KR20090004734A - Exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An exposure apparatus is provided to prevent generation of rust due to scatter or flow of liquid by exposing a corresponding substrate while a gap between a projection optic system and a substrate is filled with liquid. An exposure apparatus includes a projection optic system(30) for projecting the light from a disk onto a substrate, a chuck for holding the substrate, and a liquid supply unit(80) for filling a space between the projection optic system and a substrate with a liquid. The chuck includes a contact part which comes in contact with the substrate. The contact part of the chuck includes at least a surface having a contact angle of 90 degrees or less with respect to the liquid. A liquid retaining part(53) is arranged in a peripheral area of the substrate in order to retain the liquid. At least, one of a surface of the liquid retaining part and a surface of a lens periphery part of the projection optic system has a contact angle of 90 degrees or less with respect to the liquid.

Description

Exposure equipment {EXPOSURE APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a liquid immersion exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system for projecting light from an original plate onto a substrate, and exposes the substrate in a state where a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate is filled with a liquid.

Projection exposure apparatuses which project circuit patterns drawn on original plates such as reticles and masks by exposure to substrates such as wafers and glass plates through projection optical systems have been conventionally used. In recent years, high-definition exposure apparatuses are increasingly required.

Conventionally, the miniaturization and performance improvement of an exposure apparatus have been achieved by shortening the wavelength of the exposure light used for the exposure apparatus. As a result, the light source used for the exposure apparatus has been changed from the g line light source to the i line light source and the i line light source to the excimer laser. In addition, the NA (numerical aperture) of the projection optical system has also increased to achieve higher resolution.

On the other hand, the liquid immersion method is known as an example of the technique of improving the resolution of an optical microscope. The improvement of the resolution in this immersion method is achieved by filling the space between the objective lens and the observation sample with a liquid of high refractive index (DW Pohl, W. Denk & M. Lanz, Appl. Phys., Lett. 44652 (1984) ) Reference).

In order to further refine the exposure apparatus and improve performance, this immersion method can be applied to a semiconductor element refinement process (see USP 5121256). As the immersion method, a liquid immersion method (see EP 0023231A1 and JP 06-124873 (laid-open)) in which the final surface of the projection optical system and the entire substrate is immersed in a liquid tank, and liquid only in the space between the projection optical system and the substrate. A so-called local fill method (WO 9949504) that fills in is proposed.

Hereinafter, the exposure apparatus to which the former system which immerses both the final surface of a projection optical system and the whole board | substrate in a liquid tank is demonstrated.

10 is a schematic diagram of a conventional liquid immersion exposure apparatus 800. The reticle 820 on which the circuit pattern is drawn is illuminated by a light beam from a light source (not shown) by the illumination system 810. The illumination system 810 is for shaping the light beam from the light source and for making uniform intensity distribution. The pattern of the reticle 820 is reduced to the projection optical system 830 and projected onto the wafer 840. An immersion liquid 860 is filled between the projection optical system 830 and the wafer 840. In order to hold the immersion liquid 860, the immersion liquid holding container 870 is disposed to contain the wafer 840 and the wafer stage 850. The immersion liquid 860 is supplied and recovered to the immersion liquid holding container 870. To expose the entire surface of the wafer 840, the immersion liquid holding container 870 itself will be moved to perform an exposure process. In order to replace the current wafer with another wafer, the wafer transfer arm is inserted into the immersion liquid holding container 870 to supply / return the wafer to / from the immersion liquid holding container 870. Another method of replacing the current wafer with another wafer is to move the immersion liquid holding container 870 downward in FIG. 10, pushing the wafer 840 upwards from the backside of the wafer 840, such as with a pin, The wafer 840 is then delivered to the wafer carrying arm.

However, in the liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which both the final surface of the projection optical system and the entire substrate are immersed in the liquid tank, the entire wafer is immersed in the liquid. For this reason, the wafer moves in the exposure apparatus while the liquid adheres to the back surface of the wafer. As a result, when liquid is scattered in the exposure apparatus, rust and the like of metal constituents are generated.

In the liquid immersion exposure apparatus of the local fill method, when the peripheral region of the wafer is exposed, the liquid comes into contact with the wafer edge. For this reason, there is a high possibility that liquid flows to the back surface of the wafer. Thus, as in the above, the wafer moves inside the exposure apparatus while the liquid adheres to the back surface of the wafer. In addition, the scattering of liquid in the exposure apparatus causes the generation of rust and the like of the metal constituents.

