U.S. patent application number 12/820970 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-16 for lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method.
This patent application is currently assigned to ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.. Invention is credited to Ton De Groot, Gerardus Everadus Marie Hannen, Ronald Johannes Hultermans, Jacobus Johannus Leonardus Hendricus Verspay.
Application Number | 20100315610 12/820970 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36573771 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100315610 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hultermans; Ronald Johannes ;
et al. |
December 16, 2010 |
LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD
Abstract
An immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed having
comprising a pump and buffer volume configured to remove remaining
liquid from a substrate, the pump and the buffer volume configured
to generate a vacuum cleaning gas flow near the substrate by gas
suction into the buffer volume. In an embodiment, since gas flow is
needed only a limited amount of time (ordinarily less than 5%),
evacuation may be performed using only a moderately powered vacuum
pump. In addition or alternatively, the buffer volume may be used
as a backup volume buffer configured to provide gas vacuum suction,
e.g., in case of a vacuum supply outage.
Inventors: |
Hultermans; Ronald Johannes;
(Utrecht, NL) ; De Groot; Ton; (Someren, NL)
; Verspay; Jacobus Johannus Leonardus Hendricus; (Thorn,
NL) ; Hannen; Gerardus Everadus Marie; (Echt,
NL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PILLSBURY WINTHROP SHAW PITTMAN, LLP
P.O. BOX 10500
MCLEAN
VA
22102
US
|
Assignee: |
ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
Veldhoven
NL
|
Family ID: |
36573771 |
Appl. No.: |
12/820970 |
Filed: |
June 22, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12232971 |
Sep 26, 2008 |
7764356 |
|
|
12820970 |
|
|
|
|
11002454 |
Dec 3, 2004 |
7446850 |
|
|
12232971 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
355/30 ;
355/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03F 7/70925 20130101;
G03F 7/70341 20130101; G03F 7/70866 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
355/30 ;
355/77 |
International
Class: |
G03B 27/52 20060101
G03B027/52; G03B 27/32 20060101 G03B027/32 |
Claims
1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising: a support structure
configured to support a substrate; a projection system configured
to project a patterned beam through a liquid onto a target portion
of the substrate; and a pump and a buffer volume configured to
remove remaining liquid from the substrate, the pump and the buffer
volume configured to generate a vacuum cleaning gas flow near the
substrate by gas suction into the buffer volume.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer volume is
arranged to intermittently generate a gas flow to clean the
substrate after an immersion projection exposure.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer volume is
arranged to generate a backup gas flow for the pump to remove
remaining liquid from the substrate during an immersion projection
exposure.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump and buffer
volume are connected to a drying station and the support structure
is arranged to move the substrate underneath the drying
station.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the buffer volume is
arranged to generate a flow rate of the gas flow greater than about
40 m.sup.3/h in a gap larger than about 0.3 mm.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the flow rate of the
gas flow is greater than or equal to 400 m.sup.3/h and the gap is
about 1 mm for ambient pressure and temperature conditions.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer volume is
dimensioned to generate twice the amount of gas needed, wherein the
vacuum pressure varies from 0-0.5 bar.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the buffer volume
exceeds 100 liters.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a liquid
confinement structure configured to provide liquid to a space
between the substrate and the projection system, the liquid
confinement structure comprising a suction inlet coupled to the
buffer volume and the buffer volume comprises a backup buffer
volume.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer volume
is configured to generate a cleaning gas flow such that
(.tau..sub.wall.delta.t)glass>1.5[Pas], wherein .tau..sub.wall
is a calculated sheer stress at the substrate and .delta.t is a
total residual time of a droplet.
11. A method of intermittently providing vacuum suction in an
immersion lithographic apparatus, comprising: alternatingly vacuum
extracting a buffer volume using a pump; and generating a cleaning
gas flow near the substrate by gas suction into the buffer
volume.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the cleaning gas flow
is generated for up to 1 minute.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the buffer volume is
configured to generate a cleaning gas flow such that
(.tau..sub.wall.delta.t)glass>1.5[Pas], wherein .tau..sub.wall
is a calculated sheer stress at the substrate and .delta.t is a
total residual time of a droplet.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the calculated sheer
stress exceeds 20 N/m.sup.2.
