| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080225249 | Exposure apparatus and method for producing device - An exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate through exposure liquid filled in a space between the optical element and the substrate. The apparatus also includes a member having a surface and movable to a position at which the surface of the member faces the optical element. The apparatus also includes a cleaning system which cleans the surface of the member. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080225250 | Exposure apparatus and method for producing device - A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate in an exposure operation, a liquid supply system having a supply port from which exposure liquid is supplied, and a member which has a surface and which is different from the substrate. In the exposure operation, the liquid supply system supplies the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the substrate. In a cleaning operation, the member is moved to a position at which the surface of the member faces the optical element, and the liquid supply system supplies the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the surface of the member. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080231825 | Exposure Apparatus and method for producing device - An exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate through exposure liquid filled in a space between the optical element and the substrate. The apparatus also includes a member having a flow passage in which exposure liquid flows, the flow passage being in fluidic communication with the space. The apparatus also includes a cleaning system which cleans the member. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080246931 | Substrate processing method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device - An immersion type lithographic apparatus includes at least one immersion space and an immersion system configured to at least partially fill the immersion space with a liquid. The apparatus is configured to rinse at least part of the immersion space with a rinsing liquid before the apparatus is used to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20090033890 | Exposure apparatus, substrate processing method, and device producing method - An exposure apparatus includes a detector which detects a defect in a thin film formed on a substrates. When the detector is provided for liquid immersion exposure in which the substrate is exposed through liquid, outflow of the liquid due to by any defect in the thin film is detected before the liquid outflows, thereby suppressing reduction in throughput in producing device and preventing any problem or inconvenience from occurring in the exposure apparatus. | 02-05-2009 |
| 20090061331 | Exposure method and apparatus, maintenance method, and device manufacturing method - An exposure method for exposing a substrate with an exposure light via an projection optical system and a liquid includes: a first step of optically observing a liquid contact portion which comes into contact with the liquid and storing first image data obtained by the optical observation; a second step of optically observing the liquid contact portion after the liquid contact portion came into contact with the liquid, for example, after the liquid immersion exposure and obtaining second image data obtained by the optical observation; and a third step of comparing the first image data and the second image data to judge whether abnormality of observation objective portion is present or absent. It is possible to efficiently judge whether or not the abnormality of the liquid-contact portion, of the exposure apparatus which performs the exposure by the immersion method, is present or absent. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090066922 | Exposure method and apparatus, maintenance method and device manufacturing method - An exposure method includes holding a substrate held by a substrate holder on a substrate stage moving on an image plane side of a projection optical system; forming an immersion area the image plane side of the projection optical system by using a liquid supplied from a liquid supplying mechanism; and exposing a substrate by exposure light via the projection optical system and the immersion area. During a period when exposure of the substrate is not performed, an upper portion of the substrate holder is cleaned by moving the substrate stage relative to the immersion area, and an upper portion of a measuring stage is cleaned by moving the measuring stage relative to the immersion area. A cleaning liquid can be used as a liquid for forming the immersion area during cleaning. High-resolution immersion exposure is performed at a high throughput by suppressing entering of foreign materials into the liquid. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090262316 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING DEVICE - An exposure apparatus EX includes a recovery port which recovers a liquid, a blow port which is provided outside the recovery port with respect to an optical path space and which blows a gas therefrom, and a gas discharge port which is provided between the recovery port and blow port and which discharges at least a part of the gas blown from the blow port. An exposure apparatus which makes it possible to avoid the leakage of the liquid with which the optical path space of the exposure light between a projection optical system and a substrate is filled is provided. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20100045949 | Exposure apparatus, maintaining method and device fabricating method - An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with exposure light that passes through a liquid. The exposure apparatus comprises: a porous member that has a first surface, which is capable of opposing an object disposed at an irradiation position of the exposure light, and a second surface, which is opposite the first surface, and forms a first space that is capable of holding the liquid between the first surface and the object; a supply port, which is capable of supplying the liquid to the first space; a prescribed member, which forms a second space that faces the second surface; an adjusting apparatus, which is capable of decreasing a pressure in the second space such that the liquid in the first space moves to the second space via holes in the porous member; and a control apparatus, which controls an operation of supplying the liquid via the supply ports and a pressure adjustment operation performed by the adjusting apparatus. The control apparatus repetitively executes a first operation, which supplies the liquid to the first space, and a second operation, which stops the supply of the liquid to the first space and negatively pressurizes the second space such that the liquid is substantially eliminated from the first space, to clean the porous member. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100283979 | Exposure apparatus, exposing method, and device fabricating method - An exposure apparatus successively exposes each substrate of a plurality of substrates included in a lot with exposure light through a liquid. The exposure apparatus comprises: a movable substrate holding member that holds the substrate at a position whereto the exposure light can be radiated; and a liquid immersion member that is capable of forming an immersion space such that the liquid is held between the liquid immersion member and the substrate held by the substrate holding member and an optical path of the exposure light is filled with the liquid; wherein, before the start of exposure of a first substrate in the lot, the immersion space is formed between the liquid immersion member and a movable member, which is different from the first substrate, and at least one of the liquid immersion member and the movable member is cleaned. | 11-11-2010 |