Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Step and repeat
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-25
2003-07-08
Mathews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Step and repeat
C355S073000, C355S076000, C269S021000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06590633
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a high-precision transfer stage apparatus for use with lithography apparatuses, instrument apparatuses or other apparatuses and a method for producing circuit patterns utilizing the same and, more particularly, to a stage apparatus for use with an exposure apparatus to be used in a lithography process for producing particularly semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices and a method for forming device patterns on a photosensitive substrate plate using such an exposure apparatus.
Hitherto, a variety of exposure apparatuses have been employed in situ in a lithography process for producing semiconductor devices. Among such exposure apparatuses which currently have been employed in situ on a large-scale line, a compression projection exposure apparatus (usually called a stepper) of a step-and-repeat system is employed predominantly. In addition, there are known a projection exposure apparatus (a scanning exposure device) in a step-and-scan system so arranged as to scan a mask with a circuit pattern drawn as an original picture thereon and a photosensitive substrate plate (a semiconductor wafer) for producing devices relative to an optical projection system, a X-rays stepper so arranged as to set a mask and a photosensitive substrate plate at a given gap interval and to expose the mask and the photosensitive substrate plate to X-rays such as SOR rays in a step-and-repeat system, a electron beams exposure apparatus for drawing a circuit pattern with charged particle beams or transcribing a mask by radiation of electron beams, etc.
Many of such exposure apparatuses are provided each with a transfer stage apparatus which is so arranged as to hold a photosensitive or sensitive substrate plate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer with a photoresist layer coated thereon) and to move in a two-dimensional direction with respect to a pattern projection system (e.g., a projection system of a pattern image or the mask itself, etc.). There are known transfer stage apparatuses of various types, too. Among them, there is known a stage apparatus of a type in which a movable main stage member is held on a guide plane of a base table with a needle bearing or an air bearing and it is transferred by a drive source of a contact type using a feed screw and a nut, etc., or of a non-contact type using a combination of plural linear motors, etc.
In either case, the such stage apparatuses are connected each to plural flexible tubes for supplying vacuum pressure or pressure-applying fluid to a holder of a vacuum adsorption system for holding and adsorbing a substrate plate or an aerodynamic operation source (e.g., piston, vacuum pad part, etc.). Therefore, the movable main stage member is transferred while dragging those flexible tubes from the base table. Likewise, the movable main stage member is provided with various electrical drive sources (e.g., rotary motor, voice coil motor, piezo element, electromagnet, etc.). To those electrical drive sources are connected plural electrical wiring for supplying electrical energy from the base table side or an apparatus column side. Thus, the movable main stage member is transferred while dragging such wiring.
Further, in conventional stage apparatuses of a type in which an air guide stage of a non-contact guide structure is combined with linear motors of a non-contact type, the plural linear motors are subjected to servo control so as for a measured value of a predetermined position of the coordinates of the movable main stage member measured by a laser interferometer to be present within a predetermined error scope (e.g. ±0.04 &mgr;m) with respect to the instructed target position. Thus, stability during the movable main stage member being transferred and stayed depends mainly upon a drive feature (torque deviation, etc.) or a servo feature because they have no sliding part on the guide surface and a mechanical contact part in the drive sources.
Moreover, in instances where the movable main stage member is transferred at an equal speed with a precision as high as, e.g. ±0.01%, with respect to the target speed or where it is stopped at the target position with a precision as high as, e.g. ±0.04 &mgr;m, the main stage member is subjected to servo control, including a variation in a force (tension) caused by pulling the flexible tubes or electrical wires, a vibration of the tubes or the wiring themselves, etc., as a consequence worsening performance in transferring at a equal speed and in stopping in a predetermined position with a high degree of precision from a desired specification.
In particular, when the movable main stage member is made lightweight by using a honeycomb (hollow) structure of a ceramics material in order to raise responsiveness to frequency of the movable main stage member, various vibrations including a vibration of a power source in an air-conditioning chamber and an air vibration (sound wave) by blowing air from the air-conditioning chamber may be likely to be transmitted through the flexible tubes and the electrical wiring, thereby adversely affecting the dynamic and static features of the main stage member. As a result, they may cause deteriorating in precision of the position for transcribing circuit patterns to be formed on the substrate plate, in a resolving power thereof, and in precision of superimposition thereof.
A servo feature unlikely to undergo an influence of tension of the tubes and the wiring as well as various vibrations can be achieved by making an output capacity of various drive actuators (motors, electromagnets, etc.) for driving the movable main stage member in the directions X, Y (and Z, &thgr;) remarkably strong and making a loop gain great at the time of the servo control. However, such an arrangement of the servo control may cause different problems that the stronger output capacity of the drive source may increase an exothermic amount, thereby causing a fluctuation of temperature in the air within a light path of the laser interferometer and a variation in reflectance, leading to deterioration in a precision of length measurement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a stage apparatus so adapted as to prevent deterioration in dynamic and static features due to an influence of various tubes and wiring connected to a movable main stage member of the stage apparatus.
The present invention has a second object to provide stage apparatus with a tube excluded therefrom, which therwise is connected to a movable stage with a function of adsorbing a substrate plate via vacuum pressure in an exchangeable manner by supplying a pressure-reducing fluid (vacuum pressure) thereto.
Further, the present invention has a third object to provide a lithography exposure apparatus with the such stage apparatus loaded thereon for exposing a circuit device for a semiconductor element or a liquid crystal display element and a method for producing a circuit pattern (a device pattern) by utilizing an improved operation method of the such exposure apparatus.
The present invention is applied to a transfer stage apparatus having a base structure body (e.g. a base table, etc.), a stage structure body (e.g. a movable main stage member, etc.) disposed so as to be movable in and along a predetermined plane (XY-plane) defined by the base structure body, and a substrate plate-loading part (e.g. a holder, etc) for holding a processing substrate plate (e.g. a wafer, etc.) on the stage structure body.
Further, the movable stage apparatus according to the present invention is provided with an electrical drive unit (e.g. a group of an electromagnetic drive unit and a permanent magnet, etc.) for transferring the stage structure body in a non-contact system along a predetermined flat plane (a defined flat plane) of the base structure body in a state floating from the base structure body; an electrical adsorption unit (e.g. an electrode for electrostatic adsorption, etc.) for adsorbing the processing substrate plate on the subst
Kiuchi Toru
Nishi Kenji
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