JP6238580B2 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method using them - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, and a device manufacturing method using them.

  An exposure apparatus is a glass plate with a resist layer formed on the surface of a photosensitive substrate (projecting a reticle, etc.) through a projection optical system in a lithography process included in the manufacturing process of color filters, liquid crystal display devices, etc. Etc.). In particular, color resists used in the production of color filters have a polymerization reaction because the pigment components easily absorb exposure light, and radicals generated by exposure to exposure light are trapped by oxygen present in the air. Is disturbed. Therefore, in order to obtain a desired pattern shape on the substrate, it is necessary to increase the energy of the exposure light. In order to avoid this, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of improving exposure light transmittance by performing exposure in a low oxygen state in which nitrogen gas is blown onto the resist film. On the other hand, in such an exposure apparatus that purges the exposure area on the substrate with an inert gas such as nitrogen, accuracy is particularly required for detection of a reference mark for calibration. However, since the reference mark is usually arranged at the end on the substrate stage, if the reference mark is detected in a state where an inert gas is allowed to flow, a detection error may occur due to a change in the refractive index due to the inert gas. . Therefore, Patent Document 2 discloses an exposure apparatus that does not supply an inert gas when detecting a reference mark to an exposure region on a substrate, and supplies the inert gas after the detection of the reference mark is completed. Yes.

JP-A-1-195445 JP 2011-96859 A

  In general, it is important for stable exposure that there is little variation in oxygen concentration in the exposure region on the substrate or in the region including the periphery thereof. Therefore, if the oxygen concentration varies when the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is performed, the refractive index of the exposure light changes due to the distribution, which may have an undesirable effect on the imaging performance. On the other hand, in the exposure apparatus shown in Patent Document 2, a sufficient purge time is required between the detection of the reference mark and the start of exposure, resulting in a decrease in throughput. That is, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, although the pattern image projected on the substrate can change due to the difference between the state where the purge gas is present in the exposure region on the substrate and the state where there is no purge gas (change in oxygen concentration), The change cannot be corrected.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that is advantageous in suppressing a decrease in imaging performance due to, for example, an oxygen concentration in an exposure region.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is an exposure apparatus that irradiates a pattern formed on an original plate with light and exposes an image of the pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system, and holds the substrate. A movable substrate holding unit and a gas supply unit for changing the oxygen concentration in the space by supplying gas to the space between the projection optical system and the substrate holding unit in a state where a part of the substrate is in the exposure region When, characterized in that it comprises a correction unit for correcting the imaging performance of the transient changing pattern by the oxygen concentration while the gas supply unit is supplying the gas to the space.

  According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an exposure apparatus that is advantageous for suppressing a decrease in imaging performance due to an oxygen concentration in an exposure region.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the exposure apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of an adjustment mechanism. It is a figure which shows the shape of the optical member contained in an adjustment mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating the image shift aberration by a vertical / horizontal magnification difference. It is a flowchart which shows the process of measuring the difference in imaging performance. It is a flowchart which shows the exposure process in one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the exposure process in other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As an example, the exposure apparatus 100 is employed in a lithography process in a color filter manufacturing process. In this case, the exposure apparatus 100 performs pattern exposure using the reticle 3 via the projection optical system 4, and UV cures the color resist (photosensitive agent) applied on the substrate 5 (on the substrate) such as a glass plate. Thus, the exposure apparatus can be insolubilized. In FIG. 1, the Y axis is taken in the scanning direction of the reticle 3 and the substrate 5 at the time of exposure in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, which is the vertical direction, and the X axis is taken in the non-scanning direction orthogonal to the Y axis. .

  The exposure apparatus 100 includes a light source 1, an illumination system 2, a reticle stage (not shown) that holds the reticle 3, a projection optical system 4, and a substrate stage 10. The light source 1 outputs light of a plurality of wavelength bands, for example, light from a mercury lamp, an ArF excimer laser, a KrF excimer laser, or the like as exposure light. The illumination system 2 shapes the light emitted from the light source 1 into a predetermined beam shape and irradiates the reticle 3. The reticle 3 is, for example, a glass original plate on which a fine circuit pattern is formed. The projection optical system 4 reduces the image of the circuit pattern on the reticle 3 at a predetermined reduction magnification, and forms and projects the image on a shot set on the substrate 5. In addition, the projection optical system 4 can be moved along the optical axis by driving the drive unit 6 to suppress the deterioration of various aberrations of the projection optical system 4 and improve the projection magnification and distortion error. The optical element 7 for reducing the above is included. The substrate stage (substrate holding unit) 10 is movable in the three-dimensional direction while holding the substrate 5.

