CN107479332B - Exposure apparatus, method for manufacturing flat panel display, and method for manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

An exposure apparatus for performing exposure processing on a substrate (P) according to the present invention includes: the substrate processing apparatus comprises a substrate holder (PH) for holding a part of a substrate (P) in a state of ensuring flatness, a fine movement stage for moving an exposure position (exposure area (IA)) in an X-axis direction, and a substrate Y step transport device (88) for driving the substrate (P) in a Y-axis direction within an XY plane. In this case, exposure processing for a plurality of regions on the substrate (P) is performed by moving a fine movement stage, which holds a part of the substrate (P) with the substrate holder (PH) in a state where flatness is ensured, in the X-axis direction with respect to the exposure region (IA) before and after the movement of the substrate (P) in the Y-axis direction using the substrate Y-step conveyance device (88).

Description

Exposure apparatus, method for manufacturing flat panel display, and method for manufacturing device

The present application is a divisional application of a patent application entitled "substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method, exposure method and exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method, and flat panel display manufacturing method" on application date of 2012, 8/30/2012, and application number of 201280042608. X.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, an exposure method and an exposure apparatus, and a device manufacturing method and a flat panel display manufacturing method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method in which a substrate is sequentially moved relative to a processing position to perform a predetermined process on a plurality of regions on the substrate, an exposure method and an exposure apparatus in which a substrate is sequentially moved relative to an exposure position (processing position) to expose a plurality of regions on the substrate, and a device manufacturing method and a flat panel display manufacturing method using the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing method, the exposure method, or the exposure apparatus.

Background

Conventionally, a photolithography process for manufacturing electronic devices (microdevices) such as liquid crystal display devices and semiconductor devices (integrated circuits) mainly uses a step & repeat (step & repeat) type projection exposure apparatus (so-called stepper) or a step & scan (step & scan) type projection exposure apparatus (so-called scanning stepper (also called scanner)).

In such an exposure apparatus, a glass plate or a wafer (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a substrate) having a surface coated with a sensor is mounted on a substrate stage device. The circuit pattern formed on the mask (or reticle) is transferred to the substrate by irradiation of exposure light through an optical system such as a projection lens.

In recent years, the size of a substrate to be exposed by an exposure apparatus, particularly a substrate for a liquid crystal display device (rectangular glass substrate), tends to increase, and along with this tendency, the size of a substrate table for holding the substrate in the exposure apparatus also increases, and the accompanying increase in weight makes it increasingly difficult to control the position of the substrate. To solve this problem, the inventors have previously proposed an exposure apparatus in which the weight of a substrate table holding a substrate is supported by a weight canceling device (dead weight compensator) called a stem formed of a columnar member (see, for example, patent document 1).

In the development of a substrate stage device provided in a conventional exposure apparatus including the exposure apparatus described in patent document 1, it is basically considered to achieve the purpose of positioning a substrate at high speed and with high accuracy by reducing the weight of the substrate stage as much as possible and eliminating disturbance (vibration). In the past, various substrate stage devices have been developed in which only a substrate, a substrate holder for performing surface correction of the substrate, a movable mirror for an interferometer for obtaining a position of the substrate, a stage for integrally supporting the movable mirror and the stage, and minimally necessary components for performing high-precision positioning control such as a VCM (voice coil motor) for driving the stage are mounted on a fine movement stage, and other component parts (an electric substrate, supply cables and the like) are mounted on a coarse movement stage.

On the other hand, for example, the size of the latest 10 th generation glass substrate tends to increase by 3 meters or more, and the fine movement stage on which the substrate holder capable of sucking and holding the entire large substrate is mounted also increases in size and weight, and thus cannot be said to be light in weight. Such an increase in the size of the substrate holder and the substrate table supporting the substrate holder has been a cause of various problems. For example, as the size of the substrate increases, the weight and the amount of movement of the substrate stage apparatus that moves the substrate 2-dimensionally also increase. Therefore, the exposure apparatus is increased in size, which increases the manufacturing cost and the manufacturing and transportation time of the apparatus. In addition, the movement of the substrate takes time, so that the time required for manufacturing becomes long. Therefore, development of a stage device capable of guiding an exposure object (substrate) with high accuracy and further achieving miniaturization and weight reduction is desired.

In the exposure apparatus, substrate replacement on the substrate stage is performed in one operation of carrying (retracting) the substrate out of (back to) the substrate holder holding the substrate by suction, and then carrying (putting) a new substrate into (on) the substrate holder. However, in the conventional exposure apparatus, a substrate holder having a holding surface of the same size as the substrate is used. Therefore, the conventional exposure apparatus cannot carry the substrate out of or into the substrate holder unless the substrate is carried by the same distance as the dimension of the substrate.

Further, as described above, for example, since a glass substrate for liquid crystal tends to be large in size, a considerable time is required for replacing the substrate, and therefore, it is more desirable to develop a novel device capable of shortening the time for replacing the substrate.

The shortening of the substrate replacement time is not limited to the exposure apparatus, but is a common problem of a substrate processing apparatus that uses a substrate such as a glass substrate as a processing target.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

[ patent document 1] specification of U.S. patent application publication No. 2010/0018950.

Disclosure of Invention

Means for solving the problems

The inventors have reviewed the stage device in order to realize a stage device capable of guiding an object (substrate) at high speed and with high accuracy and further achieving miniaturization and weight reduction. As a result, the weight of the substrate having an area of about 3m diagonal and a thickness of about 0.7mm was slightly less than 20kg, whereas the weight of the substrate holder for supporting the substrate was about 1 ton. Therefore, the stage supporting the substrate holder also becomes heavier. It is also newly recognized that if the substrate holder located at the distal end portion can be reduced in weight, all the components connected to the holder, that is, the stage, the weight canceling device (stem), and the guide, can be reduced in weight.

The main role of the substrate holder is to flatten a thin substrate that is prone to warping and/or bending. Therefore, the conventional substrate holder has substantially the same area as the substrate, and the substrate is attached to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate holder by, for example, vacuum suction. Therefore, the surface of the substrate holder serving as a plane reference is required to have extremely high flatness and to have a large thickness for ensuring rigidity, which increases the weight.

On the other hand, in a large projection exposure apparatus of the step-and-scan type, a one-shot exposure area (also referred to as an irradiation area) capable of one-shot exposure is set to be smaller than the entire area of the substrate, and the entire surface of the substrate cannot be exposed by one-shot scanning exposure. Therefore, the entire surface of the substrate is exposed by repeating the scanning exposure and the stepping movement without the exposure. However, the substrate must be kept flat only within the scanning range (irradiation region) of one exposure, strictly speaking, only within a fixed irradiation range irradiated by the projection optical system. In the other ranges and the step movement without exposure, the flatness of the substrate does not need to be especially taken into consideration.

Therefore, the inventors have made the width of the substrate holder in the cross scanning direction (slightly wider than the exposure field) substantially equal to the exposure field (field) for leveling the substrate, and made the length in the scanning direction to be at least longer than the scanning length capable of one-time exposure. Meanwhile, when one exposure by scanning is finished, even if the scanning exposure region (irradiation region) on the substrate of the next exposure is shifted to the substrate holder, it is considered that the alignment of the plane correction and the substrate is performed each time at this time to perform the scanning exposure. Thus, the area of the substrate holder can be reduced, the size of the stage to be supported can be reduced, and the entire fine movement stage can be made small and light.

The present invention is made in view of the above circumstances, and adopts the following configuration.

The 1 st substrate processing apparatus according to the 1 st aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, including: a1 st moving body having a holding portion for holding a part of the substrate in a state where flatness is ensured, and moving in at least a1 st direction within a predetermined plane parallel to a surface of the substrate with respect to a substrate processing position; and a step driving device for driving the substrate in a2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction within the predetermined plane.

According to the present invention, since the movement of the 1 st moving body holding a part of the substrate with the holding portion in the 1 st direction with respect to the substrate processing position in a state where the flatness is ensured is performed before and after the movement of the substrate in the 2 nd direction using the step driving device, and the processing of the plurality of regions to be processed on the substrate is performed, the holding portion holding the substrate can be reduced in size, and the moving body having the holding portion can be made small and light in weight. Accordingly, the position controllability of the movable body can be improved, and the production cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

The 2 nd substrate processing apparatus according to the 2 nd aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, including: a1 st moving body having a holding portion for holding a part of a surface of the substrate opposite to the surface to be processed, the surface being arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, and moving in at least a1 st direction within a predetermined plane parallel to the surface of the substrate with respect to the substrate processing position; a pair of 1 st supporting devices which are disposed on both sides of the 1 st moving body in a2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction within the predetermined plane, and which have supporting surfaces for supporting at least a part of the substrate from below and having a size equal to or larger than a size of the substrate in the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction; and a1 st transport device that transports the substrate within the predetermined plane so that the substrate is displaced in the 2 nd direction at least when the substrate is carried out from the 1 st moving body.

According to this invention, the holding portion of the 1 st moving body holds a part of the surface of the substrate opposite to the surface to be processed. That is, the substrate holding surface of the holding portion is set smaller than the substrate. Therefore, when the 1 st transport device transports the substrate from the 1 st moving body, the substrate is transported within the predetermined plane so as to be displaced in the 2 nd direction, and in this case, the 1 st transport device only needs to displace the substrate in the 2 nd direction by a distance smaller than the size of the substrate in the 2 nd direction, and then the transport of the substrate is completed. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the substrate replacement time of the carrying-out distance can be shortened.

In accordance with a3 rd aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method comprising: in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 and 2, when the exposure optical system is provided for irradiating the set processing region disposed at the substrate processing position with the energy beam to expose the substrate passing through the processing region, the substrate processing apparatus is used to expose the substrate and to develop the exposed substrate.

In a4 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising: in the case where either of the substrate processing apparatuses of the 1 st and 2 nd aspects is provided with an exposure optical system for irradiating an energy beam to a set processing region disposed at a substrate processing position to expose a substrate passing through the processing region, the substrate processing apparatus is used to expose a substrate for a flat panel display as a substrate and to develop the exposed substrate.

The invention in its 5 th aspect provides a method for processing a substrate 1, comprising: an operation of holding a part of the substrate on a movable body in a state where flatness is ensured, and driving the movable body in a1 st direction within a predetermined plane parallel to a surface of the substrate with respect to a substrate processing position to perform predetermined processing on a region within the part of the substrate; and performing step driving of driving the substrate relative to the movable body in a2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction within the predetermined plane by a predetermined amount so that the unprocessed region on the substrate faces the movable body.

According to this method, a plurality of regions to be processed on the substrate are processed by performing predetermined processing before and after the step driving. Therefore, the moving body for holding the substrate can be made small and light. Thus, the position controllability of the movable body can be improved, and the production cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

The invention in its 6 th aspect provides a method for processing a substrate 2, comprising: an operation of holding a part of a surface of the substrate opposite to the surface to be processed, which is arranged in parallel to a horizontal plane, on a moving body in a state where flatness is ensured, and driving the moving body in a1 st direction within a predetermined plane parallel to the surface of the substrate with respect to a substrate processing position to perform predetermined processing on a region within the part of the substrate; and an operation of carrying the substrate subjected to the predetermined processing out of the movable body by conveying the substrate in a2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction within the predetermined plane by a distance shorter than a dimension of the substrate in the 2 nd direction.

According to this method, a substrate to which a predetermined process is applied (a processed substrate) is carried in a2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction within a predetermined plane by a distance shorter than the dimension of the substrate in the 2 nd direction, and the substrate is carried out from the moving body. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the substrate replacement time of the carrying-out distance can be shortened.

The invention in its 7 th aspect provides a method for processing a3 rd substrate, comprising: a moving body for holding a surface opposite to a surface to be processed of the substrate, which is arranged in parallel with a horizontal plane, in a state where flatness is ensured, and for driving the moving body in a1 st direction within a predetermined plane parallel to the surface of the substrate with respect to a substrate processing position to sequentially perform predetermined processing on a plurality of regions to be processed on the substrate; and an operation of conveying the substrate in a direction determined in accordance with the arrangement and the order to the substrate at a position in the 1 st direction determined in accordance with the arrangement and the order of the plurality of regions to be processed on the substrate and carrying out the substrate with the movable body.

According to this method, the substrate is carried out from the moving body in the direction determined by the arrangement and the order of the substrate in the 1 st direction position within the predetermined plane determined by the arrangement and the order of the regions to be processed on the substrate. Therefore, the substrate can be carried out from the moving body along the path having the shortest carrying-out path. Therefore, the substrate replacement time can be shortened compared to the case where the substrate is carried out in the same direction at a constant position in the 1 st direction without being restricted by the arrangement of the regions to be processed on the substrate and the processing order.

The 8 th aspect of the present invention provides a device manufacturing method including an operation of exposing a substrate by using the substrate processing method and an operation of developing the substrate after exposure in any one of the substrate processing methods of the 5 th to 7 th aspects.

In a 9 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising: in any one of the substrate processing methods of aspects 5 to 7, the substrate processing method is used for exposing a substrate for a flat panel display as a substrate and developing the exposed substrate.

In a 10 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure method for exposing a plurality of substrates: the 2 substrates are loaded on a substrate holding apparatus having 1 st and 2 nd holding areas capable of individually holding the 2 substrates, and exposure of at least one processing area of one substrate among the 2 substrates is performed during a period from the start to the end of exposure of the other substrate.

According to this method, the exposure of the 2 substrates can be finished in a shorter time than the case where the exposure of one substrate of the 2 substrates is started after the exposure of the other substrate is finished.

In an 11 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method including: an operation of exposing the substrate by the exposure method according to the 10 th aspect, and an operation of developing the substrate after the exposure.

In a 12 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising: the method according to claim 10, wherein the method comprises an operation of exposing a substrate for a flat panel display as a substrate and an operation of developing the substrate after exposure.

In accordance with a 13 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus for exposing a plurality of areas on a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding device having 1 st and 2 nd holding regions for holding a part of the substrate; a moving body, which is provided with the substrate holding device at a part thereof and moves in the 1 st direction; and a1 st substrate transport device that moves integrally with the moving body in the 1 st direction and moves the substrate in a2 nd direction intersecting the 1 st direction.

According to this apparatus, a part of each of 2 substrates can be loaded in the 1 st holding area and the 2 nd holding area of the substrate holding device, respectively, and the substrate holding device can move the other substrate in the 2 nd direction with respect to the substrate holding device by the 1 st substrate transport device in parallel with the movement of the moving body provided in a part thereof in the 1 st direction to scan and expose the processing area of a part of the one substrate. In this way, compared with the case where the exposure process for the 2 nd substrate is performed in the same process after the exposure process for the 1 st substrate in one process area (unexposed area) is completed, the exposure process for the substrate is performed by alternately alternating the step movement and the exposure process for the next process area (unexposed area) by moving the substrate in steps.

In a 14 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method, comprising: an exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the exposure apparatus is configured to perform an exposure operation on a substrate and a development operation on the substrate after the exposure.

In a 15 th aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising: the exposure apparatus according to claim 13 is configured to perform an operation of exposing a substrate for a flat panel display as a substrate and an operation of developing the substrate after exposure.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a partially omitted plan view showing the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view, partially omitted, showing the exposure apparatus of embodiment 1 as viewed from the + X direction of fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of a main controller configured centering on the control system of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram (No. 1) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram (No. 2) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a diagram (No. 3) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a diagram (No. 4) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 9 is a diagram (No. 5) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 10 is a diagram (No. 6) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 11 is a diagram (No. 7) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a diagram (No. 8) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 13 is a diagram (No. 9) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 14 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of a part of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 16 is a schematic side view showing a part of the exposure apparatus of embodiment 2 when viewed from the + X direction in fig. 14.

Fig. 17 is a plan view showing a substrate stage device provided in the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 3.

FIG. 18 is a schematic side view showing a part of the exposure apparatus of embodiment 3 when viewed from the + X direction in FIG. 17

Fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating a modification of embodiment 3.

Fig. 20 is a plan view showing a substrate stage device provided in the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 4.

FIG. 21 is a schematic side view showing a part of the exposure apparatus of embodiment 4 when viewed from the + X direction in FIG. 20

FIG. 22 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 5.

Fig. 23 is a partially omitted plan view showing an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 5.

FIG. 24 is a schematic side view showing a part of the exposure apparatus of embodiment 5 when viewed from the + X direction in FIG. 22

Fig. 25 is a partially omitted plan view showing an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6.

Fig. 26 is a view (No. 1) showing a partially omitted XZ cross-sectional view of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6, and explaining a series of operations performed when the substrate is processed by the exposure apparatus.

Fig. 27 is a diagram (No. 2) for explaining a series of operations performed when the substrate processing is performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6.

Fig. 28 is a diagram (No. 3) for explaining a series of operations performed when the substrate processing is performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6.

Fig. 29 is a diagram (No. 4) for explaining a series of operations performed when the substrate processing is performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6.

Fig. 30 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 31 is a partially omitted plan view showing an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 32 is a side view (partially omitted, partially shown in cross section) of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7 as viewed from the + X direction of fig. 30.

FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of a main controller configured centering on the control system of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 34 is a diagram (1) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 35 is a diagram (No. 2) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 36 is a diagram (No. 3) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 37 is a diagram (No. 4) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 38 is a diagram (No. 5) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 39 is a diagram (No. 6) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 40 is a diagram (No. 7) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 41 is a diagram (No. 8) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 42 is a diagram (No. 9) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 43 is a diagram (No. 10) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 44 is a diagram (No. 11) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 45 is a diagram (No. 12) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

FIG. 46 is a view (No. 13) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 47 is a diagram (No. 14) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 48 is a diagram (No. 15) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 49 is a diagram (No. 16) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 50 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 51 is a partially omitted plan view showing an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 52 is a diagram (1) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 53 is a diagram (No. 2) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 54 is a diagram (No. 3) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 55 is a diagram (No. 4) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 56 is a diagram (No. 5) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 57 is a diagram (No. 6) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 58 is a diagram (No. 7) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 59 is a diagram (No. 8) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 60 is a diagram (No. 9) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 61 is a diagram (No. 10) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 62 is a diagram (No. 11) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 63 is a diagram (No. 12) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 64 is a diagram (No. 13) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 65 is a diagram (No. 14) for explaining a series of operations for substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 8.

Fig. 66 is a diagram for explaining a modification using the substrate support member.

Fig. 67 is a view schematically showing the configuration of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 68 is a partially omitted plan view showing an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 69 is a schematic side view showing a part of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9, as viewed from the + X direction of fig. 67.

Fig. 70 is an enlarged view of a portion of the top view of fig. 68.

FIG. 71 is a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of a main controller configured centering on the control system of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 72 is a diagram (1) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 73 is a diagram (2) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 74 is a diagram (No. 3) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 75A to 75D are diagrams for explaining parallel processing of exposure of the irradiation region SA1 of the substrate P2 and Y stepping operation of the substrate P1.

Fig. 76 is a view for explaining an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9 (No. 4).

Fig. 77 is a diagram (No. 5) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 78 is a diagram (No. 6) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 79 is a diagram (No. 7) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 80 is a diagram (No. 8) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 81 is a diagram for explaining an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9 (No. 9).

Fig. 82 is a view (10) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 83 is a diagram (No. 11) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 84 is a view (No. 12) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 85 is a diagram (No. 13) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 86 is a diagram (No. 14) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 87 is a diagram (No. 15) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 88 is a diagram (No. 16) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 89 is a view (No. 17) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 90 is a diagram (No. 18) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 91 is a diagram (No. 19) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 92 is a view (20) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 93 is a diagram (item 21) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 94 is a diagram (No. 22) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 95 is a diagram (No. 23) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 96 is a view (No. 24) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 97 is a view (No. 25) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 98 is a diagram (26) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 99 is a view (27) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9.

Fig. 100 is a diagram (No. 1) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 101 is a diagram (2) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the 9 th embodiment.

Fig. 102 is a diagram (No. 3) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 103 is a diagram (No. 4) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 104 is a diagram (No. 5) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 105 is a diagram (No. 6) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 106 is a diagram (No. 7) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the 9 th embodiment.

Fig. 107 is a diagram (No. 8) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 108 is a diagram (No. 9) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 109 is a diagram (No. 10) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the 9 th embodiment.

Fig. 110 is a diagram (No. 11) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 111 is a diagram (No. 12) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 112 is a diagram (No. 13) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 113 is a diagram (No. 14) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the embodiment 9.

Fig. 114 is a diagram (No. 15) illustrating an exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus according to the modification of the 9 th embodiment.

Fig. 115 is a partially omitted plan view of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 10.

Fig. 116 is a schematic side view showing a part of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 10, when viewed from the + X direction in fig. 115.

Fig. 117 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 10.

Fig. 118 is a schematic side view showing an exposure apparatus according to a modification of embodiment 10.

Fig. 119 is a partially omitted plan view showing an exposure apparatus according to a modification of embodiment 10.

FIG. 120 is a view schematically showing the structure of an exposure apparatus according to embodiment 11.

Reference numerals

14 mask interferometer system

16 lens cone platform

18 substrate carrying platform stand

20 side frame

24. 24' coarse movement carrier

26 micro-motion carrier

28 weight offset device

30A, 30B, 30A ', 30B' X Beam

32A, 32B coarse moving table

33 support member

34 foot part

35 support member

36X linear guide

38A, 38B X stator

40A, 40B X mobile element

42A, 42B X linear motor

44 slider

46A, 46B X linear encoder system

48A, 48B gap sensor

50 master control device

51. 51A, 51B holder air suction and exhaust switching device

52 micro-motion stage driving system

54X X Voice coil Motor

54Y Y Voice coil Motor

54Z Z Voice coil Motor

56. 59, 60 immobilizer

58. 57, 62 mover

61x X frame member

61y Y frame member

64 basket body

65 holding unit

66 air spring

68Z slide

69 base plate supporting member

70 base pad

71 wrist joint

72 target plate

74 reflection type light sensor

76Z tilt measurement system

78 leveling device

78a fixing part

78b movable part

80 connecting device

82X guide

84. 84A-84J air flotation unit

84H ', 84I' air flotation unit

85 gas supply device

88Y-stepping conveying device for substrates

88a movable part

88b fixing part

89 support member

90 driving device

91X-stepping conveying device for substrates

91a movable part

91b fixing part

92 position reading device

94X₁、94X₂X-ray moving mirror

94Y Y moving mirror

95 drive device

96 mirror holding member

96A bracket

98 laser interferometer system

98X X laser interferometer

98X₁、98X₂X interferometer

98Y Y laser interferometer

98Y₁、98Y₂Y interferometer

100. 200, 500, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 exposure device

102. 102A, 102B interferometer column

104. 104' support member

110. 110A, 100B, 110A ', 110B' framework

112 supporting member

Y-stepping conveying device for 120-moving substrate

Holding region of ADA1 and ADA2 substrate holders

BD body

IA exposure area

IL illuminating light

IOP lighting system

F ground

M mask

MST mask carrying platform

P, P1, P2, P3 and P4 substrates

PH substrate holder

PL projection optical system

PM alignment mark

PST substrate carrying platform device

PSTa-PSTi substrate stage device

SA 1-SA 6 irradiation region

Detailed Description

Embodiment 1

Hereinafter, embodiment 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 13.

Fig. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1, and fig. 2 is a plan view in which a part of the exposure apparatus 100 is omitted. Fig. 2 corresponds to a plan view of a portion below the projection optical system PL in fig. 1 (a portion below a barrel stage described later). The exposure apparatus 100 is used for manufacturing, for example, a flat panel display, a liquid crystal display device (liquid crystal panel), and the like. The exposure apparatus 100 is a projection exposure apparatus in which a rectangular (square) glass substrate P (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate P) used for a display panel of a liquid crystal display device or the like is used as an exposure object.

Exposure apparatus 100 includes illumination system IOP, mask stage MST holding mask M, projection optical system PL, body BD (only a part of which is shown in fig. 1 and the like) on which mask stage MST, projection optical system PL and the like are mounted, substrate stage device PST including fine movement stage 26 (substrate stage) holding substrate P, and control systems and the like. Hereinafter, the mask M and the substrate P are described with reference to the X-axis direction (X direction), the Y-axis direction (Y direction), the Z-axis direction (Z direction), and the rotation (tilt) directions around the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively, assuming that the direction in which the mask M and the substrate P are scanned relative to the projection optical system PL during exposure is the X-axis direction (X direction), the direction orthogonal to the X and Y axes in the horizontal plane is the Y-axis direction (Y direction), and the direction orthogonal to the X and Y axes is the Z-axis direction.

The illumination system IOP has the same configuration as that of the illumination system disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,775 and the like. That is, the illumination system IOP irradiates light emitted from a light source (e.g., a mercury lamp), not shown, as exposure illumination light (illumination light) IL onto the mask M through a mirror, a beam splitter, a shutter (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 selective 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 to mask stage MST by, for example, vacuum adsorption (or electrostatic adsorption). Mask stage MST is supported in a non-contact state on a mask stage, not shown, which constitutes a part of body BD, by an air bearing, not shown, fixed to the bottom surface thereof, for example. Mask stage MST is driven in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) by a predetermined stroke by mask stage drive system 12 (not shown in fig. 1, see fig. 4) including, for example, a linear motor, and is finely driven in the Y-axis direction and the θ z direction as appropriate. Positional information (including rotation information in the θ z direction) of mask stage MST in the XY plane is measured by mask laser interferometer system 14 (hereinafter, referred to as "mask interferometer system"), and mask laser interferometer system 14 includes a plurality of laser interferometers for irradiating a reflection surface provided on (or formed on) mask stage MST with a distance measuring beam.

