HK1166140B - Object processing apparatus, exposure apparatus and exposure method, and device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

Object processing apparatus, exposure apparatus and exposure method, and device manufacturing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an object processing apparatus, an exposure method, and a device manufacturing method, and more particularly, to an object processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a flat plate-like object arranged along a predetermined two-dimensional plane, an exposure apparatus and an exposure method for exposing the object, and a device manufacturing method using the exposure apparatus or the exposure method.

Background

Conventionally, in a photolithography process for manufacturing electronic devices (microdevices) such as liquid crystal display devices and semiconductor devices (integrated circuits, etc.), a projection exposure apparatus of a step-and-repeat system (so-called stepper) or a projection exposure apparatus of a step-and-scan system (so-called scanning stepper (also called scanner)) has been mainly used.

In such an exposure apparatus, a substrate (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a substrate) such as a glass plate or a wafer, the surface of which is coated with a photosensitive agent as an exposure object, is placed on a substrate stage device. Then, the circuit pattern is transferred onto the substrate by irradiating a mask (or reticle) on which the circuit pattern is formed with exposure light, and irradiating the substrate with the exposure light via the mask through an optical system such as a projection lens (see, for example, patent document 1 (and corresponding patent document 2)).

In recent years, a substrate as an exposure object of an exposure apparatus, particularly a substrate for a liquid crystal display device (rectangular glass substrate) tends to be large in size, for example, three meters or more on one side, and thus a stage apparatus of the exposure apparatus is also large in size and heavy in weight. Therefore, development of a stage device capable of guiding an exposure object (substrate) at high speed and with high accuracy and further achieving a simple configuration that is small and light-weighted has been desired.

Reference list

[ patent document ]

[ patent document 1] PCT International publication No. 2008/129762

[ patent document 2] specification of U.S. patent application publication No. 2010/0018950

Disclosure of Invention

According to a 1 st aspect of the present invention, there is provided an object processing apparatus comprising: an object driving device that drives a flat object arranged along a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to a horizontal plane in at least one axial direction within the two-dimensional plane; an execution device that executes a predetermined process on a portion to be processed on the surface of the object within a predetermined area on a moving path of the object driven at a constant speed by the object driving device; an adjusting device including a holding member having a holding surface with a smaller area than the object, the adjusting device holding a part of the object from below in a non-contact state by using the holding member to adjust a position of the object in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane; and a driving device for driving the holding member in the axial direction while adjusting the position of the holding member according to the position of the object relative to the predetermined region.

According to the above, the execution device executes the predetermined processing in the predetermined area (processing area) on the object movement path to the portion to be processed on the surface of the flat plate-like object driven at a constant speed in the one-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane by the object driving device. Here, when the execution device executes the predetermined processing, the adjustment device adjusts (positions) the position of the object in the direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane, and therefore the predetermined processing can be performed with high accuracy. Further, since the position of the holding member of the adjustment device is controlled in accordance with the position of the object with respect to the predetermined region (processing region), the object can be positioned in the direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane with high accuracy.

According to a 2 nd aspect of the present invention, there is provided a 1 st exposure apparatus for exposing an object by irradiating an energy beam to form a predetermined pattern on the object, comprising: an object driving device that drives a flat object arranged along a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to a horizontal plane in at least one axial direction within the two-dimensional plane; an exposure system for irradiating the energy beam on a moving path of a surface of the object driven at a constant speed by the object driving device; an adjusting device including a holding member having a holding surface with a smaller area than the object, the adjusting device holding a part of the object from below in a non-contact state by using the holding member to adjust a position of the object in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane; and a driving device for driving the holding member in the one-axis direction in accordance with a position of the object with respect to an irradiation region of the energy beam generated by the exposure system.

According to the above, the exposure system irradiates the energy beam on the surface of the flat plate-like object driven by the object driving device at a constant speed in the one-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane, and performs exposure on the surface. Here, when the exposure system performs the exposure operation, the position of the object in the direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane is adjusted (positioned) by the adjusting device, and therefore, the exposure processing can be performed with high accuracy. Further, since the position of the holding member of the adjustment device is controlled in accordance with the position of the object with respect to the irradiation region of the energy beam, the object can be positioned in the direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane with high accuracy.

According to a 3 rd aspect of the present invention, there is provided a 2 nd exposure apparatus for exposing an object with an energy beam to form a predetermined pattern on the object, comprising: an optical system for irradiating the energy beam on a partial region in a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to a horizontal plane through the pattern; a driving device that drives a flat plate-like object arranged along the two-dimensional plane in at least one axial direction within a predetermined region including the partial region within the two-dimensional plane; and an adjusting device having a holding surface having a size approximately equal to or smaller than the partial area, wherein when the object is driven by the driving device, a part of the object facing the holding surface is held from below in a non-contact state to adjust a position of the object in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane, and the object is moved in the axial direction in accordance with the position of the object relative to the partial area.

According to the above, the optical system exposes the flat plate-like object driven by the driving device in the one-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane by irradiating the object with the energy beam. Here, when the optical system performs the exposure operation, since the position of the object in the direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane is set (positioned) by the adjustment device, the exposure processing can be performed with high accuracy. Further, since the position of the holding surface is controlled in accordance with the position of the object with respect to the irradiation region of the energy beam, the object can be positioned in the direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane with high accuracy.

According to a 4 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method comprising: an operation of exposing an object using the object processing apparatus or the exposure apparatus of the present invention; and developing the exposed object.

A method for manufacturing a flat panel display as a device by using a substrate for the flat panel display as an object is provided. The substrate for a flat panel display includes a film-like member in addition to a glass substrate and the like.

According to a 5 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure method for exposing an object to an energy beam to form a predetermined pattern on the object, comprising: an operation of driving a flat plate-like object arranged along a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to a horizontal plane in at least one axial direction in a predetermined region within the predetermined two-dimensional plane; the predetermined region includes a partial region irradiated with the energy beam of the pattern by an optical system; and an operation of holding a portion of the object facing the holding surface in a non-contact state from below the object while changing a position of the holding surface in the axial direction to be approximately equal to or smaller than the size of the partial region in accordance with a position of the object with respect to the partial region when the object is driven, so as to adjust a position of the portion in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane.

According to a 6 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method comprising: an operation of exposing an object by using the exposure method of the present invention; and developing the exposed object.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view schematically showing the structure of a liquid crystal exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a substrate stage device included in the liquid crystal exposure apparatus of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fixed point stage included in the substrate stage device of fig. 2.

Fig. 5(a) is a plan view showing an enlarged portion of the substrate holding frame included in the substrate stage device of fig. 2, and fig. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 5 (a).

Fig. 6(a) to 6(C) are plan views for explaining the operation of the substrate stage device when the substrate is subjected to the exposure process.

Fig. 7(a) to 7(D) are plan views (1) for explaining the operation of the air chuck unit during the exposure operation.

Fig. 8 a to 8D are plan views (fig. 2) for explaining the operation of the air chuck unit during the exposure operation.

Fig. 9(a) and 9(B) are side views for explaining the operation of the substrate stage device during the exposure operation.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a substrate stage device according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 11 is a side view of the substrate stage apparatus of fig. 10.

Fig. 12(a) to 12(C) are plan views for explaining the operation of the air chuck unit during an exposure operation using the substrate stage device of fig. 10.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate inspection apparatus according to embodiment 3.

Detailed Description

Embodiment 1

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 9 (B).

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration showing a liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 according to embodiment 1, which is used for manufacturing a flat panel display, for example, a liquid crystal display device (liquid crystal panel). The liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 is a so-called scanner which is a projection exposure apparatus of a step-and-scan method in which a rectangular glass substrate P (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate P) used for a display panel of a liquid crystal display device is used as an exposure object.

As shown in fig. 1, liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 includes illumination system IOP, mask stage MST holding mask M, projection optical system PL, body BD on which mask stage MST, projection optical system PL, and the like are mounted, substrate stage device PST holding substrate P, and a control system and the like thereof. In the following description, a direction in which the mask M and the substrate P are relatively scanned with respect to the projection optical system PL during exposure is referred to as an X-axis direction, a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane is referred to as a Y-axis direction, directions orthogonal to the X-axis and the Y-axis are referred to as Z-axis directions, and directions of rotation (inclination) about the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis are referred to as θ X, θ Y, and θ Z directions, respectively.

The illumination system IOP is constructed similarly to the illumination system disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent No. 6,552,775 and the like. That is, the illumination system IOP irradiates the mask M with light emitted from a light source (e.g., a mercury lamp), not shown, as exposure illumination light (illumination light) IL via a mirror, a dichroic mirror, a shutter, a wavelength selective filter, various lenses, and the like, not shown. The illumination light IL is, for example, light of i-line (wavelength 365nm), g-line (wavelength 436nm), h-line (wavelength 405nm), or the like (or a composite light of the i-line, g-line, and h-line). The wavelength of the illumination light IL can be appropriately switched by a wavelength selection filter according to, for example, a required resolution.

A mask M having a pattern surface (lower surface in fig. 1) on which a circuit pattern or the like is formed is fixed on mask stage MST by, for example, vacuum adsorption (or electrostatic adsorption). Mask stage MST is supported in a non-contact manner by a pair of mask stage guides 35 fixed to an upper surface of lens barrel surface plate 31, which is a part of body BD, through an air bearing, not shown, for example. Mask stage MST can be driven in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) by a predetermined stroke on a pair of mask stage guides 35 by a mask stage driving system (not shown) including, for example, a linear motor, and can be driven in the Y-axis direction and the θ z direction at appropriate intervals. Positional information of mask stage MST in the XY plane (including rotation information in the θ z direction) is measured by a mask interferometer system including a laser interferometer (not shown).

Projection optical system PL is supported by barrel surface plate 31 below mask stage MST in fig. 1. The projection optical system PL of the present embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the projection optical system disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,775. That is, the projection optical system PL includes a plurality of projection optical systems (multi-lens projection optical systems) in which projection areas of the pattern image of the mask M are arranged in a staggered grid pattern, and functions as a projection optical system having a rectangular single image field with the Y-axis direction as the longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, the plural projection optical systems form erect images by, for example, a bilateral telecentric system with an equal magnification system. Hereinafter, the plurality of projection areas of the projection optical system PL arranged in a staggered grid pattern will be collectively referred to as exposure area IA (see fig. 2).