15. The method according to claim 11, wherein generating the
cleaning gas flow comprises intermittently generating the cleaning
gas flow to clean the substrate after an immersion projection
exposure.
16. The method according to claim 11, wherein generating the
cleaning gas flow comprises generating a backup gas flow for the
pump to remove remaining liquid from the substrate during an
immersion projection exposure.
17. The method according to claim 11, comprising generating a flow
rate of the cleaning gas flow greater than about 40 m.sup.3/h in a
gap larger than about 0.3 mm.
18. A method of providing a backup vacuum suction in an immersion
lithographic apparatus, comprising: vacuum extracting a backup
buffer volume using a pump; and generating a backup vacuum suction
near the substrate by gas suction into the backup buffer
volume.
19. The method according to claim 18, comprising providing a liquid
to a space between the substrate and a projection system using a
liquid confinement structure, the liquid confinement structure
comprising a suction inlet by which the backup suction is provided
near the substrate.
20. The method according to claim 18, comprising generating a flow
rate of gas flow caused by the gas suction greater than about 40
m.sup.3/h in a gap larger than about 0.3 mm.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus
and a method for manufacturing a device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired
pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the
substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in
the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a
patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or
a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed
on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred
onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several
dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the
pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of
radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In
general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent
target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic
apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion
is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion
at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion
is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a
given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously
scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction.
It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning
device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the
substrate.
[0003] Immersion lithography has become an important lithographic
imaging technique. In immersion lithography, a liquid is provided
between an optical imaging system and a target portion of the
substrate to be illuminated by the optical imaging system. This
liquid provides a way to further increase the numerical aperture of
the optical imaging system, which may result in enhanced imaging
performance. A variety of systems and apparatus have been proposed
to implement the immersion lithography technique. One of the
challenges that is posed on these systems is to handle the liquid
as the liquid may contribute to contamination and/or degradation of
lithographic apparatus elements. Furthermore, the presence of
liquid on a substrate may pose a problem in terms of temperature
control since liquid may evaporate thus resulting in local cooling
of the substrate. Local cooling may be problematic in keeping
stable mechanical conditions of the substrate so that substrate may
be accurately aligned for proper imaging.
SUMMARY
[0004] A vacuum suction in close vicinity to the projection system
may be provided to remove all or part of the immersion liquid,
e.g., after an immersion projection exposure. In other lithographic
apparatus, immersion liquid may be provided without intermediate
removal of the substrate. However, a substrate processed with these
immersion lithographic apparatus nevertheless, may have remnants of
immersion liquid which should be cleaned before the substrate is
further handled and transported to other process environments.
These remnants may occur during immersion projection exposure,
e.g., due to a leaky seal, and/or after immersion projection
exposure.
[0005] Accordingly, it would be advantageous, for example, to
provide a suction device configured to remove remaining liquid from
the substrate, e.g., after immersion projection exposure of the
substrate, which may be relatively small and may not require large
pumping power of a vacuum pump.
[0006] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a
lithographic apparatus, comprising:
[0007] a support structure configured to support a substrate;
[0008] a projection system configured to project a patterned beam
through a liquid onto a target portion of the substrate; and
[0009] a pump and a buffer volume configured to remove remaining
liquid from the substrate, the pump and the buffer volume
configured to generate a vacuum cleaning gas flow near the
substrate by gas suction into the buffer volume.
[0010] Due to the typically intermittent nature of cleaning, a
buffer volume can be evacuated during lithographic processing,
which ordinarily requires some tens of seconds. After lithographic
processing, when needed, the buffer volume is opened and a high
velocity gas flow is generated to clean the substrate surface by
suction. Since this gas flow is needed only a limited amount of
time (ordinarily less than 5% of the lithographic apparatus
processing time), evacuation can be performed using only a
moderately powered vacuum pump. In addition or alternatively, the
buffer volume may be used as a backup volume to provide gas suction
in case of a vacuum supply outage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way
of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic
drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate
corresponding parts, and in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts a lithographic apparatus according to an
embodiment of the invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 schematically depicts a drying station configured to
vacuum dry clean a substrate according to an embodiment of the
invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a graph illustrating cleaning efficiency in
relation to vacuum gas flow conditions;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a graph illustrating a magnitude estimation to
displace a liquid droplet;
[0016] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a lithographic apparatus
comprising a drying station according to an embodiment of the
invention; and
[0017] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a lithographic apparatus
comprising a liquid confinement structure according to an
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] FIG. 1 schematically depicts a lithographic apparatus
according to an embodiment of the invention. The apparatus
comprises:
[0019] an illumination system (illuminator) IL configured to
condition a radiation beam B (e.g. UV radiation).