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus that does not fail even if liquid splashes or flows to an area other than the wafer surface.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an exposure apparatus is provided. The exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting light from an original plate onto a substrate, a chuck for holding the substrate, and a liquid supply mechanism for filling a space between the projection optical system and the substrate with a liquid. And a contact portion contactable with the substrate, and at least the contact portion of the chuck has a surface whose contact angle with the liquid is 90 ° or less.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)

1 shows a schematic view of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a view of the wafer 40 and the immersion liquid holding plate 53 included in the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1 seen from the reticle 20 side. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the reticle (mask) 20 as a disk in which a pattern is drawn is illuminated with the light beam from a light source (not shown) by the illumination system 10. In FIG. The illumination system 10 is for shaping the light beam from a light source, and to make uniform intensity distribution. The pattern on the reticle 20 is reduced to the projection optical system 30 and projected onto the wafer 40. An immersion liquid 60 is filled in at least a portion between the projection optical system 30 and the wafer 40.

The conventional exposure apparatus 800 shown in FIG. 10 has a liquid immersion liquid holding container 870, but the exposure apparatus of the first embodiment is a local immersion liquid exposure apparatus without a liquid immersion liquid holding container.

In the first embodiment, in order to retain the immersion liquid 60 on the wafer 40, a supply port of the immersion liquid supply mechanism 80 is provided below the projection optical system 30. The liquid immersion liquid supply mechanism 80 can be comprised with a some nozzle, a movable nozzle, or a ring-shaped nozzle. In this embodiment, the liquid immersion liquid supply mechanism 80 is composed of a plurality of nozzles. By plural nozzles, the supply direction of the immersion liquid 60 can be adjusted in accordance with the moving direction of the wafer 40. By adjusting the supply direction in this way, it is possible to hold the immersion liquid 60 under the lower surface of the projection optical system 30 while moving the wafer 40 to the wafer stage 50. In this manner, it is possible to supply and retain the immersion liquid containing no impurities between the lower surface of the projection optical system 30 and the wafer surface to be exposed, thereby increasing the exposure imaging performance.

On the other hand, the excess liquid immersion liquid exiting the exposure area after the exposure process is moved outward from the wafer 40 toward the liquid immersion liquid holding plate (also called liquid holding part or liquid holding surface) 53. This immersion liquid holding plate 53 is disposed so that its surface is almost the same height as the surface of the wafer 40. The liquid immersion liquid holding plate 53 is configured to hold the liquid immersion liquid 60 on its surface along with the wafer 40. The immersion liquid holding plate 53 should be composed of a hydrophilic member or have a surface 53b (FIG. 3) having at least hydrophilicity. The hydrophilic member or the hydrophilic surface has a contact angle of 90 ° or less with the liquid.

The immersion liquid holding plate 53 has a recovery port defined by the slit 52 or the plurality of holes. By vacuuming the recovery port from the lower surface of the immersion liquid holding plate 53, the immersion liquid 60 can be discharged through the recovery port such as the slit 52.

In this configuration, however, there is a possibility that the immersion liquid 60 flows to the back surface of the wafer 40 through a slight gap 57a (FIG. 3) between the wafer 40 and the immersion liquid holding plate 53. If this occurs, the liquid immersion liquid 60 on the back surface of the wafer 40 may flow on the wafer transfer path.

3 shows an enlarged schematic view of the wafer 40, the immersion liquid holding plate 53, and the peripheral region thereof according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the immersion liquid holding plate 53 holds the immersion liquid 60 on its surface along with the wafer 40. However, as mentioned above, a small gap 57a exists between the wafer 40 and the immersion liquid holding plate 53. This gap 57a also extends downward between the wafer chuck 59 and the immersion liquid holding plate 53. The immersion liquid may flow into the gap 57a, as described more fully below. This gap 57a occurs when the processing precision of the wafer 40, the processing precision of the immersion liquid holding plate 53, and the wafer 40 are fixed on the wafer stage 50 with the wafer chuck 59. It is determined by distortion. The widest opening of the gap 57a is the wafer notch portion.

