Immersion Lithography Gas Knife with Varying Stagnation Pressures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithographic apparatuses using immersion fluids face defects such as bulldozing and film pulling, which lead to errors and reduced yield due to the handling of immersion fluid during the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A fluid handling structure with a gas knife system that includes passages with varying stagnation pressures, where the gas knife is formed by gas exiting passages with different stagnation pressures, allowing droplets to move radially inward while restricting movement outward, thereby reducing defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fluid handling structure with gas knife is used to confine immersion fluid, then the immersion fluid can be effectively confined to the imaging region, but defects such as bulldozing and film pulling occur on the substrate surface
Solution Approach 1:
The gas knife system employs passages with varying stagnation pressures distributed across its surface, creating local variations in gas flow characteristics. This allows different regions of the gas knife to perform different functions: some regions allow droplet passage while others restrict film movement, thereby addressing both confinement and defect prevention simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of stagnation pressure across different passages of the gas knife system. By configuring passages with different stagnation pressures, the system creates a gradient of gas flow strengths that can selectively interact with immersion fluid droplets and films based on their size, shape, and position, thus preventing defects while maintaining confinement
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces both bulldozing and film pulling by allowing droplets to pass through the gas knife on the advancing side and breaking up the film on the receding side, minimizing defects and improving yield.
Implementation Method 1
A fluid handling structure with a gas knife system that includes passages with varying stagnation pressures, where the gas knife is formed by gas exiting passages with different stagnation pressures
Implementation Method 2
passages with varying stagnation pressures, where the gas knife is formed by gas exiting passages with different stagnation pressures
Data Source
AI summary
An immersion lithographic apparatus having a fluid handling structure, the fluid handling structure configured to confine immersion fluid to a region and including: a meniscus controlling feature having an extractor exit on a surface of the fluid handling structure; and a gas knife system outwards of the extractor exit and including passages each having an exit, the passages having a plurality of first passages having a plurality of corresponding first exits on the surface, and a plurality of second passages having a plurality of corresponding second exits outwards of the first exits on the surface, wherein the surface faces and is substantially parallel to a top surface of a substrate during exposure, and the first exits and the second exits are arranged at a greater distance from the substrate than the extractor exit.