[0020] a support structure (e.g. a mask table) MT constructed to
support a patterning device (e.g. a mask) MA and connected to a
first positioner PM configured to accurately position the
patterning device in accordance with certain parameters;
[0021] a substrate table (e.g. a wafer table) WT constructed to
hold a substrate (e.g. a resist-coated wafer) W and connected to a
second positioner PW configured to accurately position the
substrate in accordance with certain parameters; and
[0022] a projection system (e.g. a refractive projection lens
system) PS configured to project a pattern imparted to the
radiation beam B by patterning device MA onto a target portion C
(e.g. comprising one or more dies) of the substrate W.
[0023] The illumination system may include various types of optical
components, such as refractive, reflective, magnetic,
electromagnetic, electrostatic or other types of optical
components, or any combination thereof, for directing, shaping, or
controlling radiation.
[0024] The support structure holds the patterning device in a
manner that depends on the orientation of the patterning device,
the design of the lithographic apparatus, and other conditions,
such as for example whether or not the patterning device is held in
a vacuum environment. The support structure can use mechanical,
vacuum, electrostatic or other clamping techniques to hold the
patterning device. The support structure may be a frame or a table,
for example, which may be fixed or movable as required. The support
structure may ensure that the patterning device is at a desired
position, for example with respect to the projection system. Any
use of the terms "reticle" or "mask" herein may be considered
synonymous with the more general term "patterning device."
[0025] The term "patterning device" used herein should be broadly
interpreted as referring to any device that can be used to impart a
radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section such as to
create a pattern in a target portion of the substrate. It should be
noted that the pattern imparted to the radiation beam may not
exactly correspond to the desired pattern in the target portion of
the substrate, for example if the pattern includes phase-shifting
features or so called assist features. Generally, the pattern
imparted to the radiation beam will correspond to a particular
functional layer in a device being created in the target portion,
such as an integrated circuit.
[0026] The patterning device may be transmissive or reflective.
Examples of patterning devices include masks, programmable mirror
arrays, and programmable LCD panels. Masks are well known in
lithography, and include mask types such as binary, alternating
phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid
mask types. An example of a programmable mirror array employs
aviatrix arrangement of small mirrors, each of which can be
individually tilted so as to reflect an incoming radiation beam in
different directions. The tilted mirrors impart a pattern in a
radiation beam which is reflected by the mirror matrix.
[0027] The term "projection system" used herein should be broadly
interpreted as encompassing any type of projection system,
including refractive, reflective, catadioptric, magnetic,
electromagnetic and electrostatic optical systems, or any
combination thereof, as appropriate for the exposure radiation
being used, or for other factors such as the use of an immersion
liquid or the use of a vacuum. Any use of the term "projection
lens" herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general
term "projection system".
[0028] As here depicted, the apparatus is of a reflective type
(e.g. employing a reflective mask). Alternatively, the apparatus
may be of a transmissive type (e.g. employing a transmissive
mask).
[0029] The lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two (dual
stage) or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables).
In such "multiple stage" machines 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
exposure.
[0030] The lithographic apparatus may also be of a type wherein at
least a portion of the substrate may be covered by a liquid having
a relatively high refractive index, e.g. water, so as to fill a
space between the projection system and the substrate. An immersion
liquid may also be applied to other spaces in the lithographic
apparatus, for example, between the mask and the projection system.