In the first embodiment, the immersion liquid holding plate 53 is formed such that the gap 57a is 5 mm at the wafer notch and 2 mm at the other wafer periphery. The wafer chuck 59 is made of a hydrophilic porous ceramic material to prevent the liquid immersion liquid 60 from remaining on the surface of the wafer chuck 59.

Further, the wall surface 53a of the immersion liquid holding plate 53 and the wall surface 59a of the wafer chuck 59 facing the immersion liquid holding plate 53 are formed to be completely hydrophilic or hydrophilic porous. For example, the wall surface 53a of the immersion liquid holding plate 53 may be made of a stainless surface, an aluminum surface, and a KN plating surface having a relatively small contact angle.

The back surface of the wafer 40 is in contact with the wafer portion (so-called contact portion) of the top surface of the wafer chuck 59, and the wafer chuck 59 is configured to vacuum-suck the wafer 40. Nevertheless, a slight gap 57b remains between the contact portion of the wafer chuck 59 through which the immersion liquid can flow and the back surface of the wafer 40.

This phenomenon is considered to occur in the following manner. That is, when the immersion liquid 60 flowing from the wafer 40 side reaches the wafer 40 end, the immersion liquid 60 flows to the gap 57a and the surface 53b of the immersion liquid holding plate 53 after that. Since the wall surface 53a is hydrophilic, the contact angle of the immersion liquid 60 on this wall surface 53a is substantially the same as the contact angle of the immersion liquid 60 on the surface 53b. As a result, the immersion liquid 60 flows along the surface 53b and further into the gap 57a.

As described above, the wafer chuck 59 is made of a hydrophilic porous material to prevent the immersion liquid 60 from remaining on its upper surface. In this way, when the wafer 40 is lifted upward, no immersion liquid is observed on the back surface of the wafer 40.

In particular, the contact portion of the wafer chuck 59 is made of a hydrophilic material. In this way, when the immersion liquid 60 enters the gaps 57a and 57b, the contact portion of the wafer chuck 59 has a low contact angle (90 ° or less) relative thereto. In addition, the material of the contact portion of the wafer chuck 59 is porous. Therefore, even when the immersion liquid 60 enters the gaps 57a and 57b, it is possible not to leave the immersion liquid 60 on the back surface of the wafer 40. Thus, the first embodiment provides an immersion exposure apparatus in which a failure does not occur even when an immersion liquid flows on the back surface of the wafer.

Since the wafer chuck 59 is configured to vacuum-absorb the wafer 40, the peripheral region of the wafer chuck 59 is formed of a material which is not porous, or a process is formed in which the porous holes are closed to form a vacuum. Help

In the first embodiment, both the wall surface 53a of the immersion liquid holding plate 53 and the wall surface 59a of the wafer chuck 59 facing the immersion liquid holding plate 53 are formed to be completely hydrophilic or hydrophilic porous. By performing the hydrophilic treatment or the hydrophilic porous treatment only on the portion close to the wafer 40 of 53a and 59a, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be achieved. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a liquid immersion exposure apparatus in which a failure does not occur even when a liquid immersion liquid flows to the back surface of the wafer.

(Second embodiment)

The exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention has an improved recovery capability of the immersion liquid than the exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment. 4 shows a schematic view of an exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 4, the same number was attached | subjected to the member similar to FIG.

At present, in order to improve the process throughput of the exposure apparatus, the speed of the wafer stage may be increased. The speed in that case is very high at about 500 mm / sec. In addition, in order to reverse the direction of movement of the wafer at the wafer stage, very large acceleration occurs.

When such an operation is performed in the immersion exposure apparatus, the immersion liquid is scattered from the wafer. The second embodiment proposes a method which can reliably recover the liquid immersion liquid in the exposure apparatus. The supply operation of the immersion liquid is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Regarding the method for recovering the immersion liquid, in the second embodiment, not only the slit 52 but also the immersion liquid recovery arm 65 (functioning as a liquid recovery mechanism) are provided in the immersion liquid holding plate 53. The immersion liquid recovery arm 65 is disposed to face the slit 52. Each immersion liquid recovery arm 65 has a head made of a porous material such as, for example, a sponge. In the second embodiment, a porous material of high density polyethylene was used for each head. The head may be a structure having a slit shape. The liquid immersion liquid 60 can be appropriately recovered by bringing the porous object into proximity or contact with the liquid immersion liquid 60. A pipe that can be connected to the vacuum line was connected to the porous head to suck the immersion liquid 60. This immersion liquid collection arm 65 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the wafer 40 on the projection optical system 30 side with respect to the wafer 40 surface. In addition, the immersion liquid recovery arm 65 is stationary with respect to the projection optical system 30. Therefore, when the wafer 40 moves with respect to the projection optical system 30, the wafer 40 is immersion liquid recovery arm 65. Move against.

