To provide the technology which prevents shape defects in a transfer pattern formed on the principal plane of a substrate by using a liquid immersion exposure method, thereby making it possible to improve the manufacturing yield of a semiconductor device.
When exposure light is irradiated on a resist 19, a liquid immersion water LQ is retained in a liquid immersion region AR2 between the undersurface of an optical element of a projection optical system 6 and the undersurface of a nozzle part 18 and the resist 19. When focusing or an adjustment such as optical system alignment, etc. is performed, the liquid immersion water LQ is retained in a liquid immersion region AR3 between the undersurface of the optical element of the projection optical system 6 and the undersurface of the nozzle part 18 and the top face of a measurement stage 4. The extension in the lateral direction of the liquid immersion water LQ retained in the liquid immersion region AR2 is made smaller than the extension in the lateral direction of the liquid immersion water LQ retained in the liquid immersion region AR3.
| JP2011108735A | 2011-06-02 | |||
| JP2011035074A | 2011-02-17 | |||
| JP2005012194A | 2005-01-13 | |||
| JP2010103576A | 2010-05-06 | |||
| JP2011165798A | 2011-08-25 |
| WO2010050240A1 | 2010-05-06 |
Atsushi Sugada
Akiko Tsutsui
Toru Nakahara
Tetsuya Sakaji
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