Therefore, after the illumination area on the mask M is illuminated with the illumination light IL from the illumination system IOP, a projection image (partial erected image) of the circuit pattern of the mask M in the illumination area is formed on the illumination area (exposure area IA) of the illumination light IL via the projection optical system PL by the illumination light IL passing through the mask M; the area IA is conjugate to an illumination area on the substrate P which is disposed on the image plane side of the projection optical system PL and whose surface is coated with a resist (a sensor). Then, by synchronously driving mask stage MST and substrate stage device PST, mask M is moved in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) with respect to illumination area (illumination light IL), and substrate P is moved in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) with respect to exposure area IA (illumination light IL), whereby scanning exposure of one irradiation area (divided area) on substrate P is performed, and the pattern of mask M (mask pattern) is transferred to the irradiation area. That is, in the present embodiment, a pattern of the mask M is generated on the substrate P by the illumination system IOP and the projection optical system PL, and the pattern is formed on the substrate P by exposure of the sensitive layer (resist layer) on the substrate P by the illumination light IL.

Body BD is disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2008/0030702, and includes lens barrel holder 31 and a pair of support walls 32 for supporting the + Y side and-Y side ends of lens barrel holder 31 from below on floor surface F. The pair of support walls 32 are supported on the floor surface F through vibration isolation mounts 34 including, for example, air springs, and the machine body BD is vibrationally separated from the floor surface F. Further, a Y column 33 formed of a member having a rectangular cross section (see fig. 3) extending parallel to the Y axis is provided between the pair of support walls 32. A predetermined GAP (GAP/clearance) is formed between the lower surface of the Y column 33 and the upper surface of the surface plate 12 described later. That is, the Y column 33 and the surface plate 12 are not in contact with each other and are separated from each other in terms of vibration.

The substrate stage device PST includes: a surface plate 12 provided on a floor surface F, a fixed point stage 40 (see fig. 2) for holding a substrate P from below in a non-contact manner to adjust the position of the substrate P in at least one of the Z-axis direction, the θ X direction, and the θ Y direction (hereinafter referred to as a surface position), a plurality of air levitation units 50 provided on the surface plate 12, a substrate holding frame 60 for holding the substrate P, and a driving unit 70 for driving the substrate holding frame 60 (along the XY plane) in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 2, the surface plate 12 is a rectangular plate-like member having an X-axis direction as a longitudinal direction in a plan view (viewed from the + Z side).

As shown in fig. 2, the fixed point stage 40 is arranged at a position slightly on the-X side with respect to the center on the fixed plate 12. As shown in fig. 4, fixed point stage 40 includes weight canceller 42 mounted on Y column 33, a clamp member 84 (a part of air clamp unit 80 described later) supported by weight canceller 42, an actuator (for example, a plurality of Z voice coil motors 38 (hereinafter, simply referred to as Z-VCM38)) for driving clamp member 84 in a direction intersecting the XY plane, and the like. In fig. 4, in order to avoid an excessively complicated drawing, the plurality of air levitation units 50, the substrate holding frame 60, the driving unit 70, and the like are not shown.

The weight canceller 42 includes, for example, a case 43 fixed to the Y column 33, an air spring 44 accommodated in the lowermost portion of the case 43, and a Z slider 45 supported by the air spring 44. The case 43 is formed of a bottomed cylindrical member having a + Z-side opening. The air spring 44 includes a bellows 44a formed of a hollow member made of rubber, and a pair of plate bodies 44b (e.g., metal plates) arranged above (on the + Z side) and below (on the-Z side) the bellows 44a and parallel to the XY plane. The bellows 44a is supplied with gas from a gas supply device, not shown, and forms a positive pressure space with a higher pressure than the outside. The weight canceller 42 cancels the weight (downward (-Z direction) force due to the gravitational acceleration) of the substrate P, the clamp member 84, the Z slider 45, and the like with the upward (+ Z direction) force generated by the air spring 44, thereby reducing the load on the plurality of Z-VCM 38.

The Z slider 45 is a columnar member having a lower end fixed to the plate body 44b (disposed on the + Z side of the air spring 44) and extending parallel to the Z axis. The Z slider 45 is connected to the inner wall surface of the case 43 via a plurality of parallel plate springs 46. The parallel plate spring 46 includes a pair of plate springs arranged to be separated in the vertical direction and parallel to the XY plane. The parallel plate springs 46 connect the Z slider 45 and the case 43 at, for example, four positions on the + X side, -X side, + Y side, -Y side of the Z slider 45 (the parallel plate springs 46 on the + Y side and-Y side of the Z slider 45 are not shown). The movement of the Z-slider 45 in the direction parallel to the XY plane with respect to the case 43 is restricted by the rigidity (tensile rigidity) of each of the parallel plate springs 46, but on the other hand, the Z-slider can move in the Z-axis direction with a minute stroke with respect to the case 43 by the flexibility of each of the parallel plate springs 46. Therefore, the Z slider 45 moves up and down with respect to the Y column 33 by adjusting the gas pressure in the bellows 44 a. The member for generating the upward force to offset the weight of the substrate P is not limited to the air spring (bellows), and may be, for example, a cylinder or a coil spring. Further, for example, a non-contact thrust bearing (e.g., a hydrostatic bearing such as an air bearing) in which a bearing surface faces a side surface of the Z slider may be used as a member for regulating the position of the Z slider in the XY plane (see PCT international publication No. 2008/129762 (corresponding to U.S. patent application publication No. 2010/0018950)).

As shown in fig. 4, the air chuck unit 80 includes a chuck member 84 for holding a part of the substrate P by suction from the lower surface side in a non-contact manner, a driving unit 90 for driving the chuck member 84 in the X-axis direction, and a guide plate 91 for guiding the movement of the chuck member 84.

The jig member 84 includes a jig main body 81 and a base 82 integrally fixed to a lower surface of the jig main body 81. The jig main body 81 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped member that is low (thin) in the height direction, and the upper surface (+ Z-side surface) thereof is a rectangle whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction in a plan view (see fig. 2). The area of the upper surface of the jig body 81 is set to be wider than that of the exposure area IA, and particularly, the size in the scanning direction, i.e., the X-axis direction is set to be longer than that of the exposure area IA in the X-axis direction.

The jig main body 81 has a plurality of gas ejection holes, not shown, on the upper surface thereof, and ejects gas, such as high-pressure air, supplied from a gas supply device, not shown, toward the lower surface of the substrate P, thereby levitating and supporting the substrate P. Further, the jig body 81 has a plurality of gas suction holes, not shown, on the upper surface thereof. A gas suction device (vacuum device), not shown, is connected to the jig main body 81, and sucks gas between the upper surface of the jig main body 81 and the lower surface of the substrate P through gas suction holes of the jig main body 81 to generate a negative pressure between the jig main body 81 and the substrate P. The chuck member 84 holds the substrate P by suction in a non-contact manner by a balance between the pressure of the gas ejected from the chuck body 81 to the lower surface of the substrate P and the negative pressure generated when the gas is sucked between the chuck body 81 and the lower surface of the substrate P. In this way, since the clamp member 84 applies a so-called preload to the substrate P, the rigidity of the gas (air) film formed between the clamp body 81 and the substrate P can be increased, and even if the substrate P is twisted or warped, a part of the substrate P can be reliably corrected along the upper surface (substrate holding surface) of the clamp body 81. However, since the chuck main body 81 does not restrict the position of the substrate P in the XY plane, the substrate P can be moved in the X axis direction (scanning direction) and the Y axis direction (stepping direction) with respect to the illumination light IL (see fig. 1) even in a state where the substrate P is sucked and held by the chuck main body 81.

Here, as shown in fig. 5B, in the present embodiment, the flow rate or pressure of the gas ejected from the upper surface of the jig main body 81 and the flow rate or pressure of the gas sucked by the gas suction device are set so that the distance Da (GAP/space distance)) between the upper surface (substrate holding surface) of the jig main body 81 and the lower surface of the substrate P becomes, for example, about 0.02 mm. The gas ejection holes and the gas suction holes may be formed by machining, or the jig main body 81 may be formed of a porous material and the hole portions thereof may be used as the gas ejection holes and the gas suction holes. Details of the structure and function of such an air jig unit (vacuum preload air bearing) are disclosed in, for example, PCT international publication No. 2008/121561.

Returning to fig. 4, the base 82 is formed of a plate-like member. The base 82 has a not-shown aerostatic bearing, for example, an air bearing, on its lower surface, and ejects gas, for example, air, onto an upper surface of a guide plate 91 described later. Due to the rigidity of the gas film formed between the bottom plate 82 and the guide plate 91, a GAP (GAP/clearance (GAP)/space distance) is formed between the lower surface of the bottom plate 82 and the upper surface of the guide plate 91.

The driving unit 90 for driving the clamp member 84 in the X-axis direction includes a support column 92 disposed on each of the + X side and the-X side of the Y column 33, a pair of pulleys 93 (see fig. 7 a) provided near the upper end and the lower end of each support column 92 (four positions in total), and two drive belts 94 (see fig. 7 a). The pair of support columns 92 are each formed of a columnar member extending parallel to the Z axis, and have a-Z-side end connected to the surface plate 12. The paired pulleys 93 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the Y axis direction (see fig. 7 a). The paired pulleys 93 are respectively supported rotatably about shafts 95 parallel to the Y axis. A driving device, for example, an electric motor 96, for rotating the shaft 95 is connected to the shaft 95 supporting the pair of pulleys 93 located on the-Z side on the + X side. The electric motor 96 is controlled by a main control device not shown.

The two drive belts 94 are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the Y-axis direction (see fig. 7 a). Two drive belts 94 are connected at respective one ends to the + X side surface of the base 82. The respective intermediate portions of the two drive belts 94 are wound around the + X-side and + Z-side pulley 93, the + X-side and-Z-side pulley 93, the-X-side and-Z-side pulley 93, and the-X-side and + Z-side pulley 93 in this order when viewed from one end, and the other ends thereof are fixed to the-Z-side surface of the base 82. The pair of drive belts 94 pass through the lower part of the Y column 33 in the region between the pair of pulleys 93 on the + X and-Z sides and the pair of pulleys 93 on the-X and-Z sides.

Therefore, when the pulley 93 on the + X side and the-Z side is rotated by the electric motor, the clamp member 84 is pulled by the drive belt 94 to move in the + X direction or the-X direction by the frictional force generated between the pulley 93 and the drive belt 94. The position of the clamp member 84 is controlled open-loop by a main control device (not shown) according to the number of rotations of the pulley 93 (or the shaft 95) measured using, for example, a rotary encoder or the like. The configuration of the driving device for driving the clamp member 84 in the X-axis direction is not limited to this, and the clamp member may be driven by a driving device including a feed screw mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, or a linear motor, for example. Instead of the above-described drive belt traction jig member, a rope or the like may be used.