Referring to the coordinates X and Y shown in FIG. 5, the wafer 40 mostly moves in the X direction in the center region thereof. In the Y direction, the wafer 40 is stepped by a distance corresponding to the size of the circuit pattern transferred onto the wafer 40. In the case where the wafer 40 has a moving condition as described above, the immersion liquid recovery arm 65 is movable relative to the wafer 40 only in the Y direction in FIG.

For example, when the wafer 40 moves from left to right, and then reverses the direction of movement at the end of the wafer 40, the reverse direction is the most immersion liquid 60 in the wafer 40. It is time for the liquid immersion liquid 60 to remain in the liquid immersion liquid holding plate 53 at the end of the. When the resist or the anti-reflection film on the resist is hydrophobic, the immersion liquid 60 is in the form of droplets, depending on the degree of hydrophobicity and the moving speed of the wafer stage 50, the wafer 40 or the immersion liquid holding plate 53 Fly away undesirably). It is the role of the immersion liquid recovery arm 65 to collect the small droplets of these immersion liquids 60. When the moving speed of the wafer stage 50 is not fast enough to scatter the immersion liquid 60 or when the hydrophobicity of the immersion liquid contact surface is low, the immersion liquid holding plate 53 as described in the first embodiment is used. The slit 52 can fully recover the immersion liquid 60.

In the second embodiment, even if the immersion exposure apparatus has a very high hydrophobic resist or a combination of an antireflection film on the resist and a high speed wafer stage, it is possible to prevent the immersion liquid 60 from scattering. In particular, this is accomplished by placing two recovery slits, or two sets of holes concentrically on the wafer.

The wafer 40 used in this embodiment is coated with Teflon® so that its surface has maximum hydrophobicity. The contact angle with respect to the water of this wafer 40 is 110 degrees or more. The immersion liquid recovery treatment was tested in the following manner. The wafer stage 50 was moved at a speed of 1000 mm / sec, and then stopped to scatter the immersion liquid 60. The liquid immersion liquid 60 which was almost completely scattered was collect | recovered using the high density polyethylene sponge and the recovery slit arrange | positioned at the head of each immersion collection arm 65.

As described above, the liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment uses the high hydrophobic fluorine-based antireflection film on the wafer, even when the wafer stage 50 is driven at a speed higher than the actual conditions. Liquid immersion liquid 60 can be recovered.

(Third embodiment)

The exposure apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention has a countermeasure against improved immersion liquid 60 scattering compared to the exposure apparatuses according to the first and second embodiments. 6 shows a schematic view of an exposure apparatus according to a third embodiment. The same reference numerals are attached to the same members of FIG. 6 as those of FIG. 1.

The exposure apparatus according to the third embodiment includes a wafer stage 50 movable by a known six-axis drive table mechanism as a driver, a wafer chuck 59 disposed on the wafer stage 50, and a wafer chuck ( 59 includes a projection optical system 30 disposed on it. Light emitted from the illumination system 10 is irradiated onto a wafer (not shown) which is a substrate adsorbed to the wafer chuck 59 via the reticle 20 and the projection optical system 30 to expose the resist on the surface of the wafer. do.

The liquid is filled between the final lens of the projection optical system 30 and the wafer, and the liquid can be supplied and recovered in the same manner as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. The lens support (lens base) and the region of the wafer stage 50 outside the wafer diameter are formed as a hydrophilic surface, a hydrophilic member, or a hydrophilic porous member. As a result, even if the liquid adheres to the lens system support or the area of the wafer stage 50 outside the wafer diameter, the liquid moves to another area, and the device can be prevented from rusting or failing.

