the optical member, the optical member is kept in contact with the immersion liquid.
36. The liquid immersion exposure method according to claim 21, wherein the substrate includes a wafer which is exposed to the exposure beam through optical member and the immersion liquid fills a gap between the wafer and the optical member.
providing a substrate opposite to an optical member of an immersion exposure apparatus through which the substrate is exposed to an exposure beam through an immersion liquid;
38. The device manufacturing method according to claim 37, wherein the first holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
39. The device manufacturing method according to claim 38, wherein the second holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
40. The device manufacturing method according to claim 37, wherein the second holding system includes a vacuum holding system.
41. The device manufacturing method according to claim 37, wherein the stage assembly includes a substrate table on which the substrate is retained, and the first holding system holds the cover member on the substrate table.
42. The device manufacturing method according to claim 41, wherein the stage assembly is movable relative to the second holding system, and the substrate table is moved away from the optical member when the second holding system holds the cover member opposite to the optical member.
43. The device manufacturing method according to claim 37, wherein a gap between the optical member and the cover member is filled with the immersion liquid while the second holding system holds the cover member.
44. The device manufacturing method according to claim 43, wherein during a transition from a first state in which the cover member is held by the first holding system to a second state in which the cover member is held by the second holding system opposite to the optical member, the optical member is kept in contact with the immersion liquid.
45. The device manufacturing method according to claim 37, wherein the substrate includes a wafer which is exposed to the exposure beam through optical member and the immersion liquid fills a gap between the wafer and the optical member.
This is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/237,721 filed Sep. 29, 2005, which is a Continuation of International Application No. PCT/IB2004/001259 filed Mar. 17, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/462,499 filed on Apr. 11, 2003. The entire disclosures of the prior applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIG. 7B illustrates a detailed flowchart example of the above-mentioned step 704 in the case of fabricating semiconductor work pieces. In FIG. 7B, in step 711 (oxidation step), the wafer surface is oxidized. In step 712 (CVD step), an insulation film is formed on the wafer surface. In step 713 (electrode formation step), electrodes are formed on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 714 (ion-implantation step), ions are implanted in the wafer. The above mentioned steps 711-714 form the preprocessing steps for wafers during wafer processing, and selection is made at each step according to processing requirements.
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US8351019 * 19 avr. 2010 8 janv. 2013 Nikon Corporation Apparatus and method for maintaining immersion fluid in the gap under the projection lens during wafer exchange in an immersion lithography machine
Classification aux États-Unis 355/30, 355/53, 355/77, 355/72
Classification internationale G03F7/20, G03B27/32, G03B27/58, G02B, G03B27/42, G03B27/52
Classification européenne G03B27/52, G03F7/70N4, G03F7/70F24, G03F7/70N6