Stage system and exposure apparatus with the same

Details Stage system and exposure apparatus with the same Stage system and exposure apparatus with the same

1998-12-23

2001-05-01

Kim, Peter B. (Department: 2851)

Photocopying

Projection printing and copying cameras

Step and repeat

C355S072000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06226072

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
This invention relates generally to a stage system for accurate positioning. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a stage system usable in a semiconductor exposure apparatus such as a stepper or scanning exposure apparatus, for example. In another aspect, the invention relates to an exposure apparatus or a device manufacturing method, using such a positioning system, for the manufacture of devices such as semiconductor devices.
For enlargement of productivity of an exposure apparatus, stage movement time and/or exposure time has to be reduced. For reduced stage movement time, the acceleration or deceleration speed during movement should be increased. On the other hand, for enlargement of productivity in post-processing procedure, the wafer diameter should be large and, in this connection, the mass of a wafer chuck or wafer stage has to be enlarged.
A stage driving mechanism should provide a thrust corresponding to the product of the mass of a stage and the acceleration thereof, and the thrust to be produced by the driving mechanism must be very large due to a multiplied effect of the wafer size and acceleration. As a result of this, when the stage is driven, a large reactive force is produced which causes deformation in the major assembly of the exposure apparatus, leading to deterioration of positioning precision in lithographic transfer or distortion of a transferred pattern. A reactive force receiving mechanism may be effective to address this problem.
FIG. 9
shows an example of such a reactive force receiving mechanism.
Denoted in
FIG. 9
at
41
is a stage, and denoted at
42
is a base for supporting the stage. Denoted at
43
A and
43
B are anti-vibration springs for reducing vibration from the floor surface. Denoted at
44
is a bottom plate fixedly mounted on the floor surface. The stage
41
is movable along the base
42
surface, through a driving mechanism (not shown) provided on the base
42
. Denoted at
45
is a reactive force receiving member. A stator
47
fixed to the base
42
and a movable element
48
provided on the reactive force receiving member
45
are components of an actuator
46
, for producing the thrust.
FIG. 10
illustrates forces produced in the mechanism of FIG.
9
.
In the structure of
FIG. 10
, when the actuator
46
is inoperative, as the stage
41
of a mass m moves with an acceleration a through the driving mechanism (not shown), a reactive force ma is applied to the base
42
. This reactive force ma causes deformation of the base
42
and, also, displacement of the anti-vibration spring
43
, causing vibration of the bottom plate
44
. In order to prevent this deformation or vibration, a force f is applied by the actuator
46
and from the reactive force receiving member
45
, disposed independently of the base
42
, to cancel the reactive force ma.
In a stage system having such a reactive force receiving mechanism, however, transmission of a reactive force to the floor is inevitable. As shown in
FIG. 10
, to the floor surface, a load ma along the surface as well as a moment load M=Lma are applied. Here, L is the distance from the gravity center position of the stage to the floor surface. Generally, the floor has a large rigidity to the load along the surface, but the rigidity to a load perpendicular to the floor surface or to the moment load is small. Therefore, due to the moment load M=Lma, floor vibration is produced. This vibration applies an adverse effect to the apparatus itself or to any other components mounted on the same floor surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stage system by which floor vibration such as described above is avoided or reduced.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stage system, comprising:
a movable stage; a base for movably supporting said stage; a table mounted on a floor substantially integrally therewith, for supporting said base; a driving mechanism for moving said stage;
a reactive force receiving member for receiving a reactive force produced with movement of said stage;
and an earth member provided substantially independently of the floor, for releasing a force outwardly, wherein said reactive force receiving member and said earth member have at least one connection.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5172160 (1992-12-01), Van Eijk et al.
patent: 5610686 (1997-03-01), Osanai
patent: 6-163353 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 9-4677 (1997-01-01), None
patent: WO 96/38765 (1996-12-01), None

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