Stage drive method and stage unit, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

Abstract

A lithographic projection apparatus includes a substrate table to hold a substrate, a projection system to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate and a liquid confinement structure to confine a liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate, the substrate, the substrate table, or both, to form a part of a boundary of the space. In addition, a closing plate forms a part of a boundary of the space in place of the substrate, the substrate table, or both, when moved without substantially disturbing the liquid, the liquid confinement structure, or both.

1 . A lithographic apparatus comprising:
 a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;   a measuring system configured to measure characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;   a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;   a liquid confinement system configured to at least partly confine liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate;   a positioning system and at least two substrate stages, each stage constructed to hold a substrate, wherein the positioning system is constructed to move the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed to position one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate;
 wherein the stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement to bring the lithographic apparatus from a first situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a first substrate held by a first stage of the two stages and the projection system, towards a second situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a second substrate held by a second stage of the two stages and the projection system, such that during the joint scan movement the liquid is essentially confined within the space with respect to the projection system; 
 wherein each of the first stage and second stage has an immersion cross edge at or near a side of the stage which is constructed and arranged to cooperate with an immersion cross edge of another stage during the joint scan movement; and 
 wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged to position the respective stages during their joint scan movement such that surfaces of their respective immersion cross edges remain at an essentially mutual constant distance, wherein the distance is in the range of zero to about 2 millimeters, wherein a preferred distance is about 0.3 millimeter. 
   
   
   
       2 . A lithographic apparatus comprising:
 a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;   a measuring system configured to measure characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;   a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;   a liquid confinement system configured to at least partly confine liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate;   a positioning system and at least two substrate stages, each stage constructed to hold a substrate, wherein the positioning system is constructed to move the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed to position one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate;
 wherein the stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement to bring the lithographic apparatus from a first situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a first substrate held by a first stage of the two stages and the projection system, towards a second situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a second substrate held by a second stage of the two stages and the projection system, such that during the joint scan movement the liquid is essentially confined within the space with respect to the projection system; 
 wherein each of the first stage and second stage has an immersion cross edge at or near a side of the stage which is constructed and arranged to cooperate with an immersion cross edge of another stage during the joint scan movement; and 
 wherein at least one of the respective stages is provided with a liquid gutter under its immersion cross edge, wherein the liquid gutter is capable of catching liquid possibly dripped along the immersion cross edge. 
   
   
   
       3 . A lithographic apparatus comprising:
 a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;   a measuring system configured to measure characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;   a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;   a liquid confinement system configured to at least partly confine liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate;   a positioning system and at least two substrate stages, each stage constructed to hold a substrate, wherein the positioning system is constructed to move the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed to position one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate;
 wherein the stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement to bring the lithographic apparatus from a first situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a first substrate held by a first stage of the two stages and the projection system, towards a second situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a second substrate held by a second stage of the two stages and the projection system, such that during the joint scan movement the liquid is essentially confined within the space with respect to the projection system; 
 wherein each of the first stage and second stage has an immersion cross edge at or near a side of the stage which is constructed and arranged to cooperate with an immersion cross edge of another stage during the joint scan movement; and 
 wherein at least one of the respective stages is provided with an interferometer-mirror near the immersion cross edge, wherein the interferometer-mirror is staggered with respect to the immersion cross edge. 
   
   
   
       4 . The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the respective stages is provided with an interferometer-mirror near the immersion cross edge, wherein the interferometer-mirror is placed at a level below that of the liquid gutter in order to protect the interferometer-mirror. 
   
   
       5 . A lithographic apparatus comprising:
 a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;   a measuring system configured to measure characteristics of substrates in a metrology station of the apparatus;   a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a substrate in an exposure station of the apparatus;   liquid confinement system configured to at least partly confine liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate;   a positioning system and at least two substrate stages, each stage constructed to hold a substrate, wherein the positioning system is constructed to move the stages between the metrology station and the exposure station, and wherein the positioning system is constructed to position one of the stages holding a substrate during exposure in the exposure station on the basis of at least one measured characteristic of that substrate;
 wherein the stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement to bring the lithographic apparatus from a first situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a first substrate held by a first stage of the two stages and the projection system, towards a second situation, wherein the liquid is confined between a second substrate held by a second stage of the two stages and the projection system, such that during the joint scan movement the liquid is essentially confined within the space with respect to the projection system; and 
 wherein the exposure station is situated between a first metrology station and a second metrology station such that alternately substrates measured by the first metrology station and substrates measured by the second metrology station may be fed towards the exposure station.