The scanner main body shown in FIG. 6 has a board | substrate supply apparatus arrange | positioned adjacent to it. The substrate supply device is configured to automatically supply and retrieve wafers. Referring to FIG. 7, the substrate supply apparatus, for example, provides a supply cassette 8 configured to hold a wafer carried by a conveyor (not shown), and a wafer sequentially removed from the supply cassette 8. And a prealignment unit 11 configured to perform a pre-alignment operation. In addition, the substrate supply apparatus also includes an import arm (carrying robot) 4 for carrying the wafer after the prealignment operation to the scanner main body (not shown in FIG. 7). In addition, the substrate supply device alternately performs operations for recovering the wafer after the exposure printing process from the scanner main body, and taking out the wafer sequentially from the supply cassette 8 and carrying the wafer into the prealignment unit 11. (Conveying robot) 5 is also included. In addition, the substrate supply apparatus has a recovery cassette 9 configured to hold a wafer recovered by the robot 5.

The prealignment unit 11 includes a prealignment stage 15, a prealignment stage driver 16, and a position sensor 14. The substrate supply apparatus including the wafer stage holding the wafer and the loading arm 4 includes the loading arm 4, the robot 5, the wafer stage 50, the wafer chuck 59, and the prealignment stage 15. It has a wafer contact including a. Each of these wafer contacts has a hydrophilic surface or is made of a hydrophilic porous material. Such a hydrophilic surface or a hydrophilic porous material can prevent the liquid from scattering to other parts even if the liquid is transferred or adhered to the wafer contact portion from the wafer. As a result, even if liquid flows to the back surface of the wafer, even if liquid remains on the back surface of the wafer or liquid falls on the stage 50 from the immersion liquid supply port, the liquid can be minimized from scattering to other parts. In addition, the liquid immersion liquid supply port and the liquid immersion liquid recovery arm have a hydrophilic surface or a hydrophilic multimaterial so that the liquid does not scatter similarly when the liquid adheres to the supply port and the recovery arm.

The wafer taken out from the supply cassette 8 by the robot 5 and placed on the prealignment stage 15 is positioned at a predetermined position by the prealignment unit 11. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred to the wafer stage 50 of the scanner main body by the loading arm 4.

When the wafer stage 50 returns to the exposure position, the alignment optical system (not shown) performs alignment processing on the wafer. Then, exposure printing of the wafer is performed by a known method. After the exposure and the printing process, the wafer is taken out from the scanner main body by the robot 5 and stored in the collecting cassette 9. While the wafer is stored in the cassette 9 for recovery by the robot 5, the scanner main body performs the final alignment process on the next wafer, and then performs exposure and print processing. At the same time, the prealignment unit 11 performs the prealignment process on the wafer which performs the next exposure and printing process. "Exposure process" here is called liquid immersion exposure process. During this immersion exposure process, a liquid is filled between the projection optical system 30 and the wafer. This liquid is recovered by the liquid recovery port. In this embodiment, the liquid that is not recovered by the liquid recovery port or that cannot be recovered through the liquid recovery port is prevented from scattering to other areas. This is achieved by using a hydrophilic surface or a hydrophilic porous material for the area in contact with the liquid, whereby the device can be prevented from failing. In the apparatus, the region in contact with the liquid includes the lens peripheral portion of the projection optical system 30 in addition to those described above.

(Fourth embodiment)

Next, a fourth embodiment of the device manufacturing method using the above-described exposure apparatus will be described.

8 shows a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (for example, a semiconductor chip such as an IC chip or an LSI chip, an LCD or a CCD sensor).

In particular, step S1 is a circuit design step for designing a circuit pattern of the semiconductor chip. Step S2 is a mask preparation step for producing a mask (reticle) having the designed circuit pattern. On the other hand, step S3 is a wafer manufacturing step for manufacturing a wafer using a material such as silicon. Step S4 is a wafer processing step called a previous step. In this step, according to any of the embodiments of the exposure apparatus of the present invention described above, an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. Step S5 is an assembly step called a subsequent step. In this step, a semiconductor chip is formed from the wafer obtained in step S4. In particular, this step S5 includes an assembly process (dicing, bonding), and a packaging process (tip sealing). Step S6 is an inspection step for inspecting an operation confirmation test, a durability test, or the like of the semiconductor chip obtained in step S5. Through these steps, the semiconductor chip is completed and then shipped in step S7.