Projection optical system PL is supported by barrel stage 16, which is a part of body BD, below mask stage MST in fig. 1. The projection optical system PL has the same configuration as 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, for example, in a zigzag shape, and functions as a projection optical system having a single rectangular image field whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction. In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of projection optical systems is used to form an erect image at an equal magnification, for example, by both sides telecentricity. Hereinafter, the plurality of projection areas of projection optical system PL arranged in a zigzag pattern are collectively referred to as exposure area IA.

Therefore, when the illumination region on the mask M is illuminated with the illumination light IL from the illumination system IOP, that is, the illumination light IL passing through the mask M forms a projection image (partial erected image) of the circuit pattern of the mask M in the illumination region on the illumination region IA of the illumination light IL, which is conjugate to the illumination region, 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 photoresist (a sensitive agent), through the projection optical system PL. By synchronous driving of mask stage MST and a substrate holder PH (fine movement stage 26) described later that holds substrate P, mask M is moved in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) with respect to illumination region (illumination light IL) and substrate P is moved in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) with respect to exposure region (illumination light IL), scanning exposure is performed on 1 shot (shot) region (division region) on substrate P, and the pattern of mask M is transferred to this shot (shot) region. That is, the exposure apparatus 100 generates a pattern of the mask M on the substrate P by the illumination system IOP and the projection optical system PL, and forms the pattern on the substrate P by exposure of the sensitive layer (resist layer) on the substrate P using the illumination light IL.

As shown in fig. 2 and fig. 3, which is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus 100 viewed from the + X direction and in which a part is omitted, the body BD includes: a pair of (2) substrate stage stands (hereinafter, simply referred to as stands) 18 each composed of a rectangular parallelepiped member arranged on the floor surface F at a predetermined distance from each other in the X-axis direction and in the Y-axis direction as the longitudinal direction, a lens barrel stage 16 supported on the pair of stands 18 horizontally by a pair of side frames 20, and a mask stage not shown. The number of the stands 18 is not limited to 2, and may be 1 or 3 or more.

Each mount 18 is installed on the floor F via a plurality of vibration isolators 22 (see fig. 1 and 3). As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the lower ends of the pair of side frames 20 are connected to one end and the other end of the upper surface of the pair of frames 18 in the Y-axis direction, respectively. The barrel stage 16 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped member arranged parallel to the XY plane and having a longitudinal direction in the Y axis direction, and is supported from below by a pair of side frames 20 at both ends in the Y axis direction on a pair of mounts 18.

As shown in fig. 1, substrate stage device PST includes a coarse movement stage unit 24, a fine movement stage 26, a weight canceling device 28, and the like. As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the weight cancellation device 28 is disposed on an upper surface of the pair of stands 18 parallel to the XY plane of the X guide 82.

As shown in fig. 3, the rough table portion 24 includes 2 (a pair of) X-beams 30A and 30B, 2 (a pair of) rough tables 32A and 32B, and a plurality of legs 34 for supporting the respective 2X- beams 30A and 30B on the floor surface F.

Each of the X-beams 30A and 30B is formed of a hollow member extending in the X-axis direction, having a YZ cross section in a rectangular frame shape, and having ribs inside, and is disposed parallel to each other at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction (see fig. 1 to 3). As shown for the X-beam 30A in fig. 1, each of the X-beams 30A and 30B is supported on the floor surface F by 3 legs 34 at 3 positions near both ends in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) and at 3 positions in the center part, and is supported by the pair of mounts 18 from below in a non-contact manner. Thus, the rough moving stage portion 24 is separated from the pair of mounts 18 in terms of vibration. The arrangement and number of the leg portions 34 can be set arbitrarily. The X-beams 30A and 30B are not limited to hollow members, and may be solid members or rod-like members having a YZ section of I-shape.

On the upper surface of each of the X beams 30A, 30B, a plurality of X linear guides 36 (for example, 2 (a pair)) extending in the X axis direction are fixed in parallel with each other at predetermined intervals in the Y axis direction. X stators 38A and 38B extending in the X axis direction are fixed to the upper surfaces of the X beams 30A and 30B and to regions between the pair of X linear guides 36. Each of the X stators 38A and 38B has a magnet unit including a plurality of permanent magnets arranged at predetermined intervals in the X axis direction, for example. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the cross-sectional shapes of the X beams 30A, 30B are the same shape, although the X beam 30A on the + Y side is wider than the X beam 30B on the-Y side, that is, the length in the Y axis direction is longer.

As shown in fig. 3, the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B are disposed above the X-beams 30A and 30B, respectively. The rough-moving table 32B located on the-Y side is formed of a rectangular plate-like member in a plan view, and the rough-moving table 32A located on the + Y side is formed of a U-shaped plate-like member in a plan view having a concave portion at the-Y side end. In fig. 3, the coarse movement table 32A and the weight canceling device 28 described later are partially shown in a cross-sectional view. As shown in fig. 3, X movers 40A and 40B are fixed to the lower surfaces of the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B so as to face the X stators 38A and 38B fixed to the X beams 30A and 30B with a predetermined gap (clearance). Each of the X movable units 40A and 40B includes, for example, a coil unit not shown, and constitutes, together with the X stator 38A and 38B, X linear motors 42A and 42B that drive the coarse movement stages 32A and 32B in the X axis direction by a predetermined stroke, respectively.

As shown in fig. 3, a plurality of sliders 44 including rolling elements (e.g., a plurality of balls) not shown and slidably engaged with the X-line guides 36 are fixed to the lower surfaces of the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B. For example, 4 sliders 44 (see fig. 1) are provided at predetermined intervals in the X axis direction with respect to each X linear guide 36, and a total of 8 sliders 44, for example, are fixed to the lower surfaces of the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B. Each of the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B is linearly guided in the X-axis direction by a plurality of X linear guide devices including an X linear guide 36 and a slider 44.

In addition, although not shown in fig. 1 to 3, an X scale (scale) having an X-axis direction as a periodic direction is fixed to each of the X beams 30A and 30B, and an encoder head constituting an X linear encoder system 46A and 46B (see fig. 4) for obtaining position information of the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B in the X-axis direction using the X scale is fixed to each of the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B.

The positions of the coarse movement stages 32A and 32B in the X axis direction are controlled by a main control device 50 (see fig. 4) based on the output of the encoder heads. Although not shown in fig. 1 to 3, similarly, gap sensors 48A and 48B (see fig. 4) and the like for measuring the relative movement amounts (relative displacement amounts) of fine movement stage 26 with respect to coarse movement stages 32A and 32B in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are attached to coarse movement stages 32A and 32B, respectively. When the relative movement amounts measured by the gap sensors 48A and 48B reach a predetermined limit value, the main controller 50 immediately stops the fine movement stage 26 and the coarse movement stages 32A and 32B. Of course, a mechanical stopper member that mechanically limits the movable amount of fine movement stage 26 with respect to coarse movement stages 32A, 32B may be added instead of gap sensors 48A, 48B.

Although the description sequence is slightly reversed here, the fine movement stage 26 will be described next. As is clear from fig. 1 and 3, the fine movement stage 26 is formed of a plate-like (or box-like) member having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the substrate holder PH is mounted on the plate-like (or box-like) member. The substrate holder PH has a length in the X-axis direction equal to that of the substrate P, and a width (length) in the Y-axis direction of about 1/2 of the substrate P (see fig. 2). The substrate holder PH holds a part of the substrate P (here, a part about 1/2 in the Y axis direction of the substrate P) by suction, for example, by vacuum suction (or electrostatic suction), and is capable of ejecting a pressurized gas (for example, high-pressure air) upward to support a part of the substrate P (about 1/2 of the substrate P) from below by non-contact (levitation) with the ejected pressure. The switching between the ejection of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH to the substrate P and the vacuum suction is performed by a holder suction/exhaust switching device 51 (see fig. 4) that switches the substrate holder PH between a vacuum pump (not shown) and a high-pressure air source, and is performed by the main control device 50.

Fine movement stage 26 may be fine-driven in a 6-degree-of-freedom direction (each direction of X, Y, Z, θ X, θ Y, and θ Z) on coarse movement stage 32A by a fine movement stage drive system 52 (see fig. 4) including a plurality of voice coil motors (or linear motors).

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, a stator 56 is provided on the + X-side end surface of the coarse movement stage 32A via the support member 33, and a mover 58 constituting the X voice coil motor 54X is fixed to the + X-side end surface of the fine movement stage 26, together with the stator 56, in opposition thereto. Here, actually, a pair of X voice coil motors 54X having the same configuration is provided at a predetermined distance in the Y axis direction.

As shown in fig. 3, a stator 60 is provided on the coarse movement stage 32A at a substantially center position in the Y axis direction via the support member 35, and a mover 62 constituting the Y voice coil motor 54Y is fixed together with the stator 60 to the + Y side surface of the fine movement stage 26. Here, in practice, a pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y having the same configuration is provided at a predetermined distance in the X axis direction.

Fine movement stage 26 is supported by a weight canceling device 28 (described later) by a main control device 50 using a pair of X voice coil motors 54X, is driven in synchronization with coarse movement stage 32A (is driven at the same speed in the same direction as coarse movement stage 32A), and is moved in the X-axis direction by a predetermined stroke together with coarse movement stage 32A, and is driven using a pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y, and is moved in the Y-axis direction by a fine stroke relative to coarse movement stage 32A.

Further, fine movement stage 26 is moved in the θ z direction with respect to coarse movement stage 32A by control device 50 causing each of the pair of X voice coil motors 54X or each of the pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y to generate driving forces in opposite directions to each other.

In the present embodiment, fine movement stage 26 can be moved (coarsely moved) in the X-axis direction and slightly moved (finely moved) in the 3-degree-of-freedom direction of the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z directions with respect to projection optical system PL (see fig. 1) by X and Y voice coil motors 54X and 54Y of a pair of X and Y voice coil motors 42A and 42B and fine movement stage drive system 52, respectively.

Further, fine movement stage drive system 52 includes, as shown in fig. 1, a plurality of, for example, 4Z voice coil motors 54Z for fine-driving fine movement stage 26 in the remaining 3-degree-of-freedom directions (each direction of θ x, θ y, and Z axis). Each of the plurality of Z voice coil motors 54Z is composed of a stator 59 fixed to the upper surface of coarse movement stage 32A and a movable element 57 fixed to the lower surface of fine movement stage 26, and is arranged at four corners corresponding to the lower surface of fine movement stage 26 (in fig. 1, only 2 of the 4Z voice coil motors 54Z are shown, and the other 2 are not shown, and in fig. 3, only 1 of the 4Z voice coil motors 54Z are shown, and the other 3 are not shown). All of the stators of the voice coil motors 54X, 54Y, and 54Z are attached to the coarse movement stage 32A. Each of the voice coil motors 54X, 54Y, and 54Z may be of a moving magnet type or a moving coil type. A position measurement system for measuring the position of fine movement stage 26 will be described later.

Above each of the coarse movement tables 32A, 32B, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, 4 air-floating units 84 having a rectangular support surface (upper surface) in a plan view are arranged, and are fixed to the upper surfaces of the coarse movement tables 32A, 32B by support members 86, respectively.

The support surface (upper surface) of each air floating unit 84 is a porous body or a disc-type air bearing structure having a plurality of mechanical minute holes. Each of the air floating units 84 is capable of floating and supporting a part of the substrate P by supplying a pressurized gas (for example, high-pressure air) from a gas supply device 85 (see fig. 4). The on/off of the supply of high-pressure air to each air floating unit 84 is controlled by the main control device 50 shown in fig. 4. Here, in fig. 4, only a single gas supply device 85 is shown for convenience of drawing, but it is not limited thereto, and a number of gas supply devices that supply high-pressure air to each of the air floating units 84 may be individually used, or 2 or more gas supply devices that are respectively connected to the plurality of air floating units 84 may be used. In fig. 4, only a single gas supply 85 is representatively shown. In any case, the main control device 50 controls the on/off of the supply of the high-pressure air to each of the air flotation units 84 by the air supply device 85.

The 4 air levitation units 84 attached to the respective rough tables 32A and 32B are disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction. The upper surface of each air floating unit 84 is set to be the same height as or slightly lower than the upper surface of the substrate holder PH.

As shown in fig. 2, each of the 4 air cells 84 disposed on one side and the other side of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction is disposed in 2 rows and 2 columns at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction and at slight intervals in the Y-axis direction in a rectangular region having substantially the same area as the substrate holder PH in plan view (i.e., about 1/2 of the substrate P). In this case, each of the 4 air floating units 84 can support about 1/2 of the substrate P in a floating manner.

As is clear from the above description, in the present embodiment, the entire substrate P can be supported in a floating manner by the substrate holder PH and 2 air floating units 84 adjacent to both sides (± Y side) of the substrate holder PH. In addition, the substrate P may be entirely supported by being floated by the substrate holder PH and 4 air floating units 84 on one side (+ Y side or-Y side) of the substrate holder PH.

Each of the 4 air cells 84 on both sides (± Y side) of the substrate holder PH may be replaced with 1 large air cell having substantially the same area as the substrate holder PH in plan view, or each of the 2 air cells 84 arranged in the Y-axis direction may be replaced with 1 air cell having substantially the same area. However, in order to secure an appropriate arrangement space of the substrate Y step transport device described later, it is preferable that the entire air floating unit on the + Y side of the substrate holder PH is the same length as the substrate holder PH in the Y axis direction and has a rectangular support surface having a length in the X axis direction slightly shorter than the substrate holder PH, and is divided by 2 at least in the X axis direction.

The substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 is a device for holding the substrate P and moving the substrate P in the Y-axis direction, and is disposed between 2 air cells 84 on the + X side and 2 air cells 84 on the + Y side of the substrate holder PH, respectively. The substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 is fixed to the rough table 32A by a support member 89 (see fig. 3).

As shown in fig. 3, the substrate Y stepping transport device 88 includes a movable portion 88a that sucks the back surface of the substrate P and moves in the Y-axis direction, and a fixed portion 88b fixed to the rough-movement table 32A. The movable portion 88a is driven in the Y-axis direction with respect to the coarse movement stage 32A by a driving device 90 (not shown in fig. 3, see fig. 4) constituted by a linear motor constituted by a movable element provided in the movable portion 88a and a stationary element provided in the stationary portion 88b, for example. The substrate Y step transport device 88 is provided with a position reading device 92 (not shown in fig. 3, see fig. 4) such as an encoder for measuring the position of the movable portion 88 a. The drive device 90 is not limited to a linear motor, and may be configured by a drive mechanism using a rotary motor using a ball screw or a belt as a drive source.

The Y-axis direction movement stroke of the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y-step transport device 88 is about 1/2 of the Y-axis direction length of the substrate P, and the rear surface of the substrate P is attracted so that the entire region to be exposed of the substrate P is positioned on the substrate holder PH. Therefore, each time the substrate P is step-transported in the Y-axis direction, the substrate P held on the substrate holder PH is scanned in the X-axis direction with respect to the exposure area IA of the projection optical system PL, and as a result, the entire exposure target area of the substrate P can be exposed.

Further, since the movable portion 88a (substrate suction surface) of the substrate Y step transport device 88 needs to suck the back surface of the substrate P or release the suction to separate the substrate P from the substrate P, the substrate Y step transport device can be also micro-driven in the Z-axis direction by the driving device 90.

In the present embodiment, the substrate Y step transport device 88 is attached to the coarse movement stage 32A, but is not limited thereto, and may be attached to the fine movement stage 26. In the above description, the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y step transport device 88 needs to be separated from or brought into contact with the substrate P, and is set so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fine movement stage 26 may be moved in the Z-axis direction to perform suction of the substrate P and separation from the substrate P by the movable portion 88a (substrate suction surface).

The weight canceling device 28 is, as shown in fig. 1 and 3, composed of a columnar member extending in the Z-axis direction, also referred to as a stem. The weight canceling device 28 supports the fine movement stage 26 from below by a device referred to as a leveling device described later. The weight canceling device 28 is disposed in a recess of the coarse movement table 32A, with the upper half of the coarse movement table 32A (and 32B) exposed upward, and the lower half of the coarse movement table 32A (and 32B) exposed downward.

As shown in fig. 3, the weight cancel device 28 includes a housing 64, an air spring 66, a Z slider 68, and the like. The housing 64 is formed of a bottomed cylindrical member having a + Z-side opening. A plurality of air bearings (hereinafter referred to as base pads) 70 having bearing surfaces facing the-Z side are attached to the lower surface of the housing 64. The air spring 66 is housed inside the housing 64. The air spring 66 is supplied with pressurized gas (e.g., high-pressure air) from the outside. The Z slider 68 is formed of a columnar member extending in the Z-axis direction, for example, at a low height, is inserted into the housing 64, and is mounted on the air spring 66. The Z-slider 68 is provided with a guide (not shown) for restricting movement in a direction other than the Z-axis direction. As this guide, for example, an air bearing, a parallel plate spring, or the like is used. The parallel plate spring is made of, for example, a thin elastic steel plate parallel to the XY plane, and is made of, for example, 6 plate springs. 3 of the 6 leaf springs are arranged radially at 3 positions around the upper end of the Z slider 68, and the remaining 3 leaf springs are arranged radially at 3 positions around the lower end of the Z slider 68 so as to overlap the 3 leaf springs in the vertical direction. One end of each leaf spring is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the Z slider 68, and the other end is attached to the housing 64. Since the stroke is determined by the deflection amount of the plate spring by using the parallel plate spring, the Z slider 68 can be made short in the Z-axis direction, that is, a low-height structure. However, the Z-slide 68 cannot cope with a long stroke as in the case where the guide is constituted by an air bearing. An air bearing (hereinafter, referred to as a gasket sealing pad), not shown, having a bearing surface facing the + Z side is attached to the upper portion (+ Z-side end) of the Z slider 68. As shown in fig. 1 and 3, a plurality of wrists 71 arranged in a radial shape are fixed to the periphery of the housing 64. A target plate 72 is provided on the tip end portion of each wrist 71, and the target plate 72 is used for each of a plurality of reflection type photo sensors (also referred to as level sensors) 74 mounted below the fine movement stage 26. The reflective photo sensor 74 is actually disposed at 3 or more positions not on a straight line. These plural reflection type photosensors 74 constitute a Z tilt measurement system 76 (see fig. 4) for measuring the position and tilt amount (rotation amount in the θ x and θ y directions) of the fine movement stage 26 in the Z axis direction. In fig. 3, only 1 reflection-type photosensor 74 is shown in order to avoid the complication of the drawing.

The leveling device 78 supports the fine movement stage 26 so as to be tiltable (so as to be swingable in the θ x and θ y directions with respect to the XY plane). The leveling device 78 is a spherical bearing or a pseudo-spherical bearing structure having a fixed portion 78a (schematically shown as a rectangular parallelepiped member in fig. 3) and a movable portion 78b (schematically shown as a spherical member in fig. 3), and the fixed portion 78a can tilt the movable portion 78b about axes (for example, X-axis and Y-axis) in a horizontal plane by a minute stroke while supporting the movable portion 78b from below. In this case, for example, a recess portion that allows the movable portion 78b to incline in the θ x direction and the θ y direction may be formed on the upper surface of the fixed portion 78 a.

The upper surface (upper half of the spherical surface) of the movable portion 78b is fixed to the fine movement stage 26, and the fine movement stage 26 is tiltable with respect to the fixed portion 78 a. The lower surface of the fixing portion 78a is formed as a horizontal flat surface, and has a slightly larger area than the bearing surface of the entire seal as a guide surface of the seal of the weight cancel device 28. Further, the fixing portion 78a is supported from below in a non-contact manner by a gasket attached to the Z slider 68 of the weight canceling device 28.

The weight canceling device 28 cancels (cancel) the weight of the system including the fine movement stage 26 (downward force in the direction of gravity) by the Z slider 68 and the leveling device 78 due to the upward force in the direction of gravity generated by the air spring 66, thereby reducing the load of the plurality of Z voice coil motors 54Z.

The weight canceling device 28 is connected to the rough table 32A (see fig. 1) by a pair of connecting devices 80. The Z position of the pair of coupling devices 80 substantially coincides with the center of gravity position of the weight canceling device 28 in the Z axis direction. Each of the connection devices 80 includes a thin steel plate or the like parallel to the XY plane, and is also called a flexure (flexure) device. Each of the pair of connecting devices 80 is disposed to face the + X side and the-X side of the weight cancellation device 28. Each of the coupling devices 80 is disposed between the housing 64 of the weight cancel device 28 and the rough table 32A so as to be parallel to the X axis, and couples the two. Therefore, the weight canceling device 28 is pulled by the coarse movement table 32A by either one of the pair of coupling devices 80, and moves in the X-axis direction integrally with the coarse movement table 32A. Further, the leveling device 78 is supported by the upper components (the fine movement stage 26, the substrate holder PH, and the like) of the weight compensation device 28 in a non-contact manner, and moves in the X-axis direction integrally with the coarse movement stage 32A by driving the pair of X voice coil motors 54X. At this time, since the weight canceling device 28 applies the traction force in the plane parallel to the XY plane including the position of the center of gravity in the Z-axis direction, the moment (pitch moment) about the axis (Y-axis) orthogonal to the moving direction (X-axis) does not act.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the movable body (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as substrate stages (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH)) that moves in the X-axis direction integrally with the substrate P (holds a part of the substrate P) is configured to include the coarse movement stages 32A, 32B, the weight canceling device 28, the fine movement stage 26, and the substrate holder PH.

Further, the detailed structure of the weight canceling device 28 of the present embodiment including the leveling device 78 and the coupling device 80 is disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2010/0018950 (however, in the present embodiment, the weight canceling device 28 does not move in the Y-axis direction, and therefore, the coupling device in the Y-axis direction is not necessary). Further, although not shown, in order to prevent the weight canceling device 28 from moving in the Y-axis direction alone, a restriction may be provided by a coupling device or the like in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the X guide 82 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is the X axis direction. The X guide 82 is disposed and fixed on the upper surface (+ Z-side surface) of the pair of mounts 18 so as to traverse the pair of mounts 18. The dimension in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the X guide 82 is set to be slightly longer (substantially equal) to the sum of the dimension in the X-axis direction of each of the pair of mounts 18 arranged at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction and the dimension in the X-axis direction of the gap between the pair of mounts 18.

The upper surface (+ Z-side surface) of the X guide 82 is parallel to the XY plane and is formed to have a very high flatness. As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the X guide 82 is mounted with the weight canceling device 28, and supported in a floating manner (supported in a non-contact state) by the base pad 70. The upper surface of the X guide 82 is adjusted to be substantially parallel to the horizontal plane (XY plane), and functions as a guide surface when the weight canceling device 28 moves. The dimension of the X guide 82 in the longitudinal direction is set to be slightly longer than the X-axis direction movable amount of the weight canceller 28 (i.e., the coarse movement table 32A). The width direction dimension (Y-axis direction dimension) of the upper surface of the X guide 82 is set to a dimension that can face all the bearing surfaces of the plurality of base pads 70 (see fig. 3). The material and the manufacturing method of the X-guide 82 are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a case of casting cast iron or the like, a case of forming a stone material (for example, gabbros), a case of forming a ceramic or cfrp (carbon fiber reinforced plastics) material, and the like. The X guide 82 is formed of a solid member, a hollow member having a rib inside, or a member having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The X-guide 82 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped member, and may be a rod-like member having a YZ section of an I-shape.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a pair of X-ray moving mirrors 94X, each of which is a flat mirror (or corner cube) having a reflection surface perpendicular to the X-axis, is fixed to the-X-side surface of the substrate holder PH by a mirror holding member (not shown)₁、94X₂. Here, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Or may be fixed to the fine movement stage 26 via a support.

As shown in fig. 3, a Y moving mirror 94Y composed of an elongated flat mirror having a reflection surface orthogonal to the Y axis is fixed to the-Y side surface of fine movement stage 26 by a mirror holding member 96. Positional information in the XY plane of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) is obtained by using a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂And a laser interferometer system (hereinafter, referred to as a substrate stage interferometer system) 98 (see fig. 4) for moving the Y mirror 94Y, and the resolution of the system is detected at any time, for example, in the range of 0.5 to 1 nm. In actuality, substrate stage interferometer system 98 includes a pair of X moving mirrors 94X as shown in fig. 2 and 4₁、94X₂An X laser interferometer (hereinafter, simply referred to as an X interferometer) 98X and a Y laser interferometer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a Y interferometer) 98Y that moves the mirror 94Y in accordance with the Y. X interferometer 98X and Y interferometerThe measurement result of the meter 98Y is supplied to the main control device 50 (refer to fig. 4).

The X interferometer 98X, as shown in FIG. 1, is a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂The opposite height is attached to the upper end of an L-shaped interferometer column 102 fixed at one end to the X guide 82 (or the X-side stage 18). As the X interferometer 98X, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X can be used₁、94X₂The pair of interferometers each irradiating the interferometer beam (measuring beam) may be irradiated to the pair of X-ray moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Multi-axis interferometer of 2 measuring beams (measuring beams) each. In the following, the X interferometer 98X is configured by a multi-axis interferometer.