Immersion techniques are well known in the art for increasing the
numerical aperture of projection systems. The term "immersion" as
used herein does not mean that a structure, such as a substrate,
must be submerged in liquid, but rather only means that liquid is
located between the projection system and the substrate during
exposure.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, the illuminator IL receives a radiation
beam from a radiation source SO. The source and the lithographic
apparatus may be separate entities, for example when the source is
an excimer laser. In such cases, the source is not considered to
form part of the lithographic apparatus and the radiation beam is
passed from the source SO to the illuminator IL with the aid of a
beam delivery system BD comprising, for example, suitable directing
mirrors and/or a beam expander. In other cases the source may be an
integral part of the lithographic apparatus, for example when the
source is a mercury lamp. The source SO and the illuminator IL,
together with the beam delivery system BD if required, may be
referred to as a radiation system.
[0032] The illuminator IL may comprise an adjuster configured to
adjust the angular intensity distribution of the radiation beam.
Generally, at least the outer and/or inner radial extent (commonly
referred to as .sigma.-outer and .sigma.-inner, respectively) of
the intensity distribution in a pupil plane of the illuminator can
be adjusted. In addition, the illuminator IL may comprise various
other components, such as an integrator and a condenser. The
illuminator may be used to condition the radiation beam, to have a
desired uniformity and intensity distribution in its
cross-section.
[0033] The radiation beam B is incident on the patterning device
(e.g., mask MA), which is held on the support structure (e.g., mask
table MT), and is patterned by the patterning device. Having
traversed the mask MA, the radiation beam B passes through the
projection system PS, which focuses the beam onto a target portion
C of the substrate W. With the aid of the second positioner PW and
position sensor IF2 (e.g. an interferometric device, linear encoder
or capacitive sensor), the substrate table WT can be moved
accurately, e.g. so as to position different target portions C in
the path of the radiation beam B. Similarly, the first positioner
PM and another position sensor IF1 can be used to accurately
position the mask MA with respect to the path of the radiation beam
B, e.g. after mechanical retrieval from a mask library, or during a
scan. In general, movement of the mask table MT may be realized
with the aid of a long-stroke module (coarse positioning) and a
short-stroke module (fine positioning), which form part of the
first positioner PM. Similarly, movement of the substrate table WT
may be realized using a long-stroke module and a short-stroke
module, which form part of the second positioner PW. In the case of
a stepper (as opposed to a scanner) the mask table MT may be
connected to a short-stroke actuator only, or may be fixed. Mask MA
and substrate W may be aligned using mask alignment marks M1, M2
and substrate alignment marks P1, P2. Although the substrate
alignment marks as illustrated occupy dedicated target portions,
they may be located in spaces between target portions (these are
known as scribe-lane alignment marks). Similarly, in situations in
which more than one die is provided on the mask MA, the mask
alignment marks may be located between the dies.
[0034] The depicted apparatus could be used in at least one of the
following modes:
[0035] 1. In step mode, the mask table MT and the substrate table
WT are kept essentially stationary, while an entire pattern
imparted to the radiation beam is projected onto a target portion C
at one time (i.e. a single static exposure). The substrate table WT
is then shifted in the X and/or Y direction so that a different
target portion C can be exposed. In step mode, the maximum size of
the exposure field limits the size of the target portion C imaged
in a single static exposure.
[0036] 2. In scan mode, the mask table MT and the substrate table
WT are scanned synchronously while a pattern imparted to the
radiation beam is projected onto a target portion C (i.e. a single
dynamic exposure). The velocity and direction of the substrate
table WT relative to the mask table MT may be determined by the
(de-)magnification and image reversal characteristics of the
projection system PS. In scan mode, the maximum size of the
exposure field limits the width (in the non-scanning direction) of
the target portion in a single dynamic exposure, whereas the length
of the scanning motion determines the height (in the scanning
direction) of the target portion.
[0037] 3. In another mode, the mask table MT is kept essentially
stationary holding a programmable patterning device, and the
substrate table WT is moved or scanned while a pattern imparted to
the radiation beam is projected onto a target portion C. In this
mode, generally a pulsed radiation source is employed and the
programmable patterning device is updated as required after each
movement of the substrate table WT or in between successive
radiation pulses during a scan. This mode of operation can be
readily applied to maskless lithography that utilizes programmable
patterning device, such as a programmable mirror array of a type as
referred to above.
[0038] Combinations and/or variations on the above described modes
of use or entirely different modes of use may also be employed.
