Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and exposure method

Abstract

An exposure apparatus has a stage having a substrate holder and a plate member around the substrate holder to surround a substrate on the substrate holder. A liquid supply mechanism includes a supply port above the stage at a more outward position than an optical path of light from a projection system and supplies liquid onto the stage from the supply port. A liquid recovery mechanism includes a recovery port above the stage at a more outward position than the supply port and recovers the liquid supplied from the supply port. The liquid supply and recovery mechanisms form a liquid immersion region that includes the optical path on part of the stage with the liquid supplied from the supply port. The stage has a passageway below the plate member and recovers the liquid from the liquid immersion region that infiltrates a gap between the plate member and the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate through a liquid with a light from a projection optical system, the exposure apparatus comprising:
 a stage which has a substrate holder that holds the substrate and a plate member provided around the substrate holder so as to surround the substrate on the substrate holder and which is movable relative to the projection optical system;   a liquid supply mechanism which includes a supply port arranged above the stage so as to be face-to-face with the stage at a more outward position than an optical path of the light from the projection optical system with respect to an optical axis of the projection optical system and which supplies the liquid onto the stage from the supply port; and   a liquid recovery mechanism which includes a recovery port arranged above the stage so as to be face-to-face with the stage at a more outward position than the supply port with respect to the optical axis and which recovers, from the recovery port, a liquid supplied from the supply port, wherein   the liquid supply mechanism and the liquid recovery mechanism form a liquid immersion region so as to include the optical path on part of the stage with a liquid supplied from the supply port, and   the stage has a passageway provided below the plate member and recovers, by the passageway, the liquid that infiltrates a gap between the plate member and the substrate by moving with respect to the liquid immersion region in a state where the substrate is held by the substrate holder.   
     
     
         2 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the stage has a facing surface provided below the gap so as to be face-to-face with the gap and recovers the liquid that infiltrates the gap via the facing surface by the passageway.   
     
     
         3 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 part of the facing surface is face-to-face with a rear surface of the plate member.   
     
     
         4 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 an opening of the passageway is provided below the plate member.   
     
     
         5 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 an opening of the passageway is provided so as to be face-to-face with a rear surface of the plate member.   
     
     
         6 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 an opening of the passageway is provided at a more outward position than the facing surface with respect to the substrate holder.   
     
     
         7 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the substrate holder is arranged in a recessed part formed on the stage, and   an opening of the passageway is provided at a higher position than a bottom surface of the recessed part.   
     
     
         8 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the substrate holder holds the substrate such that an upper surface of the plate member is at a same height as an upper surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         9 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the plate member is formed in a ring shape so as to surround the substrate holder.   
     
     
         10 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the plate member is liquid repellent.   
     
     
         11 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the projection optical system includes a lens provided at a tip part on the stage side so as to come into contact with the liquid immersion region.   
     
     
         12 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein
 a contact surface, which comes into contact with the liquid immersion region, of a surface of the lens is lyophilic.   
     
     
         13 . A device manufacturing method that forms a device on a substrate, the method comprising:
 exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 ; and   developing the substrate exposed using the exposure apparatus.