As shown in fig. 3, the Y interferometer 98Y is disposed between the 2 coarse movement stages 32A and 32B, and is fixed to an upper surface of a support member 104 whose lower end is fixed to the gantry 18 so as to face the Y moving mirror 94Y. As the Y interferometer 98Y, a pair of interferometers that irradiate interferometer beams (measurement beams) on the Y moving mirror 94Y, respectively, may be used, or a multi-axis interferometer that irradiates 2 measurement beams on the Y moving mirror 94Y may be used. In the following, the Y interferometer 98Y is configured by a multi-axis interferometer.

In this case, since Y interferometer 98Y is located at a position lower than the surface of substrate P in the Z-axis direction (in the case of exposure, focusing and leveling control of substrate P is performed so that this surface coincides with the image plane of projection optical system PL), the measurement result of the Y position includes an abbe error due to a change in the posture (rolling) of fine movement stage 26 when moving in the X-axis direction. In this case, although not shown, as the Y interferometer 98Y, a multi-axis interferometer may be used which irradiates the Y moving mirror 94Y with 3 interferometer beams (measurement beams) including not only 2 measurement beams separated in the X axis direction but also at least 1 measurement beam separated in the Z axis direction with respect to the 2 measurement beams. The main controller 50 can detect the amount of rolling of the fine movement stage 26 by the multi-axis interferometer, and correct the abbe error included in the Y position measurement result measured by the Y interferometer 98Y based on the detection result.

The positional information of the fine movement stage 26 in the θ x, θ y, and Z-axis directions is obtained by using the target plate 72 at the tip of the wrist 71 by the Z tilt measurement system 76 (the reflection type photo sensor 74 fixed to the lower surface of the fine movement stage 26 at 3 or more positions not on a straight line). The configuration of the position measurement system including the Z tilt measurement system 76 and the fine movement stage 26 is disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2010/0018950. Therefore, when the Y interferometer 98Y is a type of interferometer that does not detect the amount of rolling of the fine movement stage 26, the main control device 50 can correct the abbe error included in the Y position measurement result measured by the Y interferometer 98Y, based on the position information (amount of rolling) of the fine movement stage 26 in the θ Y direction, which is obtained by the Z tilt measurement system 76.

In addition, instead of measuring the positional information of the single fine movement stage 26 in the θ x, θ y, and Z-axis directions, the positional information of the substrate P in the θ x, θ y, and Z-axis directions may be directly measured from above by a multipoint focal position detection system (focal sensor) of an oblique incidence type, not shown, fixed to a member (a part of the body BD, for example, the barrel stage 16) that can be regarded as being integrated with the projection optical system PL above the fine movement stage 26. Of course, the positional information of substrate P and fine movement stage 26 in the θ x, θ y, and Z-axis directions may also be measured.

Although not shown, a plurality of alignment detection systems are provided at the lower end of the lens barrel stage 16 located above the substrate holder PH. A plurality of alignment detection units are arranged at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction on the X-axis. The substrate holder PH can pass through a plurality of alignment detection systems by the movement of the fine movement stage 26 in the X-axis direction. At least a part of the alignment detection system can be made to be capable of changing the position in the XY direction according to the arrangement (number of shots, number of fetches) of the pattern region on the substrate P.

Each alignment detection system includes, for example, a microscope equipped with a CCD camera, and when an alignment mark provided at a predetermined position on substrate P enters the field of view of the microscope, alignment measurement is performed by image processing, and position information (positional deviation information) of the alignment mark is sent to main control device 50 that controls the position of the movable portion of substrate stage device PST.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of the main controller 50 configured to centrally control the exposure apparatus 100 and collectively control each part. Fig. 4 shows each part of the structure related to the substrate stage. The main controller 50 includes a workstation (or a microcomputer) and the like, and integrally controls each component of the exposure apparatus 100.

Next, a series of operations of substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Here, the case of performing exposure of the 2 nd layer on the substrate P will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 13 as an example. Exposure region IA shown in fig. 5 to 13 is an illumination region irradiated with illumination light IL through projection optical system PL at the time of exposure, and is not actually formed at the time other than the time of exposure, but is displayed so that the positional relationship between substrate P and projection optical system PL is clear.

First, under the management of main controller 50, a loading operation for loading mask M onto mask stage MST is performed by a mask carrier (mask loader), not shown, and an operation for loading (throwing) substrate P onto substrate stage device PST is performed by a substrate loading device, not shown. In the preceding exposure of the substrate P, for example, as shown in fig. 5, a plurality of, for example, 4 irradiation regions SA1 to SA4 are provided, and a plurality of alignment marks (not shown) to be simultaneously transferred with the pattern of each irradiation region are provided for each irradiation region.

When the substrate P is carried into the substrate stage device PST, as shown in fig. 5, the substrate P is loaded on the substrate holder PH and 4 air-floating units 84 on the + Y side of the substrate holder PH, and the substrate holder PH adsorbs and fixes a part of the substrate P (about 1/2 of the entire substrate P), and the 4 air-floating units 84 suspend and support a part of the substrate P (about 1/2 of the rest of the entire substrate P). At this time, in order to allow at least 2 alignment marks on the substrate P to enter the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems and to be positioned on the substrate holder PH, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH and 4 air flotation units 84 on the substrate holder PH + Y side.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 obtains the position of the fine movement stage 26 with respect to the projection optical system PL and the approximate position of the substrate P with respect to the fine movement stage 26 by the same alignment measurement method as in the related art. Further, the alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the fine movement stage 26 may be omitted.

Next, based on the measurement result, main controller 50 drives fine movement stage 26 via coarse movement stage 32A to move at least 2 alignment marks on substrate P into the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems, performs alignment measurement of substrate P with respect to projection optical system PL, and based on the result, determines a scanning start position at which exposure of irradiation region SA1 on substrate P is performed. Here, in order to perform scanning for exposure, the scanning start position is strictly speaking an acceleration start position because the scanning start position includes an acceleration section and a deceleration section before and after the constant velocity movement section at the time of scanning exposure. Next, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stages 32A and 32B and micro-moves fine movement stage 26 to position substrate P at the scanning start position (acceleration start position). At this time, as indicated by the crisscross arrows in fig. 5, fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) is performed with respect to the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z-direction (or 6-degree-of-freedom direction) of coarse movement stage 32A. In fig. 5, a state is shown in which positioning of the substrate P at the scanning start position (acceleration start position) for performing exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P is just completed in this manner.

Then, an exposure operation of the step-and-scan method is performed.

The step-and-scan type exposure operation is performed by sequentially performing exposure processing on a plurality of irradiation areas SA1 to SA4 on the substrate P. In the scanning operation, the substrate P is accelerated in the X-axis direction for a predetermined acceleration time, then driven at a constant speed for a predetermined time (exposure (scanning exposure) is performed in such speed driving), and then decelerated for the same time as the acceleration time (hereinafter, a series of operations of the substrate P will be referred to as an X-scanning operation). The substrate P is appropriately driven in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction (hereinafter, referred to as X-step operation and Y-step operation, respectively) during the step operation (during movement between irradiation regions). In the present embodiment, the maximum exposure width (width in the Y-axis direction) of each irradiation region SAn (n is 1, 2, 3, and 4) is about 1/2 of the substrate P.

Specifically, the exposure operation is performed as follows.

From the state of fig. 5, the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) is driven in the-X direction as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 5, and performs the X scanning operation of the substrate P. At this time, mask M (mask stage MST) is driven in the-X direction in synchronization with substrate P (fine movement stage 26), and irradiation region SA1 passes through exposure region IA of the projection region of the pattern of mask M of projection optical system PL, and therefore, scanning exposure is performed on irradiation region SA1 at this time. The scanning exposure is performed by irradiating the substrate P with illumination light IL through the mask M and the projection optical system PL during the constant-speed movement of the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) after acceleration in the-X direction.

During the X-scan operation, main controller 50 drives substrate stages (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) in a state in which a part of substrate P (about 1/2 of the entire substrate P) is sucked and fixed to substrate holder PH mounted on fine movement stage 26 and a part of substrate P (about 1/2 of the entire substrate P) is suspended and supported by 4 air floating units 84 on coarse movement stage 32A. At this time, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stages 32A and 32B in the X-axis direction by X linear motors 42A and 42B based on the measurement results of X linear encoder systems 46A and 46B, and drives fine movement stage drive system 52 (each of voice coil motors 54X, 54Y, and 54Z) based on the measurement results of substrate stage interferometer system 98 and/or Z tilt measurement system 76. In this way, the substrate P is integrated with the fine movement stage 26, is pulled by the coarse movement stage 32A in a state of being suspended and supported by the weight canceller 28, moves in the X-axis direction, and is precisely controlled in each direction (6-degree-of-freedom direction) of the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, θ X, θ Y, and θ Z by the relative driving from the coarse movement stage 32A. Further, main controller 50, in synchronization with fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH), scans and drives mask stage MST holding mask M in the X-axis direction and fine-drives it in the Y-axis direction and θ z direction based on the measurement result of mask interferometer system 14 during the X-scan operation. Fig. 6 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) holding a part of the substrate P is stopped after the scanning exposure to the irradiation region SA1 is completed.

Next, the main controller 50 performs an X-step operation of slightly driving the substrate P in the + X direction as indicated by a white arrow in fig. 6 in order to accelerate the next exposure. The X stepping operation of the substrate P is performed by driving the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) by the main control device 50 in the same state as the X scanning operation (although the positional deviation during the movement is not strictly limited as in the scanning operation). Fig. 7 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) has moved to a scanning start position for performing exposure of the irradiation region SA 2. Main controller 50 returns mask stage MST to the acceleration start position in parallel with the X-step operation of substrate P.

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 7, the main controller 50 starts acceleration in the-X direction of the substrate P (substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH)) and the mask M (mask stage MST), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 in the same manner as described above. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) is stopped after the scanning exposure to the irradiation region SA2 is completed.

Next, a Y step operation for moving the unexposed area of the substrate P to the substrate holder PH is performed. The Y-step operation of the substrate P is performed by the main controller 50 holding the back surface of the + Y-side end of the substrate P in the state shown in fig. 8 by the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y-step conveyance device 88, releasing the holding of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH, and driving the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y-step conveyance device 88 in the-Y direction as shown by the black arrow in fig. 9 while the substrate P is suspended by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air floating unit 84. In this way, the substrate P is moved only in the-Y direction with respect to the substrate holder PH, and the unexposed irradiation regions SA3 and SA4 of the substrate P are loaded on the 4 air levitation units 84 across the substrate holder PH and the-Y side, facing the substrate holder PH. At this time, the substrate P is supported by the substrate holder PH and the floatation unit 84 in a floating manner. Next, the main controller 50 switches the substrate holder PH from the exhaust to the suction (suction). Accordingly, a part of the substrate P (about 1/2 of the entire substrate P) is fixedly adsorbed by the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrate P (about 1/2 of the entire substrate P) is supported by the 4 air floating units 84 in a floating manner. Immediately after the start of the suction operation of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH, the main control device 50 releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate Y step transport device 88.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot area provided in advance on the substrate P is performed. In this alignment measurement, the substrate P is subjected to an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 9) as necessary so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned within the detection field of the alignment detection system.

After the new alignment measurement of substrate P with respect to projection optical system PL, main controller 50 performs, based on the result, fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 with respect to coarse movement stage 32A in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z-direction (or 6-degree-of-freedom direction) as indicated by the cross arrow in fig. 10.

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 10, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P and the mask M in the + X direction, and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA3 as described above. Fig. 11 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) is stopped after the scanning exposure to the irradiation region SA3 is completed.

Next, to accelerate the next exposure, the main controller 50 performs an X-step operation of driving the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) in the-X direction, as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 11. Fig. 12 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) has moved to a scanning start position for exposure of the irradiation region SA 4.

Next, as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 12, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P and the mask M in the + X direction, and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA4 in the same manner as described above. Fig. 13 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32A, 32B, PH) is stopped after the scanning exposure to the irradiation region SA4 is completed.

As described above, the exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs exposure (superimposition transfer of the pattern of the mask M) on the entire substrate P (all the irradiation regions SA1 to SA4 on the substrate) by repeating the scanning exposure and the stepping operation.

Here, the exposure sequence and scanning direction for the irradiation regions SA1 to SA4 on the substrate P are not limited to the above sequence and direction. Further, the position of a masking blade (masking blade), a shutter, or the like (not shown) is also opened and closed in order to irradiate the substrate P with illumination light IL through projection optical system PL only when mask stage MST and fine movement stage 26 move synchronously at a constant speed in the X-axis direction. Further, the width of the opening of the shield blade may be made variable, so that the width of exposure area IA can be changed.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the substrate holding surface (substrate mounting surface) of the substrate holder PH, which is to be sucked and held in a state where the substrate P is mounted and the flatness of the substrate P is ensured, is sufficient only to require about 1/2 area of the conventional substrate holder, and therefore, the substrate holder PH can be made small and light. Further, fine movement stage 26 for supporting substrate holder PH with reduced weight can be also reduced in size and weight, and high-speed, high acceleration/deceleration driving and position controllability of fine movement stage 26 using voice coil motors 54X, 54Y, and 54Z can be improved. Further, since the substrate holder PH is miniaturized, the flatness processing time of the substrate holding portion can be shortened, and the processing accuracy can be improved. In the present embodiment, fine movement stage 26 does not perform stepping movement in the Y-axis direction, but only substrate P is stepped in the Y-axis direction with low accuracy by substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on coarse movement stage 32A, so that coarse movement stage 32A can be simplified in structure, reduced in size, weight, and cost.

The substrate stage device PST included in the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is very effective for a multi-surface arrangement in which a plurality of irradiation regions are arranged in the cross scanning direction (Y-axis direction) on the substrate P.

In the above embodiment, the substrate supporting surface area (total area) of the air cells disposed on the + Y side and the-Y side of the substrate holder PH is not necessarily about 1/2 of the substrate P, and the cross-scanning direction size is not necessarily about 1/2 of the substrate P. That is, the substrate P may be levitated by the air floating unit having a substrate supporting surface with a smaller area and size. In this case, the air bearing structure having high gas rigidity may be used as the air floating unit, or the air bearing structure having low gas rigidity may be used to generate an air flow by a fan having a large load capacity, thereby floating the substrate P by the air flow.

EXAMPLE 2 embodiment

Next, embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig. 14 to 16. Here, the same or equivalent constituent elements as those of embodiment 1 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 14 schematically shows the structure of the exposure apparatus 200 according to embodiment 2, and fig. 15 is a plan view in which a part of the exposure apparatus 200 is omitted. Fig. 16 is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus 200, which is partially omitted when viewed from the + X direction. However, in fig. 16, the coarse movement table 32A is shown in a sectional view, as in fig. 3.

Exposure apparatus 200 according to embodiment 2 is different from that of embodiment 1 in that the point of providing substrate stage device PSTa instead of substrate stage device PST is different, and the configuration and the like of the other parts are the same as those of embodiment 1.

As is clear from fig. 15 and 16, substrate stage device PSTa differs from substrate stage device PST in that coarse movement stage 32B on the-Y side of the 2 coarse movement stages 32A and 32B included in substrate stage device PST is eliminated, and accordingly, the air floating unit on the substrate holder PH-Y side is made stationary and not movable. Hereinafter, the substrate stage device PSTa according to embodiment 2 will be described centering on the difference.

On the-Y side of the substrate holder PH, as shown in fig. 15, the air floating units 84A and 84B are arranged in a pair in the Y-axis direction with a slight gap therebetween to form a set, and the set is arranged in a predetermined order in the X-axis direction. The air-floating unit 84A has a supporting surface having substantially the same shape and size as the air-floating unit 84, and the air-floating unit 84B has a supporting surface having the same length in the Y-axis direction as the air-floating unit 84A and a length in the X-axis direction of about 1/3.

The air flotation units 84A and 84B are configured in the same manner as the air flotation unit 84. In embodiment 2, 4 sets of the air flotation units 84A and 3 sets of the air flotation units 84B are used, and the total number is 7. The air cells 84A and 84B of the total 7 sets are arranged at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction in a rectangular region having a Y-axis direction width of about 1/2 times the Y-axis direction width of the substrate P and an X-axis direction length substantially equal to the length of the movement range of the substrate holder PH during the scanning movement. As shown in fig. 16, the air-floating units 84A and 84B of 7 sets in total are fixed to a frame 110 fixed to the floor surface F so as not to contact the mount 18.

As shown in fig. 15, the center of exposure area IA substantially coincides with the X position of the center of the arrangement area of the total 7 sets of air floating units 84A, 84B, and 1 set (pair) of air floating units 84B is arranged at the center in the X axis direction. From the gap between the 1 group of air cells 84B and the air cells 84A on both sides in the X axis direction adjacent to the 1 group of air cells 84B, a pair of measuring beams separated in the X axis direction from the Y interferometer 98Y are irradiated to the Y moving mirror 94Y. In this case, the Y interferometer 98Y is fixed to the side frame 20 of the body BD on the-Y side of the 7 sets of air floating units 84A, 84B. Y interferometer 98Y is a multi-axis interferometer (see fig. 16) capable of measuring the amount of rolling of fine movement stage 26.

As shown in fig. 14 and 16, the movable portion of the leveling device 78 is attached to the Z-slider 68 of the weight cancelling device 28 so as to be tiltable with a minute stroke about an axis (for example, X-axis and Y-axis) in the horizontal plane. The leveling device 78 may be fixed to the fine movement stage 26 (upper half of the spherical surface) at the top surface thereof, for example, and a concave portion that allows the leveling device 78 to rotate (tilt) in the θ x direction and the θ y direction is formed on the top surface of the Z slider 68. Alternatively, on the contrary, the leveling device 78 may be formed such that, for example, a lower surface (a lower half portion of a spherical surface) is fixed to the Z slider 68, and a concave portion that allows tilting of the fine movement stage 26 in the θ x direction and the θ y direction with respect to the leveling device 78 is formed in the fine movement stage 26. In any case, the leveling device 78 is supported from below by the Z-slide 68, allowing the fine movement stage 26 to tilt within a slight angle range about axes (e.g., X-axis and Y-axis) in the horizontal plane.

In substrate stage device PSTa according to embodiment 2, Z slider 68 also serves as a fixing portion of leveling device 78, no gasket is provided, and weight canceling device 28 and fine movement stage 26 are integrated. Since the weight canceling device 28 is integrated with the fine movement stage 26, the coupling device 80(flexure device) or the like that restricts the individual movement of the weight canceling device 28 is not provided. The other parts of substrate stage device PSTa are configured in the same manner as substrate stage device PST.

According to the exposure apparatus 200 of embodiment 2 configured as described above, in addition to obtaining the same effect as the exposure apparatus 100 of embodiment 1, since the air floating units 84A and 84B on the substrate holder PH-Y side are not mounted on the rough stage 32B but fixed to the frame 110 provided separately, the air floating units 84A and 84B do not shield the measuring beam of the Y interferometer 98Y. The Y-shift mirror 94Y may be attached to a side surface of the substrate holder PH or to the fine movement stage 26 via a carriage.

Embodiment 3

Next, embodiment 3 will be described with reference to fig. 17 and 18. Here, the same or similar components as those in the above-described embodiments 1 and 2 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 17 is a plan view showing part of substrate stage device PSTb and body BD included in the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 3, and fig. 18 is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 3 as viewed from the + X direction, but partial illustration is omitted. However, in fig. 18, the rough-movement tables 32A (and 32B) are shown in cross-section, as in fig. 16.

As shown in fig. 18, substrate stage device PSTb is provided with 2 coarse movement tables 32A and 32B as in substrate stage device PST of embodiment 1, but the coarse movement table 32B on the-Y side is not provided with an air floating unit, and the air floating unit on the substrate holder PH-Y side is attached to a frame 110 provided separately over the entire X-direction movement range of the substrate holder PH as in substrate stage device PSTa of embodiment 2 (see fig. 17). In this case, the air floating units on the-Y side are 7 sets of air floating units 84A and 84B arranged in the same manner as in embodiment 2. A pair of X voice coil motors 54X and a part of a plurality of Z voice coil motors 54Z (1 of 1Z voice coil motor 54Z is shown in fig. 18) are provided between coarse movement stage 32B and fine movement stage 26.

Further, a Y-shift mirror 94Y is disposed on the substrate holder PHAnd the-Y side surface of (1) and the X moving mirror 94X₁、94X₂The position of substantially the same height is fixed to the-Y side surface of fine movement stage 26 by a bracket 96A. In this case, since abbe error does not occur, the Y interferometer 98Y does not necessarily need to measure the roll amount.

In this case, the weight canceling device 28 is also integrated with the fine movement stage 26. The configuration of other parts of substrate stage device PSTb and the configuration of parts other than substrate stage device PSTb are the same as those in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2 described above.

According to the exposure apparatus of embodiment 3 configured as described above, in addition to obtaining the same effects as those of exposure apparatuses 100 and 200 of embodiments 1 and 2, X voice coil motor 54X and Z voice coil motor 54Z for driving fine movement stage 26 can be distributed and arranged on both coarse movement stages 32A and 32B with good balance, and a motor arrangement having higher rigidity than that of embodiment 2 can be obtained (see fig. 18).

In the above-described embodiment 3, the case where 2 coarse movement tables 32A and 32B are provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in fig. 19, a coarse movement table 32 in which the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B are integrated may be provided, and the coarse movement table 32 may be slidably attached to the 2X- beams 30A and 30B.

In the embodiments 1 to 3 and the modification of fig. 19, the air floating unit on at least one side in the Y axis direction of the substrate holder PH is designed to be mounted on the coarse movement stage 32A or 32 and movable in the X axis direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and another moving body that moves following the coarse movement stage may be provided, and the air floating unit mounted on the other moving body may be made movable in the X axis direction. For example, in embodiment 1, another moving body that moves along a movement path on the + Y side of the movement path of the coarse movement stage 32A and/or on the-Y side of the movement path of the coarse movement stage 32B may be provided, and the air-floating unit may be mounted on the other moving body by, for example, an inverted L-shaped support member in a state of being close to the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction.

EXAMPLE 4 embodiment

Next, embodiment 4 will be described with reference to fig. 20 and 21. Here, the same or equivalent constituent elements as those in the above-described embodiments 1, 2 and 3 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 20 is a plan view showing a part of the body and a substrate stage device PSTc provided in the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 4, and fig. 21 is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 4 as viewed from the + X direction of fig. 20, but a part of the side view is omitted.

In substrate stage device PSTc, as shown in fig. 21, as in fig. 19, integrated coarse movement stage 32 is slidably mounted on 2X beams 30A and 30B, but no air floating unit is mounted on coarse movement stage 32. In fig. 21, the coarse movement stage 32 is shown in a sectional view. the-Y-side and + Y-side air floating units of the substrate holder PH are fixed to the frames 110A and 110B provided on the floor surface F so as not to contact the mount 18, as in the-Y-side air floating units of embodiments 2 and 3. As shown in fig. 20, the air cells on the-Y side and the + Y side of the substrate holder PH are arranged at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction with a slight gap in the Y-axis direction in a rectangular region where the width in the Y-axis direction is about 1/2 of the width in the Y-axis direction of the substrate P and the length in the X-axis direction is substantially equal to the length of the movement range of the substrate holder PH during scanning movement. In this case, as the air flotation units on the-Y side, a total of 7 sets of air flotation units 84A and 84B arranged in the same manner as in embodiments 2 and 3 are used. On the other hand, as the air floating unit on the + Y side, as shown in fig. 20, 4 sets (8 in total) of air floating units 84D arranged with a predetermined gap in the X-axis direction in the rectangular region are used. The air floating unit 84D has the same configuration as the air floating unit 84, and has the same width in the Y-axis direction as the air floating unit 84, but has a slightly longer length in the X-axis direction than the air floating unit 84.

A plurality of (3 in fig. 20) substrate Y step conveyors 88 are provided at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction on the frame 110A to which the + Y-side 4 sets of air flotation units 84D are fixed. Here, in order to make it possible to suck the back surface of the substrate P with the movable portion 88a and feed the substrate P in the Y-axis direction when the substrate P is located at any position (position in the Y-axis direction) within the movable region, a plurality of substrate Y step conveyors 88 are provided. Each substrate Y step transport device 88 is disposed in a gap between the air flotation units 84D adjacent in the X axis direction. The upper surface of the movable portion 88a of each substrate Y step transport device 88 can adsorb the substrate P suspended on the air floating unit 84D, move the substrate P in the Y-axis direction, and can be separated from the substrate P by releasing the adsorption.

The configuration of the other parts of substrate stage device PSTc and the configuration of each part other than substrate stage device PSTc are the same as those in embodiment 1, 2, or 3 described above.

According to the exposure apparatus of embodiment 4 configured as described above, in addition to obtaining the same effects as those of the exposure apparatuses of the above embodiments, not only the air floating unit 84D and the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 located on the-Y side but also the + Y side of the substrate holder PH are separated from the coarse movement stage 32 and fixed to the frame 110A, and therefore the load applied to the coarse movement stage 32 is reduced, and the thrust for driving the coarse movement stage 32 can be reduced.

EXAMPLE 5 embodiment

Next, embodiment 5 will be described with reference to fig. 22 to 24. Here, the same or equivalent constituent parts as those of the above-described 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th embodiments are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 22 schematically shows the structure of the exposure apparatus 500 according to embodiment 5, and fig. 23 shows a partially omitted plan view of the exposure apparatus 500. Fig. 24 is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus 500 as viewed from the + X direction in fig. 22, but a part of the view is omitted. The coarse motion stage 32 is shown in cross-section in fig. 24.