  The exposure apparatus 100 also includes a laser interferometer 12, an alignment detection system 14, and a focus detection system 25. The laser interferometer 12 measures the XY plane position of the substrate stage 10 by detecting the distance from the movable mirror 11 fixed to the substrate stage 10. The alignment detection system 14 is, for example, an off-axis detection system. The alignment mark 14 is formed at each of a plurality of shots on the substrate 5 and the position of the reference mark 13 formed at the end on the substrate stage 10. The position (not shown) is detected. In particular, at the time of calibration, a TTL (Through The Lens) type detection system (not shown) and the alignment detection system 14 detect the position of the reference mark 13, and the relative positional relationship between the two detection systems is determined. Store in a storage unit (not shown). The focus detection system 25 includes a projection optical system 15 and a detection optical system 16, and detects the position of the substrate 5 and the position of the reference mark 13 in the optical axis direction of the projection optical system 4. Here, the light projecting optical system 15 projects a plurality of light beams composed of non-exposure light that does not expose the resist on the substrate 5. The projected light fluxes are each collected and reflected on the substrate 5. The light beam reflected on the substrate 5 enters the detection optical system 16.

  The exposure apparatus 100 is disposed in an exposure chamber (not shown), and the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere in the exposure chamber are controlled by an atmosphere adjustment unit (not shown). The exposure apparatus 100 supplies gas to a local space (hereinafter referred to as “purge space”) 19 between the final lens of the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 5 in a state where a part of the substrate 5 is in the exposure region. A gas supply unit 20 for supplying (purging) is provided. Note that “a part of the substrate 5 is in the exposure region” means that the substrate 5 is held on the substrate stage 10 and the exposure region (imaging surface on the substrate 5) is located directly below the final lens of the projection optical system 4. And a region where the pattern image passes toward the image formation plane) is a state in which a part of the surface of the substrate 5 is present. The gas supplied by the gas supply unit 20 may be one kind of gas having an oxygen concentration lower than that of air, or two or more kinds of mixed gases having different oxygen concentrations, one of which is, for example, nitrogen or argon Inert gas such as. In addition, the enclosure 26 may be provided as necessary, for example, by prescribing the gas flow direction to quickly fill the purge space 19 with gas, or suppressing gas contamination from the surrounding area.

  The exposure apparatus 100 includes an adjustment mechanism (optical member) 21 including an optical element group (a pair of optical elements) having a rotationally asymmetric shape facing the reticle 3 as a correction unit in the present embodiment. Prepare. The adjustment mechanism 21 may be installed independently on the light incident side of the projection optical system 4, may be installed as a part of the projection optical system 4, or may be installed integrally with the reticle stage. . FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the adjustment mechanism 21. Specifically, the adjustment mechanism 21 includes a first optical element 211 and a second optical element 212 each having an aspheric surface. The outer surfaces 211a and 212a of the two optical elements 211 and 212 have a planar shape, and the surfaces 211b and 212b facing each other have aspherical shapes that are complementary to each other. As shown in FIG. 1, at least one of the two optical elements 211 and 212 can be moved or rotated by a drive unit 22 such as an actuator.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the shape of each optical element (first optical element 211, second optical element 212) included in the adjustment mechanism 21. FIG. Each optical element has, for example, a three-dimensional shape in the θ = 0 ° (X-axis) direction as shown in FIG. 3A and a three-dimensional shape in the θ = 45 ° direction as shown in FIG. It has a shape as shown in FIG. Here, the rotationally asymmetric shape is expressed by the following (Equation 1). The two degrees of freedom in which the optical element can be moved (or rotated) independently are the X-axis direction and a direction that forms an angle of 45 ° from the X-axis.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the image shift aberration due to the difference between the vertical and horizontal magnifications. For example, when the optical element is moved in a direction that forms an angle of 135 ° with respect to the X axis, distortion of the TY_0 component as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B occurs. On the other hand, by moving the optical element in the Y-axis direction, distortion of the TY_45 component as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D occurs. That is, by rotating one of the pair of optical elements (for example, the first optical element 211) in parallel in an arbitrary direction on a plane composed of a 135 ° direction from the X-axis direction and the X-axis, rotation having two-fold symmetry. Symmetrical aberrations can be generated for all directions (any direction). In addition, aberration is caused by independently moving one of the pair of optical elements (for example, the first optical element 211) in the X-axis direction and the other (for example, the second optical element 212) in the direction of 135 ° from the X-axis. May be generated.