A hydrostatic gas bearing having a hemispherical bearing surface, for example, a spherical air bearing 83 is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the guide plate 91. The spherical air bearing 83 is fitted in a recess 45a formed in the + Z-side end surface (upper surface) of the Z slider 45. Thereby, the guide plate 91 is supported by the Z slider 45 so as to be swingable (rotatable in the θ x and θ y directions) with respect to the XY plane. As described above, since a certain GAP (GAP/clearance (GAP)/space distance) is formed between the guide plate 91 and the clamp member 84 (base 82), when the guide plate 91 swings with respect to the XY plane, the clamp member 84 swings with respect to the XY plane integrally with the guide plate 91. Further, as the structure for supporting the guide plate 91 to be swingable with respect to the XY plane, for example, a pseudo spherical bearing structure using a plurality of air pads (air bearings) as disclosed in PCT international publication No. 2008/129762, or an elastic hinge device may be used.

In the present embodiment, four Z-VCMs are provided on each of the + X side, the-X side, the + Y side, and the-Y side of the weight canceller 42 (the Z-VCM on the Y side is not shown in FIG. 3, and the Z-VCM on the + Y side is not shown in the figure). The four Z-VCMs have the same configuration and function although they are disposed at different positions. Each of the four Z-VCM38 includes a Z stator 47 fixed to a base frame 85 provided on the fixed plate 12 and a Z movable member 48 fixed to a lower surface of the guide plate 91.

The base frame 85 includes a main body 85a formed of a plate-like member formed in an annular shape in a plan view, and a plurality of leg portions 85b for supporting the main body 85a from below on the surface plate 12. The main body 85a is disposed above the Y column 33, and the weight canceller 42 is inserted into an opening formed in the center thereof. Therefore, the body portion 85a is not in contact with the Y column 33 and the weight canceller 42, respectively. The plurality of (three or more) leg portions 85b are each constituted by a member extending parallel to the Z axis, and the + Z side end portion of the leg portion 85b is connected to the main body portion 85a and the-Z side end portion is fixed to the surface plate 12. The plurality of leg portions 85b are inserted into a plurality of through holes 33a formed in the Y column in the Z-axis direction in correspondence with the plurality of leg portions 85b, respectively, and the plurality of leg portions 85b are not in contact with the Y column 33.

The Z mover 48 is formed of a member having an inverted U-shaped cross section, and includes magnet units 49 each including a magnet on a pair of opposing surfaces. On the other hand, the Z stator 47 includes a coil unit (not shown) including a coil, and the coil unit is inserted between the pair of magnet units 49. The magnitude, direction, and the like of the current supplied to the coil of the Z stator 47 are controlled by a main control device (not shown), and after the current is supplied to the coil of the coil unit, the Z movable element 48 (i.e., the guide plate 91) is driven in the Z axis direction with respect to the Z stator 47 (i.e., the base frame 85) by an electromagnetic force (lorentz force) generated by the electromagnetic interaction between the coil unit and the magnet unit. The main controller, not shown, drives the guide plate 91 in the Z-axis direction (moves it up and down) by synchronously controlling the four Z-VCM 38. The main controller also swings the guide plate 91 in any direction (driven in the θ x direction and the θ y direction) with respect to the XY plane by appropriately controlling the magnitude, direction, and the like of the current supplied to the coils of the four Z fixtures 47. The fixed point stage 40 operates to adjust at least one of the position of the portion of the substrate P held by the chuck member 84 (chuck main body 81) in the Z-axis direction and the position in the θ x and θ y directions. In addition, the Z-axis VCM of the present embodiment is a moving magnet type voice coil motor in which the mover has a magnet unit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a moving coil type voice coil motor in which the mover has a coil unit may be used. The driving method may be a driving method other than the lorentz force driving method.

Here, since the Z stator 47 of each of the four Z-VCM38 is mounted on the base frame 85, the reaction force of the driving force acting on the Z stator 47 when the guide plate 91 is driven in the Z-axis direction, or the θ x direction, or the θ Y direction using the four Z-VCM38 is not transmitted to the Y column 33. Therefore, even if the guide plate 91 is driven by the Z-VCM38, the operation of the weight canceller 42 is not affected at all. Since the reaction force of the driving force is not transmitted to the body BD having the Y column 33, even if the guide plate 91 is driven by the Z-VCM38, the reaction force of the driving force does not affect the projection optical system PL and the like. In addition, since the Z-VCM38 only needs to be capable of moving the guide plate 91 up and down in the Z-axis direction and swinging it in any direction with respect to the XY plane, three Z-VCM38 may be provided at three positions which are not on the same straight line, for example.

The positional information of the guide plate 91 driven by the Z-VCM38 is obtained by using a plurality of, for example, four Z sensors 86 in the present embodiment. The Z sensors 86 are provided one (not shown) Z sensor on the + X side, one on the + Y side, one on the Y side, and one on the Y side of the weight canceller 42, corresponding to the four Z-VCM 38. Thus, in the present embodiment, by bringing the driving point (action point of the driving force) of the Z-VCM on the driven object (here, the guide plate 91) driven by the Z-VCM and the measurement point of the Z sensor 86 close to each other, the rigidity of the driven object between the measurement point and the driving point is increased, and the controllability of the Z sensor 86 is improved. That is, the Z sensor 86 outputs an accurate measurement value corresponding to the driving distance of the driven object, thereby shortening the positioning time. If from the viewpoint of improving controllability, it is preferable that the sampling period of the Z sensor 86 is also shorter.

The four Z sensors 86 are all substantially identical sensors. The Z sensor 86 is a capacitive (or eddy current type) position sensor, for example, which obtains position information of the guide plate 91 in the Z axis direction with respect to the Y column 33, together with the target 87 fixed to the lower surface of the guide plate 91. As described above, since the distance between the upper surface of the guide plate 91 and the lower surface of the base 82 is constant, the main control device, not shown, continuously obtains positional information of the gripper 84 in the Z-axis direction and each of the θ x and θ y directions from the outputs of the four Z sensors 86, and controls the position of the upper surface of the gripper 84 by appropriately controlling the four Z-VCM38 based on the measured values. Here, the final position of the clamp member 84 is controlled to continue at the focal position height of the projection optical system PL by approaching the upper face of the substrate P above the air clamp unit 80. The main control device (not shown) monitors the position (surface position) of the upper surface of the substrate P by a surface position measuring system (autofocus device) (not shown), and drives and controls the chuck member 84 using the position information of the Z sensor 86 having high controllability so that the upper surface of the substrate P is continuously located within the depth of focus of the projection optical system PL (so that the projection optical system PL is always focused on the upper surface of the substrate P). The surface position measuring system (autofocus apparatus) here has a plurality of measuring points whose positions in the Y-axis direction are different in exposure area IA. For example, at least one measurement point is arranged in each projection area. In this case, the plurality of measurement points are arranged in two rows separated in the X-axis direction according to the staggered grid pattern of the plurality of projection areas. Thus, the Z position of the surface of substrate P in exposure area IA portion can be obtained from the measurement values (surface positions) of the plurality of measurement points, and further the amount of pitching (θ y rotation) and the amount of rolling (θ x rotation) of substrate P can be obtained. Further, the surface position measurement system may have measurement points separately from the plurality of measurement points or further outside in the Y-axis direction (non-scanning direction) of exposure area IA. In this case, the roll amount (θ x rotation) can be more accurately obtained by using the measurement values of the two measurement points located on the outermost side in the Y-axis direction, including the outer measurement point. The surface position measurement system may have other measurement points outside exposure area IA at positions slightly separated from each other in the X-axis direction (scanning direction). In this case, so-called read-ahead control of focusing/leveling of the substrate P can be performed. In addition, the surface position measurement system may have a plurality of measurement points arranged in the Y-axis direction (the arrangement region thereof corresponds to the position of exposure area IA in the Y-axis direction) instead of a plurality of measurement points arranged at least one in each projection region or at positions separated from exposure area IA in the X-axis direction (scanning direction). In this case, before the start of exposure, for example, at the time of alignment measurement, the focus mapping for obtaining the surface position distribution of the substrate P in advance can be performed. During exposure, the substrate P is subjected to focus/leveling control using the information obtained by the focus mapping. Focus mapping of a substrate and focus/leveling control of the substrate at the time of exposure using focus mapping information are disclosed in detail in, for example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2008/0088843 and the like.

Since the Z sensors only need to be able to obtain positional information of the guide plate 91 in the Z-axis direction and each direction of θ x and θ y, three Z sensors may be provided at three positions not on the same straight line, for example.

The plurality of air levitation units 50 (thirty-four, for example, in the present embodiment) support the substrate P from below in a non-contact manner such that the substrate P is maintained substantially parallel to the horizontal plane (except for the portion held by the fixed point stage 40), thereby preventing transmission of external vibration to the substrate P, preventing the substrate P from being deformed (bent) and cracked by its own weight, and suppressing occurrence of dimensional errors (or positional deviations in the XY plane) of the substrate P in each of the X and Y directions due to bending of the substrate P in the Z-axis direction by its own weight.

The plurality of aero-levitation units 50 have substantially the same function except for their arrangement positions or sizes. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, for example, one air levitation unit 50 is disposed on the + Y side and the-Y side of fixed point stage 40, and for example, eight air levitation units 50 arranged at equal intervals in the Y-axis direction on the + X side and the-X side of fixed point stage 40 are disposed in two rows at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction. That is, the plurality of air levitation units 50 are disposed to surround the fixed point stage 40. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, four air levitation unit rows are referred to as first to fourth rows in order from the-X side, and eight air levitation units constituting each air levitation unit row are referred to as first to eighth rows in order from the-Y side. The fourth and fifth aero-levitation units 50 constituting the second and third air-levitation-unit rows, respectively, are smaller than the other aero-levitation units 50, but have the same capacity (e.g., air ejection amount per unit area) as the other aero-levitation units 50.