[0039] FIG. 2 schematically depicts a drying station 1 configured
to vacuum dry clean a substrate 2. For example, the drying station
1 could be located in between a projection position and a measuring
position in a multiple substrate stage lithography apparatus,
arranged at the exposure position in a single substrate lithography
apparatus, or arranged in a substrate handler of a single or
multiple substrate stage lithography apparatus. In an embodiment,
the drying station 1 comprises a nozzle 3 which is located in the
vicinity of a substrate surface 4, generally, at a close distance,
for example, 0.5-1.5 mm. For a larger distance between the nozzle 3
and the substrate surface 4, a greater amount of gas flow may need
to be generated in order to provide sufficient suction force to
remove droplets 5 from the substrate surface 4. In an embodiment,
the immersion lithographic apparatus comprises a drying station 1
arranged to provide a flow rate greater than or equal to 40
m.sup.3/h in a gap between the nozzle 3 and the substrate surface 4
larger than or equal to 0.3 mm or a flow rate of greater than or
equal to 400 m.sup.3/h in a gap between the nozzle 3 and the
substrate surface 4 larger than or equal to 1 mm in ambient
pressure and temperature conditions. In an embodiment, the gap
between the nozzle 3 and the substrate surface 4 of the drying
station 1 is maintained for safety reasons at a predetermined
distance.
[0040] FIG. 3 shows a graph illustrating cleaning efficiency in
relation to vacuum flow conditions. In the graph, the cleaning
efficiency is defined as the percentage of liquid (water) that is
removed by one scan of a suction nozzle 3 over the substrate
surface 4 (glass plate). Basically, the cleaning efficiency scales
with the time of the substrate below the nozzle .delta.t (surface
velocity and external dimension) times the shear force exerted by
the flow .tau..sub.wall (shown as .tau..sub.xy in the graph)
(exhaust flow and distance to surface). The graph shows that the
cleaning efficiency decreases with increasing cleaning scan
velocity, and increases with nozzle dimension. From the graph it
can be seen that, for a cleaning efficiency greater than 95%, a
drying station should be arranged to provide a cleaning gas flow
such that (.tau..sub.wall.delta.t)glass>1.5 [Pas], wherein
.tau..sub.wall is a calculated sheer stress at the substrate 2 and
.delta.t is a total residual time of a liquid droplet.
[0041] FIG. 4 shows a graph illustrating a magnitude estimation to
displace a liquid droplet based on laminar flow calculations.
Firstly, the flow rate over the surface must be high enough for a
liquid droplet to be displaced to the center of the nozzle 3. When
moving the nozzle 3 over the substrate surface 4 (or moving the
substrate surface 4 relative to the nozzle 3), one or more liquid
droplets gather under the nozzle 3 and excess liquid, when one or
more droplets reach a certain size, will be removed upwards. The
efficiency of the drying station thus is determined by how much
liquid will be gathered under the nozzle 3 and how well it can keep
in this liquid when the nozzle 3 is moved over the substrate
surface 4 (or the substrate surface 4 is moved relative to the
nozzle 3). In this example, driving force of the liquid droplet
displacement is the shear stress exerted by the gas flow (droplets
much smaller than the slit height). Pressure forces due to high
velocity gas jets are not accounted for.
[0042] Upon solving the Navier Stokes equation, critical shear
stresses can be calculated above which a droplet will be displaced.
This critical shear stress is expressed in a capillary number Ca
as: Ca=.tau./(.sigma./r)(2.2), where .tau. is the viscous stress
exerted by the gas, .sigma. is the surface tension and r is the
liquid droplet radius. The critical capillary number is a function
of the viscosity ratio between droplet and gas, height of the
droplet versus height spacing, and advancing and receding contact
angle. Without going into detailed calculations, relevant capillary
numbers are in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 for contact angle
hysteresis of 5-50.degree.. For a smooth glass surface, as used in
this example, the range is somewhat more narrow with contact angle
hysteresis of 5-20.degree. and critical capillary numbers in the
range of 0.01 to 0.04. Droplets of 200 .mu.m height and 1 mm
diameter (equivalent diameter 500 .mu.m), should be displaced with
shear stresses below 10 N/m.sup.2. For smaller droplets on the
order of 10-50 .mu.m, the calculated sheer stress is in the order
of 20 N/m.sup.2, as follows from the graph.