Exposure apparatus 500 according to embodiment 5 basically has the same configuration as that of exposure apparatus according to embodiment 4, but is different in part from substrate stage device PSTd according to embodiment 4. Specifically, substrate stage device PSTd, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂The mounting position on fine movement stage 26 differs from substrate stage device PSTc, and correspondingly, the configuration of the X interferometer and the like also differ from substrate stage device PSTc. Hereinafter, the exposure apparatus 500 according to embodiment 5 will be described with the difference point as the center.

FIG. 22, FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 showThus, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Each of which is attached to the vicinity of the center in the X axis direction of both side surfaces in the Y axis direction of the fine movement stage 26 by a not-shown moving mirror supporting member. Corresponding to a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Mounted to oppose a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂A respective pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂. A pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂As shown in fig. 24, one end (lower end) of each is fixed to the other end (upper end) of an L-shaped frame (X interferometer frame) 102A, 102B of the-X side frame 18. The frames 102A and 102B are L-shaped frames for avoiding interference with the frames 110A and 110B and the coarse stage 32 moving in the X-axis direction.

Also, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂The substrate holder PH is provided at a position on the + X side of the-X side end surface of the substrate holder PH and lower than the upper surface (front surface) of the substrate P, specifically, at a position slightly lower than the lower surface of the substrate holder PH. And a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Opposed, paired X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂Is disposed at a position lower than the upper surface of the substrate P and is accommodated in the Y-axis direction in a position of a gap between the substrate holder PH and the air floating unit 84D or 84A. Accordingly, in substrate stage device PSTd according to embodiment 5, a pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂For example, as can be seen by comparing fig. 23 and 20, an X interferometer (a pair of X interferometers 98X) can be used as the X interferometer (a pair of X interferometers 98X) in comparison with the X interferometer 98X of embodiment 4 (and embodiments 1 to 3)₁、98X₂) Is disposed at a position closer to the gantry 18 on the-X side.

In addition, in substrate stage device PSTd, as shown in fig. 23, X movement mirror 94X on the + Y side is avoided₁The pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y are mounted near the center (center) of fine movement stage 26 in the X axis direction, and interfere with each other with Y voice coil motors 54Y that drive fine movement stage 26 in the Y axis direction in a fine manner. But is not limited thereto as long as the X moving mirror 94X₁The pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y may be installed at arbitrary positions without interfering with each other with the Y voice coil motors 54Y. Although not shown, it can be mounted on both sides of the fine movement stage 26 in the X-axis directionA side surface. In this case, the position of the pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y is preferably arranged so that the resultant force of the driving forces can be applied to the center of gravity of fine movement stage 26, that is, so that the center of gravity of fine movement stage 26 can be driven.

The exposure apparatus 500 according to embodiment 5 configured as described above can obtain the same effects as those of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 4, and can use a pair of X interferometers 98X as compared with the X interferometers 98X according to embodiment 4 (and embodiments 1 to 3)₁、98X₂Since the stage 18 is disposed closer to the-X side, the total weight of the frames 102A and 102B is lighter and more rigid than the interferometer column 102.

EXAMPLE 6 embodiment

Next, embodiment 6 will be described with reference to fig. 25 to 29. Here, the same or equivalent constituent portions as those of the above-described 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th or 5 th embodiments are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 25 is a partially omitted plan view of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6. Fig. 26 is an XZ sectional view of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6, but a part of the XZ sectional view is omitted.

The exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6 is basically configured in the same manner as the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 5, but the substrate stage device PSTe is partially different from the substrate stage device PSTd according to embodiment 5.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 25, substrate stage device PSTe uses, as substrate holder PH, not only the Y-axis direction dimension but also the X-axis direction dimension smaller than the X-axis direction dimension of substrate P, for example, about 1/2 of substrate P. On both sides of the substrate holder PH in the X-axis direction, a pair of air floating units (moving air floating units) 84C are disposed. As shown in fig. 26, each of the pair of air-floating units 84C is fixed to the upper surface of the rough-movement table 32 by a support member 112 so that the upper surface thereof has a height substantially equal to (slightly lower than) the height of the substrate holder PH. Each of the pair of air floating units 84C has a Y-axis length equal to (or slightly shorter than) the substrate holder PH, and an X-axis length approximately equal to or slightly shorter than the substrate holder PH, for example.

In substrate stage device PSTe, a pair of X-moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂As is clear from fig. 25 and 26, the substrate holder PH is fixed to the vicinity of both ends in the Y axis direction of the-X side surface thereof by a not-shown moving mirror support member. The configuration of the other parts of substrate stage device PSTe is the same as that of substrate stage device PSTd of embodiment 4. In this case, a pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂Similarly to embodiment 5, the pair of X-ray moving mirrors 94X are arranged so as to be able to approach each other without interfering with the fixed air-floating units (84A, 84B) and the air-floating unit 84C on the coarse movement stage 32₁、94X₂。

And, a pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂As in embodiment 5, the substrate holder PH may be attached to both side surfaces of the substrate holder PH and near the center in the X-axis direction. In this case, the X interferometer 98X may be used₁、98X₂The arrangement is further on the + X side. In addition, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Instead of being mounted on the substrate holder PH, the substrate holder may be mounted on the fine movement stage 26 via an X-motion mirror support frame.

Next, a series of operations performed when the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6 performs substrate processing will be described with reference to fig. 26 to 29. Here, the case where the irradiation regions SA1 and SA2 (or the irradiation regions SA3 and SA4) of embodiment 1 are exposed first will be described. In fig. 26 to 29, illustration of the fixed air floating unit and the like is omitted. In embodiment 6, a moving body that moves in the X axis direction is configured to include the rough movement stage 32, the weight canceling device 28, the fine movement stage 26, the substrate holder PH, and the like, and is integrated with the substrate P (a part that holds the substrate P), and this moving body is hereinafter referred to as a substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH).

First, under the control of the main controller 50, a loading operation for loading the mask M onto the mask stage MST is performed by a mask carrier (mask loader), not shown, and a carrying-in operation for carrying the substrate P into the substrate stage device PSTe is performed by a substrate carrying-in device, not shown. When the substrate P is exposed before the front layer is provided in each irradiation region, for example, as shown in fig. 25, there are a plurality of alignment marks (not shown) to be simultaneously transferred with the pattern of each irradiation region together with 4 irradiation regions SA1 to SA4 in total, for example, 2 in the X-axis direction and 2 in the Y-axis direction.

First, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH, a part of the fixed plural floatation units 84D on the + Y side, and the floatation unit 84C on the + X side. At this time, high-pressure air is ejected from the upper surfaces of the substrate holder PH, the floatation unit 84D, and the floatation unit 84C, and the substrate P is suspended and supported. Next, the main controller 50 switches the substrate holder PH from the exhaust to the suction (suction). Accordingly, a part of the substrate P (about 1/4 of the entire substrate P corresponding to the region including the irradiation region SA1) is sucked and fixed by the substrate holder PH, and a part of the plurality of air floating units 84D and a part of the substrate P (about 3/4 of the entire substrate P) are supported by the air floating units 84C in a floating manner. Next, the alignment operation is performed in the same manner as in embodiment 1 (see fig. 26).

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 26, the substrate P (substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH)) and the mask M (mask stage MST) are moved in the-X direction in synchronization with each other, and scanning exposure is performed on the first irradiation region SA1 adsorbed on the substrate P of the substrate holder PH in the same manner as in embodiment 1. Fig. 27 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped after the exposure of the irradiation area SA1 is completed.

Next, the main control device 50 adsorbs the back surface of the substrate P at this point in time using the movable portion 88a (not shown in fig. 27, see fig. 25) of the substrate Y step transport device 88 located at the position opposite to the substrate P, and after the adsorption of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH is released, suspends the substrate P by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air floating unit 84C on the + X side. Accordingly, the substrate P is held only by the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y step transport device 88.

Next, the main control device 50 drives the substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) in the + X direction as indicated by white arrows in fig. 27 while maintaining the holding state of the substrate P only by the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y step transport device 88, and starts the X step of the substrate P. Accordingly, the substrate holder PH moves in the + X direction with respect to the substrate P in a state where the substrate P is stopped at a position before the X step starts. Next, when the substrate holder PH reaches a position directly below the next irradiation area SA2 of the substrate P, the main controller 50 stops the substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) (see fig. 28). At this time, the substrate P is loaded to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the fixed plural floatation units 84D on the + Y side and the floatation unit 84C on the-X side. High-pressure air is ejected from the substrate holder PH, a part of the plurality of air floating units 84D, and the upper surface of the air floating unit 84C, and the substrate P is supported in a floating manner.

In parallel with the driving of the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) for X-stepping the substrate P, the main controller 50 returns the mask stage MST to the predetermined acceleration start position.

Thereafter, suction of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH and suction release of the substrate P by the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88, alignment measurement using a new alignment mark on the substrate P, and positioning of the substrate P using the fine movement stage 26 are performed. Thereafter, the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) and the mask stage MST are moved in the-X direction in synchronization with each other as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 28, thereby performing scanning exposure of the next shot area SA 2. Fig. 29 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped after the exposure of the irradiation area SA2 is completed.

Thereafter, similarly to the exposure apparatus 100 of embodiment 1, the substrate Y-stepping transport apparatus 88 performs a Y-stepping operation of the substrate P to perform alignment and positioning, and then repeats scanning exposure.

The exposure apparatus according to embodiment 6 described above achieves the same effects as those obtained by the exposure apparatus 500 according to embodiment 5. In addition, according to the exposure apparatus of embodiment 6, since the substrate holder PH is set to have the same size as 1 irradiation region (primary exposure region), and the other regions are supported by floating by the air floating unit, the substrate holder PH mounted on the fine movement stage 26 can be made smaller and lighter than those of embodiments 1 to 5. Further, since the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) scans only one irradiation region, the X-axis direction stroke of the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is shorter than that of the above-described embodiments 1 to 5 (about 1/2). Therefore, the substrate stage device and the exposure apparatus including the substrate stage device can be further miniaturized, light-weighted and compact, and the cost can be reduced.

In the above description, the substrate P is left after the scanning exposure of the first shot area, and the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is moved in the + X direction to perform the exposure of the next shot area (see fig. 27 and 28), but the substrate P may be moved only in the-X direction by a substrate X step-and-transfer device, not shown, with the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) left, and then the substrate P may be scanned in the + X direction by the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH). The substrate X stepping conveyor can also be used as a device for carrying in and carrying out the substrate P.

In the above description, in embodiments 2 to 6, the air floating unit separated from the coarse movement stage is fixed to the ground by the frame, but when there is little possibility of vibration, it may be fixed to the mount 18.

The substrate stage device and the exposure apparatus according to each of embodiments 1 to 6 described above in detail are summarized as follows. The substrate stage device is not configured such that the substrate holder for sucking the substrate and correcting the surface of the substrate is the same size as the substrate as in the conventional device, but is configured such that the width (Y-axis direction size) is the same as the exposure field of the projection optical system, and the length in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) is the same as the X-axis direction length of the substrate or the scanning length of the primary exposure area exposed by one scanning operation. The portion of the substrate exposed from the substrate holder is supported by floating by a movable or fixed air floating unit. Therefore, the substrate holder can be easily made small, light and highly precise (highly planar), and the controllability (position and velocity controllability, etc.) of the fine movement stage can be improved to achieve high precision and high speed. Further, since the coarse movement stage is a stage (stage) that moves only in the 1-axis direction (X-axis direction) with respect to the exposure field (irradiation region (exposure position) of the illumination light IL), the coarse movement stage portion is simple in configuration and can be reduced in cost.

Further, since the stepping movement of the substrate in the Y direction is performed by moving only the substrate in the Y direction by the substrate Y stepping conveyor, the moving mass is light. In addition, the Y-step positioning of the substrate is designed to be performed with a coarse accuracy, and therefore the cost of the substrate Y-step transport apparatus is also low. Since the coarse movement stage portion having a simple configuration is separated from the fine movement stage, accuracy can be relatively coarse, and the components (the coarse movement stage portion, the substrate Y step-and-transfer device, and the like) including the relatively coarse movement portion can be manufactured using general industrial materials without using lightweight and highly rigid ceramic members. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a large firing furnace required for manufacturing a large-sized lightweight and highly rigid ceramic member, a large polishing tool required for processing the member with high accuracy, and the like. Further, the structural portion including the movable portion with relatively coarse accuracy can be manufactured using a ball guide such as a ball or a roller without using any of a high-accuracy guide and a high-rigidity hydrostatic gas bearing. Further, the component including the movable portion with relatively coarse accuracy does not need to use a high-thrust and low-ripple coreless linear motor (voice coil motor) or the like which is considered necessary for high-speed and high-accuracy positioning, and a relatively inexpensive and easily large-sized member such as an iron-cored linear motor, a ball screw drive, or a belt drive can be used.

Further, by disposing the fine movement stage and the coarse movement stage partially apart from each other, transmission of vibration to the fine movement stage can be suppressed.

In addition, since the alignment mark provided in advance on the substrate is detected by the alignment detection system in the positioning after the stepping movement in the direction X, Y, and the fine movement stage is moved based on the detection result, the positioning accuracy in the exposure is also high.

Embodiment 7

Next, embodiment 7 will be described with reference to fig. 30 to 49. Here, the same or equivalent constituent elements as those in the above-described embodiments 1 to 6 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 30 shows a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus 700 according to embodiment 7, with the air-floating unit group and the like, which will be described later, omitted, and fig. 31 shows a partially omitted plan view of the exposure apparatus 700. Fig. 31 corresponds to a plan view of a portion below the projection optical system PL (a portion below the barrel stage) in fig. 30. Fig. 32 is a side view (partially omitted, partially shown in cross section) of the exposure apparatus 700 as viewed from the + X direction of fig. 30. Fig. 33 is a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of the main controller 50 configured to collectively control each part, which is configured by centering on the control system of the exposure apparatus 700. Fig. 33 shows each component related to the substrate stage. The main controller 50 includes a workstation (or a microcomputer) and the like, and integrally controls each component of the exposure apparatus 700.

The exposure apparatus 700 according to embodiment 7 differs from embodiment 1 in that a substrate stage device PSTf is provided instead of the substrate stage device PST, and the configuration of the other parts and the like are the same as those of embodiment 1.

The configuration of substrate stage device PSTf is most similar to the configuration of substrate stage device PSTd included in exposure device 500 according to embodiment 5 among substrate stage devices PST, PSTa, PSTb, PSTc, PSTd, and PSTe described above. Therefore, the following description will focus on the point of difference between substrate stage device PSTf and substrate stage device PSTf provided in exposure apparatus 700 according to embodiment 7.

As is clear from a comparison of fig. 23 and fig. 31, the difference between substrate stage device PSTf and substrate stage device PSTd is in the size of substrate holder PH (fine movement stage 26), the arrangement and configuration of the air floating unit groups disposed on both sides of substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction, and 1 substrate X-step transport device 91 disposed in each of the arrangement areas of the air floating unit groups on both sides of the Y-axis direction. As can be seen by comparing fig. 24 and 32, the width in the Y-axis direction of the pair of X beams 30A and 30B of substrate stage device PSTf is narrower (approximately half) than the width of the pair of X beams of substrate stage device PSTd.

As shown in fig. 32, only 1X linear guide 36 extending in the X axis direction is fixed to the upper surface of each of the X beams 30A and 30B at the center in the Y axis direction. In embodiment 7, the X linear guide 36 includes a magnet unit including a plurality of permanent magnets arranged at predetermined intervals in the X axis direction, and also serves as an X stator. Further, an X stator having a magnet unit may be provided outside the X linear guide 36. Further, a plurality of X linear guides, for example, 2X linear guides, may be provided on the X beams 30A and 30B.

Coarse movement stage 32 is, as shown in fig. 32, arranged on X-beams 30A and 30B, similarly to substrate stage device PSTd described above. The coarse movement stage 32 is formed of a planar rectangular plate-shaped member having an opening penetrating through the center in the Z-axis direction. In fig. 32, the coarse movement table 32 is shown in partial cross-section together with the weight canceling device 28. As shown in fig. 32, 4 sliders 44 in total, for example, are fixed to the respective X linear guides 36 at predetermined intervals in the X axis direction (see fig. 30). The coarse movement stage 32 is linearly guided in the X-axis direction by a plurality of X linear guide devices including an X linear guide 36 and a slider 44.

In this case, each slider 44 includes a coil unit, and the X linear motor 42 (see fig. 33) that drives the coarse movement stage 32 in the X axis direction by a predetermined stroke is configured together with the X stator by a total of 8 coil units included in each slider 44.

Further, an X movable member may be provided separately from the slider 44, and in this case, the slider 44 may include a rolling member (e.g., a plurality of balls) slidably engaged with each X linear guide 36.

In addition, although not shown in fig. 30 to 32, in a predetermined one of the X beams 30A and 30B, for example, an X scale having an X axis direction as a periodic direction is fixed to the X beam 30A, and an encoder head constituting an X linear encoder system 46 (see fig. 33) for obtaining position information of the coarse movement stage 32 in the X axis direction using the X scale is fixed to the coarse movement stage 32. The position of the coarse movement stage 32 in the X axis direction is controlled by a main control unit 50 (see fig. 33) based on the output of the encoder head.

Here, although the description order is slightly reversed, the substrate holder PH mounted on the upper surface of the fine movement stage 26 will be described next. As is clear from fig. 31, the substrate holder PH has an X-axis length equal to that of the substrate P and a Y-axis width (length) of about 1/3 of the substrate P. The substrate holder PH holds a part of the substrate P (here, about 1/3 parts of the substrate P in the Y axis direction) by suction, for example, by vacuum suction (or electrostatic suction), and ejects a pressurized gas (for example, high-pressure air) upward to support a part of the substrate P (about 1/3 parts of the substrate P) from below by the ejection pressure in a non-contact (floating) manner. The switching between the ejection of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH to the substrate P and the vacuum suction is performed by a holder suction/exhaust switching device 51 (see fig. 33) that switches the substrate holder PH between a vacuum pump (not shown) and a high-pressure air source, and is performed by the main control device 50.

In embodiment 7, fine movement stage 26 also includes a plurality of voice coil motors (or linear motors), for example, a pair of X voice coil motors 54X, a pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y, and 4Z voice coil motors 54Z, and is fine-driven in the 6-degree-of-freedom direction (each direction of X, Y, Z, θ X, θ Y, and θ Z) on coarse movement stage 32 by a fine movement stage drive system 52 (see fig. 33) having the same configuration as in embodiment 1. In embodiment 7, fine movement stage 26 is also movable in the X-axis direction by a long stroke (coarse movement) and in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z-direction by a fine movement (fine movement) in the 3-degree-of-freedom direction with respect to projection optical system PL (see fig. 30) by a pair of X and Y voice coil motors 54X and 54Y of X linear motor 42 and fine movement stage drive system 52, respectively.

As shown in fig. 32, a pair of frames 110A, 110B having a larger width (length) in the Y-axis direction than the frame of embodiment 5 are provided on the ground surface F on the + Y side of the X beam 30A and the-Y side of the X beam 30B so as not to contact the mount 18. Air floating unit groups 84E and 84F are provided on the upper surfaces of the pair of frames 110A and 110B, respectively. The pair of frames 110A and 110B may be provided on the gantry 18.

As shown in fig. 31 and 32, the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F are disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction. As shown in fig. 31, each of the air-floating unit groups 84E and 84F is configured by a plurality of air-floating units that are disposed in a rectangular region having a width in the Y-axis direction that is equal to the width in the Y-axis direction of the substrate P and a length in the X-axis direction that is substantially equal to the length of the movement range of the substrate holder PH during scanning movement, and that are dispersed at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction and with a slight gap in the Y-axis direction. The center of exposure area IA substantially coincides with the X position of the centers of air floating unit groups 84E and 84F. The upper surface of each air floating unit is set to be equal to or slightly lower than the upper surface of the substrate holder PH.

The air cells constituting the air cell groups 84E and 84F are different in size, but are configured in the same manner as the air cell 84 of embodiment 1. The on/off (on, off) of the high-pressure air supply to each air floating unit is controlled by a main control device 50 shown in fig. 33.

As is clear from the above description, in embodiment 7, the entire substrate P can be supported by floating at least one of the substrate holder PH and the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F on both sides (± Y side) of the substrate holder PH. The air floating unit group 84E or 84F on one side (+ Y side or-Y side) of the substrate holder PH can also support the entire substrate P in a floating manner.

Further, if the air cell groups 84E and 84F have total support areas substantially equal to a rectangular region having a width in the Y axis direction equal to the width in the Y axis direction of the substrate P and a length in the X axis direction substantially equal to the length of the movement range of the substrate holder during PH scanning movement, the air cell groups may be replaced with a single large air cell or may be arranged in a dispersed manner in the rectangular region in a size different from that in fig. 31.

In 2 rectangular regions on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y axis direction in which the plurality of air-floating units constituting each of air-floating unit groups 84E and 84F are arranged, as shown in fig. 31, a plurality of, for example, 3 substrate Y stepping transport devices 88 and 1 substrate X stepping transport device 91 are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the X axis passing through the center of exposure area IA (the center of projection optical system PL). Each of the substrate Y-step transport device 88 and the substrate X-step transport device 91 is disposed in the 2 rectangular areas without interfering with the air floating unit. Here, the number of the substrate Y step transport devices 88 may be 2 or 4 or more.

The substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 is a device for holding (e.g., adsorbing) the substrate P and moving it in the Y-axis direction, and 3 of them are arranged at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction inside each of the air floating unit groups 84E and 88F in a plan view. Each substrate Y step transport device 88 is fixed to the frame 110A or 110B via a support member 89 (see fig. 32). Each substrate Y step transport device 88 includes a movable portion 88a that sucks the back surface of the substrate P and moves in the Y axis direction, and a fixed portion 88B fixed to the frame 110A or 110B. The movable portion 88a is driven in the Y-axis direction with respect to the frame 110A or 110B by a driving device 90 (not shown in fig. 32, see fig. 33) constituted by a linear motor constituted by a movable element provided in the movable portion 88a and a fixed element provided in the fixed portion 88B, for example. The substrate Y step transport device 88 is provided with a position reading device 92 (not shown in fig. 32, see fig. 33) such as an encoder for measuring the position of the movable portion 88 a.

The Y-axis direction movement stroke of the movable portion 88a of each substrate Y step transport device 88 is about 2/3 (slightly shorter) of the Y-axis direction length of the substrate P. In embodiment 7, since the movable portion 88a (substrate suction surface) of each substrate Y step transport device 88 also needs to suck the back surface of the substrate P or release the suction to separate the substrate P from the substrate P, it is also possible to perform fine driving in the Z-axis direction by the driving device 90. In addition, although the movable portion 88a actually moves the suction substrate P in the Y-axis direction, the substrate Y step transport device 88 and the movable portion 88a are not distinguished from each other unless a special distinction is made in the following description.

The substrate X stepping conveyor 91 is a device for holding (e.g., adsorbing) the substrate P and moving it in the X-axis direction, and 1 substrate is disposed inside each of the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F in a plan view. Each substrate X-step transport apparatus 91 is fixed to the frame 110A or 110B via a support member 93 (see fig. 32).

As shown in fig. 32, each substrate X step transport device 91 includes a movable portion 91a that sucks the back surface of the substrate P and moves in the X-axis direction, and a fixed portion 91B fixed to the frame 110A or 110B. The movable portion 91a is driven in the X-axis direction with respect to the frame 110A or 110B by a driving device 95 (not shown in fig. 32, see fig. 33) constituted by, for example, a linear motor. The substrate X stepping transport apparatus 91 is provided with a position reading apparatus 97 (not shown in fig. 32, see fig. 33) such as an encoder for measuring the position of the movable portion 91 a. The driving device 95 is not limited to a linear motor, and may be a driving mechanism using a rotary motor using a ball screw or a belt as a driving source.

The X-axis direction movement stroke of the movable portion 91a of each substrate X-step transport device 91 is, for example, about 2 times the length of the substrate P in the X-axis direction. The + X side end of each fixing portion 91b is exposed to the + X side by a predetermined length from the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F.

Further, since the movable portion 91a (substrate suction surface) of each substrate X step transport device 91 needs to suck the back surface of the substrate P and desorb the substrate P to separate the substrate P from the substrate P, the substrate X step transport device can be micro-driven in the Z-axis direction by the driving device 95. In reality, although the movable portion 91a moves the suction substrate P in the X-axis direction, the substrate X-step transport device 91 and the movable portion 91a are not distinguished from each other unless particularly required.

In the above description, the movable portions of the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 and the substrate X stepping conveyor 91 are moved in the Z-axis direction because they are required to be separated from and brought into contact with the substrate P, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the substrate holder PH (fine movement stage 26) that holds a part of the back surface of the substrate P by suction may be moved in the Z-axis direction in order to perform suction of the movable portions (substrate suction surface) to and separation from the substrate P.

The weight-cancelling means 28 supports the micromotion stage 26 from below by means of a levelling device 78. The weight canceling device 28 is disposed in an opening of the coarse movement table 32, and has an upper half portion of the coarse movement table 32 exposed upward and a lower half portion of the coarse movement table 32 exposed downward.

As shown in fig. 32, the weight cancel device 28 includes a housing 64, an air spring 66, a Z slider 68, and the like, and has the same configuration as in each of the embodiments described above and after the embodiment 2, for example. That is, in substrate stage device PSTf according to embodiment 7, Z slider 68 also serves as a fixing portion of leveling device 78, no gasket is provided, and weight canceling device 28 and fine movement stage 26 are integrated. Since the weight cancellation device 28 is integrated with the fine movement stage 26, a coupling device 80(flexure device) or the like that restricts the individual movement of the weight cancellation device 28 is not provided. The fine movement stage 26 is supported by the Z slider 68 so as to be tiltable (swingably in the θ x and θ y directions with respect to the XY plane) by a leveling device 78 having a spherical bearing schematically shown as a spherical member in fig. 32 or a pseudo-spherical bearing structure.

