Abstract:
PURPOSE: An immersion lithography device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to effectively and efficiently remove undesirable droplets from the surface of a substrate or a substrate table. CONSTITUTION: An immersion lithography device comprises the following: a projection system having an optical axis; a substrate table formed to maintain a substrate, defining the facing surface of the substrate and the substrate table itself; and a fluid handling structure for supplying an immersion liquid to an immersion space located on the surface facing the projection system. The fluid handling structure includes a fluid removal device(400), and a droplet removal device to remove droplets(200) form the immersion liquid.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid handling structure for minimizing or preventing the sealing of bubbles within an immersion solution of an immersion lithographic apparatus. SOLUTION: A fluid handling structure is for a lithographic apparatus. At a boundary from a space configured to include an immersion fluid to a region external to the fluid handling structure, the fluid handling structure successively has an extractor having at least one opening arranged in a first line that, in use, is directed towards a substrate and/or a table and a liquid manipulator on a surface that, in use, faces the substrate and/or table to reduce the chance of droplets on the surface from coalescing. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for cleaning a contaminated surface of the lithographic apparatus. SOLUTION: The liquid confinement structure is equipped with at least of two openings 10 used for supplying a liquid to a gap below the structure and extracting it. Flow direction between openings can be switched. A supplying line for supplying the liquid to a gap outside the radial direction of openings adapted to two-layer flow and supplying the liquid to the liquid confinement structure, and an extracting line for extracting the liquid from the liquid confinement structure, have an inner surface having corrosion resistance against organic liquid. A corrosive cleaning liquid can be used for cleaning a photoresist contamination. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the risk of an interference with a positioning system of an immersion liquid. SOLUTION: An immersion lithographic apparatus contains a substrate table, a fluid handling structure and a swap table. The substrate table is configured to support a substrate. The fluid handling structure is configured to supply and confine the immersion liquid to a space demarcated between a projection system and the substrate table, between the projection system and the substrate, or the both. The swap table includes, for example, a shutter surface configured to be under the fluid handling structure during swapping of the substrate on the substrate table. When used, a transfer surface between the surface of the substrate table and the surface of the swap table is moved under the fluid handling structure to contribute to inhibit leakage of the immersion liquid. A shutter member and the method are also disclosed. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve calibration of multiple alignment heads and to improve overlay accuracy and product yield. SOLUTION: A calibration method for calibrating the positions of secondary alignment heads by using a primary alignment head in a multi-head alignment system is disclosed. The system is used for marker measurement on the surface of a wafer e.g. and is performed during a lithographic processing for forming a circuit in the wafer or on the wafer. A plurality of offset measurements are performed for at least one secondary alignment head, so that the offset of the secondary alignment heads with respect to the primary alignment head can be measured, and used as correction data in subsequent wafer measurement calculations. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus in which the possibility of errors in sensor reading is at least reduced. SOLUTION: A table for a lithographic apparatus comprises an encoder plate located on the table, a gap between the encoder plate and a top surface of the table, the gap located radially inward of the encoder plate relative to the periphery of the table, and a fluid extraction system with one or more openings in the surface of the gap to extract liquid from the gap. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of removing undesired droplets from a surface of a substrate and/or a substrate table more effectively and efficiently. SOLUTION: A fluid handling system for an immersion lithography apparatus has a fluid removal device to remove immersion liquid from an immersion space, and a droplet removal device to remove a droplet of immersion liquid, wherein: the droplet removal device is located further from an optical axis than the fluid removal device, and the droplet removal device includes a porous member which faces, e.g., the substrate being exposed and/or the substrate table. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate table that can reduce or eliminate the effects of a thermal load in order to avoid deformation (e.g., expansion or contraction) of a substrate and/or substrate table.SOLUTION: There is provided a substrate table to support a substrate on a substrate supporting area, the substrate table having a heat transfer fluid channel at least under the substrate supporting area, and a plurality of heaters and/or coolers to thermally control the heat transfer fluid in the channel at a location under the substrate supporting area.
Abstract:
A calibration method is disclosed, for the position calibration of secondary alignment heads with a primary alignment head in a multi- head alignment system, such as that used for the measurement of markers on the surface of a wafer, as carried out during a lithographic process in the formation of circuits in or on the wafer. A plurality of offset measurements are made for at least one of the secondary alignment heads, so that the offset of the secondary alignment heads with respect to the primary alignment head can be measured, and used as correction data in subsequent wafer measurement calculations. Fig. 18