9 shows a detailed flowchart of the wafer processing step described above. In particular, step S11 is an oxidation step for oxidizing the surface of the wafer. Step S12 is a step of forming an insulating film on the surface of the wafer. Step S13 is an electrode forming step of forming an electrode on the wafer by vapor deposition. Step S14 is an ion implantation step of implanting ions into the wafer. Step S15 is a resist processing step of applying a resist layer (photosensitive agent) to the wafer. Step S16 is an exposure step of printing the circuit pattern of the mask by exposure on the wafer using any of the embodiments of the exposure apparatus of the present invention described above. Step S17 is a developing step for developing the exposed wafer. Step S18 is an etching step for etching portions other than the developed resist image. Step S19 is a resist removal step of removing the resist which has become unnecessary after etching. By repeating these steps, a circuit pattern is formed on a wafer.

By using the device manufacturing method according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to manufacture a device of high integration, which has been difficult in the past.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid immersion exposure apparatus having better performance than the prior art.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof.

1 is a view showing a liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the wafer and the immersion liquid holding plate included in the immersion exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1 seen from the reticle side.

3 is a diagram showing a hydrophilic (or hydrophilic porous material) distribution state in the immersion liquid holding region.

4 is a view showing a liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view of the wafer and the immersion liquid holding plate included in the immersion exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the reticle side. FIG.

6 is a view showing a liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the liquid immersion exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 6.

8 is a flowchart of a device manufacturing method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a detailed flowchart of the wafer processing step of FIG. 8.

10 is a view showing a conventional liquid immersion exposure apparatus.

Claims (17)

A projection optical system for projecting light from the original onto a substrate, A chuck to hold the substrate, A liquid supply mechanism for filling a space between the projection optical system and the substrate with a liquid, The chuck has a contact portion in contact with the substrate, and at least the contact portion of the chuck has a surface having a contact angle with the liquid of 90 ° or less. The method of claim 1, A liquid holding part disposed in an area around the substrate and holding a liquid, And at least one of the surface of the liquid holding portion and the surface of the lens peripheral portion of the projection optical system has a contact angle with the liquid of 90 degrees or less. The method of claim 2, A transfer robot for transporting the substrate; Further comprising a stage for aligning the substrate, The surface of the said transfer robot and the surface of the said stage are a contact angle with the said liquid 90 degrees or less, The exposure apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 1, And the contact portion is made of a hydrophilic member. The method of claim 1, And the contact portion is made of a hydrophilic porous member. The method of claim 5, wherein The chuck is capable of vacuum suction of the substrate, and the peripheral portion of the chuck is not composed of a porous member. The method of claim 1, And a liquid recovery mechanism for recovering the liquid filled between the projection optical system and the substrate. The method of claim 7, wherein At least one of the said chuck, the periphery of a stage, and a conveyance robot has a non-contact part which does not contact with the said board | substrate, The said non-contact part is an exposure apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 7, wherein And the liquid recovery mechanism has a recovery port for recovering liquid from the substrate through a side of the substrate adjacent to the projection optical system. The method of claim 9, A liquid holding portion for holding a liquid, the liquid holding portion is disposed in an area around the substrate, The recovery port is disposed in the liquid holding part. The method of claim 9, The recovery port is disposed in an area around the chuck. The method of claim 1, And a liquid recovery mechanism for recovering the liquid from the substrate, The liquid supply mechanism has a supply port for supplying liquid to a space on the side of the substrate adjacent to the projection optical system, And the liquid recovery mechanism has a recovery port for recovering liquid from the substrate through a side surface of the substrate. The method of claim 7, wherein The liquid recovery mechanism includes a porous object, and the liquid recovery mechanism recovers the liquid by bringing the porous object into contact with or in contact with the liquid. The method of claim 13, The liquid recovery mechanism includes a vacuum pipe connected to the porous object and recovers liquid through the vacuum pipe. The method of claim 7, wherein And the liquid recovery mechanism recovers the liquid by applying a vacuum. The method of claim 7, wherein It further comprises a stage used for the alignment of the substrate, And the liquid recovery mechanism recovers liquid from the substrate through the surface of the stage. Exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1, A device manufacturing method comprising the step of developing the exposed substrate.

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