The weight cancellation device 28 and the leveling device 78 are supported by upper components (the fine movement stage 26, the substrate holder PH, and the like) of the weight cancellation device 28, and move in the X-axis direction integrally with the coarse movement stage 32 by the action of the pair of X voice coil motors 54X. That is, the upper components (fine movement stage 26, substrate holder PH, and the like) are supported by the weight cancellation device 28 by the pair of X voice coil motors 54X and driven in synchronization with the coarse movement stage 32 (driven in the same direction and at the same speed as the coarse movement stage 32) by the control of the main control device 50, and are moved in the X-axis direction by a predetermined stroke together with the coarse movement stage 32. The upper components (fine movement stage 26, substrate holder PH, and the like) are micro-driven in the 6-degree-of-freedom direction with respect to coarse movement stage 32 by a pair of X voice coil motors 54X, a pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y, and 4Z voice coil motors 54Z under the control of main control device 50.

In embodiment 7, a moving body (hereinafter, referred to as substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) as appropriate) that moves in the X-axis direction integrally with the substrate P is configured to include the coarse movement stage 32, the weight canceling device 28, the fine movement stage 26, the substrate holder PH, and the like.

As shown in fig. 30 and 31, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X composed of plane mirrors (or corner cubes) having reflecting surfaces orthogonal to the X axis are attached to the vicinity of the X axis direction centers of both Y axis direction side surfaces of fine movement stage 26 by moving mirror support members (not shown) similarly to embodiment 5₁、94X₂. As shown in fig. 32, a Y moving mirror 94Y composed of an elongated flat mirror having a reflection surface orthogonal to the Y axis is fixed to the-Y side surface of fine movement stage 26 by a mirror holding member, not shown.

In embodiment 7, positional information in the XY plane of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) is detected at any time by substrate stage interferometer system 98 (see fig. 33) as in the above embodiments, for example, with a resolution of about 0.5 to 1 nm. In actuality, substrate stage interferometer system 98 includes a pair of X moving mirrors 94X, as shown in fig. 31 and 33₁、94X₂A corresponding pair of X laser interferometers (hereinafter, simply referred to as X interferometers) 98X₁、98X₂And a pair of Y laser interferometers (hereinafter simply referred to as "Y interferometers") 98Y corresponding to the Y moving mirror 94Y₁、98Y₂. X interferometer 98X₁、98X₂And Y interferometer 98Y₁、98Y₂The measurement result of (2) is supplied to the main control device 50 (see fig. 33).

A pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂As shown in fig. 32, one end (lower end) of each frame (X interferometer frame) 102A, 102B having an L shape interfering from the + X direction is fixed to the other end (upper end) of the-X side frame 18. Here, since the frames 102A and 102B are L-shaped, interference between the frames 102A and 102B and the frames 110A and 110B and the coarse movement stage 32 moving in the X-axis direction can be avoided.

And, a pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂Is connected with a pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂In the Y-axis direction, the substrate P is disposed at a position lower than the upper surface of the substrate P so as to be receivable in a gap between the substrate holder PH and the air floating unit group 84E or 84F. Accordingly, in substrate stage device PSTf of the present embodiment, a pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂The stage 18 may be disposed at a position closer to the-X side than the position provided outside the X-axis direction movement range of the substrate holder PH.

Also, X interferometer 98X₁、98X₂A predetermined one of them, e.g. X interferometer 98X₂As shown in FIG. 30, 2 interferometer beams (measurement beams) separated in the Z-axis direction are irradiated onto an X-moving mirror 94X₂The multi-axis interferometer of (1). The reason for this is left to be described later.

The X interferometer is not limited to the pair of X moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂Each of a pair of X interferometers 98X irradiating an interferometer beam (measuring beam) respectively₁、98X₂Alternatively, the emission may be applied to a pair of X-ray moving mirrors 94X₁、94X₂A plurality of measuring beams of at least 1 measuring beam each.

A pair of Y interferometers 98Y₁、98Y₂As shown in fig. 31, the air cell group 84F is disposed between the air cell row in the 1 st row closest to the substrate holder PH and the air cell row in the 2 nd row adjacent thereto, and is opposed to the 2 nd gap between the adjacent air cells located near the center in the X axis direction in the air cell row in the 1 st row. The gap at 2 is symmetrical with respect to the Y-axis passing through the center of exposure area IA. A pair of Y interferometers 98Y₁、98Y₂As shown in fig. 32, the upper surface of the support member 104' provided on the upper surface of the frame 110B is fixed so as to face the Y moving mirror 94Y and be separated from (not in contact with) the air floating units constituting the air floating unit group 84F. In the present embodiment, the interferometer is composed of a pair of Y interferometers 98Y₁、98Y₂The Y moving mirror 94Y is irradiated with a measuring beam (a measuring beam) through the above 2 gaps, respectively. And, will support the Y interferometer 98Y₁、98Y₂When the support member(s) of (2) is (are) attached to the frame 110B, the frame 110B is preferably provided on a mount 18 integrated with the projection optical system PL so that the projection optical system PL is used as a measurement reference of the Y interferometer. Alternatively, the Y interferometer 98Y may not be supported₁、98Y₂The support member 104' is fixed to a frame 110B provided on the ground and directly fixed to the stand 18.

The Y interferometer is not limited to the pair of Y interferometers 98Y that individually irradiate interferometer beams (measurement beams) onto the Y moving mirror 94Y₁、98Y₂A multi-axis interferometer that irradiates 2 measurement beams to the Y-shift mirror 94Y may also be used.

In this embodiment, the X interferometer 98X₁、98X₂Since the substrate P is located at a position lower than the surface of the substrate P in the Z-axis direction (focus and leveling control of the substrate P is performed to make the surface coincide with the image plane of the projection optical system PL at the time of exposure), an abbe error due to a change in the posture (pitching) of the fine movement stage 26 when the substrate P moves in the X-axis direction is included in the measurement result of the X position. The main control device 50 uses the X interferometer 98X constituted by the multi-axis interferometer₂The pitch amount of the fine movement stage 26 is detected, and the X interferometer 98X is performed based on the detection result₁、98X₂And correcting the abbe error contained in the measured X position measurement result. That is, in order to correct the Abbe error, the X interferometer 98X is used₂Using a pair X moving mirror 94X₂A multi-axis interferometer that irradiates 2 interferometer beams (measurement beams) separated in the Z-axis direction, that is, that can detect the amount of tilt of fine movement stage 26.

The other parts of substrate stage device PSTf have the same configuration as substrate stage device PSTd. The components other than the substrate stage device are the same as those in the above embodiments (see fig. 30 to 33).

Next, a series of operations of substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus 700 according to embodiment 7 configured as described above will be described. Here, the case of performing exposure of the 2 nd and subsequent layers on the substrate P will be described with reference to fig. 34 to 49 as an example. Exposure region IA shown in fig. 34 to 49 is an illumination region irradiated with illumination light IL through projection optical system PL at the time of exposure, and is not actually formed at the time other than the time of exposure, but is displayed as needed so that the positional relationship between substrate P and projection optical system PL is clear.

First, under the control of the main controller 50, a loading operation for loading the mask M onto the mask stage MST is performed by a mask carrier (mask loader), not shown, and a carrying-in operation for carrying in (putting in) the substrate P onto the substrate stage device PSTf is performed by a substrate carrying-in device, not shown. When the substrate P is exposed before the front layer is provided in each irradiation region, for example, as shown in fig. 31, there are a plurality of alignment marks (not shown) to be simultaneously transferred with the pattern of each irradiation region together with a total of 6 irradiation regions SA1 to SA4 of 2 in the X-axis direction and 3 in the Y-axis direction, for example.

The main controller 50, as shown in fig. 34, carries the substrate P carried in by the substrate carrying-in device above the-Y-side air floating unit group 84F, while levitating and supporting it by the air floating unit group 84F, and while adsorbing and holding it by the-Y-side substrate X stepping conveyor 91, carries it in the-X direction as shown by the black arrows in fig. 34.

Next, the main controller 50 uses the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the most + X side of the-Y side to suction and hold the substrate P suspended and supported by the air floating unit group 84F, and releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate X stepping conveyor 91. Next, the main controller 50 uses the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 to convey the substrate P in the + Y direction as indicated by the broken-line arrow in fig. 34.

Accordingly, as shown in fig. 35, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the — Y side floating unit group 84F of the substrate holder PH. At this time, the substrate P is supported by the substrate holder PH and a part of the air floating unit group 84F in a floating manner. Subsequently, the main controller 50 switches the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction. Accordingly, a part of the substrate P (about 1/3 of the entire substrate P) is fixedly adsorbed by the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrate P (about 2/3 of the entire substrate P) is supported by the part of the air floating unit group 84F in a floating manner. At this time, in order to make at least 2 alignment marks on the substrate P enter the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems and come onto the substrate holder PH, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the air floating unit group 84F.

Immediately after the start of the suction operation of the substrate holder PH with respect to the substrate P, the main control device 50 releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate Y-step conveyance device 88, and the substrate Y-step conveyance device 88 (movable portion 88a) returns to the standby position of the-Y-side movement limit position shown in fig. 36. At this time, the substrate X stepping conveyor 91 (movable portion 91a) is also returned to the standby position at the-X-side movement limit position shown in fig. 36 by the main controller 50.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 obtains the position of the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) with respect to the projection optical system PL and the approximate position of the substrate P with respect to the fine movement stage 26 by the same alignment measurement method as in the related art. Further, alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the fine movement stage 26 may be omitted.

Next, based on the measurement result, main controller 50 drives fine movement stage 26 via coarse movement stage 32 to move at least 2 alignment marks on substrate P into the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems to perform alignment measurement of substrate P with respect to projection optical system PL, and based on the result, determines a scanning start position at which exposure of irradiation region SA1 on substrate P is performed. Here, in order to perform scanning for exposure, the scanning start position is strictly speaking an acceleration start position because the acceleration section and the deceleration section are included before and after the constant velocity movement section at the time of scanning exposure. Next, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stage 32 and fine movement stage 26 to position substrate P at the scanning start position (acceleration start position). At this time, fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) is performed with respect to the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z-direction (or 6-degree-of-freedom direction) of coarse movement stage 32. Fig. 36 shows a state in which the substrate P is positioned immediately after the scanning start position (acceleration start position) for performing exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P in this manner.

Then, an exposure operation of the step-and-scan method is performed.

The step-and-scan type exposure operation is performed by sequentially performing exposure processing on a plurality of irradiation areas SA1 to SA6 on the substrate P. In the scanning operation (X scanning operation), the substrate P is accelerated in the X-axis direction for a predetermined acceleration time, then driven at a constant speed for a predetermined time (in this constant speed driving, exposure (scanning exposure) is performed), and then decelerated for the same time as the acceleration time. The substrate is appropriately driven in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction (hereinafter, referred to as X-step operation and Y-step operation, respectively) during the step operation (during the movement between irradiation regions). In the present embodiment, the maximum exposure width (width in the Y-axis direction) of each irradiation region SAn (where n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) is about 1/3 of the substrate P.

Specifically, the exposure operation is performed in the following manner.

From the state of fig. 36, the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is driven in the-X direction as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 36, and performs the X scanning operation of P. At this time, mask M (mask stage MST) is driven in the-X direction in synchronization with substrate P (fine movement stage 26), and irradiation region SA1 passes through exposure region IA of the projection region of the pattern of mask M of projection optical system PL, and therefore, scanning exposure is performed on irradiation region SA1 at this time. The scanning exposure is performed by irradiating the substrate P with illumination light IL through the mask M and the projection optical system PL during the constant-speed movement of the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) after acceleration in the-X direction.

During the X-scan operation, main controller 50 drives substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) in a state in which a part of substrate P (about 1/3 of the entire substrate P) is sucked and fixed to substrate holder PH mounted on fine movement stage 26 and a part of substrate P (about 2/3 of the entire substrate P) is supported in a floating manner on air floating unit group 84F. At this time, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stage 32 in the X-axis direction by X linear motor 42 based on the measurement result of X linear encoder system 46, and drives fine movement stage drive system 52 (each of voice coil motors 54X, 54Y, and 54Z) based on the measurement results of substrate stage interferometer system 98 and Z tilt measurement system 76. Accordingly, in a state where substrate P is integrally supported by weight cancel device 28, that is, with fine movement stage 26, substrate P moves integrally with coarse movement stage 32 in the X-axis direction by the action of a pair of X voice coil motors 54X, and is precisely controlled in each direction (6-degree-of-freedom direction) of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θ X, θ Y, and θ Z by relative driving from coarse movement stage 32. Further, main controller 50 scans and drives mask stage MST holding mask M in the X-axis direction and micro-drives it in the Y-axis direction and θ z direction based on the measurement result of mask interferometer system 14 in synchronization with micro-movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) at the time of the X-scan operation. Fig. 37 shows a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA1 is completed and the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) holding a part of the substrate P is stopped.

Next, the main controller 50 performs an X-step operation of driving the substrate P in the + X direction, as indicated by a white arrow in fig. 37, to accelerate the next exposure. The X stepping operation of the substrate P is performed by driving the substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) by the main control device 50 in the same state as the X scanning operation (although the positional deviation during the movement is not strictly limited as the scanning operation). Main controller 50 returns mask stage MST to the acceleration start position in parallel with the X-step operation of substrate P.

Next, after the X step operation, main controller 50 starts acceleration of substrate P (substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH)) and mask M (mask stage MST) in the-X direction, and performs scanning exposure on illumination area SA2 in the same manner as described above. Fig. 38 shows a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 is completed and the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped.

Then, a Y step operation for moving the unexposed area of the substrate P to the substrate holder PH is performed. The Y-step operation of the substrate P is performed by the main controller 50 holding the back surface of the substrate P in the state shown in fig. 38 by suction by the substrate Y-step transport device 88 (movable portion 88a) on the-Y side and the most-X side, and after the suction of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH is released, in a state in which the substrate P is suspended by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air-floating unit group 84F, the substrate P is transported in the + Y direction by the substrate Y-step transport device 88 as indicated by a broken-line arrow in fig. 38. As described above, the substrate P is moved in the + Y direction with respect to the substrate holder PH, and as shown in fig. 39, the substrates P are loaded in a state where the unexposed irradiation regions SA3 and SA4 are opposed to the substrate holder PH and straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the air cell group 84E and a part of the air cell group 84F. At this time, the substrate P is supported by the substrate holder PH and a part of the air floating unit group 84E and a part of the air floating unit group 84F in a floating manner. Next, the main controller 50 switches the substrate holder PH from the exhaust to the suction (suction). Accordingly, a part of the substrate P (about 1/3 of the entire substrate P) is fixedly adsorbed by the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrate P (about 2/3 of the entire substrate P) is supported by floating the part of the air floating unit group 84E and the part of the air floating unit group 84F. Immediately after the start of the suction operation of the substrate holder PH with respect to the substrate P, the main control device 50 releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate Y step transport device 88.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot area provided in advance on the substrate P is performed. In this alignment measurement, the substrate P is subjected to an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 40) as necessary to bring the alignment mark to be measured into the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of substrate P with respect to projection optical system PL is completed, that is, based on the result, main controller 50 performs precise fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 with respect to coarse movement stage 32 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z directions (or 6-degree-of-freedom directions).

Next, the controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 41), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA3 as described above. Fig. 41 shows a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 is completed and the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped.

Next, in order to accelerate the next exposure, the main controller 50 performs an X-step operation of the substrate P for driving the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) in the-X direction and an operation for returning the mask stage MST to the acceleration start position, and then starts acceleration of the substrate P and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 42), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA4 in the same manner as described above. Fig. 42 shows a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA4 is completed and the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped.

Then, a Y step operation for moving the unexposed area of the substrate P to the substrate holder PH is performed. During the Y step operation of the substrate P, the main controller 50 holds the back surface of the substrate P in the state shown in fig. 42 by suction with the substrate Y step conveyance device 88 (movable portion 88a) on the-Y side and the most + X side, and conveys the substrate P in the + Y direction with the substrate Y step conveyance device 88 as shown by black arrows in fig. 42, in a state where the substrate P is suspended by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air flotation unit groups 84E and 84F after the suction of the substrate holder PH to the substrate P is released. In this way, only the substrate P is moved in the Y-axis direction with respect to the substrate holder PH (see fig. 43). In this case, when the stroke of the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the-Y side is short, the main controller 50 can continue the conveyance of the substrate P using the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the + Y side (see fig. 44). To do this, the main control device 50 may drive the substrate Y stepping transport device 88 (movable portion 88a) on the + Y side in the-Y direction in advance to wait near the substrate holder PH (see fig. 43).

The unexposed irradiation regions SA5 and SA6 of the substrate P moved to the substrate holder PH by the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 in the + Y direction are partially (about 1/3 of the entire substrate P) fixed again to the substrate holder PH by the adsorption of the substrate holder PH, and partially (about 2/3 of the entire substrate P) supported by part of the air floating unit groups 84E in a floating manner. Immediately after the start of the suction operation of the substrate holder PH with respect to the substrate P, the main control device 50 releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate Y step transport device 88. Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot area provided in advance on the substrate P is performed. In this alignment measurement, the substrate P is subjected to the X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 45) as necessary so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned within the detection field of the alignment detection system.

Immediately before starting the new alignment measurement of the substrate P, a new substrate P is loaded into the air floating unit group 84F on the-Y side by a substrate loading device (not shown) (see fig. 45). At this time, the movable portion 91a of the substrate X stepping conveyor 91 on the-Y side moves to a position near the movement limit position on the + X side, that is, to a position below the newly loaded substrate P, and waits at this position. The movable portion 88a of the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the-Y side and the most-X side is moved to the movement limit position on the-Y side by the main controller 50 as indicated by the black arrow in fig. 45.

On the other hand, when a new alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed with respect to the substrate P partially fixed (held) on the substrate holder PH, that is, based on the result, the main controller 50 performs fine positioning drive of the fine movement stage 26 with respect to the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z-direction (or 6-degree-of-freedom direction) of the coarse movement stage 32. Next, the main controller 50 performs exposure of the last 2 shot areas SA5 and SA6 according to the same procedure as in the case of the 1 st shot areas SA1 and SA 2. Fig. 46 shows a state immediately after the end of exposure of the last shot area SA 6.

In parallel with the exposure of the light-irradiation regions SA5 and SA6, the newly loaded substrate P is sucked and held by the main controller 50 by the substrate X-step transport device 91 on the-Y side and transported to the-X side (see fig. 46).

On the other hand, after the exposure of all the exposure areas SA1 to SA6 is completed, the main controller 50 uses the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the + Y side and the-X side to convey the substrate Y to the + Y side as indicated by the dashed white arrows in fig. 47, and completely withdraws from the substrate holder PH and conveys the substrate P to the air cell group 84E. At substantially the same time, the main controller 50 conveys the newly loaded substrate P to the + Y side as indicated by the black arrows in fig. 47 using the substrate Y step conveyor 88 on the-Y side and the most-X side, and the irradiation regions SA1 and SA2 are positioned on the substrate holder PH (see fig. 47).

The substrate P having been carried to the air floating unit group 84E and having been subjected to exposure is carried in the + X direction by the main controller 50 using the substrate X step transport device 91 on the + Y side as indicated by a black arrow in fig. 48, and carried out in the + X direction by a substrate carry-out device (not shown) (see fig. 48 and 49).

After the alignment operation similar to that described above is performed on the substrate P on the substrate holder PH in parallel with the carrying-out of the substrate P subjected to the exposure, the acceleration in the + X direction of the substrate P and the mask M is started, and the scanning exposure of the first shot area SA2 is performed in the same manner as described above (see fig. 48 and 49). Thereafter, operations such as alignment (X step, Y step) and exposure of the remaining irradiation regions on the 2 nd substrate P, and operations such as alignment (X step, Y step) and exposure of the 3 rd and subsequent substrates are repeated in the same procedure as in the exposure of the 1 st substrate P.

However, as is clear from the above description of the first exposure of the irradiation region SA2, the exposure sequence of the 1 st (odd) substrate P and the 2 nd (even) substrate P in the irradiation region is different in the present embodiment. The exposure sequence for the 1 st (odd) substrate P is irradiation regions SA1, SA2, SA3, SA4, SA5, SA6, whereas the exposure sequence for the 2 nd (even) substrate P is irradiation regions SA2, SA1, SA4, SA3, SA6, SA 5. Of course, the exposure sequence is not limited thereto.

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus 700 of embodiment 7, the same effects as those of the exposure apparatus 100 of embodiment 1 can be obtained. In addition, in the exposure apparatus 700 according to embodiment 7, the substrate holder PH mounted on the fine movement stage 26 holds a part of the surface of the substrate P opposite to the surface to be exposed (surface to be processed). That is, the substrate holding surface of the substrate holder PH is smaller than the substrate P, and is set to about 1/3. Therefore, when the substrate Y step transport device 88 transports the substrate P in the XY plane so as to be displaced in the Y axis direction when the substrate Y step transport device 88 carries out the substrate P from the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) in accordance with an instruction from the main control device 50, the substrate Y step transport device 88 moves the substrate P only by a distance smaller than the Y axis direction dimension (width or length) of the substrate P, that is, only by the same distance as the Y axis direction width of the substrate holder PH of about 1/3 of the Y axis direction dimension of the substrate P in the Y axis direction, and the carrying out of the substrate P is completed (for example, see fig. 46 and 47). As described above, in the present embodiment, the moving distance (carrying-out distance) of the substrate P when the substrate P is carried out is smaller than the size of the substrate, and therefore, the carrying-out time of the substrate P can be shortened as compared with the conventional art.

Further, according to the exposure apparatus 700 of embodiment 7, at the time point when the scanning exposure of the final irradiation region on the substrate P is completed, the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) can slide the substrate P, on which the exposure is completed, to one side in the Y axis direction at a certain position in the X axis direction to carry out (retract) the substrate P from the substrate holder PH, and at the same time (substantially at the same time) slide the substrate P, on which the exposure is not completed, from the other side in the Y axis direction to carry in (put in) the substrate holder PH (see fig. 46 and 47).

When the substrate P before exposure is carried into the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH), the substrate P is also moved in the Y-axis direction, and is carried in the XY plane by the substrate Y step transport device 88 in accordance with an instruction from the main control device 50, and at this time, the substrate Y step transport device 88 only needs to move the substrate P in the Y-axis direction by a distance smaller than the Y-axis direction dimension (width or length) of the substrate P, that is, by the same distance as the Y-axis direction width of the substrate holder PH (about 1/3 of the Y-axis direction dimension of the substrate P), to complete the carrying-in of the substrate P. Therefore, the time for carrying in and out the substrate can be shortened as compared with the conventional one, and as a result, the time for replacing the substrate can be shortened.

The main controller 50 performs slide carrying-out of the substrate P from the substrate holder PH to one side in the Y-axis direction and slide carrying-in of the substrate P from the other side in the Y-axis direction to the substrate holder PH at the position in the X-axis direction of the substrate holder PH according to the arrangement of the irradiation region on the substrate P and the exposure sequence. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the substrate holder PH to a predetermined substrate replacement position (for example, a position near the movement limit position in the + X direction) as in the conventional substrate replacement. Accordingly, the substrate replacement time can be further shortened.

Here, although the above-described embodiments have been described with reference to the case where the carrying-out direction of the substrate P after exposure from the substrate holder PH is the + Y direction in any case, it is needless to say that at least one of the even-numbered substrates and the odd-numbered substrates may be carried out from the substrate holder PH in the-Y direction depending on the arrangement of the irradiation regions on the substrate and the exposure order. That is, in the present embodiment, the main controller 50 carries out the substrate P in the direction (+ Y direction or-Y direction) corresponding to the arrangement and exposure order of the irradiation regions on the substrate P at the position in the X-axis direction of the substrate holder PH according to the arrangement and exposure order of the irradiation regions on the substrate P so that the replacement time of the substrate becomes the shortest. Therefore, the substrate replacement time can be shortened compared with the case where the substrate is carried out in the same direction at a constant X position regardless of the arrangement of the irradiation regions (regions to be processed) on the substrate and the processing order.

The dimension in the Y axis direction of the supporting surfaces of the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F on both sides in the Y axis direction of the substrate holder PH is not limited to the same as the dimension in the Y axis direction of the substrate P, and may be larger or slightly smaller.

The Y-axis dimension of the substrate holding surface of the substrate holder PH is not limited to 1/3 of the Y-axis dimension of the substrate P, and may be 1/2, 1/4 or the like as long as the Y-axis dimension of the substrate holding surface of the substrate holder PH is smaller than the Y-axis dimension of the substrate P by a certain degree or more. In practice, the size of the irradiation region formed on the substrate P is set to be substantially the same (slightly larger).

EXAMPLE 8

Next, embodiment 8 will be described with reference to fig. 50 to 65. Here, the same or equivalent constituent elements as those in the above-described embodiments 1 to 7 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 50 schematically shows the configuration of the exposure apparatus 800 according to embodiment 8, with the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F omitted. Fig. 51 is a plan view in which a part of the exposure apparatus 800 is omitted. Fig. 51 corresponds to a plan view of a portion below the projection optical system PL (a portion below the barrel stage 16) in fig. 50.