As shown in fig. 3, each air levitation unit 50 includes, for example, a main body 51 for ejecting gas (for example, air) to the lower surface of the substrate P, a support portion 52 for supporting the main body 51 from below, and a plurality of (for example, a pair of) leg portions 53 for supporting the support portion 52 from below on the surface plate 12. The main body 51 is a rectangular parallelepiped member and has a plurality of gas ejection holes on its upper surface (+ Z-side surface). The main body 51 suspends and supports the substrate P by ejecting gas (air) toward the lower surface of the substrate P, and guides the movement of the substrate P when the substrate P moves along the XY plane. The upper surfaces of the air levitation units 50 are located on the same XY plane. The air levitation unit may be configured to be supplied with air from an unillustrated air supply device provided outside, and the air levitation unit itself may have an air blowing device such as a fan. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5B, the pressure and flow rate of the gas ejected from the main body 51 are set to a distance Db (GAP/space/GAP/space distance) between the upper surface (air ejection surface) of the main body 51 and the lower surface of the substrate P of, for example, about 0.8 mm. The gas ejection hole may be formed by machining, or the main body may be formed of a porous material and the hole portion may be used as the gas ejection hole.

The support portion 52 is a plate-like member having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the lower surface thereof is supported by the pair of leg portions 53. The legs of a pair of (two) air levitation units 50 disposed on the + Y side and the-Y side of fixed point stage 40 are configured not to contact Y column 33 (for example, the legs are formed in an inverted U shape and disposed across Y column 33). The number and arrangement of the plurality of air levitation units are not limited to those exemplified in the above description, and may be appropriately changed according to, for example, the size, shape, weight, movable range of the substrate P, or the capacity of the air levitation units. The shape of the support surface (gas ejection surface) of each aerostatic cell, the spacing between adjacent aerostatic cells, and the like are not particularly limited. In brief, the air levitation unit may be configured to cover the entire movable range (or a region slightly wider than the movable range) of the substrate P.

As shown in fig. 2, the substrate holding frame 60 has a rectangular outer shape (outline) whose longitudinal direction is the X-axis direction in a plan view. The substrate holding frame 60 has a pair of X frame members 61X, which are flat plate-shaped members parallel to the XY plane and have their longitudinal directions in the X axis direction at a predetermined interval in the Y axis direction, and the + X side and the-X side end portions of the pair of X frame members 61X are connected to each other by a Y frame member 61Y, which is a flat plate-shaped member parallel to the XY plane and has its longitudinal direction in the Y axis direction. From the viewpoint of ensuring rigidity and reducing weight, the pair of X frame members 61X and the pair of Y frame members 61Y are preferably formed of a fiber-reinforced synthetic resin material such as GFRP (Glass fiber reinforced Plastics) or ceramics.

A Y-moving mirror 62Y having a reflection surface orthogonal to the Y axis on the-Y side surface is fixed to the upper surface of the X frame member 61X on the-Y side. An X-moving mirror 62X having a reflection surface orthogonal to the X axis on the-X side surface is fixed to the upper surface of the Y frame member 61Y on the-X side. Positional information (including rotation information in the θ z direction) of the substrate holding frame 60 (i.e., the substrate P) in the XY plane is continuously detected with an analysis capability of, for example, about 0.25nm by a laser interferometer system including an X laser interferometer 63X having a plurality of (for example, two) stages for irradiating a reflection surface of an X moving mirror 62X with a distance measuring beam and a Y laser interferometer 63Y having a plurality of (for example, two) stages for irradiating a reflection surface of a Y moving mirror 62Y with a distance measuring beam. The X and Y laser interferometers 63X and 63Y are fixed to the body BD (not shown in fig. 3, see fig. 1) via predetermined fixing members 64X and 64Y, respectively. The number and the interval of the X laser interferometers 63X and the Y laser interferometers 63Y are set so that the distance measuring beams from at least one interferometer can be irradiated to the corresponding movable mirror within the movable range of the substrate holding frame 60. Therefore, the number of interferometers is not limited to two, and only one, three or more interferometers, for example, may be used depending on the movement stroke of the substrate holding frame. In addition, when a plurality of distance measuring beams are used, a plurality of optical systems may be provided, and the light source or the control unit may be shared among the plurality of distance measuring beams.

The substrate holding frame 60 includes a plurality of, for example, four holding units 65 that hold the end portions (outer peripheral edge portions) of the substrates P by vacuum suction from below. Two holding units 65 are mounted separately in the X-axis direction on the facing surfaces of the pair of X frame members 61X that face each other. The number and arrangement of the holding means are not limited to these, and additional holding means may be added as appropriate in accordance with the size of the substrate, the degree of flexibility, and the like. The holding unit 65 may be attached to the Y frame member.

As is apparent from fig. 5(a) and 5(B), the holding unit 65 has an arm portion 66 formed in an L-shape of YZ cross section. A suction pad 67 for sucking the substrate P by, for example, vacuum suction is provided on the substrate mounting surface of the arm 66. A joint member 68 is provided at an upper end of the arm portion 66, and the joint member 68 is connected to one end of a pipe (not shown) and the other end of the pipe is connected to a vacuum device (not shown). The suction pad 67 and the joint member 68 are communicated with each other via a piping member provided inside the arm portion 66. Convex portions 69a protruding in a convex shape are formed on the facing surfaces of the arm portion 66 and the X-frame member 61X facing each other, and a pair of plate springs 69 parallel to the XY plane, which are separated in the Z-axis direction, are bridged between the pair of convex portions 69a facing each other via a plurality of bolts 69 b. That is, the arm 66 and the X-frame member 61X are connected by a parallel plate spring. Accordingly, the arm 66 is restricted in position in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the rigidity of the plate spring 69 with respect to the X-frame member 61X, and can be displaced (moved up and down) in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) without rotating in the θ X direction by the elasticity of the plate spring 69.

Here, the lower end surface (-Z-side end surface) of the arm portion 66 protrudes further to the-Z side than the lower end surfaces (-Z-side end surfaces) of the pair of X frame members 61X and the pair of Y frame members 61Y, respectively. The thickness T of the substrate mounting surface portion of the arm portion 66 is set to be thinner (for example, set to be about 0.5 mm) than the distance Db (for example, about 0.8mm in the present embodiment) between the gas ejection surface of the air levitation unit 50 and the lower surface of the substrate P. Therefore, a GAP (GAP/clearance (GAP)/space distance) of, for example, about 0.3mm is formed between the lower surface of the substrate mounting surface of the arm 66 and the upper surfaces of the plurality of aero-levitation units 50, and when the substrate holding frame 60 moves in parallel with the XY plane on the plurality of aero-levitation units 50, the arm 66 and the aero-levitation units 50 do not contact each other. As shown in fig. 6(a) to 6(C), during the exposure operation of substrate P, arm 66 does not pass above fixed point stage 40, and therefore arm 66 and clamp member 84 do not contact each other. Further, although the substrate mounting surface portion of the arm portion 66 has a small thickness as described above, and thus has low rigidity in the Z-axis direction, the area of a portion (a flat surface portion parallel to the XY plane) in contact with the substrate P can be increased, and therefore the size of the suction pad can be increased, and the suction force of the substrate can be increased. Further, the rigidity of the arm body in the direction parallel to the XY plane can be ensured.

As shown in fig. 3, the drive unit 70 includes a pair of X guides 71 fixed to the surface plate 12, a pair of X movable portions 72 (not shown in the drawings of the X movable portion on the Y side) mounted on the pair of X guides 71 and movable in the X axis direction on the X guides 71, a Y guide 73 bridged between the pair of X movable portions 72, and a Y movable portion 74 mounted on the Y guide 73 and movable in the Y axis direction on the Y guide 73. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the Y frame member 61Y on the + X side of the substrate holding frame 60 is fixed to the Y movable portion 74.

The pair of X guides 71 are substantially the same except for their different positions. As shown in fig. 2, the pair of X guides 71 are disposed in the region on the + X side of the Y column 33 at predetermined intervals in the Y axis direction. One X guide 71(-Y side) is disposed between the second and third aero-levitation units 50 and 50 constituting the third and fourth air-levitation unit rows, respectively, and the other X guide 71(+ Y side) is disposed between the sixth and seventh aero-levitation units 50 and 50 constituting the third and fourth air-levitation unit rows, respectively. Further, the pair of X guides 71 each extend to the + X side than the air suspension unit row in the fourth row. In fig. 3, a part of the air levitation unit 50 is omitted in order to avoid the complexity of the drawing. The pair of X guides 71 includes a main body 71a formed of a plate-like member parallel to the XZ plane with the X-axis direction as the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of, for example, three support bases 71b (see fig. 1) for supporting the main body 71a on the surface plate 12. The Z-axis direction position of the main body portion 71a is set such that the upper surface thereof is located below the support portion 52 of each of the plurality of air levitation units 50.

As shown in fig. 1, X linear guides 75 extending parallel to the X axis are fixed to the + Y side surface, the-Y side surface, and the upper surface (+ Z side surface) of the main body portion 71 a. A magnet unit 76 is fixed to the respective side surfaces of the body portion 71a on the + Y side and the-Y side, and the magnet unit 76 includes a plurality of magnets arranged in the X-axis direction (see fig. 3).

As shown in fig. 1, the pair of X movable portions 72 is formed of a member having an inverted U-shaped YZ cross section, and the X guide 71 is inserted between a pair of opposing surfaces of the member. Sliders 77 having a U-shaped cross section are fixed to inner surfaces (a top surface and a pair of opposing surfaces facing each other) of the pair of X movable portions 72. The slider 77 has a rolling element (for example, a ball, a roller, or the like) not shown, and is engaged (fitted) with the X linear guide 75 in a slidable state with respect to the X linear guide 75. Coil units 78 including coils are fixed to the pair of opposing surfaces of the X movable portion 72, respectively, so as to oppose the magnet units 76 fixed to the X guide 71. The pair of coil units 78 constitute an X linear motor of an electromagnetic force (lorentz force) driving type that drives the X movable portion 72 in the X-axis direction on the X guide 71 by electromagnetic interaction with the pair of magnet units 76. The magnitude, direction, and the like of the current supplied to the coils of the coil unit 78 are controlled by a main control device, not shown. The positional information of the X movable portion 72 in the X axis direction is measured with high accuracy by a linear encoder system or an optical interferometer system, not shown.