[0043] FIG. 5 shows schematically (a part of) a lithographic
apparatus comprising a drying station 1. Other parts of the
lithographic apparatus, in particular, the projection system as
depicted in FIG. 1, are not shown here for reasons of clarity. The
drying station 1 may be arranged at any suitable location, in
particular, in a multiple substrate stage lithographic apparatus
embodiment, between an exposure position and a measurement
position. In an embodiment, the drying station 1 is fixedly mounted
relative to a base frame of the lithographic apparatus, whereas the
substrate table 6 holding substrate 2 is moved underneath a nozzle
3. In this way, the drying station functions as a gas knife in the
gap between the nozzle 3 and the substrate 2. The suction in nozzle
3 is provided by a pump 8, which is connected via tubing and/or
hoses 9 to the nozzle 3. The drying station 1 is arranged to
provide a vacuum cleaning gas flow near the substrate by gas
suction in order to remove remaining immersion liquid from the
substrate 2, e.g., after an immersion projection (as will be
explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 6). For example,
remnants of immersion liquid should be cleaned before the substrate
2 is further handled and transported to other process environments.
Straightforward cleaning by vacuum suction of a substrate may pose
a challenge since the amount of cleaning power may be excessive and
may require space and energy consuming equipment which is not easy
to incorporate in current lithography apparatus. To this end, an
embodiment of the invention provides a buffer volume 10. Due to the
occasional nature of vacuum cleaning, which only takes place a
limited amount of time, e.g., after an immersion projection
exposure has been completed, before the substrate is removed from
the lithographic apparatus, a pump 8 with only a limited capacity
can be used in combination with a buffer volume 10. During
lithographic processing, e.g., during immersion projection exposure
of the substrate 2, a valve 11 is closed and the buffer volume 10
can be evacuated or brought to an otherwise low pressure. After
processing, e.g., before the substrate 2 is removed from the
lithographic apparatus, the substrate 2 is moved underneath the
drying station 1. In order to remove the immersion liquid, the
valve 11 is opened in order to provide a vacuum cleaning gas flow
caused by the low pressure or vacuum in the buffer volume 10. A
further valve 12 may be provided and which may be closed at the
time the valve 11 is opened to protect the pump 8. A central
processing unit 13 provides control signals via signal lines 14 to
the valves 11, 12 and/or pump 8 in accordance with a required
timing for activating the pump 8 and/or the valves 11,12 in view of
the lithographic processing. In an embodiment, the substrate table
6 is moved in one stroke (scan) underneath the drying station 1.
Alternatively, the substrate table 6 may be moved underneath the
drying station 1 a number of times in order to improve the cleaning
result.
[0044] In an embodiment, the buffer volume 10 is dimensioned to
provide twice the amount of gas needed, wherein the vacuum pressure
varies from 0-0.5 bar. In such an embodiment, the buffer volume may
comprise a volume of about 100-400 liters for a flow of 100 l/min
(at 1 atmosphere and 293.degree. K) in 1 minute. If the pressure in
that volume was initially near vacuum (0.0 bar), it would be about
0.5 bar after that minute. The exact buffer volume dimensions
depend on the pressure change that is considered acceptable. For a
constant temperature and constant inlet flow, the equation would
be:
flow in*time flow on*inlet pressure=volume vessel*(pressure at end
of storage-pressure at begin of storage)
For an inflow of 100 l/m and a flow of 1 min and a pressure change
of 0.5-0.0=0.5 bar, this results in a volume of about 200 liters.
However, it should be note that the inlet flow will vary as the
pressure difference varies and so an integral over time (or use of
a total gas volume extracted) should be used to obtain more
specific values for the needed volume. When the pressure in the
buffer volume has dropped to the original pressure value again, a
new cycle can be started of closing the valve 11, evacuating the
buffer volume 10, etc. As will be apparent, other buffer volume
dimensions are possible.