Exposure apparatus 800 according to embodiment 8 is basically configured in the same manner as exposure apparatus 700 according to embodiment 7, but substrate stage device PSTg is partially different from substrate stage device PSTf according to embodiment 7.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 51, in substrate stage device PSTg, as substrate holder PH, not only the Y-axis direction dimension but also the X-axis direction dimension smaller than the X-axis direction dimension of substrate P (for example, about 1/2 of substrate P) is used. The Y-axis dimension of the substrate holder PH is about 1/2 of the Y-axis dimension of the substrate P. Further, a pair of air floating units (moving air floating units) 84G independent from the substrate holder PH and the fine movement stage 26 are disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the X axis direction. As shown in fig. 50, each of the pair of air-floating units 84G is fixed to the upper surface of the rough-movement table 32 by a support member 112 so that the upper surface thereof has a height substantially equal to (slightly lower than) the height of the substrate holder PH. The pair of air levitation units 84G have a length in the Y-axis direction equal to (or slightly shorter than) the substrate holder PH, for example, and an X-axis direction length of about 1/2 of the substrate holder PH, for example.

As shown in fig. 51, a pair of moving substrate Y step conveyors 120 are disposed between the substrate holder PH and each of the pair of air flotation units 84G. Each of the pair of moving substrate Y stepping devices 120 is configured in the same manner as the substrate Y stepping device 88 described above, and is mounted on the rough table 32 as shown in fig. 50. The movable portion 120a of each moving substrate Y step transport device 120 is movable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the fixed portion 120b fixed to the rough-movement stage 32. Therefore, each of the moving substrate Y stepping transport devices 120 can move in the X-axis direction together with the rough-motion stage 32, and can transport only the substrate P in the Y-axis direction.

Further, 3 substrate Y step transport devices 88 and 1 substrate X step transport device 91, which are the same as those in embodiment 7, are disposed in the disposition areas of the pair of air floating unit groups 84E and 84F disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y axis direction, respectively. However, as shown in fig. 51, in embodiment 8, 3 substrate Y step conveyors 88 and 1 substrate X step conveyor 91 in the respective arrangement areas of air floating unit groups 84E and 84F are arranged symmetrically with respect to the X axis passing through the center of exposure area IA. In addition, due to the symmetrical arrangement, a pair of Y interferometers 98Y₁、98Y₂The arrangement position of (2) is more on the + Y side than that of the above embodiment 7.

The X-beams 30A and 30B are slightly wider in the Y-axis direction than the X-beams 30A and 30B of embodiment 7. On the upper surfaces of the X beams 30A, 30B, for example, 2X linear guides 36 are fixed similarly to the substrate stage device PST and the like, and an X stator 38 is fixed between the 2X linear guides 36. A plurality of sliders 44 engaged with the respective 2X linear guides 36 are fixed to the lower surface of the coarse movement table 32. An X mover, not shown, which constitutes an X linear motor together with the X stator 38 is fixed to the lower surface of the coarse movement stage 32.

The configuration of the other parts of substrate stage device PSTg is the same as that of substrate stage device PSTf of embodiment 7. In this case, a pair of X interferometers 98X₁、98X₂The air-floating unit groups 84E and 84F fixed to each other and the air-floating unit 84G on the coarse movement stage 32 are fixed so as to be able to approach the pair of X-ray moving mirrors 94X without interfering with each other₁、94X₂。

The configuration of the other parts of substrate stage device PSTg is the same as that of substrate stage device PSTf of embodiment 7. Therefore, substrate stage device PSTg also includes a moving body that moves in the X-axis direction integrally with substrate P, such as coarse movement stage 32, weight canceling device 28, fine movement stage 26, and substrate holder PH. In embodiment 8, this moving body is also referred to as a substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) hereinafter as appropriate.

Next, a series of operations of substrate processing performed by the exposure apparatus 800 according to embodiment 8 will be described. Here, for example, the case of performing exposure of the 2 nd layer and subsequent layers on the substrate P will be described with reference to fig. 52 to 65. Exposure region IA shown in fig. 52 to 65 is an illumination region irradiated with illumination light IL through projection optical system PL at the time of exposure, and is not actually formed at the time other than the time of exposure, but is displayed as needed so that the positional relationship between substrate P and projection optical system PL is clear.

First, under the control of the main controller 50, a loading operation for loading the mask M onto the mask stage MST is performed by a mask carrier (mask loader), not shown, and a carrying-in operation for carrying in (putting in) the substrate P onto the substrate stage device PSTf is performed by a substrate carrying-in device, not shown. When the substrate P is exposed before the front layer is provided in each irradiation region, for example, as shown in fig. 51, there are a plurality of alignment marks (not shown) to be simultaneously transferred with the pattern of each irradiation region together with a total of 4 irradiation regions SA1 to SA4 of 2 in the X-axis direction and 2 in the Y-axis direction, for example.

First, in the same order as the 1 st substrate P in embodiment 7, as shown in fig. 52, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the air floating unit group 84F on the-Y side of the substrate holder PH. At this time, the substrate P is supported by the substrate holder PH, a part of the float cell group 84F, and the float cell 84G on the + X side in a floating manner. Next, the main controller 50 switches the substrate holder PH from the exhaust to the suction (suction). Accordingly, a state is achieved in which a part of the substrate P (about 1/4 of the entire substrate P corresponding to the rectangular region including the irradiation region SA1) is fixedly adsorbed by the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrate P (about 3/4 of the rest of the entire substrate P) is supported by being suspended by the part of the air floating unit groups 84F and the air floating units 84G. At this time, in order to allow at least 2 alignment marks on the substrate P to enter the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems (not shown) and come onto the substrate holder PH, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the air floating unit group 84F and the air floating unit 84G.

Immediately after the start of the suction operation of the substrate holder PH with respect to the substrate P, the main control device 50 releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate Y step transport device 88. At this time, the substrate Y step transport device 88 (movable portion 88a) and the substrate X step transport device 91 (movable portion 91a) return to the standby position of the-Y side movement limit position and the standby position of the-X side movement limit position, respectively, in response to the instruction of the main control device 50.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 obtains the position of the fine movement stage 26 with respect to the projection optical system PL and the approximate position of the substrate P with respect to the fine movement stage 26 by the same alignment measurement method as in the related art. Further, alignment measurement of the substrate P with respect to the fine movement stage 26 may be omitted.

Next, main controller 50 drives fine movement stage 26 via coarse movement stage 32 based on the measurement result so that at least 2 alignment marks on substrate P are moved into the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems, performs alignment measurement of substrate P with respect to projection optical system PL, and determines a scanning start position (acceleration start position) for performing exposure of irradiation region SA1 on substrate P based on the result. Next, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stage 32 and fine movement stage 26 to position substrate P at the scanning start position (acceleration start position). At this time, fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 is performed with respect to coarse movement stage 32 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z directions (or 6-degree-of-freedom directions). Fig. 52 shows a state immediately after positioning of the substrate P at the scanning start position (acceleration start position) for performing exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P is completed in this manner.

Then, an exposure operation of the step-and-scan method is performed.

The step-and-scan type exposure operation is performed by sequentially performing exposure processing on a plurality of irradiation areas SA1 to SA4 on the substrate P. In the 8 th embodiment, the above-described X-scanning operation of the substrate P is also performed during the scanning operation, and the X-stepping operation or the Y-stepping operation of the substrate P is performed during the stepping operation (during the movement between the irradiation regions). In embodiment 8, the Y step operation of the substrate P is the same as embodiment 7, but the X step operation of the substrate P is different from embodiment 7 as described later. In embodiment 8, the maximum exposure width (width in the Y-axis direction) of each irradiation region SAn (where n is 1, 2, 3, and 4) is about 1/2 of the substrate P.

Specifically, the exposure operation is performed in the following manner.

The substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) are driven in the-X direction from the state of fig. 52 as indicated by white arrows in fig. 52, and perform an X-scan operation of the substrate P. At this time, since mask M (mask stage MST) is driven in the-X direction in synchronization with substrate P (fine movement stage 26), and irradiation area SA1 passes through exposure area IA of the projection area of the pattern of mask M projected by projection optical system PL, scanning exposure is performed on irradiation area SA1 at this time. The scanning exposure is performed by irradiating the substrate P with illumination light IL through the mask M and the projection optical system PL during the constant-speed movement of the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) after acceleration in the-X direction.

During the X-scan operation, the main controller 50 drives the substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) in a state in which a part of the substrate P (about 1/4 of the entire substrate P) is sucked and fixed to the substrate holder PH on the fine movement stage 26 and a part of the substrate P (about 3/4 of the entire substrate P) is supported by floating on a part of the air cell groups 84F and the air cell 84G on the + X side. At this time, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stage 32 in the X-axis direction and drives fine movement stage drive system 52 in the same manner as described above. Accordingly, in a state where substrate P is integrally supported by weight cancel device 28, that is, with fine movement stage 26, substrate P moves integrally with coarse movement stage 32 in the X-axis direction by the action of a pair of X voice coil motors 54X, and precise position control in each direction (6-degree-of-freedom direction) of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θ X, θ Y, and θ Z is performed by relative driving from coarse movement stage 32. In the X-scan operation, main controller 50 scans and drives (microdrives in the Y-axis direction and θ z-axis direction) mask stage MST holding mask M in the X-axis direction in synchronization with fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH). Fig. 53 shows a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA1 is completed and the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped.

Next, an X-step operation for moving the next shot area SA2 of the substrate P to the substrate holder PH is performed. The X-step operation of the substrate P is performed by the main control device 50, by sucking and holding the back surface of the substrate P in the state shown in fig. 53 by the substrate X-step transport device 91 (movable portion 91a) on the-Y side, and after the suction of the substrate holder PH is released, the substrate P is levitated by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air levitation unit group 84F and the + X-side air levitation unit 84G. Accordingly, the substrate P is held only by the substrate X step transport device 91 (movable portion 91 a).

Next, the main controller 50 starts the X-stepping for driving the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) in the + X direction on the substrate P as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 53, while maintaining the holding state of the substrate P only by the substrate X-stepping transport device 91. Accordingly, in a state where the substrate P is stopped at a position before the X step starts, the substrate holder PH moves in the + X direction with respect to the substrate P. Next, when the substrate holder PH reaches a position directly below the next irradiation area SA2 of the substrate P, the main controller 50 stops the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) (see fig. 54). At this time, the substrate P is loaded to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the flotation unit group 84F and the flotation unit 84G on the-X side. High-pressure air is ejected from the upper surfaces of the substrate holder PH, the air floating unit group 84F, and the air floating unit 84G, and the substrate P is supported in a floating manner.

In parallel with the driving of the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) for the X-stepping of the substrate P, the main controller 50 returns the mask stage MST to the predetermined acceleration start position.

Thereafter, suction of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH and suction release of the substrate P by the substrate X-step transport device 91, alignment measurement using a new alignment mark on the substrate P, and positioning of the substrate P using the fine movement stage 26 are performed (see white arrows in fig. 54). Thereafter, the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) and the mask stage MST are moved in the-X direction as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 55 in synchronization with each other, thereby performing scanning exposure of the next shot area SA 2. Fig. 56 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped after the exposure of the irradiation area SA2 is completed.

Next, a Y stepping operation for moving the next shot area SA3 of the substrate P to the substrate holder PH is performed. The Y-step operation of the substrate P is performed as follows. That is, the main controller 50 sucks and holds the back surface of the substrate P in the state shown in fig. 56 by the moving substrate Y step transport device 120 (movable portion 120a) on the-X side, and releases the suction of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH. Thereafter, the main controller 50 conveys the substrate P in the + Y direction by the moving substrate Y step conveyor 120 on the-X side as indicated by the broken line white arrows in fig. 56 in a state where the substrate P is suspended by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air-floating unit group 84F and the air-floating unit 84G. Accordingly, only the substrate P moves in the + Y direction with respect to the substrate holder PH (see fig. 57). At this time, when the stroke of the moving substrate Y stepping conveyor 120 on the-X side is short, the main controller 50 may continue the conveyance of the substrate P using the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the + Y side located on the most-X side (see black arrows in fig. 58).

At this time, the substrate P is loaded to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the floatation unit group 84E and the floatation unit 84G on the-X side. High-pressure air is ejected from the upper surfaces of the substrate holder PH, the air floating unit group 84E, and the air floating unit 84G, and the substrate P is supported in a floating manner.

Thereafter, the suction of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH and the release of the suction of the substrate P by the moving substrate Y step transport device 120, the alignment measurement using the new alignment mark on the substrate P, and the positioning of the substrate P using the fine movement stage 26 are performed (see white arrows in fig. 57 or fig. 58). Thereafter, the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) and the mask stage MST are moved in the + X direction in synchronization with each other as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 59, and scanning exposure of the next shot area SA3 is performed. Fig. 60 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped after the exposure of the irradiation area SA3 is completed.

Next, an X-step operation for moving the next shot area SA4 of the substrate P to the substrate holder PH is performed. The X-step operation of the substrate P is performed as follows.

That is, after the main controller 50 adsorbs and holds the back surface of the substrate P in the state shown in fig. 60 by the substrate X step transport device 91 (movable portion 91a) on the + Y side and releases the adsorption of the substrate holder PH, the substrate P is floated by the exhaust of the high-pressure air from the substrate holder PH and the exhaust of the high-pressure air following the air floating unit group 84E and the-X side air floating unit 84G. Accordingly, the substrate P is held only by the substrate X step transport device 91 (movable portion 91 a).

Next, the main controller 50 starts the X-stepping for driving the substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) in the-X direction as indicated by white arrows in fig. 60 while maintaining the holding state of the substrate P by only the substrate X-stepping transport device 91. Accordingly, the substrate holder PH moves in the-X direction with respect to the substrate P, that is, in a state where the substrate P is stopped at a position before the start of the X step on the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH). Next, when the substrate holder PH reaches a position directly below the next irradiation area SA4 of the substrate P, the main controller 50 stops the substrate stages (26, 28, 32, PH) (see fig. 61). At this time, the substrate P is loaded so as to straddle the substrate holder PH and a part of the floatation unit group 84E and the floatation unit 84G on the + X side. High-pressure air is ejected from the upper surfaces of the substrate holder PH, the air floating unit group 84E, and the air floating unit 84G, and the substrate P is supported in a floating manner.

In parallel with the step driving of the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH), the main controller 50 returns the mask stage MST to a predetermined acceleration start position.

Thereafter, suction of the substrate P by the substrate holder PH and suction release of the substrate P by the substrate X-step transport device 91, alignment measurement using a new alignment mark on the substrate P, and positioning of the substrate P using the fine movement stage 26 are performed (see white arrows in fig. 61). Thereafter, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 62, the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) and the mask stage MST are moved in the + X direction in synchronization with each other, thereby performing scanning exposure of the next shot area SA 4. Fig. 63 shows a state in which the substrate stage (26, 28, 32, PH) is stopped after the exposure of the irradiation area SA4 is completed.

Before the scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA4 on the substrate P, the movable portion 91a of the substrate X stepping conveyor 91 on the-Y side is ready to carry in the next substrate, and is driven by the main control device 50 to a standby position near the movement limit position on the + X side, where the substrate is standby (see black arrows in fig. 62).

Subsequently, in parallel with the scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA4 on the substrate P, the substrate P newly loaded onto the air cell group 84F is sucked, held, and conveyed to the-X side by the main controller 50 by the substrate X step conveyor 91 (movable portion 91a) on the-Y side (see white arrows in fig. 63) by the substrate loading device (not shown).

On the other hand, the substrates P having been exposed in all of the exposure areas SA1 to SA4 are transported to the + Y side as indicated by the broken-line arrow in fig. 63 by the main controller 50 using the moving substrate Y stepping transport device 120 on the + X side, completely retracted from the substrate holder PH, and transported to the air cell group 84E on the + Y side. At this time, when the stroke of the + X side moving substrate Y step transport device 120 is short, the main controller 50 may continue the transport of the substrate using the + Y side substrate Y step transport device 88 and the most + X side substrate Y step transport device 88 (see fig. 64). At substantially the same time, the newly loaded substrate P is transported to the + Y side as indicated by a black arrow in fig. 64 by the main controller 50 using the substrate Y step transport device 88 on the-Y side and the most + X side, and the irradiation area SA1 is positioned on the substrate holder (see fig. 64).

The substrate P having been subjected to exposure and transported to the air floating unit group 84E is transported in the + X direction by the main controller 50 using the substrate X step transport device 91 on the + Y side, and is carried out in the + X direction by a substrate carrying-out device (not shown) (see fig. 64 and 65).

After the alignment operation similar to that described above is performed on the substrate P partially held on the substrate holder PH in parallel with the carrying out of the substrate P subjected to the exposure, acceleration of the substrate P and the mask M in the + X direction is started, and scanning exposure of the first irradiation region SA1 is performed in the same manner as described above (see fig. 65). Thereafter, operations such as alignment (X step, Y step) and exposure of the remaining irradiation regions on the substrates P after the 2 nd and the substrates P after the 3 rd are repeated in the same order as in the exposure of the substrate P of the 1 st. In this case, both the odd-numbered substrate P and the even-numbered substrate P are exposed in the order of the irradiation regions SA1, SA2, SA3, and SA 4.

According to the exposure apparatus 800 of embodiment 8 described above, the substrate holder PH, the fine movement stage 26 on which the substrate holder PH is mounted, and the weight canceling device 28 for supporting the same can be made lighter and more compact than those of embodiment 1, in addition to the same effects as those of the exposure apparatus 700 of embodiment 7 described above.

Modifications of the examples

In the exposure apparatus of each of the above embodiments, a frame-shaped substrate support member may be used which holds the substrate P integrally and which can be floated integrally with the substrate P by the air floating unit. Hereinafter, a case where such a substrate supporting member is applied to the exposure apparatus 800 according to embodiment 8 will be described with reference to fig. 66 as an example.

As shown in fig. 66, the substrate support member 69 has a rectangular (substantially square) outline in a plan view, and is formed of a frame-shaped member having a rectangular opening in a plan view penetrating in the Z-axis direction at the center and having a small (thin) dimension in the thickness direction. The substrate support member 69 includes a pair of X frame members 61X each having a flat plate-like member parallel to the XY plane with the X axis direction as a longitudinal direction at a predetermined interval in the Y axis direction, and the pair of X frame members 61X are connected to the Y frame members 61Y of the flat plate-like member parallel to the XY plane with the Y axis direction as the longitudinal direction at the + X side and the-X side ends, respectively. Each of the pair of X frame members 61X and the pair of Y frame members 61Y is preferably formed of a Fiber-Reinforced synthetic resin material such as gfrp (glass Fiber Reinforced plastics) or ceramics, for example, from the viewpoint of ensuring rigidity and reducing weight.

On the upper surface of the X frame member 61X on the-Y side, a Y moving mirror 94Y having a reflecting surface on the-Y side is fixed. An X moving mirror 94X composed of a flat mirror having a reflecting surface on the-X side surface is fixed to the upper surface of the Y frame member 61Y on the-X side. In this case, it is not necessary to provide an X-moving mirror or a Y-moving mirror in any of the substrate holder PH and the fine movement stage 26.

Positional information (including θ) in the XY plane of the substrate support member 69 (i.e., the substrate P)Rotation information in the z direction), a pair of X interferometers 98X including a pair of X interferometers 98X for irradiating a length measuring beam onto a reflection surface of the X moving mirror 94X₁、98X₂And a pair of Y interferometers 98Y for irradiating the reflection surface of the Y moving mirror 94Y with a length measuring beam₁、98Y₂The above-mentioned substrate stage interferometer system 98 is detected at any time with a resolving power of, for example, about 0.5 nm.

The number of X interferometers and the number of Y interferometers or the distance between the axes of the measuring beams is set by considering that at least one measuring beam can be irradiated to the corresponding movable mirror within the movable range of the substrate support member 69. Therefore, the number of interferometers (the number of optical axes) is not limited to 2, and may be, for example, only 1 (1 axis), or 3 (3 axes) or more depending on the movement stroke of the substrate support member.

The substrate support member 69 includes a plurality of, for example, 4 holding units 65 for holding the end portions (outer peripheral edge portions) of the substrates P by vacuum suction from below. The 4 holding units 65 are attached to the facing surfaces of the pair of X frame members 61X facing each other in a manner separated in the X axis direction by 2. The number and arrangement of the holding units are not limited to these, and may be added as appropriate depending on the size of the substrate, the degree of flexibility, and the like. In addition, the holding unit may be attached to the Y frame member. The holding unit 65 includes, for example, a substrate mounting member having an L-shaped cross section on which a suction pad for sucking the substrate P by vacuum suction is provided, and a parallel plate spring for connecting the substrate mounting member to the X frame member 61X, and is configured such that the position of the substrate mounting member is restrained by the rigidity of the parallel plate spring in the X axis direction and the Y axis direction with respect to the X frame member 61X, and the substrate mounting member is displaced (moved up and down) in the Z axis direction without rotating in the θ X direction by the elastic energy of the parallel plate spring. A substrate holding frame having the same structure as the holding unit 65 and the substrate support member 69 provided with the same is disclosed in detail in, for example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2011/0042874.

In the modification of fig. 66, when the substrate P is subjected to the X-step or Y-step operation or when the substrate P is carried into or out of the substrate stage device PSTg, the main controller 50 can suction-hold either one of the X frame members 61X or one of the Y frame members 61Y of the substrate supporting member 69 or the substrate P by the movable portion 91a of the substrate X-step conveying device 91 or the movable portion 88a of the substrate Y-step conveying device 88.

In the modification of fig. 66, since the position of substrate P can be measured by substrate stage interferometer system 98 by moving mirror 94Y by X-moving mirror 94X, Y fixed to substrate supporting member 69, even when exposure of layer 1 is performed on substrate P using the exposure apparatus of this modification, positioning of substrate P to the acceleration start position for performing exposure of each irradiation region can be performed with sufficient accuracy at design values based on the positional information of substrate P measured by substrate stage interferometer system 98.

If the Y frame member 61Y and the X frame member 61X of the substrate support member 69 can form a reflecting surface corresponding to the reflecting surface of the X moving mirror 94X, Y moving mirror 94Y, the X moving mirror 94X, Y moving mirror 94Y is not necessarily provided. In this case, the substrate support member 69 can be made lightweight without providing the movable mirrors.

The substrate support member may be used only for exposure of the 1 st layer of the substrate P, or may be used for exposure after the 2 nd layer. In the former case, since the position of fine movement stage 26 must be measured by substrate stage interferometer system 98 at the time of exposure after layer 2, a pair of X moving mirrors 94X composed of the corner cube described above, for example, must be used₁、94X₂And a Y moving mirror 94Y composed of a long mirror are attached at the same positions as those of the above-described embodiment 8. In this case, substrate stage interferometer system 98 may be used for measurement of positional information of substrate support member 69 (substrate P) at the time of exposure of the first layer and fine movement stage 26 at the time of exposure of the 2 nd layer, but is not limited to this, and a substrate interferometer system for measuring the position of substrate support member 69 (substrate P) may be provided separately from substrate stage interferometer system 98.

The substrate support member is not limited to a frame-shaped member, and a substrate support member having a shape in which a part of the frame is notched may be used. For example, the substrate holding frame in a U-shape in plan view disclosed in the 8 th embodiment of the above-mentioned U.S. patent application publication No. 2011/0042874 can be used. Further, as long as the configuration does not adversely affect the operation during the substrate scanning exposure, a driving mechanism for assisting the driving of the substrate supporting member 69 in the XY plane, for example, the long stroke driving in the X axis direction, may be newly provided.

Although the 8 th embodiment has been described as a representative example in the above description, it is needless to say that the substrate support member may be used to support the substrate P in each of the 1 st to 7 th embodiments.

In the above-described embodiments 7 and 8, the case where the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F are provided on the frame where one side and the other side in the Y axis direction of the substrate holder PH are separately disposed from the coarse movement stage 32, the fine movement stage 26, and the like has been described, but at least one of the air floating unit groups 84E and 84F may be configured to be mounted on the coarse movement stage 32 so as to be movable in the X axis direction, and not limited thereto, another movable body that moves following the coarse movement stage may be provided, and the air floating unit group may be mounted on the other movable body so as to be movable in the X axis direction. In this case, the substrate Y step transport device 88 disposed inside the air floating unit group may be provided on the other movable body that moves following the coarse movement stage 32 on which the air floating unit group is mounted or the coarse movement stage. The air-floating unit groups 84E and 84F are installed on the ground via a frame, but may be installed on a stand.

EXAMPLE 9 embodiment

Next, embodiment 9 will be described with reference to fig. 67 to 99. Here, the same or equivalent constituent elements as those in the above-described embodiments 1 to 8 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 67 schematically shows the configuration of an exposure apparatus 900 according to embodiment 9, with the air flotation unit group and the like omitted.

Fig. 68 shows a partially omitted plan view of the exposure apparatus 900, that is, a plan view of a portion below the projection optical system PL (a portion below a barrel stage described later) in fig. 67. Fig. 69 is a schematic side view, partially omitted, of the exposure apparatus according to embodiment 9, as viewed from the + X direction of fig. 67. Fig. 70 is an enlarged view of a portion of the top view of fig. 68. Fig. 71 is a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of the main controller 50 configured to centrally control the exposure apparatus 900 and collectively control each part. Fig. 71 shows each component related to the substrate stage. The main controller 50 includes a workstation (or a microcomputer) and the like, and integrally controls each component of the exposure apparatus 900.