One end (lower end) of a shaft 79 parallel to the Z axis is fixed to the upper surface of each of the pair of X movable portions 72. As shown in fig. 1, the Y-side axis 79 extends to the + Z side from the upper surface (gas ejection surface) of each aero-levitation unit 50 through between the second aero-levitation unit 50 and the third aero-levitation unit 50 constituting the second row (or the third row depending on the position of the X movable portion 72). The + Y-side axis 79 passes between the sixth aero-levitation unit 50 and the seventh aero-levitation unit 50 constituting the aero-levitation unit row in the fourth row (or the third row depending on the position of the X movable portion 72). The other end (upper end) of each of the pair of shafts 79 is fixed to the lower surface of the Y guide 73 (see fig. 3). Therefore, the Y guide 73 is disposed above the upper surface of the air levitation unit 50. The Y-guide 73 is formed of a plate-shaped member having a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction, and includes a magnet unit, not shown, including a plurality of magnets arranged in the Y-axis direction. Here, when the exposure process or the like is performed on the substrate P, the Y guide 73 is disposed above the plurality of air levitation units 50 as shown in fig. 3, and therefore, the lower surface thereof is supported by the air ejected from the air levitation units 50, whereby, for example, the Y guide 73 can be prevented from sagging due to its own weight at, for example, both ends in the Y axis direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure rigidity for preventing the drooping, and the weight of the Y-guide 73 can be reduced.

As shown in fig. 3, the Y movable portion 74 is formed of a box-shaped member having a small (thin) height dimension with a space inside, and has an opening portion formed in a lower surface thereof for allowing the shaft 79 to pass therethrough, and the Y movable portion 74 also has opening portions on the + Y side and the-Y side surfaces thereof, and the Y guide 73 is inserted into the Y movable portion 74 through the opening portions. The Y movable portion 74 has a non-contact thrust bearing, for example, an air bearing, not shown, on an opposing surface opposing the Y guide 73, and is movable in the Y axis direction on the Y guide 73 in a non-contact state. Since the substrate holding frame 60 holding the substrate P is fixed to the Y movable portion 74, it is in a non-contact state with respect to the fixed point stage 40 and the plurality of air levitation units 50.

The Y movable portion 74 includes a coil unit (not shown) including a coil therein. The coil unit constitutes a Y linear motor of an electromagnetic force driving method for driving the Y movable portion 74 in the Y axis direction on the Y guide 73 by electromagnetic interaction with a magnet unit of the Y guide 73. The magnitude, direction, and the like of the current supplied to the coil of the coil unit are controlled by a main control device, not shown. The positional information of the Y movable portion 74 in the Y axis direction is measured with high accuracy by a linear encoder system or an interferometer system, not shown. The X linear motor and the Y linear motor may be of any one of a moving magnet type and a moving coil type, and may be driven by other methods such as a variable reluctance drive method, as well as a lorentz force drive method. As the driving means for driving the X movable portion in the X axis direction and the driving means for driving the Y movable portion in the Y axis direction, for example, a single-axis driving means including a ball screw, a rack, a pinion, or the like may be used depending on, for example, required positioning accuracy of the substrate, throughput, a moving stroke of the substrate, or the like, and a means for pulling the X movable portion and the Y movable portion in the X axis direction and the Y axis direction, respectively, such as a metal wire or a belt may be used.

In addition, the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 also includes a surface position measurement system (not shown) for measuring surface position information (position information in each direction of the Z axis, θ x, and θ y) of the surface (upper surface) of the substrate P located immediately below the projection optical system PL. For example, the oblique incidence type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,332 and the like can be used as the surface position measuring system.

In the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 (see fig. 1) configured as described above, under the control of a main control device (not shown), a mask M is loaded on the mask stage MST by a mask loader (not shown), and a substrate P is loaded on the substrate stage device PST by a substrate loader (not shown). Thereafter, the main controller performs alignment measurement using an alignment detection system, not shown, and performs an exposure operation of the step-and-scan method after the alignment measurement is completed.

Fig. 6(a) to 6(C) show an example of the operation of substrate stage device PST during the exposure operation. In the following description, a so-called single-substrate dual display in which one rectangular irradiation region is set in each of the + Y side and-Y side regions of the substrate P, the irradiation region having a longitudinal direction in the X-axis direction will be described. As shown in fig. 6(a), the exposure operation is performed from the region on the-Y side and the-X side of the substrate P toward the region on the-Y side and the + X side of the substrate P. At this time, X movable portion 72 (see fig. 1 and the like) of drive unit 70 is driven in the-X direction on X guide 71, and substrate P is driven in the-X direction (see black arrow in fig. 6 a) with respect to exposure area IA, and a scanning operation (exposure operation) is performed on the-Y side area of substrate P. Next, as shown in fig. 6B, substrate stage device PST is driven in the-Y direction (see the white arrow in fig. 6B) on Y guide 73 by Y movable portion 74 of drive unit 70, and performs a stepping operation. In fig. 6(B), the stepping operation is performed in a state where substrate P is positioned in exposure area IA for easy understanding, but the actual stepping operation is performed in a state where substrate P is positioned on the-X side as compared with the state shown in fig. 6 (B). Thereafter, as shown in fig. 6C, X movable portion 72 (see fig. 1 and the like) of drive unit 70 is driven in the + X direction on X guide 71, and substrate P is driven in the + X direction (see black arrow in fig. 6C) with respect to exposure area IA, thereby performing a scanning operation (exposure operation) on the + Y side region of substrate P.

In the step-and-scan type exposure operation shown in fig. 6 a to 6C, the main controller continuously measures positional information of the substrate P in the XY plane and surface positional information of the exposed portion on the surface of the substrate P using the interferometer system and the surface position measuring system, and appropriately controls the four Z-VCMs 38 based on the measured values so as to adjust (position) the portion of the substrate P held by the fixed point stage 40, that is, so as to position the surface position (position in each direction of the Z axis direction, θ x, and θ y) of the exposed portion located immediately below the projection optical system PL within the depth of focus of the projection optical system PL. Accordingly, in substrate stage device PST included in liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, even if, for example, undulation occurs in the surface of substrate P or an error occurs in the thickness of substrate P, the surface position of the portion to be exposed of substrate P can be reliably positioned within the depth of focus of projection optical system PL, and the exposure accuracy can be improved.

Here, as in substrate stage device PST described above, the position of chuck main body 81 (chuck member 84) of air chuck unit 80 of fixed point stage 40 is variable in the X-axis direction. The main control device (not shown) controls the position of the jig main body 81 (jig member 84) in the X-axis direction in accordance with the position of the substrate P during the visual exposure operation. An example of the operation of the air gripper unit 80 will be specifically described below with reference to fig. 7(a) to 8 (C). In fig. 7(a) to 8(C), the plurality of air levitation units 50, the substrate holding frame 60, the driving unit 70, and the like are omitted to avoid complexity of the drawings. In the following examples, exposure is performed from the-X side and-Y side regions of the substrate P, as in the examples shown in fig. 6(a) to 6 (C).

Here, in the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10, the substrate P needs to be moved at a predetermined constant speed (constant speed movement) in the X-axis direction during exposure. Therefore, before the start of exposure, as shown in fig. 7 a, the main controller positions substrate P on + X side of exposure area IA by a distance (the sum of the moving distance when substrate P is accelerated from a stationary state to a predetermined constant speed and the distance (so-called stationary distance) required for synchronization between substrate P and mask stage MST (see fig. 1)). In the state shown in fig. 7 a, the main controller controls the driving unit 90 so that the chuck main body 81 (chuck member 84) is positioned in the + X side region on the guide plate 91, and holds the region near the-X side end of the substrate P (the region including the-X side end of the irradiation region) by suction at this position. The guide plate 91 has a dimension in the X axis direction set so that the chuck body 81 (chuck member 84) can hold the substrate P from below at a rest position before exposure of the substrate P as shown in fig. 7(a), that is, at a position where the substrate P is removed from the exposure area IA.

After accelerating the substrate P in the-X direction (see a white arrow in fig. 7B) for the exposure operation, the main controller controls the driving unit 90 based on a measurement value of a rotary encoder (not shown) to accelerate the chuck member 84 in the-Z direction (see a black arrow in fig. 7B) so as to follow the substrate P. Substrate P moves at a constant speed immediately before entering exposure area IA shown in fig. 7(B), and chuck member 84 also moves at a constant speed following substrate P. Here, since the substrate P and the chuck member 84 are in a non-contact state, the position control of the chuck main body 81 (the chuck member 84) may be made coarser than the position control of the substrate P. Therefore, as shown in the present embodiment, there is no particular problem in controlling the position of the clamp member 84 by open-loop control based on the number of rotations of the pulley 93 or the shaft 95 (see fig. 4).

When substrate P is further driven in the-X direction from the state shown in fig. 7B, substrate P (irradiation region set on substrate P) enters exposure region IA as shown in fig. 7C, and the exposure operation is started. Chuck member 84 also follows substrate P into exposure area IA (see fig. 9 a). Next, when chuck member 84 enters exposure area IA, the main control unit controls drive unit 90 to decelerate chuck member 84, and stops chuck member 84 in a state where the center of the upper surface of chuck body 81 (chuck member 84) and the center of exposure area IA substantially coincide with each other as shown in fig. 7D (see fig. 9B).

Further, in order to stop chuck member 84 so that the center of chuck member 84 coincides with the center of exposure area IA, chuck member 84 needs to be decelerated in a state where the center of chuck body 81 is located slightly upstream (+ X side) of the center of exposure area IA as shown in fig. 7(C), but since chuck body 81 of the present embodiment is set to be longer than exposure area IA as described above in the X axis direction, the entire exposure area IA can be covered at the time of deceleration start. Thus, even if the chuck member 84 decelerates relative to the substrate P, the substrate P in exposure area IA can be reliably held by suction.

Thereafter, as shown in fig. 8 a, the main controller performs an exposure operation on the substrate P while moving the substrate P in the-X direction at a predetermined constant speed (the chuck member 84 is stopped). As described above, the surface position of the exposed portion of substrate P, which is exposed in exposure area IA, is adjusted by fixed point stage 40 including chuck main body 81.

Immediately before the end of the exposure operation for the-Y side irradiation region of the substrate P, the main control device accelerates the chuck member 84 in the-X direction, and as shown in fig. 8B, the chuck main body 81 drives the substrate P together with the chuck member 84 at a constant speed in the X axis direction while holding the region near the + X side end of the substrate P (the region including the + X side end of the irradiation region).

Thereafter, as shown in fig. 8(C), substrate P passes through exposure area IA, and the exposure operation is terminated. At this time, chuck body 81 (chuck member 84) also passes through exposure area IA together with substrate P. After substrate P and chuck main body 81 (chuck member 84) are stopped at the position where they are separated from exposure area IA, the main controller moves substrate P in the-Y direction as shown in fig. 8D. Next, the main controller accelerates each of the substrate P and the chuck member 84 in the + X direction, and performs an exposure operation on the + Y side irradiation region of the substrate P in a procedure similar to the procedure shown in fig. 7 a to 8C (although the driving directions of each of the substrate P and the chuck member 84 are opposite).