  Here, when the purging space 19 is purged with an inert gas without installing the enclosure 26 as shown in FIG. 1, in order to quickly reduce the oxygen concentration near the surface of the substrate 5, the flow of the purge gas It is effective to increase the vector component toward the substrate 5. However, in the region near the final lens of the projection optical system 4 in the purge space 19, the time required for the oxygen concentration to be relatively stabilized is longer than that in the region near the substrate 5. Therefore, in the transitional situation until the purge space 19 is completely replaced with the purge gas from the air atmosphere, a difference in oxygen concentration occurs in the purge space 19 in the Z-axis direction. Focus errors can occur. In such a case, it is effective to correct the focus error by moving the substrate stage 10 in the Z-axis direction according to the oxygen concentration distribution. Further, when the enclosure 26 is installed as shown in FIG. 1 and the purge gas is supplied from the circumference of the enclosure 26 toward the center, the oxygen concentration in the vicinity of the center is more stable than in the vicinity of the outlet of the enclosure 26. It takes a long time to complete. Therefore, in a transitional situation until the purge space 19 is completely replaced with the purge gas from the air atmosphere, the oxygen concentration near the final lens on the optical axis of the exposure light is high, and the cylindrical oxygen concentration in the purge space 19 Distribution occurs and projection magnification error can occur. In such a case, it is effective to correct the projection magnification error by moving the optical element 7 in the projection optical system 4 by the drive unit 6 according to the distribution of oxygen concentration. Furthermore, as another example of the cylindrical oxygen concentration distribution, for example, in the X-axis direction of FIG. 1, the oxygen concentration distribution is such that the oxygen concentration near the optical axis is high and the oxygen concentration near the enclosure 26 is low, On the other hand, there may be a case where there is no oxygen concentration distribution in the Y-axis direction. In such a case, a vertical / horizontal magnification difference may occur. Therefore, it is effective to correct the vertical / horizontal magnification difference by driving the adjustment mechanism 21.

  The control unit 24 can control the operation and adjustment of each component of the exposure apparatus 100. The control unit 24 is composed of, for example, a computer and is connected to each component of the exposure apparatus 100 via a line, and can control each component according to a program or the like. In particular, the control unit 24 in this embodiment includes a main control unit 9 that controls the entire apparatus, a projection lens control unit 8, a stage control unit 17, an adjustment mechanism control unit 23, and a gas supply control unit 27. Including. The projection lens control unit 8 controls the drive unit 6 that drives the optical element 7 in the projection optical system 4. The stage control unit 17 controls a driving unit 18 such as an actuator that drives the substrate stage 10 based on the measurement result by the laser interferometer 12. The adjustment mechanism control unit 23 controls the drive unit 22 that drives the adjustment mechanism 21. As described above, the projection lens control unit 8, the stage control unit 17, and the adjustment mechanism control unit 23 can constitute a correction unit in the present embodiment. Further, the gas supply control unit 27 controls the supply of purge gas to the purge space 19 by the gas supply unit 20. The control unit 24 may be configured integrally with other parts of the exposure apparatus 100 (in a common casing), or separate from other parts of the exposure apparatus 100 (in a separate casing). It may be configured.