Exposure apparatus 900 includes illumination system IOP, mask stage MST holding mask M, projection optical system PL, body BD (only a part of which is shown in fig. 67 and the like) mounting mask stage MST, projection optical system PL, and the like, substrate stage device PSTh including fine movement stage 26 (substrate stage), and a control system of these components, and as a whole, is configured in the same manner as each of the exposure apparatuses of embodiments 1 to 8 described above. However, substrate stage device PSTh is different from substrate stage devices PST to PSTg described above in that it can hold a part of each of 2 substrates (substrate P1 and substrate P2 are shown in fig. 67).

As shown in fig. 67 and 69, substrate stage device PSTh includes coarse moving stage unit 24, fine moving stage 26, weight canceling device 28, and the like. As is clear from fig. 67 and 69, a substrate holder PH is mounted on the upper surface of the fine movement stage 26. As is clear from fig. 68, the substrate holder PH has a length in the X-axis direction equal to that of the substrates (P1, P2), and a width (length) in the Y-axis direction equal to about 1/3 of the substrates (P1, P2).

As shown in fig. 70, a groove 150 parallel to the Y axis is provided in the center of the upper surface of the substrate holder PH in the X axis direction, and divides the upper surface into 2 holding areas ADA1 and ADA 2. The 2 holding regions ADA1, ADA2 divided by the grooves 150 can hold, for example, a part of the substrates P1, P2 (here, a part of about 1/3 in the Y axis direction of the substrates P1, P2, and a region of 1/6 in each substrate on the + X side or-X side half) by vacuum suction (or electrostatic suction) independently of each other, and eject a pressurized gas (for example, high-pressure air) upward to support a part of the substrates P1, P2 (a region of about 1/6 of each substrate) from below by the ejection pressure in a non-contact (floating) manner.

The switching between the ejection of high-pressure air and the vacuum suction of each substrate by the holding areas ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH is performed by the main controller 50 by individually switching and connecting the holding areas ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH to the holder suction/ exhaust switching devices 51A and 51B (see fig. 71) of a vacuum pump and a high-pressure air source (not shown).

As shown in fig. 69, the coarse movement stage section 24 includes 2 (a pair of) X-beams 30A and 30B, 2 (a pair of) coarse movement stages 32A and 32B, and a plurality of legs 34 for supporting the respective 2X- beams 30A and 30B on the floor surface F. Coarse stages 32A and 32B are configured in the same manner as, for example, 2 coarse stages provided in substrate stage device PST.

As shown in fig. 68 and 69, a plurality of, here, 8 air-floating units 84H each having a rectangular support surface (upper surface) in plan view are arranged above the coarse movement tables 32A, 32B, and are fixed to the upper surfaces of the coarse movement tables 32A, 32B by support members 86, respectively. Each of 8 air cells 84H is arranged in 2-dimension on the + Y side and the-Y side of exposure area IA (projection optical system PL) in a region of 2/3 having the dimensions of substrates P1 and P2 in the Y-axis direction and having substantially the same dimension as the total dimension of substrates P1 and P2 in the X-axis direction. The upper surface of each air floating unit 84H is set to be equal to or slightly lower than the upper surface of the substrate holder PH. In the following description, the 8 air cells 84H are referred to as an air cell group 84H on the + Y side and an air cell group 84H on the-Y side, respectively.

As shown in fig. 68, a pair of air-floating units 84I are disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the X-axis direction. As shown in fig. 67, each of the pair of air-floating units 84I is fixed to the upper surface of the rough movement table 32A by a support member 112 having an L-shaped XZ cross section so that the upper surface thereof has a height substantially equal to (slightly lower than) that of the substrate holder PH. For example, the length of each air floating unit 84I in the Y-axis direction is slightly shorter than 1/2 of the substrate holder PH, and the length of each air floating unit 84I in the X-axis direction is slightly shorter than 1/2 of the substrate holder PH.

As shown in fig. 69, a pair of frames 110A and 110B are provided on the ground F on the + Y side of the X beam 30A and the-Y side of the X beam 30B, respectively, so as not to contact the gantry 18. A plurality of, for example, 4 air floating units 84J (see fig. 68) are provided on the upper surfaces of the pair of frames 110A and 110B.

As shown in fig. 68 and 69, each of the 4 air cells 84J is disposed on the + Y side of the + Y-side air cell group 84H and on the-Y side of the-Y-side air cell group 84H. As shown in fig. 68, each of the 4 air cells 84J has a Y-axis width of about 1/3, which is the Y-axis length of the substrates P1 and P2, and an X-axis length slightly shorter than the X-axis length 1/2 of the substrate holder PH. In the following description, the 4 air cells 84J are referred to as an air cell group 84J on the + Y side and an air cell group 84J on the-Y side, respectively. The + Y-side and-Y-side air cell groups 84J are arranged in the X-axis direction in a region where the Y-axis direction dimension is about 1/3 of the Y-axis direction length of the substrate P and the X-axis direction dimension is about the same as the total X-axis direction dimension of the substrates P1 and P2. The center of exposure area IA substantially coincides with the X position of the center of air floating unit group 84J on the + Y side and the-Y side. The upper surface of each air floating unit 84J is set to be equal to or slightly lower than the upper surface of the substrate holder PH.

The support surface (upper surface) of each of the air floating units 84H, 84I, and 84J is a porous body or a mechanical disk-type air bearing structure having a plurality of fine holes. Each of the air bearing units 84H, 84I, and 84J may support a portion of the substrate (e.g., P1, P2) in a floating manner by supplying a pressurized gas (e.g., high-pressure air) from the gas supply device 85 (see fig. 71). The on/off of the high-pressure air supply to each of the air flotation units 84H, 84I, and 84J is controlled individually by the main control device 50 shown in FIG. 71.

As is clear from the above description, in the present embodiment, the entire 2 substrates can be supported in a floating manner by the + Y-side or-Y-side floating unit groups 84H and 84J. The holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH and the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side and the 4 air cells 84H on the + Y side or the-Y side can support the entire 1 substrate in a floating manner. Further, the entire 1 substrate can be supported in a floating manner by the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH and the pair of air floating units 84I on the-X side and the 4 air floating units 84H on the + Y side or the-Y side. Further, the entire 1 substrate can be supported in a floating manner by the substrate holder PH and 4 air floating units 84H on the + Y side or the-Y side of the substrate holder PH.

Further, if the air cell groups 84H and 84J have a total support area substantially equal to each of the rectangular regions, they may be replaced with a single large air cell, or the air cell groups may be arranged in a dispersed manner in the rectangular regions, unlike the case of fig. 68. Instead of a pair of air bearing units 84I, a single air bearing unit having a bearing surface area 2 times larger may be used. Since the air floating unit floats the substrate, it is not necessary to closely lay the substrate over the entire surface, and the substrate may be appropriately disposed at predetermined positions at predetermined intervals depending on the floating capacity (load capacity) of the air floating unit.

As shown in fig. 68 and 70, a pair of substrate Y step conveyors 88 are disposed between the pair of air flotation units 84I on the + X side and the-X side and the substrate holder PH.

Each substrate Y step transport device 88 is a device for holding (e.g., sucking) a substrate (e.g., P1 or P2) and moving the substrate in the Y-axis direction, and is fixed to the upper surface of the support member 112 (see fig. 67). As shown in fig. 67 and 70, each substrate Y step transport device 88 includes a fixed portion 88b that is fixed to the rough-movement table 32A by the support member 112 and extends in the Y-axis direction, and a movable portion 88a that adsorbs the back surface of the substrate (for example, P1 or P2) and is movable along the fixed portion 88b in the Y-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the moving stroke of the movable portion 88a of each substrate Y step transport device 88 in the Y axis direction is equal to the width of the substrate holder PH in the Y axis direction.

In addition, although the movable portion 88a actually moves the suction substrate P in the Y-axis direction, the substrate Y step transport device 88 is not used separately from the movable portion 88a except for the case where a distinction is particularly required in the following description.

As shown in fig. 68 and 70, a pair of substrate X-step transport devices 91 are disposed between the substrate holders PH and the air cell groups 84H on the + Y side and the-Y side.

The substrate X stepping transport device 91 is a device for holding (e.g., adsorbing) and moving a substrate (e.g., P1 or P2) in the X axis direction, and is fixed to the surface of each of the pair of air floating units 84H disposed on the + Y side and the-Y side of the + X side half of the substrate holder PH on the side opposite to the substrate holder PH by a support member (see fig. 69).

As shown in fig. 69 and 70, each substrate X step transport device 91 includes a fixed portion 91B that is fixed to the rough movement table 32A or 32B together with the air floating unit 84H and extends in the X axis direction, and a movable portion 91a that is movable along the fixed portion 91B in the X axis direction with respect to the back surface of the adsorption substrate (e.g., P1 or P2). The movable portion 91a is driven in the X-axis direction with respect to the coarse movement stage 32A or 32B by a driving device 95 (not shown in fig. 69 and 70, see fig. 71) configured by, for example, a linear motor. The substrate X stepping transport device 91 is provided with a position reading device 97 (not shown in fig. 69 and 70, see fig. 71) such as an encoder for measuring the position of the movable portion 91 a. Of course, the driving device 95 is not limited to the linear motor, and may be configured by a driving mechanism using a rotary motor using a ball screw or a belt as a driving source.

The movement stroke of the movable portion 91a of each substrate X step transport device 91 in the X axis direction is approximately 1/2 (slightly longer) of the length of the substrate holder in the X axis direction. the-X side end of each fixing portion 91b protrudes a predetermined length from the air floating unit 84H fixed thereto toward the-X side.

Further, since the movable portion 91a (substrate suction surface) of each substrate X step transport device 91 must suck the back surface of the substrate P or release the suction from the substrate P, it is also possible to perform micro-driving in the Z-axis direction by the driving device 95. In addition, although the movable portion 91a actually moves the suction substrate P in the Y-axis direction, the substrate Y step transport device 91 is not used separately from the movable portion 91a except for the case where a distinction is particularly required in the following description.

In the present embodiment, the fine movement stage 26 is also movable in the Z-axis direction for the purpose of sucking and separating the substrate P to and from the substrate P by the movable portions (substrate sucking surfaces) of the substrate Y and X step conveyors 88 and 91, respectively.

The weight cancel device 28 includes, as shown in fig. 69, a housing 64, an air spring 66, a Z slider 68, and the like, and is configured, for example, in the same manner as in the embodiments after the above-described embodiment 2. That is, in substrate stage device PSTh according to embodiment 9, Z slider 68 also serves as a fixing portion of leveling device 78, no gasket is provided, and weight cancellation device 28 and fine movement stage 26 are integrated. Since the weight canceling device 28 is integrated with the fine movement stage 26, the coupling device 80(flexure device) or the like that restricts the individual movement of the weight canceling device 28 is not provided. The fine movement stage 26 is supported so as to be freely tiltable on the Z slider 68 (freely swingable in the θ x and θ y directions with respect to the XY plane) by a leveling device 78 having a spherical bearing schematically shown as a spherical member or a pseudo-spherical bearing structure in fig. 69.

The leveling device 78 is supported by the weight canceling device 28 and upper components of the weight canceling device 28 (the inching stage 26, the substrate holder PH, and the like), and moves in the X-axis direction integrally with the coarse movement stage 32A by the action of the pair of X voice coil motors 54X. That is, the upper components (fine movement stage 26, substrate holder PH, and the like) are supported by the weight cancellation device 28 by the pair of X voice coil motors 54X and driven in synchronization with the coarse movement stage 32A (driven in the same direction and at the same speed as the coarse movement stage 32A) by the control of the main control device 50, and thus move in the X-axis direction by a predetermined stroke together with the coarse movement stage 32A. The upper components (fine movement stage 26, substrate holder PH, and the like) are micro-driven in the 6-degree-of-freedom direction with respect to the coarse movement stage 32A by the control of the main control device 50 through the pair of X voice coil motors 54X, the pair of Y voice coil motors 54Y, and the 4Z voice coil motors 54Z.

In embodiment 9, a moving body (hereinafter referred to as substrate stages (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) that moves in the X-axis direction integrally with the substrates (P1, P2) is configured to include the coarse movement stage 32A (and 32B), the weight cancellation device 28, the fine movement stage 26, the substrate holder PH, and the like.

In exposure apparatus 900 according to embodiment 9, positional information in the XY plane of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) is detected at any time, for example, with a resolution of about 0.5 to 1nm by substrate stage interferometer system 98 (see fig. 71). Substrate stage interferometer system 98 according to embodiment 9 is configured in the same manner as substrate stage interferometer system 98 according to embodiment 7 described above, as can be seen by comparing fig. 67 to 69 with fig. 30 to 32. However, in the exposure apparatus 900 according to embodiment 9, as shown in fig. 69, the Y interferometer 98Y₁、98Y₂The air bearing unit 84H is disposed below, facing the Y moving mirror 94Y at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction. Y interferometer 98Y₁、98Y₂Each of the support members 104 is fixed to each of the pair of mounts 18.

The other parts of substrate stage device PSTh are configured in the same manner as substrate stage devices PSTa and PSTf, for example. The components other than the substrate stage device are the same as those in the above-described embodiments (see fig. 67 to 71).

Next, a series of operations of the substrate exposure process performed by the exposure apparatus 900 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Here, for example, when the exposure of the 2 nd layer and thereafter is performed on the substrate P, the description will be made based on fig. 72 to 74, fig. 76 to 99, which are (11 to 27) of the exposure program explanation diagrams corresponding to a series of operation programs (i.e., exposure programs) for explaining the exposure process of the substrate, and fig. 75A to 75D, which show the parallel operation of the exposure of the irradiation region of one substrate and the Y stepping operation of the other substrate. In fig. 72 to 99, only the substrate holder PH and the substrate are shown in a simplified manner in fig. 70 for the purpose of facilitating the explanation. Exposure region IA shown in fig. 72 to 99 is an illumination region irradiated with illumination light IL through projection optical system PL at the time of exposure, and is not actually formed at the time other than the time of exposure, but is displayed as needed so that the positional relationship between substrate P and projection optical system PL is clear. Here, a case where each substrate is exposed on the 6-out surface (6 scans in total) of the 2-out surface (2 scans) in the X-axis direction and the 3-out surface (3 scans) in the Y-axis direction will be described.

First, under the management of main controller 50, mask M is loaded onto mask stage MST by a mask carrier (mask loader) not shown, and 2 substrates P1 and P2 are carried into (loaded onto) substrate stage device PSTh by a substrate carrying-in device not shown. When the substrate P1 or P2 is exposed before the front layer is provided in each irradiation region, for example, as shown in fig. 72, a plurality of alignment marks PM (see fig. 70) are provided, which are simultaneously transferred with the pattern of each irradiation region, together with a total of 6 irradiation regions SA1 to SA6, for example, 2 irradiation regions in the X-axis direction and 3 irradiation regions in the Y-axis direction. In fig. 70, the respective irradiation regions are not shown.

In this case, 2 substrates P2 and P1 are carried in the + Y direction and the-Y direction by the substrate carrying-in device as shown by black arrows and white arrows in fig. 72, and are carried into the positions shown in fig. 68, 70, and 72. In this case, the substrate P2 is loaded as part of the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side and the air cell group 84H on the-Y side straddling the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH, and the substrate P1 is loaded as part of the pair of air cells 84I on the-X side and the air cell group 84H on the + Y side straddling the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH. At this time, the substrate P2 is supported by being floated by the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH and a part of the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side and the air cell group 84H on the-Y side, and the substrate P1 is supported by being floated by the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH and a part of the pair of air cells 84I on the-X side and the air cell group 84H on the + Y side. Of course, the substrates do not necessarily have to be carried in from the directions of the arrows in fig. 72. For example, the carrier may be carried in from above (+ Z side) or from outside in the X-axis direction.

Next, the main controller 50 switches the holding areas ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction. Accordingly, a part of the substrates P2 and P1 (about 1/6 of the entire substrates) is adsorbed and fixed to the holding regions ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrates P2 and P1 (about 5/6 of the remaining substrate entire) is supported in a floating manner by a part of the pair of air floating units 84I and air floating unit group 84H.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 obtains the position of the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) with respect to the projection optical system PL and the approximate positions of the substrates P1 and P2 with respect to the fine movement stage 26 by the alignment measurement method similar to the conventional method. Alignment measurement of the micro-motion stage 26 by the substrates P1 and P2 may be omitted.

Next, based on the measurement result, main controller 50 drives fine movement stage 26 via coarse movement stage 32A so that at least 2 alignment marks PM (not shown in fig. 72, see fig. 70) on substrate P1 are moved into the field of view of any one of the alignment detection systems, performs alignment measurement of substrate P1 with respect to projection optical system PL, and based on the result, determines a scanning start position for performing exposure of irradiation region SA1 on substrate P1. Here, since the scanning for performing the exposure includes an acceleration section and a deceleration section before and after the constant velocity movement section at the time of scanning exposure, strictly speaking, the scanning start position is the acceleration start position. Next, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stages 32A and 32B and slightly drives fine movement stage 26, thereby positioning substrate P1 at the scanning start position (acceleration start position). At this time, fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) is performed with respect to coarse movement stage 32A in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z directions (or 6-degree-of-freedom directions). Fig. 73 shows a state in which the substrate P1 (and the substrate holder PH) is just positioned at the scanning start position (acceleration start position) at which exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P1 is performed.

Next, from the state of fig. 73, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 73, substrate stages (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) are driven in the-X direction, and an X scanning operation of substrate P1 is performed. At this time, since mask stage MST holding mask M and substrate holder PH (fine movement stage 26) are driven in the-X direction in synchronization with master controller 50, irradiation area SA1 of substrate P1 passes through exposure area IA of the projection area of the mask M pattern of projection optical system PL, and thus, scanning exposure is performed on irradiation area SA1 at this time. During the X-scan operation, main controller 50 actually drives mask stage MST in the X-axis direction and in the Y-axis direction and the θ z direction in a scanning manner in synchronization with fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) based on the measurement result of mask interferometer system 14.

The scanning exposure is performed by irradiating illumination light IL onto substrate P1 through mask M and projection optical system PL during the constant-speed movement of fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) after acceleration in the-X direction.

During the X-scan operation, the main controller 50 drives the substrate stages (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) in a state in which a part of the substrate P1 (about 1/6 of the entire substrate P1) is fixed by suction to the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH, a part of the substrate P1 (about 5/6 of the entire substrate P1) is supported by being suspended from a part of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side and the pair of air cell 84I on the-X side, a part of the substrate P2 (about 1/6 of the entire substrate P2) is fixed by suction to the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrate P2 (about 5/6 of the entire substrate P2) is supported by being suspended from a part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side and the pair of air cell 84I on the + X side.

At this time, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stages 32A and 32B in the X-axis direction by X linear motors 42A and 42B, respectively, based on the measurement results of X linear encoder systems 46A and 46B, and drives fine movement stage drive system 52 ( voice coil motors 54X, 54Y, and 54Z, respectively) based on the measurement results of substrate stage interferometer system 98 and Z tilt measurement system 76. Accordingly, substrates P1 and P2 are integrated with fine movement stage 26, and are moved integrally with coarse movement stage 32A by X voice coil motor 54X. Further, weight canceling device 28 is also integrated with fine movement stage 26, and is driven by X voice coil motor 54X. Further, substrates P1 and P2 are integrated with fine movement stage 26, and are precisely position-controlled in each direction (6-degree-of-freedom direction) of the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, θ X, θ Y, and θ Z by relative driving from coarse movement stage 32A.

Fig. 74 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA1 of the substrate P1 is completed.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is performed in the same manner as described above, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the irradiation region of the next exposure target (in this case, the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P2) provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 performs the X stepping operation of the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) for slightly driving the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) in the + X direction as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 74 in order to accelerate the next exposure based on the result. The X stepping operation of the substrate P2 is performed by driving the substrate stages (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) by the main control device 50 in the same state as the X scanning operation (however, the positional deviation during the movement is not strictly limited as in the scanning operation). Main controller 50 returns mask stage MST to the acceleration start position in parallel with the X-step operation of substrate P2. Fig. 76 shows a state in which the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) is positioned just after the scanning start position (acceleration start position) at which exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P2 is performed.

Next, after the X stepping operation, main controller 50 starts acceleration in the-X direction of substrate P2 (substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B)) and mask M (mask stage MST) as indicated by white arrows in fig. 76, and performs scanning exposure on illumination area SA1 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 76, the main controller 50 performs a Y stepping operation of the substrate P1 that transports the substrate P1 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH. The Y-step operation of the substrate P1 is performed by switching the holding area ADA2 from suction to evacuation by the main controller 50 to release the suction of the substrate P1, and conveying the substrate P1 in the-Y direction by a Y-step distance substantially equal to the Y-axis direction width of the irradiation area by using the substrate Y-step conveying device 88 on the-X side. Here, the substrate Y step transport device 88 suctions and holds the substrate P1 at the time point when the holding area ADA2 is switched from suction to evacuation.

Fig. 75A to 75D show changes in the positions of the substrates and the like with the passage of time when exposure of the irradiation region SA1 of the substrate P2 is performed in parallel with the Y stepping operation of the substrate P1. As can be seen from fig. 75A to 75D, in the present embodiment, the scanning exposure of one substrate (P2) and the Y stepping operation of the other substrate (P1) can be performed simultaneously (in parallel). This is because the substrate Y-step transport device 88 for Y-step is fixed to the rough table 32A and can move in synchronization with the substrate holder PH integrally with the rough table 32A.

In this case, the main control device 50 may temporarily stop the Y stepping operation of the other substrate during the scanning exposure of the one substrate, and perform the Y stepping operation of the other substrate during acceleration and deceleration before and after the scanning exposure of the one substrate. In this way, it is possible to reliably prevent the Y-stepping operation of the other substrate from adversely affecting the scanning exposure of the one substrate (for example, as a result of the fine movement stage 26 being driven so that the reaction force of the driving force of the substrate Y-stepping conveyor 88 does not cause the vibration of the fine movement stage 26, the accuracy of the position control of the fine movement stage 26 during the scanning exposure (and the accuracy of the synchronization between the mask M and the substrate P2) is lowered).

Fig. 75D and 77 show a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P2 is completed and the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P1 is completed, and the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P1 is positioned on the holding region ADA2 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the portion 1/6 of the substrate P1 including the irradiation area SA2 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 2. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P1 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + Y side, the-Y side, and the-X side, as part of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA2 provided in advance on the substrate P1 is performed. Before this alignment measurement, the same X-step operation as described above for the substrate P1 is performed (see white arrows in fig. 77) so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 performs, based on the result, precise fine positioning drive for positioning the substrate P1 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position at which exposure of the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P1 is performed, and for the fine movement stage 26 with respect to the coarse movement stage 32A in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ z directions (or 6-degree-of-freedom directions). The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 78. In the following description, the fine positioning drive of fine movement stage 26 with respect to coarse movement stage 32A is omitted.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P1 and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 78), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 of the substrate P1 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 78, the main controller 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P2, in which the substrate P2 is transported in the + Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 79 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P1 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P2 is completed, and the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P2 is positioned on the holding region ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the portion 1/6 of the substrate P2 including the irradiation area SA2 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 1. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + Y side, a part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side, and the + X side, in a floating manner.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA2 provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P2 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 79) in the same manner as described above so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P2 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 80.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P2 and the mask M in the-X direction (see white arrows in fig. 80), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 of the substrate P2 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 80, the main control device 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P1 that transports the substrate P1 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 81 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P1 is completed, and the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P1 is positioned on the holding region ADA2 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P1 including the irradiation area SA3 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 2. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P1 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the-X side and a part of the-Y side air cell group 84H.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA3 provided in advance on the substrate P1 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P1 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 81) in the same manner as described above so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P1 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P1 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 82.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P1 and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 82), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 of the substrate P1 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 82, the main controller 50 performs the same Y stepping operation as described above for the substrate P2 that transports the substrate P2 in the + Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 83 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P1 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P2 is completed, and the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P2 is positioned on the holding region ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P2 including the irradiation area SA3 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 1. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side and a part of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side in a floating manner.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA3 provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P2 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 83) similar to the above operation so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P2 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is finished is shown in fig. 84.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P2 and the mask M in the-X direction (see white arrows in fig. 84), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 of the substrate P2 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 84, the main control device 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P1 that transports the substrate P1 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH. Due to this Y step operation, the substrate P1 is completely detached from the substrate holder PH, and the entire substrate P is supported by part of the-Y-side air cell group 84H and part of the-Y-side air cell group 84J in a floating manner.

Fig. 85 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, the substrate P1 is withdrawn from the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from suction to exhaust, and suctions and holds the substrate P2 by the substrate X-step transport device 91 on the + Y side (see fig. 70), and transports the substrate in the-X direction by an X-step distance (a distance of approximately 2 times the length of the irradiation area in the X-axis direction) as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 85. In parallel with this, the main controller 50 holds the substrate P1 by suction by the substrate X-step transport device 91 on the-Y side (see fig. 70), and transports it by an X-step distance in the + X direction as indicated by a black arrow in fig. 85. Here, the conveyance of the substrate P1 in the + X direction and the conveyance of the substrate P2 in the-X direction are performed without interference between the two.

Fig. 86 shows the positional relationship of the substrates P1 and P2 with respect to the substrate holder PH at the end of the X-step distance conveyance between the substrate P1 and the substrate P2.