Here, assuming that the position of chuck member 84 is fixed, for example, when the leading end portion of substrate P enters exposure area IA, the area where substrate P overlaps the upper surface of chuck body 81, that is, the load due to the weight of substrate P itself acting on chuck body 81 increases as substrate P moves in the scanning direction. However, since the chuck main body 81 is configured to hold the substrate by adsorption by the pressure balance (balance between the ejection pressure and the suction pressure) of the gas between the substrate P and the chuck main body 81, when the load acting on the chuck main body 81 due to the weight of the substrate P itself varies, the pressure balance may be broken, and the distance between the substrate P and the chuck main body 81 (the levitation amount of the substrate P) may vary. In contrast, since chuck main body 81 of the present embodiment holds substrate P outside exposure area IA in advance before the start of the exposure operation and moves into exposure area IA together with substrate P, the floating amount of substrate P can be maintained constant.

Further, since chuck member 84 moves together with substrate P toward the downstream side in the scanning direction with respect to exposure area IA in accordance with the end of the exposure operation on the irradiation area on substrate P, chuck main body 81 can hold substrate P outside exposure area IA in advance even when the stepping operation (see fig. 8D) is performed and the exposure operation is performed on another irradiation area adjacent to substrate P in the Y-axis direction.

When the surface position of the substrate P is adjusted by the fixed point stage 40, the arm 66 of the substrate holding frame 60 is displaced in the Z-axis direction following the movement (movement or tilting in the Z-axis direction) of the substrate P. This prevents damage to the substrate P, displacement (suction error) between the arm 66 and the substrate P, and the like. Further, since the plurality of air levitation units 50 can levitate the substrate P higher than the chuck main body 81 (chuck member 84), the air rigidity between the substrate P and the plurality of air levitation units 50 is lower than the air rigidity between the chuck main body 81 and the substrate P. Thus, the substrate P can easily change its posture on the plurality of air levitation units 50. Further, since the Y movable portion 74 to which the substrate holding frame 60 is fixed is supported by the Y guide 73 in a non-contact manner, when the amount of change in the posture of the substrate P is large and the arm portion 66 cannot follow the substrate P, the suction error and the like can be avoided by the change in the posture of the substrate holding frame 60 itself. Further, the rigidity of the connection portion between the Y guide 73 and the X movable portion 72 may be low, and the posture of the entire Y guide 73 may be changed together with the substrate holding frame 60.

In substrate stage device PST, substrate P suspended and supported substantially horizontally by a plurality of air levitation units 50 is held by substrate holding frame 60. In substrate stage device PST, substrate holding frame 60 is driven by drive unit 70, so that substrate P is guided along a horizontal plane (XY two-dimensional plane), and the surface position of the exposed portion of substrate P (a part of substrate P in exposure area IA) is accurately controlled by fixed point stage 40. As described above, in substrate stage device PST, drive unit 70(XY stage device), which is a device for guiding substrate P along the XY plane, and plural air levitation units 50, which are devices for holding substrate P substantially horizontally and performing positioning in the Z-axis direction, and fixed point stage 40 (Z/leveling stage device) are separate devices independent from each other, therefore, the weight (particularly the weight of the movable portion) can be reduced significantly compared to a conventional stage device (see, for example, PCT international publication No. 2008/129762 (corresponding to U.S. patent application publication No. 2010/0018950)) in which a stage member (substrate holder) for holding the substrate P with good flatness and having an area substantially equal to that of the substrate P is driven in the Z-axis direction and the tilt direction (the Z/leveling stage is driven XY two-dimensionally at the same time as the substrate) on the XY two-dimensional stage device. Specifically, for example, when a large substrate having a side exceeding 3m is used, the total weight of the movable portion (the substrate holding frame 60, the X movable portion 72, the Y guide 73, the Y movable portion 74, and the like) can be reduced to about several hundreds kg in the substrate stage device PST of the present embodiment, compared to the total weight of the movable portion of the conventional stage device being close to 10 t. Therefore, for example, the X linear motor for driving the X movable portion 72 and the Y linear motor for driving the Y movable portion 74 can be smaller in output, respectively, and the running cost can be reduced. Further, the basic equipment of the power supply equipment and the like can be easily installed. Further, since the output of the linear motor is small, the initial cost can be reduced.

In the drive unit 70, since the Y movable portion 74 holding the substrate holding frame 60 is supported by the Y guide 73 in a non-contact manner and guides the substrate P along the XY plane, there is little possibility that vibration (disturbance) in the Z axis direction transmitted from the surface plate 12 side provided on the floor surface F via the air bearing adversely affects the control of the substrate holding frame 60. Therefore, the posture of the substrate P is stabilized, and the exposure accuracy is improved.

Since the Y movable portion 74 of the drive unit 70 is supported by the Y guide 73 in a non-contact state, and dust generation can be prevented, even if the Y guide 73 and the Y movable portion 74 are disposed above the upper surfaces (gas ejection surfaces) of the plurality of air levitation units 50, the exposure process of the substrate P is not affected. On the other hand, since the X guide 71 and the X movable portion 72 are disposed below the air levitation unit 50, there is a low possibility that the exposure process is affected even if dust is generated. However, the X movable portion 72 may be supported in a non-contact state with respect to the X guide 71 so as to be movable in the X axis direction using, for example, an air bearing.

Since the weight canceller 42 of the fixed point stage 40 is mounted on the Y column 33 which is separated from the fixed plate 12 in terms of vibration, a reaction force of a driving force generated when the substrate holding frame 60 (substrate P) is driven by the driving unit 70, vibration, or the like, for example, is not transmitted to the weight canceller 42. Therefore, the position of the chuck body 81 (chuck member 84) using the Z-VCM38 (that is, the surface position of the portion of the substrate P to be exposed) can be controlled with high accuracy. Further, since the four Z-VCM38 that drive the jig main body 81 (jig member 84) are fixed to the base frame 85 that is not in contact with the Y column 33 by the Z fixing members 47, the reaction force of the driving force when driving the jig main body 81 (jig member 84) is not transmitted to the weight canceller 42. Thus, the position of the jig main body 81 (jig member 84) can be controlled with high accuracy.

Further, since the positional information of the substrate holding frame 60 is measured by the interferometer system using the movable mirrors 62x, 62y (fixed to the substrate holding frame 60, that is, arranged close to the substrate P which is the object of final positioning control), the rigidity between the object of control (substrate P) and the measurement point can be maintained high. That is, since the substrate whose final position should be known and the measurement point can be regarded as one body, the measurement accuracy can be improved. Further, since the positional information of the substrate holding frame 60 is directly measured, even if a linear motion error occurs in the X movable portion 72 and the Y movable portion 74, the measurement result is not easily affected by the linear motion error. Further, the positional information of the substrate holding frame 60 may be measured by a measurement system other than the interferometer system, for example, an encoder.

Further, since substrate stage device PST is configured such that a plurality of air levitation units 50, fixed point stage 40, and drive unit 70 are arranged in a planar arrangement on fixed disk 12, assembly, adjustment, maintenance, and the like are easy. Further, since the number of members is small and each member is lightweight, transportation is also easy.

EXAMPLE 2 embodiment

Next, a liquid crystal exposure apparatus according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig. 10 to 12 (C). The liquid crystal exposure apparatus according to embodiment 2 has a configuration similar to that of the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 according to embodiment 1 except that the configuration of the substrate stage apparatus for holding the substrate P is different, and therefore only the configuration of the substrate stage apparatus will be described below. In order to avoid redundant description, members having the same functions as those of embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals as those of embodiment 1, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 10, substrate stage device PST according to embodiment 2₂A difference from embodiment 1 is that air levitation unit 150 supporting substrate P from below in a non-contact manner is provided in a region overlapping with the movement range of chuck main body 81 (chuck member 84) of fixed point stage 140. Three notches 191a each having a rectangular shape in plan view and opened at the + X-side end and the-X-side end are formed in guide plate 191 of fixed point stage 140, and air levitation units 150 are housed in notches 191a, respectively (see fig. 12B). The six air levitation units 150 housed in the notches 191a have the same functions as the other air levitation units 50 except that the area of the gas ejection surface facing the substrate P is narrow and the main body 51 can move up and down.

As shown in fig. 11, the leg 153 of the air levitation unit 150 includes: a cylindrical case 153a fixed to the surface plate 12; and a shaft 153b having one end housed in the case 153a and the other end fixed to the support portion 52, and driven in the Z-axis direction with respect to the case 153a by a single-axis actuator, not shown, such as a pneumatic cylinder device. The main body 51 is driven in the-Z direction by the shaft 153b, and the upper surface of the air levitation unit 150 on the + X side of the Y column 33 shown in fig. 11 can be positioned on the-Z side with respect to the upper surface of the guide plate 191 (the guide surface for guiding the horizontal movement of the jig main body 81 (jig member 84)). In this state, the jig main body 81 and the base 82 are prevented from contacting the main body 51 when they move on the guide plate 191. The main body 51 is driven in the + Z direction by the shaft 153b, and the upper surface of the air levitation unit 150 on the-X side of the Y column 33 shown in fig. 11 can be positioned on the + Z side with respect to the upper surface of the guide plate 191. The air levitation unit 150 is disposed on the upper surface of the main body 51 at the same plane as the upper surfaces of the other plural air levitation units 150 (for example, at a position spaced 0.8mm from the lower surface of the substrate P), and supports the substrate P in a levitated manner in cooperation with the other air levitation units 50.

Using the substrate stage device PST of embodiment 2₂In the exposure operation of (1), when the jig main body 81 holds the substrate P in the + X side region of the exposure area IA as shown in fig. 12(a), the main control device (not shown) controls each aero-levitation unit 150 so that the upper surface of the main body 51 of each of the three aero-levitation units 150 arranged on the + X side of the Y column 33 is positioned below the upper surface of the guide plate 191 as shown in fig. 11. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 11, the upper surfaces of the main body 51 of the three aero-levitation units 150 disposed on the-X side of the Y column 33 are controlled by the main controller to be disposed on the same plane as the upper surfaces of the other aero-levitation units 50.

