Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage, a supply mechanism, a recovery mechanism and an auxiliary recovery mechanism. The substrate stage mounts the substrate and moves within a two-dimensional plane while holding the substrate. The supply mechanism supplies liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage. The recovery mechanism recovers the liquid, and the auxiliary recovery mechanism recovers the liquid which could not be recovered by the recovery mechanism.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted and that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. A supply mechanism supplies liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage. A recovery mechanism recovers the liquid and an auxiliary recovery mechanism recovers the liquid which could not be recovered by the recovery mechanism.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. In addition, a supply mechanism supplies liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage. In addition, at least one bubble recovery mechanism recovers bubbles in the liquid in an upstream side of the liquid flow with respect to the projection optical system.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. The apparatus also includes a supply mechanism that supplies liquid to a predetermined spatial area which includes a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage, and an adjustment unit that adjusts exposure conditions based on temperature information on the liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate.

Abstract: An immersion lithographic system for patterning a work piece arranged at an image plane and covered at least partly with a layer sensitive to electromagnetic radiation, includes: a source emitting electromagnetic radiation onto an object plane; a mask arranged at the object plane to relay the electromagnetic radiation toward the work piece; and an immersion medium contacting at least a portion of an immersion optics of the lithographic system and a portion of the work piece. The immersion medium is supplied through at least one orifice arranged in the immersion optics.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted and that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. A supply mechanism supplies liquid to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage. A recovery mechanism recovers the liquid and an auxiliary recovery mechanism recovers the liquid which could not be recovered by the recovery mechanism.

Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus is arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate through a liquid confined to a space adjacent to the substrate. The apparatus includes a liquid diverter in the space to promote liquid flow across the space.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted and that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. In addition, a supply mechanism supplies liquid to locally fill a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage with the liquid, and a recovery mechanism recovers the liquid. A plate is provided in at least a part of the periphery of a mounted area of the substrate on the substrate stage. The plate has a surface arranged at substantially the same height as a surface of the substrate mounted on the substrate stage.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. The apparatus also includes a supply mechanism that supplies liquid to a predetermined spatial area which includes a space between the projection optical system and the substrate on the substrate stage, and an adjustment unit that adjusts exposure conditions based on temperature information on the liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate.

Abstract: Liquid is supplied by a supply mechanism to a space between a lens and a wafer via a supply nozzle on one side of the lens, and the liquid is recovered by a recovery mechanism via a recovery pipe on the other side of the lens. When the supply and the recovery of the liquid are performed in parallel, a predetermined amount of liquid (exchanged at all times) is held between the lens and the substrate on the stage. Accordingly, when exposure (pattern transfer on the substrate) is performed in this state, an immersion method is applied and a pattern is transferred with good precision onto the substrate. In addition, in the case the liquid leaks out from under the lower edge of a peripheral wall, the liquid that could not be recovered is recovered by an auxiliary recovery mechanism via a slit. And, by such operations, the substrate is freed from the residual liquid on the substrate.

Abstract: A projection optical system, which forms a reduced image of a first surface onto a second surface, has excellent optical performance without substantially being affected by birefringence despite the use of optical material having intrinsic birefringence. This is done by suitably arranging certain crystal axes of radiation transmissive members that make up the projection optical system relative to the optical axis of the projection optical system, and by suitably arranging the certain crystal axes of the radiation transmissive members relative to the crystal axes of other radiation transmissive members in the projection optical system.

Abstract: An optical system attains good optical performance without substantially receiving the effects of birefringence even when using an optical material having intrinsic birefringence. An optical system that includes at least one radiation transmissive member that transmits light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less has an optical axis that substantially coincides with a crystal axis [100] or a crystal axis optically equivalent to the crystal axis [100].

Abstract: A projection optical system, which forms a reduced image of a first surface onto a second surface, has excellent optical performance without substantially being affected by birefringence despite the use of optical material having intrinsic birefringence. This is done by suitably arranging certain crystal axes of radiation transmissive members that make up the projection optical system relative to the optical axis of the projection optical system, and by suitably arranging the certain crystal axes of the radiation transmissive members relative to the crystal axes of other radiation transmissive members in the projection optical system.

Abstract: In a projection optical system for projecting and transferring a pattern on a projection original R onto a photosensitive substrate W, one or a plurality of lenses having an in-homogeous radial refractive index about the optical axis are used, while one or a plurality of aspheric surfaces for correcting the aberration resulting from the in-homogeousness in refractive index of lenses are provided.

Abstract: In a projection optical system having at least two silica glass optical members, a birefringence value is measured at each of points in a plane normal to the optical axis with the center at an intersection of each optical member with the optical axis, a distribution of signed birefringence values in each optical member is obtained by assigning a positive sign to each birefringence value when a direction of the fast axis thereof is a radial direction to the intersection with the optical axis and assigning a negative sign to each birefringence value when the direction of the fast axis thereof is normal to the radial direction, and the optical members are combined with each other so as to satisfy such a placement condition that a signed birefringence characteristic value of the entire projection optical system calculated based on the distributions of signed birefringence values is between −0.5 and +0.5 nm/cm both inclusive.

Abstract: In a projection optical system for projecting and transferring a pattern on a projection original R onto a photosensitive substrate W, one or a plurality of lenses having an in-homogeous radial refractive index about the optical axis are used, while one or a plurality of aspheric surfaces for correcting the aberration resulting from the in-homogeousness in refractive index of lenses are provided.

Abstract: A projection optical system has excellent optical performance without substantially being affected by birefringence despite the use of an optical material with intrinsic birefringence such as fluorite, for example. A projection optical system forms a reduced image of a first surface onto a second surface . A first group of radiation transmissive members is formed such that a crystal axis [100] and the optical axis nearly align and similarly a second group of radiation transmissive members is formed such that the crystal axis [100] and the optical axis nearly align. The first grout of radiation transmissive members and the second group of radiation transmissive members have a positional relationship rotated relatively 45 degrees around the center of the light axis. Both the first group of radiation transmissive members and the second group of radiation transmissive members are arranged in an optical path between a pupil position on the second surface side and the second surface.

Abstract: An optical system attains good optical performance without substantially receiving the effects of birefringence even when using an optical material having intrinsic birefringence. An optical system that includes at least one radiation transmissive member that transmits light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less has an optical axis that substantially coincides with a crystal axis [100] or a crystal axis optically equivalent to the crystal axis [100].

Abstract: In a projection optical system having at least two silica glass optical members, a birefringence value is measured at each of points in a plane normal to the optical axis with the center at an intersection of each optical member with the optical axis, a distribution of signed birefringence values in each optical member is obtained by assigning a positive sign to each birefringence value when a direction of the fast axis thereof is a radial direction to the intersection with the optical axis and assigning a negative sign to each birefringence value when the direction of the fast axis thereof is normal to the radial direction, and the optical members are combined with each other so as to satisfy such a placement condition that a signed birefringence characteristic value of the entire projection optical system calculated based on the distributions of signed birefringence values is between −0.5 and +0.5 nm/cm both inclusive.

Abstract: A projection optical system of the present invention has a first lens group G1 being positive, a second lens group G2 being negative, a third lens group G3 being positive, a fourth lens group G4 being negative, a fifth lens group G5 being positive, and a sixth lens group G6 being positive in the named order from the first object toward the second object, in which the second lens group G2 comprises an intermediate lens group G2M between a negative front lens L2F and a negative rear lens L2R and in which the intermediate lens group G2M is arranged to comprise at least a first positive lens being positive, a second lens being negative, a third lens being negative, and a fourth lens being negative in the named order from the first object toward the second object.