Exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, gas substituting apparatus, and gas substituting method
US6788392B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 2, 2001 |
| Grant date | Sep 7, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 2, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03B27/58
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An exposure apparatus includes a support for holding (i) a pellicle-equipped reticle, the pellicle-equipped reticle including a pellicle frame having an opening, and (ii) a nozzle disposed in an opposed relation to the opening formed in the pellicle frame of the reticle held on the support, the nozzle being used to substitute an inert gas for gas in a pellicle space surrounding the reticle, the pellicle frame and a pellicle film. By purging out air including impurities from the pellicle space with the inert gas, a reduction in transmittance of exposure light through the pellicle space can be suppressed and the exposure operation can be performed with stability.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.