Thereafter, the main controller performs an exposure operation on substrate P in exposure area IA while driving substrate P in the-X direction at a constant speed, as in embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 12B, during the exposure operation, jig main body 81 (jig member 84) is stopped immediately below exposure area IA similarly to embodiment 1. Three air levitation units 150 arranged on the-X side of Y column 33 support the region including the-X side end of substrate P in a non-contact manner, thereby suppressing sagging (bending) of substrate P due to its own weight. In the state shown in fig. 12(B), the main control unit controls each of the three air levitation units 150 disposed on the + X side of the Y column 33 such that the upper surface of the main body 51 thereof is disposed on the same plane as the upper surfaces of the other air levitation units 150. Three air levitation units 150 disposed on the + X side of Y column 33 support the region including the + X side end of substrate P in a non-contact manner, thereby suppressing sagging (bending) of substrate P due to its own weight.

After the exposure operation is performed and the substrate P is further driven in the-X direction, as shown in fig. 12(C), the jig main body 81 is driven in the-X direction together with the substrate P in a state where the region near the + X-side end of the substrate P is held in a non-contact manner, similarly to the above-described embodiment 1. Therefore, the main control device controls the three air levitation units 150 arranged on the-X side of the Y column 33 so that the jig main body 81 (jig member 84) does not contact the air levitation units 150, and drives the main body 51 in the-Z direction.

Substrate stage device PST according to embodiment 2 described above₂In substrate P, the lower surface of substrate P is supported in a non-contact manner by a plurality of air levitation units 150 arranged in notches 191a formed in guide plate 191 on the + X side and/or-X side of exposure area IA, and thus, bending due to its own weight is suppressed. Further, since the plurality of air levitation units 150 move up and down through the main body 51 and are retreated from the moving path of the jig main body 81 (jig member 84), the movement of the jig main body 81 (jig member 84) is not hindered.

Embodiment 3

Next, embodiment 3 will be described. While the substrate stage devices according to embodiments 1 and 2 are provided in a liquid crystal exposure apparatus, as shown in fig. 13, substrate stage device PST according to embodiment 3₃Is provided in the substrate inspection apparatus 900.

The substrate inspection apparatus 900 has a supportA photographing unit 910 in the body BD. The photographing unit 910 has a photographing optical system including an image sensor such as a CCD (charge coupled device), a lens, and the like, which are not shown, and photographs the surface of the substrate P disposed immediately below it (on the (-Z side). The output from the imaging unit 910 (image data of the surface of the substrate P) is output to an external device (not shown), and inspection of the substrate P (for example, detection of a defect or a particle in the pattern) is performed based on the image data. Further, substrate stage device PST included in substrate inspection apparatus 900₃The configuration of (a) is the same as that of substrate stage device PST (see fig. 1) of embodiment 1 described above. When inspecting the substrate P, the main control device adjusts the surface position of the portion to be inspected (the portion immediately below the imaging unit 910) of the substrate P to be within the focal depth of the imaging optical system of the imaging unit 910 using the fixed point stage 40 (see fig. 2). Therefore, clear image data of the substrate P can be obtained. Further, since the substrate P can be positioned at high speed and with high accuracy, the inspection efficiency of the substrate P can be improved. Further, the substrate stage device according to embodiment 2 described above may be applied to a substrate stage device of a substrate inspection apparatus. In the above-described embodiment 3, the inspection apparatus 900 is an imaging system, but the inspection apparatus is not limited to the imaging system, and may be another system, diffraction/scattering detection, scattering measurement (scatterometry), or the like.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, although the substrate holding frame is used to control the position of the substrate in the XY plane at high speed and with high accuracy, when the substrate holding frame is applied to an object processing apparatus which does not need to control the position of the substrate with high accuracy, the substrate holding frame is not necessarily used, and, for example, a plurality of air levitation units may be provided with a substrate horizontal conveyance function using air.

In each of the above embodiments, the substrate is guided along the horizontal plane by the driving unit (XY two-dimensional stage device) for driving the substrate in the two orthogonal axes of the X axis and the Y axis, but the driving unit may guide the substrate only in the uniaxial direction as long as, for example, the width of the exposure area on the substrate is the same as the width of the substrate. In each of the above embodiments, the substrate and the chuck main body are already moved in the scanning direction immediately before the end of the exposure operation (see fig. 8B and 8C), but in the case where, for example, the stepping operation is not performed during the exposure, the chuck main body may be kept stopped immediately below the exposure region when the scanning direction is not reversed during the exposure (see fig. 8 a). In the above-described embodiment 2, the plurality of air levitation units disposed in the movement path of the jig main body are configured such that the main body moves in the vertical direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the air levitation units may be moved in the horizontal direction to be separated from the movement path of the jig main body.

In each of the above embodiments, the plurality of air levitation units levitate and support the substrate parallel to the XY plane, but the configuration of the device for levitating the object is not limited to this, depending on the type of the object to be supported, and the object may be levitated by, for example, magnetism or static electricity. Similarly, the holder member of the fixed-point stage may hold the object to be held by, for example, magnetism or static electricity, depending on the type of the object to be held.

In the above embodiments, only one clamp member is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of clamp members may be provided. For example, when two chuck members are provided, the two chuck members may be arranged in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate, one of the chuck members may be caused to stand by at the exposure position, and the other chuck member may be moved (pre-scanned) from the upstream side in the scanning direction together with the substrate to the exposure position. Next, after the scanning direction is reversed, the other chuck member is caused to stand by at the exposure position, and the one chuck member is moved from the upstream side in the scanning direction to the exposure position together with the substrate (pre-scanning). Alternatively, when three chuck members are provided, the three chuck members are arranged in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate, the center chuck member is positioned in the exposure region at any time, and a predetermined one of the chuck members on one side and the other side is moved (pre-scanned) from the upstream side in the scanning direction together with the substrate to the exposure position in accordance with the scanning direction.

The size of each of the plurality of jig members may be the same as or different from that of each of the above embodiments, and particularly, in the case of a small size, the total size of the plurality of jig members may be set to be substantially the same as (substantially the same shape and substantially the same area as) the size of the jig member of the above embodiment. Further, a counter mass (a reaction force canceller using the law of conservation of momentum) may be provided to the jig member.

In each of the above embodiments, the positional information of the substrate holding frame in the XY plane is obtained by a laser interferometer system (including a laser interferometer that irradiates a distance measuring beam onto a movable mirror provided in the substrate holding frame), but the position measuring device of the substrate holding frame is not limited thereto, and a two-dimensional encoder system, for example, may be used. In this case, for example, the position information of the substrate holding frame may be obtained by a head fixed to the body or the like by providing a scale on the substrate holding frame, or the position information of the substrate holding frame may be obtained by a head fixed to the body or the like by providing a head on the substrate holding frame.

In each of the above embodiments, the fixed point stage may displace the exposure area (or the imaging area) of the substrate only in the Z-axis direction out of the Z-axis direction and the θ x and θ y directions.

In each of the above embodiments, the substrate holding frame has an external shape (outline) rectangular in plan view and an opening rectangular in plan view, but the shape of the member holding the substrate is not limited thereto, and may be appropriately changed depending on, for example, the shape of the object to be held (for example, when the object is in the form of a disk, the holding member is also in the form of a circular frame).

In the above embodiments, the substrate holding frame does not necessarily completely surround the periphery of the substrate, and may have a partial notch. In addition, a member for holding the substrate, such as a substrate holding frame, is not necessarily used for carrying the substrate. In this case, the position of the substrate itself needs to be measured, and the position of the substrate is measured by an interferometer that irradiates a ranging beam on a mirror surface, for example. Alternatively, a grating may be formed on the front surface (or the back surface) of the substrate, and the position of the substrate may be measured by an encoder having a head that irradiates the grating with the measurement light and receives the diffracted light.

The illumination light may be ultraviolet light such as ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193nm) and KrF excimer laser light (wavelength 248nm), or F₂Vacuum ultraviolet light such as laser light (wavelength 157 nm). As the illumination light, for example, harmonic light can be used, which is obtained by amplifying single-wavelength laser light in the infrared region or the visible region oscillated from a DFB semiconductor laser or a fiber laser with an optical fiber amplifier doped with erbium (or both erbium and ytterbium), and converting the wavelength of the laser light into ultraviolet light with nonlinear optical crystals. Further, solid-state lasers (wavelength: 355nm, 266nm) and the like can also be used.

In the above embodiments, the description has been given of the projection optical system of the multi-lens system in which the projection optical system PL includes a plurality of projection optical systems, but the number of projection optical systems is not limited to this, and may be one or more. The present invention is not limited to the projection optical system of the multi-lens system, and may be a projection optical system using a large mirror of an Offner (Offner) type. In the above embodiments, the projection optical system PL is described as using a system having an equal magnification of projection magnification, but the projection optical system PL is not limited to this, and may be any of an enlargement system and a reduction system.

In the above embodiments, the case where the exposure apparatus is a scanning stepper has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the above embodiments may be applied to a projection exposure apparatus of a step bonding method in which an irradiation region and an irradiation region are combined. Further, the above embodiments can be applied to a proximity exposure apparatus without using a projection optical system.

The exposure apparatus according to each of the above embodiments is particularly effective when applied to an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate having a size (including at least one of an outer diameter, a diagonal line, and a side) of 500mm or more, for example, a large substrate for a Flat Panel Display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display device.

The application of the exposure apparatus is not limited to the exposure apparatus for the liquid crystal display element in which the liquid crystal display element pattern is transferred to the rectangular glass plate, and the exposure apparatus can be widely applied to, for example, an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, a micromachine, a DNA chip, or the like. In addition to exposure apparatuses for manufacturing microdevices such as semiconductor devices, the above embodiments can be applied to exposure apparatuses for transferring circuit patterns onto glass substrates, silicon wafers, and the like in order to manufacture masks or reticles used in light exposure apparatuses, EUV exposure apparatuses, X-ray exposure apparatuses, electron beam exposure apparatuses, and the like. The object to be exposed is not limited to a glass plate, and may be, for example, a wafer, a ceramic substrate, a film member, or another object such as a photomask.

The object processing apparatus according to each of the above embodiments is not limited to the exposure apparatus, and may be applied to a device manufacturing apparatus including, for example, an inkjet functional liquid deposition apparatus.

The disclosures of all publications relating to exposure apparatuses and the like cited in the above descriptions, PCT international publication, U.S. patent application publication, and U.S. patent application publication are hereby incorporated by reference.

Method for manufacturing device

Next, a method for manufacturing a microdevice using the exposure apparatus according to each of the embodiments described above in a lithography step will be described. In the exposure apparatus of each of the above embodiments, a liquid crystal display device as a microdevice can be manufactured by forming a predetermined pattern (circuit pattern, electrode pattern, or the like) on a plate (glass substrate).