  Next, exposure (exposure method) by the exposure apparatus 100 will be described. First, when using the gas supply part 20, the process of acquiring the difference in the imaging performance depending on whether or not the mixed gas is purged will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of acquiring the difference in imaging performance. In the present embodiment, the gas supply unit 20 makes the purge space 19 a gas atmosphere having a low oxygen concentration, and the purge gas is a mixed gas of an inert gas and dry air. First, prior to processing the substrate 5 with the exposure apparatus 100, an external coating apparatus applies a resist (color resist) to the substrate 5 (step S101). Next, the main controller 9 loads the substrate 5 coated with a resist onto the substrate stage 10 in the exposure apparatus 100 (step S102). Next, the main control unit 9 causes the TTL detection system and the alignment detection system 14 to detect the reference mark 13 and perform calibration (step S103). Here, the calibration is normally performed on the first substrate 5 of the lot, and this calibration result is applied to the second and subsequent substrates 5. Next, the main controller 9 causes the alignment detection system 14 to detect the positions of the alignment marks formed on the plurality of shots on the substrate 5 (step S104). Next, the main controller 9 performs first exposure (exposure on the first substrate) (step S105). By this exposure, the pattern of the reticle 3 is transferred to the resist film on the substrate 5. Next, the main control unit 9 unloads the processed substrate 5 to the outside of the apparatus (step S106). For example, when exposing a plurality of substrates 5, steps S102 to S106 are repeated.

  Subsequently, the external developing device develops the pattern-transferred substrate 5 received from the exposure device 100 (step S107). Next, the main controller 9 loads the developed substrate 5 onto the substrate stage 10 in the exposure apparatus 100 (step S108). Next, the main control unit 9 causes the TTL detection system and the alignment detection system 14 to detect the reference mark 13 and performs calibration (step S109). Since the reference mark 13 referred to for calibration is formed at the end on the substrate stage 10, if the purge gas is supplied here, the air flow of the purge gas tends to be disturbed. Further, when the purge gas is a mixed gas of an inert gas and dry air, the type of the atmospheric gas is different inside and outside the purge space 19. Therefore, the purge gas air flow is likely to be disturbed even in the purge space 19 in the vicinity of the reference mark 13, and as a result, the refractive index tends to fluctuate in the atmosphere of the purge space 19. Due errors can occur. Therefore, the calibration in step S109 is performed in an air atmosphere without supplying purge gas. Next, the gas supply control unit 27 causes the gas supply unit 20 to start supplying purge gas (step S110). Here, if the supply of the purge gas is started and the atmosphere in the purge space 19 reaches a predetermined effective oxygen concentration, a desired exposure performance cannot be obtained unless waiting for a certain period of time. Therefore, the main control unit 9 installs an oxygen concentration meter in the purge space 19 to measure the oxygen concentration, and waits until the desired oxygen concentration is reached, or waits for a waiting time previously determined in an experiment. . Next, the main control unit 9 sends the alignment detection system 14 and the focus detection system 25 to the positions in the XY plane of alignment marks formed on a plurality of shots on the substrate 5 and the projection optical system 4. The height position in the optical axis direction is detected (step S111). Here, the gas supply control unit 27 changes the output of the detection systems 14 and 25 due to the difference in refractive index in the atmosphere when the air atmosphere is formed in the purge space 19 and when the purge gas atmosphere is formed. It is desirable to have information indicating Since the refractive index changes depending on temperature, atmospheric pressure, or humidity, these values are obtained by a separately installed detector and obtained by a conversion formula, and information indicating output changes of the detection systems 14 and 25 is calculated. You may refer to them. Next, the main control unit 9 performs overlay exposure on the first substrate on which the pattern has already been transferred in step S105 as the second exposure (step S112). At this time, the gas supply control unit 27 uses the above information to indicate the detection result of the position of the alignment mark detected under the purge gas atmosphere in the purge space 19 and the purge space 19 as the air atmosphere. Correct to the value below. Then, the stage control unit 17 controls the position of the substrate stage 10 based on the corrected position and the position of the reference mark 13 detected by the alignment detection system 14 in step S102. Next, when the main control unit 9 confirms that the exposure of step S112 is completed for all the substrates 5 belonging to one lot, the gas supply control unit 27 causes the gas supply unit 20 to stop supplying the purge gas. (Step S113). When exposing a plurality of substrates 5, dry air may be supplied from the gas supply unit 20 in order to quickly remove the purge gas existing in the purge space 19. Next, steps S114 to S115 are the same steps as steps S106 to S107, respectively, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Then, the external measuring device measures the overlay error for the pattern or mark formed on the processed substrate 5 (step S116). The measuring device obtains from the overlay error measurement data, the difference in imaging performance (decrease) that changes depending on whether the purge gas is supplied to the purge space 19 and when no purge gas is present (presence or absence of purge gas). To do. The acquired data is stored in a memory (storage unit). The imaging performance includes the aspect ratio, focus and projection magnification of the pattern image.

