Apparatus and method for providing fluid for immersion lithography

Abstract

A lithographic projection apparatus projects a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system. The apparatus has a liquid supply system to supply a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate. The apparatus also has a fluid removal system including a chamber to hold liquid and having an open end adjacent to a volume in which fluid will be present. The open end removes, through a pressure differential across-the open end when liquid is present in the chamber, substantially only liquid from the volume when liquid in the volume is adjacent to the open end but not gas from the volume when gas in the volume is adjacent to the open end.

1 . A lithographic projection apparatus arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system and having a liquid supply system arranged to supply a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate, comprising a fluid removal system including a chamber configured to hold liquid and having an open end adjacent a volume in which fluid will be present, the open end configured to remove, through a pressure differential across-the open end when liquid is present in the chamber, substantially only liquid from the volume when liquid in the volume is adjacent the open end but not gas from the volume when gas in the volume is adjacent the open end.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluid removal system is arranged to remove liquid from a volume adjacent the space.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising a member at least partially surrounding the space and comprising the open end in a surface of the member facing the substrate.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the member further comprises a gas supply device having an outlet in a surface of the member facing the substrate so as to form a gas knife to remove residual liquid from a surface of the substrate, the gas knife being located radially outwardly of the open end.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the open end comprises a porous member comprising a plurality of apertures.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the open end comprises a capillary conduit having a hydrophilic wall.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the capillary conduit has a width of about 0.05 mm and the fluid removal system is configured to provide an underpressure of about −20 mbar to create the pressure differential, when the liquid is water and the gas is air.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluid removal system comprises a liquid/gas separation manifold thermally isolated from its surroundings and the chamber comprises a pipe extending into a lower part of the manifold.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the liquid supply system comprises, in series before outlet to the space, a pressure regulator with an external tap, a variable restriction, and a constant restriction, the external tap connected downstream of the variable restriction and configured so that an input of the constant restriction is at a substantially constant pressure.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the liquid supply system comprises, in series before outlet to the space, a forward pressure regulator with an external tap connected downstream of it, a variable restriction, and a second pressure regulator with an external tap connected upstream of it, the external tap of the forward pressure regulator connected upstream of an input of the variable restriction and the external tap of the backward pressure regulator connected downstream of an output of the variable restriction, the forward and backward pressure regulators configured to maintain substantially constant pressures at the inlet and outlet of the variable restriction.  
   
   
       11 . A lithographic projection apparatus arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system and having a liquid supply system arranged to supply a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate, comprising a fluid removal system including a chamber configured to hold gas and having an open end adjacent a volume in which fluid will be present, the open end configured to remove, through a pressure differential across the open end when gas is present in the chamber, substantially only gas from the volume when gas in the volume is adjacent the open end but not liquid from the volume when liquid in the volume is adjacent the open end.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the open end comprises a capillary conduit having a hydrophobic wall.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the open end comprises a porous member comprising a plurality of apertures.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the chamber configured to hold gas is a first chamber and its open end is a first open end and further comprising a second chamber configured to hold liquid and having a second open end adjacent the volume, the second open end configured to remove, through a pressure differential across the second open end when liquid is present in the second chamber, substantially only liquid from the volume when liquid in the volume is adjacent the second open end but not gas from the volume when gas in the volume is adjacent the second open end.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , further comprising a substrate table configured to hold the substrate and comprising the first open end and the second open end in a surface of the substrate table adjacent an edge of the substrate, when the substrate is held on the substrate table.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the first open end comprises a capillary conduit having a hydrophobic wall and the second open end comprises a capillary conduit having a hydrophilic wall.  
   
   
       17 . A lithographic projection apparatus arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system and having a liquid supply system arranged to supply a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate, comprising a fluid removal system including a capillary conduit having an open end adjacent a volume in which fluid will be present, the capillary conduit configured to remove, through a pressure differential across the capillary conduit, substantially only liquid from the volume or to remove, through a pressure differential across the capillary conduit, substantially only gas from the volume.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the fluid removal system is arranged to remove liquid from a volume adjacent the space.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , further comprising a member at least partially surrounding the space and comprising the capillary conduit with the open end in a surface of the member facing the substrate.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , further comprising a substrate table configured to hold the substrate and comprising the open end in a surface of the substrate table adjacent an edge of the substrate, when the substrate is held on the substrate table.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the capillary conduit has a width of about 0.05 mm and the fluid removal system is configured to provide an underpressure of about −20 mbar to create the pressure differential, when the liquid is water and the gas is air.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the capillary conduit has a hydrophobic wall when configured to remove substantially only gas or a hydrophilic wall when configured to remove substantially only liquid.