< Pattern Forming step >

First, a so-called photolithography step is performed in which a pattern image is formed on a photosensitive substrate (e.g., a glass substrate coated with a resist) using the exposure apparatus according to each of the above embodiments. By this photolithography step, a predetermined pattern including a plurality of electrodes and the like is formed on the photosensitive substrate. Thereafter, the exposed substrate is subjected to a developing step, an etching step, a photoresist stripping step, and the like to form a predetermined pattern on the substrate.

< color Filter Forming step >

Next, a plurality of sets of three dots corresponding to R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are arranged in a matrix, or a plurality of filter sets of R, G, B three stripes are arranged in the horizontal scanning line direction.

< cell Assembly step >

Next, a liquid crystal panel (liquid crystal cell) is assembled using the substrate having the predetermined pattern obtained in the pattern forming step, the color filter obtained in the color filter forming step, and the like. For example, a liquid crystal panel (liquid crystal cell) is manufactured by injecting liquid crystal between the substrate having a predetermined pattern obtained in the pattern forming step and the color filter obtained in the color filter forming step.

< Module Assembly step >

Then, the liquid crystal display element is completed by mounting various components such as a circuit and a backlight for performing a display operation of the assembled liquid crystal panel (liquid crystal cell).

In this case, in the pattern forming step, since the exposure apparatus of each of the above embodiments is used, the plate can be exposed with high throughput and high accuracy, and as a result, the productivity of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

(practical)

As described above, the object processing apparatus according to the present invention is suitable for performing a predetermined process on a flat plate-like object. The exposure apparatus and the exposure method according to the present invention are suitable for exposing a flat plate-like object. The element manufacturing method of the present invention is suitable for producing a microdevice.

Claims (44)

1. An object handling device comprising:

an object driving device that drives a flat plate-like object arranged along a two-dimensional plane in at least one axial direction within the two-dimensional plane;

an executing device for executing a predetermined process on the processed portion of the surface of the object in a predetermined area on the moving path of the object for the object driven by the object driving device;

an adjusting device including a holding member having a holding surface with an area narrower than that of the object, holding a part of the object from below in a non-contact state using the holding member, and adjusting a position of the object in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane;

a non-contact supporting device which is placed around the holding member and supports the object from below in a non-contact state; and

a driving device for driving the holding member in the axial direction according to the position of the object relative to the predetermined region, wherein

The adjusting device adjusts the position of the holding member in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane until the object moves from the supporting surface of the non-contact supporting device to the holding surface of the holding member.

2. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding member holds a region including a tip portion of the object to be processed in advance at a position on an upstream side in a moving direction of the object in the predetermined region before the predetermined processing is performed on the object, and moves in the one-axis direction together with the object when the object is driven for the predetermined processing.

3. The object processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a dimension of the holding surface is shorter than a dimension of the portion to be processed in the one axis direction;

the driving device stops the holding member at a position corresponding to the predetermined region while the predetermined process is performed on the object.

4. The object processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the holding member is accelerated by the driving device toward a downstream side in a moving direction of the object before the predetermined processing of the object is finished, and moves in the axial direction together with the object while holding a region including a rear end portion of the processed portion of the object.

5. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the holding surface is longer than a dimension of the predetermined region in the one axis direction.

6. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device holds the object in a non-contact manner by ejecting gas from the holding surface of the holding member toward the object and attracting the gas between the holding surface and the object.

7. The object processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the adjusting means makes at least one of a pressure and a flow rate of the gas between the object and the holding surface variable so that a distance between the object and the holding surface is constant.

8. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device has an actuator that drives the holding member in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane.

9. The object processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the adjusting means further comprises a supporting member supporting the holding member;

the actuator includes: a movable member provided to the support member; and a fixing member provided to a member separated in a vibration manner from the measuring member that measures the positional information of the holding member.

10. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device has a weight canceling device that cancels the weight of the object.

11. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an upstream side supporting device that supports the object in a non-contact manner from below in an area that is located on an upstream side of the predetermined area in the moving direction of the object and that overlaps with a moving range of the holding member;

when the holding member is located on the upstream side of the predetermined region in the moving direction of the object, the upstream-side supporting device is retracted from the moving path of the holding member.

12. The object processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the upstream side supporting device supports the object in a non-contact manner by ejecting a gas to the object.

13. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a downstream side supporting device that supports the object in a non-contact manner from below in a region located on a downstream side of the predetermined region in the moving direction of the object and overlapping with a moving range of the holding member;

when the holding member is located on the downstream side of the predetermined region in the moving direction of the object, the downstream-side supporting device is retracted from the moving path of the holding member.

14. The object processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the downstream side supporting means supports the object in a non-contact manner by ejecting a gas to the object.

15. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one end portion of the object is held by a movable body constituted by a frame-like member provided so as to extend along the end portion of the object;

the object driving device drives the movable body.

16. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the executing device comprises a photographing device for photographing an image of a surface of the object in order to inspect the object.

17. The object processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object is a substrate for a display panel of a display device.

18. The object processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the execution device is a patterning device that forms a predetermined pattern on the object by exposing the object with an energy beam.

19. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

an act of exposing an object using the object processing apparatus according to claim 18; and

and developing the exposed object.

20. An exposure apparatus for exposing an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam to thereby form a predetermined pattern on the object, comprising:

an object driving device that drives a flat plate-like object arranged along a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to a horizontal plane in at least one axial direction within the two-dimensional plane;

an exposure system that irradiates the energy beam on a surface of the object driven by the object driving device on a moving path of the object;

an adjusting device including a holding member having a holding surface with an area narrower than that of the object, holding a part of the object from below in a non-contact state using the holding member, and adjusting a position of the object in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane;

a non-contact supporting device which is placed around the holding member and supports the object in a non-contact state from below; and

a driving device for driving the holding member in the one axial direction according to a position of the object with respect to an irradiation region of the energy beam generated by the exposure system, wherein

The adjusting device adjusts the position of the holding member in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane until the object moves from the supporting surface of the non-contact supporting device to the holding surface of the holding member.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a dimension of the holding surface is shorter than a dimension of an exposed area on the object in the one axis direction;

the driving device stops the holding member at a position corresponding to the irradiation region during the irradiation of the object.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a dimension of the holding surface is longer than a dimension of the irradiation region in the one axis direction.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the adjustment device holds the object in a non-contact manner by ejecting a gas from the holding surface of the holding member toward the object and attracting the gas between the holding surface and the object.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the adjustment device makes at least one of a pressure and a flow rate of the gas between the object and the holding surface variable so that a distance between the object and the holding surface is constant.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the adjustment device has an actuator that drives the holding member in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the adjustment device further comprises a support member that supports the holding member;

the actuator includes: a movable member provided to the support member; and a fixing member provided to a member separated in a vibration manner from the measuring member for measuring the positional information of the holding member.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the adjustment device has a weight canceling device that cancels a weight of the object.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an upstream-side support device that supports the object in a non-contact manner from below in a region that is upstream of an irradiation region of the energy beam in a moving direction of the object and that overlaps with a moving range of the holding member;

when the holding member is located on the upstream side of the irradiation region in the moving direction of the object, the support device on the upstream side is retracted from the moving path of the holding member.

29. The exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the support device on the upstream side supports the object in a non-contact manner by ejecting a gas to the object.

30. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a downstream-side support device that supports the object in a non-contact manner from below in a region that is located downstream of an irradiation region of the energy beam in a moving direction of the object and that overlaps with a moving range of the holding member;

when the holding member is located on the downstream side of the irradiation region in the moving direction of the object, the support device on the downstream side is retracted from the moving path of the holding member.

31. The exposure apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the downstream-side support device supports the object in a non-contact manner by ejecting a gas to the object.

32. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein one end portion of the object is held by a movable body constituted by a frame-like member provided so as to extend along the end portion of the object;

the object driving device drives the movable body.

33. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the object is a substrate having a size of not less than 500 mm.

34. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

an act of exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 33; and

and developing the exposed object.

35. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising:

an operation of exposing a substrate for a flat panel display using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 33; and

and developing the exposed substrate.

36. An exposure apparatus for forming a predetermined pattern on an object by exposing the object with an energy beam, comprising:

an optical system for irradiating a partial region in a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to the horizontal plane with the energy beam through the pattern;

a driving device which drives a flat object arranged along the two-dimensional plane in at least one axial direction in a predetermined area including the partial area in the two-dimensional plane;

an adjusting device having a holding surface having a size about the same as or smaller than the partial area, holding a part of the object facing the holding surface from below in a non-contact state when the object is driven by the driving device, adjusting a position of the object in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane, and moving in the one-axis direction according to the position of the object relative to the partial area; and

a non-contact supporting device for supporting the object in a non-contact state from below with the supporting surface facing to the other region of the object except the portion held by the adjusting device, wherein

The adjusting means adjusts the position of the holding surface in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane until the object moves from the supporting surface to the holding surface of the non-contact supporting means.

37. The exposure apparatus according to claim 36, further comprising a surface position measurement system that measures a surface position distribution of the upper surface of the object in a direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane in a part of the predetermined area.

38. The exposure apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the object is a substrate having a size of not less than 500 mm.

39. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

an act of exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 36 to 38; and

and developing the exposed object.

40. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising:

an operation of exposing a substrate for a flat panel display using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 36 to 38; and

and developing the exposed substrate.

41. An exposure method for forming a predetermined pattern on an object by exposing the object with an energy beam, comprising:

driving a flat plate-like object arranged along a predetermined two-dimensional plane parallel to a horizontal plane in a predetermined region including a partial region in the two-dimensional plane in an operation in at least one axial direction; the partial region is irradiated with the energy beam through the pattern by an optical system;

an operation of holding a portion of the object facing the holding surface in a non-contact state from below the object while changing a position of the holding surface in the one-axis direction to be approximately equal to or smaller than the partial area in accordance with a position of the object relative to the partial area, to adjust a position of the portion in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane; and

an operation of supporting the object from below in a non-contact state by making the supporting surface face to a region other than the portion of the object held by the holding surface, wherein

The position of the holding surface is adjusted in a direction intersecting the two-dimensional plane until the object is moved from the supporting surface to the holding surface.

42. The exposure method according to claim 41, further comprising an act of supporting, from below, other regions than the portion of the object in a non-contact manner.

43. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

an act of exposing the object using the exposure method according to claim 41 or 42; and

and developing the exposed object.

44. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising:

exposing a substrate for a flat panel display by the exposure method according to claim 41 or 42; and

and developing the exposed substrate.