  Next, an exposure process including a process of correcting various errors based on the result of the difference in imaging performance acquired by the process shown in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing this exposure process. First, the main controller 9 loads the substrate 5 coated with a resist onto the substrate stage 10 in the exposure apparatus 100 (step S201). Next, the gas supply control unit 27 causes the gas supply unit 20 to start supplying purge gas (step S202). Next, the main control unit 9 adjusts each correction unit (adjustment mechanism 21, optical element 7 in the projection optical system 4, as necessary) based on the result of the difference in imaging performance acquired in the process shown in FIG. 5. The substrate stage 10) is driven (step S203). For example, the adjustment mechanism control unit 23 can cause the drive unit 22 to drive the adjustment mechanism 21 to correct the TY_0 component and the TY_45 component that are aberration components (astigmatism). In addition, the projection lens control unit 8 drives the driving unit 6 to move the optical element 7, and the stage control unit 17 drives the driving unit 18 to move the substrate stage 10 at the same time. The shift component can be corrected. In addition, you may implement this correction | amendment part drive process before step S202 or simultaneously. Next, the main controller 9 performs exposure on the first shot on the substrate 5 (step S204). Next, the main controller 9 moves the second shot to be exposed next on the substrate 5 to the exposure position (step S205). Next, the main controller 9 determines whether or not there is a shot to be moved in step S205, that is, the next exposure (step S206). If the main control unit 9 determines that there is still a shot to be exposed on the substrate 5 (YES), the main control unit 9 returns to step S203 and repeats the correction unit driving process and the exposure process. On the other hand, if the main control unit 9 determines that there is no shot to be exposed on the substrate 5 (NO), the main control unit 9 skips the previous step S205 and proceeds to the next step S207. Next, the gas supply control unit 27 causes the gas supply unit 20 to stop supplying the purge gas (step S207). Then, the main control unit 9 unloads the processed substrate 5 to the outside of the apparatus (step S208).

  As described above, the exposure apparatus 100 is corrected due to the oxygen concentration in the purge space 19 and corrects the rotationally symmetric vertical / horizontal magnification difference having two-fold symmetry in an arbitrary direction. Can be suppressed. In general, when the purge time is shortened, unevenness in the oxygen concentration distribution in the purge space is noticeably generated and the imaging performance is deteriorated. However, the exposure apparatus 100 can suitably adjust the imaging performance. The purge time can be shortened, and as a result, a decrease in throughput can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an exposure apparatus and an exposure method that are advantageous for suppressing a decrease in imaging performance caused by the oxygen concentration in the exposure region.

  In addition, the exposure process demonstrated using FIG. 6 can also be changed as follows. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an exposure process in another embodiment of the present invention. The exposure process shown in FIG. 7 includes a process related to a shot shape between the first step S301 (corresponding to step S201 in FIG. 6) and step S304 (corresponding to step S202 in FIG. 6). 6 is different from the exposure process in FIG. First, after loading the substrate 5 in step S301, the main control unit 9 causes the alignment detection system 14 to measure the shape of each underlying shot on the substrate 5, and the distortion of all shots on the substrate 5 is measured as data. (Step S302). Next, the main control unit 9 calculates correction amounts for, for example, the TY_0 component and the TY_45 component in order to perform exposure in the following steps according to the shape (distortion) of each shot (step S303). Here, the correction amount calculation for other image shift components may also be performed. Next, the gas supply control unit 27 causes the gas supply unit 20 to start supplying purge gas (step S304). Then, the main control unit 9 reflects the correction amount obtained in step S303 in addition to the result of the difference in imaging performance acquired in the process shown in FIG. The mechanism 21, the optical element 7 in the projection optical system 4, and the substrate stage 10) are driven (step S305). The other steps are the same as the exposure step shown in FIG. According to this, as in the exposure process shown in FIG. 6, the correction of the vertical / horizontal magnification difference caused by the oxygen concentration distribution in the purge space 19 can be performed, and exposure is performed according to each shot shape. Accuracy can be improved.

