LIQUID JET AND RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR IMMERSION LITHOGRAPHY

摘要

A liquid jet and recovery system for an immersion lithography apparatus has arrays of nozzles arranged to have their openings located proximal to an exposure region through which an image pattern is projected on a workpiece such as a wafer. These nozzles are each adapted to serve selectively either as a source nozzle for supplying a fluid into the exposure region or as a recovery nozzle for recovering the fluid from the exposure region. A fluid controlling device functions to cause nozzles on selected one or more sides of the exposure region to serve as source nozzles and those on selected one or more of the remaining sides to serve as recovery nozzles such that a desired flow pattern can be established for the convenience of immersion lithography.