[0045] FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention in
conjunction with an immersion lithographic apparatus. Here, a
buffer volume 10 is provided as a backup volume. In the immersion
lithographic apparatus, a liquid confinement structure 16 is
provided comprising a seal 17 to keep immersion liquid 18 confined
to the target area 19 underneath the projection system 20. Although
a single optical element of the projection system 20 has been
illustrated, in practice, a projection system comprises a plurality
of lens elements and/or optical elements. Ideally, outside this
target area 19, no immersion liquid is present. However, due to
imperfections of the seal 17, small amounts of immersion liquid may
remain attached to the substrate surface 4. In order to remove
these remnants, in the liquid confinement structure 16, a suction
inlet 21 is provided close to the projection system 20. The inlet
21 is coupled to a pump 8 or other vacuum supply to provide a
continuous suction to remove remaining immersion liquid. Since an
outage of the pump 8 or other vacuum supply during the presence of
immersion liquid 18 in the processing environment may be very
inconvenient or harmful to some of the lithographic apparatus
subsystems, a processor 13 is present to provide a backup vacuum
supply by activating a switch 22 which opens a backup buffer volume
10 (which generally operates as the buffer volume 10 described in
relation to FIG. 5). In this way, e.g., during immersion projection
exposure of the substrate 2, liquid that may escape from the seal
17 may be removed.
[0046] Although specific reference may be made in this text to the
use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it should
be understood that the lithographic apparatus described herein may
have other applications, such as the manufacture of integrated
optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic
domain memories, flat-panel displays, liquid-crystal displays
(LCDs), thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will
appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications,
any use of the terms "wafer" or "die" herein may be considered as
synonymous with the more general terms "substrate" or "target
portion", respectively. The substrate referred to herein may be
processed, before or after exposure, in for example a track (a tool
that typically applies a layer of resist to a substrate and
develops the exposed resist), a metrology tool and/or an inspection
tool. Where applicable, the disclosure herein may be applied to
such and other substrate processing tools. Further, the substrate
may be processed more than once, for example in order to create a
multi-layer IC, so that the term substrate used herein may also
refer to a substrate that already contains multiple processed
layers.
[0047] Although specific reference may have been made above to the
use of embodiments of the invention in the context of optical
lithography, it will be appreciated that the invention may be used
in other applications, for example imprint lithography, and where
the context allows, is not limited to optical lithography. In
imprint lithography a topography in a patterning device defines the
pattern created on a substrate. The topography of the patterning
device may be pressed into a layer of resist supplied to the
substrate whereupon the resist is cured by applying electromagnetic
radiation, heat, pressure or a combination thereof. The patterning
device is moved out of the resist leaving a pattern in it after the
resist is cured.
[0048] The terms "radiation" and "beam" used herein encompass all
types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet (UV)
radiation (e.g. having a wavelength of or about 365, 355, 248, 193,
157 or 126 nm) and extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation (e.g.
having a wavelength in the range of 5-20 nm), as well as particle
beams, such as ion beams or electron beams.
[0049] The term "lens", where the context allows, may refer to any
one or combination of various types of optical components,
including refractive, reflective, magnetic, electromagnetic and
electrostatic optical components.
[0050] While specific embodiments of the invention have been
described above, it will be appreciated that the invention may be
practiced otherwise than as described. For example, the invention
may take the form of a computer program containing one or more
sequences of machine-readable instructions describing a method as
disclosed above, or a data storage medium (e.g. semiconductor
memory, magnetic or optical disk) having such a computer program
stored therein.
[0051] One or more embodiments of the present invention may be
applied to any immersion lithography apparatus, in particular, but
not exclusively, to those types mentioned above. A liquid supply
system is any mechanism that provides a liquid to a space between
the projection system and the substrate and/or substrate table. It
may comprise any combination of one or more structures, one or more
liquid inlets, one or more gas inlets, one or more gas outlets,
and/or one or more liquid outlets, the combination providing and
confining the liquid to the space. In an embodiment, a surface of
the space may be limited to a portion of the substrate and/or
substrate table, a surface of the space may completely cover a
surface of the substrate and/or substrate table, or the space may
envelop the substrate and/or substrate table.
[0052] The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not
limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that
modifications may be made to the invention as described without
departing from the scope of the claims set out below.
* * * * *