(Device manufacturing method)
Next, a method for manufacturing a device (semiconductor device, liquid crystal display device, etc.) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A semiconductor device is manufactured through a pre-process for producing an integrated circuit on a wafer and a post-process for completing an integrated circuit chip on the wafer produced in the pre-process as a product. The pre-process includes a step of exposing a wafer coated with a photosensitive agent using the above-described exposure apparatus, and a step of developing the wafer. The post-process includes an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (encapsulation). A liquid crystal display device is manufactured through a process of forming a transparent electrode. The step of forming the transparent electrode includes a step of applying a photosensitive agent to a glass substrate on which a transparent conductive film is deposited, a step of exposing the glass substrate on which the photosensitive agent is applied using the above-described exposure apparatus, and a glass substrate. The process of developing is included. According to the device manufacturing method of the present embodiment, it is possible to manufacture a higher quality device than before.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Reticle 4 Projection optical system 5 Substrate 9 Main control part 10 Substrate stage 20 Gas supply part 21 Adjustment mechanism 22 Drive part 23 Adjustment mechanism control part 100 Exposure apparatus

Claims (13)

An exposure apparatus that irradiates a pattern formed on an original plate with light and exposes an image of the pattern on a substrate via a projection optical system,
A substrate holding part that is movable while holding the substrate;
A gas supply unit configured to supply a gas to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate holding unit to change an oxygen concentration of the space in a state where a part of the substrate is in an exposure region;
A correcting unit for correcting the imaging performance of the pattern that varies transiently by the oxygen concentration while the gas supply unit is supplying the gas to said space,
An exposure apparatus comprising: An exposure apparatus that irradiates a pattern formed on an original plate with light and exposes an image of the pattern on a substrate via a projection optical system,
A substrate holding part that is movable while holding the substrate;
A gas supply unit configured to supply a gas to a space between the projection optical system and the substrate holding unit to change an oxygen concentration of the space in a state where a part of the substrate is in an exposure region;
A correction unit for correcting the imaging performance of the pattern according to the oxygen concentration distribution in the space;
An exposure apparatus comprising: The imaging performance, the aspect ratio difference, an exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of focus and projection magnification. After the gas supply unit supplying the gas, and, after correcting the imaging performance, the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 which comprises carrying out the exposure of the substrate .   The information about shot distortion set on the substrate, measured before the gas supply unit supplies gas, is acquired, and the information is reflected in the correction of the imaging performance. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1. The gas, an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1, characterized in that it comprises two kinds of mixed gases having different oxygen concentrations 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas includes an inert gas. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises an enclosure surrounding the space. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a storage unit for storing in advance data of a change in imaging performance of the pattern caused by the presence or absence of the gas in said space. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the imaging performance of the pattern in each of a plurality of shots on the substrate. An exposure method for irradiating a pattern formed on an original plate with light and exposing an image of the pattern on a substrate via a projection optical system,
In a state where a part of the substrate is in an exposure region, a gas is supplied to a space between the projection optical system and a substrate holding unit that is movable while holding the substrate to change the oxygen concentration in the space. Process,
A step of correcting the imaging performance of the pattern that varies transiently by the oxygen concentration while the gas supply unit is supplying the gas to said space,
Exposing the substrate after the correcting step;
An exposure method comprising: An exposure method for irradiating a pattern formed on an original plate with light and exposing an image of the pattern on a substrate via a projection optical system,
In a state where a part of the substrate is in an exposure region, a gas is supplied to a space between the projection optical system and a substrate holding unit that is movable while holding the substrate to change the oxygen concentration in the space. Process,
Correcting the imaging performance of the pattern according to the oxygen concentration distribution in the space;
Exposing the substrate after the correcting step;
An exposure method comprising: A step of exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , or the exposure method according to claim 11 or 12 , and
Developing the exposed substrate;
A device manufacturing method comprising: