Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

Abstract

An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. In addition, a supply mechanism supplies liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage. In addition, at least one bubble recovery mechanism recovers bubbles in the liquid in an upstream side of the liquid flow with respect to the projection optical system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An exposure apparatus that illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system, the exposure apparatus comprising:
 a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate;   a supply mechanism that supplies liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage; and   at least one bubble recovery mechanism that recovers bubbles in the liquid in an upstream side of the liquid flow with respect to the projection optical system.   
     
     
         2 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the bubble recovery mechanism exhausts bubbles with the liquid.   
     
     
         3 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 a plurality of the bubble recovery mechanisms are provided, and   the bubble recovery mechanism used for recovering bubbles is switched in accordance with a moving direction of the substrate.   
     
     
         4 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an adjustment unit that adjusts exposure conditions based on at least one of actual measurement values and prediction values of temperature information on the liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate.   
     
     
         5 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the supply mechanism makes a flow of the liquid along a moving direction of the substrate.   
     
     
         6 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein
 the supply mechanism supplies the liquid from a rear side in a moving direction of the substrate.   
     
     
         7 . A device manufacturing method including a lithographic process, wherein
 in the lithographic process, a device pattern is transferred onto a substrate using the exposure apparatus in  claim 1 .   
     
     
         8 . An exposure apparatus that illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system and liquid while locally holding the liquid on an image plane side of the projection optical system, the exposure apparatus comprising:
 a supply mechanism that supplies the liquid to the image plane side of the projection optical system; and   an exhaust mechanism that exhausts gas on the image plane side of the projection optical system, wherein   the supply mechanism begins supplying the liquid in parallel with an exhausting operation of the exhaust mechanism.   
     
     
         9 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a control unit that controls movement of the substrate stage based on at least one of temperature information of the liquid and pressure information of the liquid.   
     
     
         10 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein
 the control unit controls movement of the substrate stage based on at least one of temperature information of the liquid and pressure information of the liquid to make an image plane formed by the projection optical system and a surface of the substrate substantially coincide with each other.   
     
     
         11 . A device manufacturing method including a lithographic process, wherein
 in the lithographic process, a device pattern is transferred onto a substrate using the exposure apparatus in  claim 8 .