Dual stage lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention relates to a dual stage lithographic apparatus, wherein two substrate stages are constructed and arranged for mutual cooperation in order to perform a joint scan movement. The joint scan movement brings the lithographic apparatus from a first configuration, wherein immersion liquid is confined between a first substrate held by the first stage of the stages and a projection system of the apparatus, to a second configuration, wherein the immersion liquid is confined between a second substrate held by the 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.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       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 substrates, 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.   
     
     
       2. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 1 , 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. 
     
     
       3. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein each immersion cross edge comprises an essentially plane surface. 
     
     
       4. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 2 , 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 1 millimeter, wherein a preferred distance is about 0.1 millimeter. 
     
     
       5. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the respective stages is provided with a channel system having an opening in a surface of the immersion cross edge of the stage, wherein the channel system is constructed and arranged to generate a flow of gas and/or liquid along the immersion cross edge during the joint scan movement. 
     
     
       6. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 2 , 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. 
     
     
       7. 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 staggered with respect to the immersion cross edge and preferably placed in a niche of the stage in order to protect the interferometer-mirror. 
     
     
       8. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 6 , 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. 
     
     
       9. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an exposure station 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. 
     
     
       10. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a base frame configured to carry a metro frame which supports the measuring system and the projection system, wherein the metro frame is dynamically isolated from the base frame, and wherein the measuring system comprises at least one encoder plate configured to cooperate with an encoder head placed at one of the stages to measure the position of that stage. 
     
     
       11. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the at least one encoder plate extends in the exposure station and the metrology station. 
     
     
       12. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising a machine frame which is preferably separated from the base frame, wherein the machine frame is provided with a first part of a planar motor to cooperate with respective second parts of the planar motor in the respective stages, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged to control the planar motor in order to position the respective stages between the metrology station and the exposure station. 
     
     
       13. The lithographic apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising a machine frame which is preferably separated from the base frame, wherein the machine frame has two essentially parallel guides extending in a first direction in a horizontal plane, wherein each guide is coupled to an element which can be moved along the guide by means of a motor, and wherein each element is coupled to a stage of the respective stages by means of a motor to move that stage in a second direction directed in the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the positioning system is constructed and arranged to control the motors in order to move the stage in the plane. 
     
     
       14. A lithographic product with a lithographic apparatus according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       15. A device manufacturing method, comprising:
 supporting a substrate on a first stage, wherein the first stage is laterally movable with respect to a second stage;   at least partly confining liquid in a space between a projection system and the first stage, the substrate or both;   jointly moving the first stage with the second stage wherein the liquid in the space is transferred from being confined by the first stage, the substrate, or both, to being confined by the second stage, the liquid crossing an edge of the first stage and an opposing edge of the second stage; and   collecting liquid from the space flowing down the edge or the opposing edge during the joint movement using a horizontal surface of the first stage and/or second stage located under the edge or the opposing edge.    
     
     
       16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least part of a side associated with the edge of the first stage is constructed and arranged to horizontally overlap at least part of a side associated with the opposing edge of the second stage during the joint movement.  
     
     
       17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least part of the side of the first stage and/or second stage has the horizontal surface.  
     
     
       18. The method of claim 15, wherein during the joint movement the edges remain at an essentially mutual constant distance, wherein the distance is in the range of zero to about 1 millimeter.  
     
     
       19. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the respective stages is provided with a channel system having an opening in the side of the stage, wherein the channel system is configured to generate a flow of gas and/or liquid at the edge of the stage during the joint movement.  
     
     
       20. The method of claim 15, wherein the horizontal surface is part of a liquid gutter located under the side of the first and/or second stage, wherein the liquid gutter is configured to catch liquid dripped from the immersion cross edge.  
     
     
       21. The method of claim 15, wherein the second stage is a substrate stage supporting a further substrate is a substrate stage.  
     
     
       22. The method of claim 15, further comprising carrying the projection system and a metro frame, the metro frame supporting a measuring system, on a base frame, wherein the metro frame is dynamically isolated from the base frame, and wherein the measuring system comprises an encoder plate configured to cooperate with an encoder head placed at one of the stages to measure the position of that stage.  
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22, wherein the encoder plate extends in the exposure station and the metrology station.  
     
     
       24. A device manufacturing method, comprising:
 supporting a substrate on a first stage, wherein the first stage is laterally movable with respect to a second stage;   at least partly confining liquid in a space between a projection system and the first stage, the substrate or both;   jointly moving the first stage with the second stage wherein the liquid in the space is transferred from being confined by the first stage, the substrate, or both, to being confined by the second stage, the liquid crossing an edge of the first stage and an opposing edge of the second stage; and   generating a fluid flow at the edge or opposing edge during the joint movement using a channel system in fluid communication with an opening at the edge or opposing edge, the fluid flow including liquid from the space.    
     
     
       25. A device manufacturing method, comprising:
 supporting a substrate on a first stage, wherein the first stage is laterally movable with respect to a second stage;   at least partly confining liquid in a space between a projection system and the first stage, the substrate or both;   jointly moving the first stage with the second stage wherein the liquid in the space is transferred from being confined by the first stage, the substrate, or both, to being confined by the second stage, the liquid crossing an edge of the first stage and an opposing edge of the second stage; and   collecting liquid flowing between the edge and opposing edge during the joint movement using a fluid extraction system of the first stage, the second stage, or both.    
     
     
       26. A device manufacturing method, comprising:
 at least partly confining liquid in a space between a projection system and a substrate stage, a substrate supported by the substrate stage, or both, the substrate stage having an edge;   jointly moving the substrate stage with a further stage such that confinement of liquid in the space by the substrate stage, the substrate, or both, is replaced by the further stage, the further stage having a corresponding edge to mutually co-operate with the edge when the substrate stage and the further stage are arranged adjacently to define a gap; and   collecting liquid in the gap during joint movement using a fluid extraction system of the substrate stage, the further stage, or both.    
     
     
       27. The method of claim 26, wherein collecting liquid comprises collecting liquid flowing from the gap before, during and/or after joint movement using a gutter under the edge and/or corresponding edge.  
     
     
       28. The method of claim 27, wherein the gutter is attached to the substrate stage and/or the further stage.  
     
     
       29. The method of claim 28, wherein the gutter is located under the edge of the stage to which it is attached.  
     
     
       30. The method of claim 26, further comprising generating a fluid flow in the gap during the joint movement using a channel system of the fluid extraction system, the channel system comprised in the substrate stage, the further stage, or both, and which is in fluid communication with an opening at the edge, the corresponding edge, or both.  
     
     
       31. The method of claim 30, wherein the fluid flow comprises liquid and gas away from the gap.  
     
     
       32. The method of claim 26, further comprising controlling a position of the substrate stage and/or the further stage during the joint movement so that a distance between the edge and the corresponding edge is controlled to be in the range of 0 to 1 mm.  
     
     
       33. The method of claim 26, wherein the further stage is a substrate stage supporting a further substrate.  
     
     
       34. The method of claim 26, wherein the further stage is an actuated closing stage.