From the state shown in fig. 86, the main control device 50 holds the substrate P1 by suction using the substrate Y stepping transport device 88 on the + X side, and releases the suction of the substrate P1 by the substrate X stepping transport device 91 on the-Y side. As indicated by black arrows in fig. 86, the substrate P1 is moved in steps in the + Y direction by the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the + X side. Thus, the positions of the substrate P1 and the substrate P2 on the substrate holder PH are reversed, but the positional relationship on the substrate holder PH is the same as that in fig. 72 (see fig. 87).

Next, the main controller 50 switches the holding areas ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction. Accordingly, a part of the substrates P1 and P2 (about 1/6 of the entire substrates) is adsorbed and fixed to the holding regions ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrates P1 and P2 (about 5/6 of the remaining entire substrates) is supported by the pair of air floating units 84I and the air floating unit group 84H in a floating manner.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL is performed in the same manner as described above, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the irradiation region of the next exposure target (in this case, the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P1) provided in advance on the substrate P1 is performed.

When the new alignment measurement of substrate P1 with respect to projection optical system PL is completed, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stages 32A and 32B based on the result and micro-moves fine movement stage 26, and positions substrate P1 (and substrate holder PH) at the scanning start position (acceleration start position) to accelerate the next exposure. Fig. 87 shows a state in which the substrate P1 (and the substrate holder PH) is positioned just after the scanning start position (acceleration start position) at which exposure of the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P1 is performed.

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 87, main controller 50 starts acceleration in the + X direction of substrate P1 (substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B)) and mask M (mask stage MST), and performs scanning exposure of irradiation region SA4 in the same manner as described above.

Fig. 88 shows a state in which the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA4 of the substrate P1 is completed and the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is performed in the same manner as described above, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the irradiation region of the next exposure target (in this case, the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P2) provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 and the acceleration of the next exposure based on the result are caused to perform the X stepping operation of the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) for driving the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) in the substantially-X direction as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 88. Fig. 89 shows a state immediately after the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) is positioned at the scanning start position (acceleration start position) at which the exposure of the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P2 is performed in this manner.

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 89, main controller 50 starts acceleration in the + X direction of substrate P2 (substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B)) and mask M (mask stage MST), and performs scanning exposure on illumination area SA4 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 89, the main controller 50 conveys the substrate P1 in the + Y direction on the substrate holder PH, and performs the same Y stepping operation as described above for the substrate P1.

Fig. 90 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA4 on the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P1 is completed, and the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P1 is positioned on the holding region ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P1 including the irradiation area SA5 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 1. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P1 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side, a part of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side, and a part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA5 provided in advance on the substrate P1 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P1 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 90) in the same manner as described above so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P1 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P1 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 91.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P1 and the mask M in the-X direction (see white arrows in fig. 91), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA5 of the substrate P1 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 91, the main controller 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P2 that transports the substrate P2 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 92 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P1 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P2 is completed, and the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P2 is positioned on the holding region ADA2 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the portion 1/6 of the substrate P2 including the irradiation area SA5 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 2. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + Y side, the-Y side, and the-X side, as part of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA5 provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P2 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 92) in the same manner as described above so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P2 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is finished is shown in fig. 93.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P2 and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 93), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA5 of the substrate P2 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 93, the main control device 50 performs the same Y stepping operation as described above for the substrate P1 that transports the substrate P1 in the + Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 94 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P1 is completed, and the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P1 is positioned on the holding region ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P1 including the irradiation area SA6 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 1. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P1 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side and a portion of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side in a floating manner.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P1 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA6 provided in advance on the substrate P1 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P1 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 94) in the same manner as described above so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P1 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P1 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 95.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P1 and the mask M in the-X direction (see white arrows in fig. 95), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA6 of the substrate P1 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 95, the main controller 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P2 that transports the substrate P2 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 96 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P1 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P2 is completed, and the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P2 is positioned on the holding region ADA2 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P2 including the irradiation area SA6 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 2. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the-X side and a part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA6 provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed. Before the start of the alignment measurement, the substrate P2 is moved in an X-step operation (see white arrows in fig. 96) in the same manner as described above so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P2 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 97.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P2 and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 97), and performs scanning exposure on the irradiation region SA6 of the substrate P2 in the same manner as described above.

Fig. 98 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P2 is completed.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 switches the holding areas ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from suction to exhaust, and the substrate P2 is sucked and held by the substrate Y step transport device 88 (see fig. 70) on the-X side, and carried out (transported) in the-Y direction as indicated by black arrows in fig. 98. In parallel with this, the main controller 50 holds the substrate P1 by suction by the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the + X side (see fig. 70), and carries it out (conveys it) in the + Y direction as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 98.

Next, as shown in fig. 99, the substrates P1 and P2 that have been exposed are carried out, and new substrates P3 and P4 are carried onto (carried into) the substrate holder PH in the same manner as in fig. 72. In this case, the direction of carrying in and carrying out each substrate does not necessarily have to be the direction of the arrow in fig. 99. For example, the carrier may be carried in and/or out from above or in the X-axis direction.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus 900 according to the present embodiment 9, the fine movement stage 26 on which the small-sized (1/3 size of the substrate) substrate holder PH is mounted is moved in the 1-axis (X-axis) direction, and only the substrate is moved in the 2-axis (X-axis and Y-axis) direction, so that the substrate stage apparatus PSTh can be made small and light-weighted, and as with the above-described embodiments, various effects associated with the miniaturization of the substrate holder PH and the substrate stage apparatus PSTh are obtained, and further, in the exposure apparatus 900 according to the present embodiment 9, the main control apparatus 50 can move the other substrate relative to the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis directions in parallel with the movement of the substrate stage constituting one portion thereof in the X-axis direction to scan and expose the partially irradiated region of one substrate in the same manner as the substrate holder PH is moved in the X-axis direction, and the substrate Y-step transport apparatus 88 can move the other substrate relative to the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction in consideration of the fact that the substrate holder PH is alternately repeated in the 1 (after the exposure process is performed for the exposure time), and the exposure process is performed for the substrate in the same manner as the exposure time of the exposure process performed alternately in the substrate holder p-step process performed for the 1, and the exposure time of the exposure process performed for the substrate after the exposure process is changed to the exposure process performed for the exposure time (after the exposure time of the exposure process performed for the substrate 2).

In embodiment 9, 2 substrates are simultaneously carried into and out of the substrate holder PH (substrate stage device PST) at the same time. However, in the exposure apparatus 900, as in a modification described below, 2 substrates may be alternately carried in and out one by one from the substrate holder PH (substrate stage device PSTh).

Modification of embodiment 9

Fig. 100 is a view corresponding to fig. 85 in the exposure program explanation view (13) in embodiment 9, and substrate P1 is carried out by a carrying-out device (not shown) to the outside of substrate stage device PSTh at this point in time in accordance with an instruction from main control device 50 (see bold black arrows in fig. 100). the-X side half of the substrate P1, as shown in FIG. 100, may be unexposed or pre-exposed.

When the substrate P1 completely exits from the substrate holder PH during the conveyance, the main controller 50 holds the substrate P2 by suction with the substrate X-step transport device 91 on the + Y side (see fig. 70), and transports the substrate in the-X direction by an X-step distance (a distance approximately 2 times the length of the irradiation region in the X-axis direction) as indicated by the white arrow in fig. 100.

Fig. 101 shows the positional relationship of the substrate P2 with respect to the substrate holder PH at the time when the X-step distance conveyance of the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, a new substrate P3 is loaded onto the air cell groups 84H and 84J on the-Y side.

From the state of fig. 101, the main controller 50 controls the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 on the + X side to suction-hold the substrate P3, and performs stepping movement of the substrate P3 in the + Y direction as indicated by a black arrow in fig. 101. Accordingly, the state shown in fig. 102 is achieved, and the substrate P2 and the substrate P3 are in the same positional relationship on the substrate holder PH as the substrates P1 and P2 in fig. 72.

Next, the main controller 50 switches the holding areas ADA1, ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction. Accordingly, a part of the substrates P3 and P2 (about 1/6 of the entire substrate) is adsorbed and fixed to the holding regions ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH, and a part of the substrates P3 and P2 (about 5/6 of the remaining substrate entire) is supported by being suspended by the pair of air floating units 84I and the air floating unit group 84H.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P3 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the irradiation region of the next exposure target (in this case, the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P3) on the substrate P3, which is a pre-established exposure target, is performed in the same manner as described above.

When the new alignment measurement of substrate P3 with respect to projection optical system PL is completed, main controller 50 drives coarse movement stages 32A and 32B and micro movement stage 26 based on the result, and positions substrate P3 (and substrate holder PH) at the scanning start position (acceleration start position) to accelerate the next exposure. Fig. 102 shows a state in which the substrate P3 (and the substrate holder PH) is positioned just after the scanning start position (acceleration start position) at which exposure of the irradiation region SA1 on the substrate P3 is performed.

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 102, main controller 50 starts acceleration in the + X direction of substrate P3 (substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B)) and mask M (mask stage MST), and performs scanning exposure on irradiation region SA1 in the same manner as described above.

Fig. 103 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA1 of the substrate P3 is completed.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the irradiation region of the next exposure target (in this case, the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P2) on the substrate P2, which is a pre-established exposure target, is performed in the same manner as described above.

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 drives the coarse movement tables 32A and 32B and the fine movement stage 26 based on the result, and performs the X stepping operation of the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) in the same manner as described above, as indicated by the white arrows in fig. 103, of the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) which is driven in the substantially-X direction in order to accelerate the next exposure. Fig. 104 shows a state in which the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) is positioned just after the scanning start position (acceleration start position) at which exposure of the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P2 is performed.

Next, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 104, the main controller 50 starts acceleration in the + X direction of the substrate P2 (substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B)) and the mask M (mask stage MST), and performs scanning exposure on the irradiation region SA4 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 104, the main controller 50 conveys the substrate P3 in the + Y direction on the substrate holder PH to perform the same Y stepping operation as described above for the substrate P3.

Fig. 105 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA4 on the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, the substrate P3 finishes the stepping operation, and the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P3 is located on the holding region ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P3 including the irradiation area SA2 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 1. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P3 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side, and is supported by part of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side, part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side, and in a floating manner.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P3 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA2 provided in advance on the substrate P3 is performed. Before the alignment measurement, the above-described X-step operation of the substrate P3 is performed so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system (see white arrows in fig. 105).

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P3 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P3 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P3 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 106.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P3 and the mask M in the-X direction (see white arrows in fig. 106), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 of the substrate P3 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 106, the main control device 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P2 that transports the substrate P2 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 107 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA2 on the substrate P3 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P2 is completed, and the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P2 is positioned on the holding region ADA2 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P2 including the irradiation area SA5 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 2. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the-X side and a part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA5 provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed. Before the alignment measurement, the above-described X-step operation of the substrate P2 is performed so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system (see the white arrow in fig. 107).

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P2 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 108.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P2 and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 108), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA5 of the substrate P2 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 108, the main controller 50 performs the same Y stepping operation as described above for the substrate P3 that transports the substrate P2 in the + Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 109 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA5 on the substrate P2 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P3 is completed, and the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P3 is positioned on the holding region ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P3 including the irradiation area SA3 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 1. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the + X side and a portion of the air cell group 84H on the + Y side in a floating manner.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P3 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA3 provided in advance on the substrate P3 is performed. Before the alignment measurement, the above-described X-step operation of the substrate P3 is performed so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system (see the white arrow in fig. 109).

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P3 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P3 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P3 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 110.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P3 and the mask M in the-X direction (see white arrows in fig. 110), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 of the substrate P3 in the same manner as described above. In parallel with this, as indicated by black arrows in fig. 110, the main control device 50 performs the same Y-step operation as described above for the substrate P2 that transports the substrate P2 in the-Y direction on the substrate holder PH.

Fig. 111 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P3 is completed. At this time, the Y stepping operation of the substrate P2 is completed, and the irradiation region SA6 on the substrate P2 is positioned on the holding region ADA2 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the main control device 50 switches the holding area ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from evacuation to suction, and the 1/6 portion of the substrate P2 including the irradiation area SA6 is sucked and fixed to the holding area ADA 2. At this time, the remaining portion (about 5/6) of the substrate P2 is supported by the pair of air cells 84I on the-X side and a part of the air cell group 84H on the-Y side.

Next, a new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL, that is, a measurement of the alignment mark for the next shot region SA6 provided in advance on the substrate P2 is performed. Before the alignment measurement, the above-described X-step operation of the substrate P2 is performed so that the alignment mark to be measured is positioned in the detection field of the alignment detection system (see the white arrow in fig. 111).

When the new alignment measurement of the substrate P2 with respect to the projection optical system PL is completed, the main controller 50 positions the substrate P2 (and the substrate holder PH) at the acceleration start position where the exposure of the irradiation region SA3 on the substrate P2 is performed based on the result. The state immediately after this positioning is ended is shown in fig. 112.

Next, the main controller 50 starts acceleration of the substrate P2 and the mask M in the + X direction (see white arrows in fig. 110), and performs scanning exposure of the irradiation region SA6 of the substrate P2 in the same manner as described above.

Fig. 113 shows a state in which the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32A, 32B) is stopped after the scanning exposure of the irradiation area SA6 on the substrate P2 is completed.

Thereafter, the main controller 50 switches the holding areas ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH from suction to exhaust, and suctions and holds the substrate P2 by the substrate Y step transport device 88 (see fig. 70) on the-X side, and carries out (transports) the substrate P in the-Y direction as indicated by black arrows in fig. 113. In parallel with this, the main controller 50 holds the substrate P3 by suction by the substrate X stepping conveyor 91 on the + Y side (see fig. 70). Next, at the time point when the substrate P2 completely retreats from the substrate holder PH, the main controller 50 carries the substrate P3 by the X-step distance in the-X direction as indicated by the white arrow in fig. 113.

Thereafter, as shown in fig. 114, the substrate P2 whose entire surface has been exposed is carried out, and a new substrate P4 is carried in on the holding area ADA1 of the substrate holder PH.

Thereafter, the same processes as those for the above-described substrates P2 and P3 were repeated for the substrate P3 and the unexposed substrate P4 on which the exposure of the 3 shot regions was completed.

As described above, in the present modification, since 2 simultaneous replacement (carrying in and carrying out) of the substrate is not performed, the efficiency of the irradiation region change of the exposure target and the substrate replacement operation is good. Specifically, as shown in 13 and 14 (fig. 85 and 86) in the exposure process of embodiment 9, there is no 2-axis movement of the X-axis and the Y-axis originally performed on the substrate P1. Further, since the substrate is carried in and out 1 sheet at a time, even if only 1 each of the carrying in device and the carrying out device, not shown, required for carrying in and out the substrate is required, the replacement operation can be performed in a short time.

In the above-described embodiment 9 and its modification, the holding regions ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH are made to have about 1/6 areas of the substrate, respectively, and are set to have 6 planes (exposure scan number) corresponding to the X-axis direction 2 plane (2 scan) and the Y-axis direction 3 plane (3 scan), respectively, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the holding regions ADA1 and ADA2 of the substrate holder PH may be made to have about 1/4 areas of the substrate, respectively. In this case, the case where 4 planes are taken out of the 2 planes (2 scans) in the X-axis direction and the 2 planes (2 scans) in the Y-axis direction can be also dealt with.

The arrangement relationship of the 2 substrates arranged on the substrate holder PH and the order of changing the exposure regions are merely examples, and are not limited thereto. For example, in the above-described embodiment 9 and its modified example, the case where the scanning exposure for one and the other of the 2-piece substrates is alternately performed (therefore, the Y stepping operation for the other substrate and the one substrate is alternately performed in parallel with this) has been described, but the scanning exposure for one and the other of the 2-piece substrates is not necessarily alternately performed. However, it is preferable that 2 substrates can be loaded in the holding areas ADA1, ADA2 on the substrate holder PH, the scanning exposure of at least 1 irradiation area of one substrate and the Y stepping operation of the other substrate are at least partially in parallel, and it is preferable that the exposure of at least 1 irradiation area of the other substrate can be performed during the period from the start to the end of the exposure of one substrate out of the 2 substrates. Thus, the exposure of the 2 substrates can be completed in a shorter time than the case where the exposure of one substrate of the 2 substrates is started after the exposure of the other substrate is completed.

In the above-described embodiment 9 and the modification, the substrate holder PH having 2 holding regions divided by the groove 2 is used as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and 2 independent substrate holders may be arranged and fixed on 1 fine movement stage.

Further, although the substrate X-step transport device 91 and the substrate Y-step transport device 88 are disposed around the substrate holder PH, the arrangement, number, and the like of the substrate X-step transport device 91 and the substrate Y-step transport device 88 may be arbitrarily selected as long as 2 substrates can be moved relative to the substrate holder PH to have the same positional relationship as described above. However, the substrate Y-step transport device 88 must perform scanning exposure of an irradiation region on one substrate and Y-step transport of another substrate at the same time (in parallel), and therefore must be provided on the fine movement stage 26 on which the substrate holder PH is mounted or on a moving body that moves integrally with the substrate holder PH.

EXAMPLE 10

Next, embodiment 10 will be described with reference to fig. 115 to 117. Here, the same or equivalent constituent elements as those of the above-described embodiment 9 are given the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 115 is a plan view of a part of an exposure apparatus 1000 according to embodiment 10. Fig. 116 is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus 1000, partially omitted, as viewed from the + X direction. However, in fig. 116, as in the case of fig. 69, the coarse movement table 32 and the weight canceling device 28 are partially shown in a sectional view.

The exposure apparatus 1000 according to embodiment 10 is different from embodiment 9 in that a substrate stage device PSTi is provided instead of the substrate stage device PSTh, and the configuration of the other parts and the like are the same as those of embodiment 9.

As shown in fig. 116, substrate stage device PSTi includes a coarse moving stage unit 24' instead of coarse moving stage unit 24. As shown in fig. 116, the rough table portion 24 ' includes 2 (a pair of) X-beams 30A ', 30B ', a rough table 32, and a plurality of legs 34 for supporting the respective 2X-beams 30A ', 30B ' on the floor surface F.

Coarse stage 32 is provided instead of, for example, 2 coarse stages 32A and 32B provided in substrate stage device PSTh described above, and as is apparent from fig. 115 and 116, coarse stages 32A and 32B are integrated and have a shape in which the dimension in the Y-axis direction is reduced.

The configuration of each part of the coarse moving stage unit 24' is the same as that of the substrate stage device PSTc provided in the exposure apparatus of embodiment 4 described above, for example, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

In substrate stage device PSTi, as shown in fig. 116, the air floating units on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y axis direction are separated from coarse movement stage 32 and are provided on floor surface F. In addition, in accordance with this change, the pair of substrate Y step transport devices 88 and the pair of substrate X step transport devices 91 are mounted on the fine movement stage 26.

On the + Y side of the X-beam 30A 'and the-Y side of the X-beam 30B', as shown in fig. 116, the pair of frames 110A ', 110B' are provided on the floor F so as not to contact the gantry 18. Each of the pair of air cell groups 84H ' is provided on the upper surfaces of the pair of frames 110A ', 110B '.

As shown in fig. 115 and 116, each of the pair of air floating unit groups 84H' is disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction. As shown in fig. 115, each of the pair of air cell groups 84H 'is formed of a plurality of air cells arranged in a dispersed manner with a predetermined gap in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in a rectangular region having a width in the Y-axis direction slightly smaller than a width in the Y-axis direction of a substrate (e.g., P1 or P2) and a length in the X-axis direction substantially equal to a moving range of the substrate holder PH and the pair of air cell groups 84I' described later in the exposure process. The center of exposure area IA substantially coincides with the X position of the center of each of the pair of air floating unit groups 84H'. The upper surface of each of the air cells of the pair of air cell groups 84H' is set to be equal to or slightly lower than the upper surface of the substrate holder PH.

In addition, in substrate stage device PSTi, a pair of air floating unit groups 84I' are arranged on both sides in the X-axis direction of substrate holder PH, instead of each pair of air floating units 84I described above. As shown in fig. 115, each of the pair of air cell groups 84I' is formed of a plurality of, for example, 3 rectangular air cell groups elongated in the Y axis direction, which are arranged at predetermined intervals in the X axis direction. The length of each air cell in the Y-axis direction is slightly shorter than the interval between the pair of air cell groups 84H'. Each of the pair of air floating unit groups 84I' is fixed to the upper surface of the coarse movement stage 32 in the same manner as the air floating unit 84I.

The support surface (upper surface) of each air cell constituting the pair of air cell groups 84H 'and the pair of air cell groups 84I' is a porous body or a mechanical disk-type air bearing structure having a plurality of fine holes, similarly to the air cell 84. Each of the air floating units may levitate and support a portion of the substrate by supplying a pressurized gas (e.g., high-pressure air) from the gas supply device. The on/off of the high-pressure air supply to each air floating unit is controlled by the main control device 50.

In the present embodiment 10, the pair of air floating unit groups 84H 'and the pair of air floating unit groups 84I' prevent the substrate from being suspended and support the substrate even when the substrate is moved in the X-axis direction, for example, in the full stroke by the substrate stage (PH, 26, 28, 32).

Further, the pair of air floating unit groups 84H' may be replaced with a single large air floating unit as long as each air floating unit group has a total support area substantially equal to the rectangular area, and the air floating units may be arranged in a dispersed manner in the rectangular area, in a shape or size different from that shown in fig. 115. Similarly, the shape or size of each air cell may be different from that shown in fig. 115 for the pair of air cell groups 84I'.

In substrate stage device PSTi, as shown in fig. 116, a pair of substrate X-step transport devices 91 are disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction, and are fixed to fine movement stage 26 via a support member. Similarly, the pair of substrate Y stepping and conveying devices 88 are also disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the X axis direction, and are fixed to the fine movement stage 26 by a support member (see fig. 115).

Further, a pair of Y interferometers 98Y₁、98Y₂As shown in fig. 115, among the air cells in the 1 st row close to the substrate holder PH constituting the-Y-side air cell group 84H', the adjacent air cells located near the center in the X-axis direction are fixed to the side frame 20 at positions where 2 gaps are opposed to each other. The gap at 2 is a gap symmetrical with respect to the Y-axis passing through the center of exposure area IA. In the present embodiment, the interferometer is composed of a pair of Y interferometers 98Y₁、98Y₂The measurement beam (length measuring beam) is irradiated to the Y moving mirror 94Y through the 2 gaps, respectively.

The other parts of substrate stage device PSTi have the same configuration as that of substrate stage device PSTh described above.

Further, another substrate transfer device (not shown) different from the substrate X step transfer device 91 and the substrate Y step transfer device 88 may be provided near the pair of air floating unit groups 84H', and the substrate may be carried in and out by this device.

The exposure apparatus 1000 according to embodiment 10 performs a series of operations such as substrate replacement, alignment, and exposure in the same procedure as the exposure apparatus 900 according to embodiment 9.

According to the exposure apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment 10 described above, the same effects as those of the exposure apparatus 900 of the above embodiment 9 can be obtained. In addition, in the exposure apparatus 1000, since the air cell groups 84H 'on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction are formed by a plurality of air cell units which are fixed and arranged in a wide range in the X-axis direction, the substrate can be held on the air cell groups 84H' fixed in advance at the time of substrate exchange, and the substrate exchange can be performed more efficiently and in a shorter time. Fig. 117 is a plan view showing, as an example, a case where the exposure apparatus 1000 according to embodiment 10 is used to replace the substrate shown in fig. 15 (see fig. 114) in the description of the exposure process according to the modification of embodiment 9. In this case, as is clear from fig. 117, before the exposure program 15, the exposure program 14 (see fig. 113) may be executed to cause a new substrate P4 to stand by at the position shown in the drawing. In addition, when the exposure process of the above-described embodiment 9 is performed to describe the case where 2 substrates shown in fig. 27 are replaced simultaneously (see fig. 99), 2 new substrates may be put on standby in advance on the pair of air floating unit groups 84H', and thus the substrate replacement can be performed efficiently and at high speed.

Further, according to the exposure apparatus 1000 of embodiment 10, since the air floating unit groups 84H' on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y axis direction are separated from the substrate stage (coarse movement stage 32), the load on the substrate stage (coarse movement stage 32) can be reduced, and the controllability of the substrate stage can be improved. Further, since each air cell of the air cell group 84H' is stationary, there is no Y interferometer 98Y for measuring the Y-axis direction position of the fine movement stage 26₁、98Y₂The measuring beam is shielded by the air floating unit. Thus, the Y interferometer 98Y can be used₁、98Y₂And a side frame 20 (see fig. 115 and 116) of the apparatus main body provided outside (on the Y side) the air cell group 84H'.

In the exposure apparatus 1000 according to embodiment 10, the movable air floating unit, the substrate X-step conveyance device 91, and the substrate Y-step conveyance device 88 may be attached to the coarse movement stage 32 mechanically separated from the substrate holder PH (i.e., the fine movement stage 26), or may be integrally attached to the substrate holder PH or the fine movement stage 26.

Modification of embodiment 10

In embodiment 10, a part of the plurality of air floating units constituting the pair of air floating unit groups 84H' may be attached to the substrate stage (coarse movement stage 32 or fine movement stage 26) and may be made movable air floating units as in embodiment 1. For example, as in the modification shown in fig. 118 and 119, the-Y-side air floating unit group 84H' of the substrate holder PH may be configured by fixed air floating units, and the + Y-side air floating unit group 84H of the substrate holder may be mounted on the substrate stage (rough stage 32) so as to be movable. In fig. 118, the fixed air floating unit group 84H' is provided on the floor surface F, mechanically and vibrationally separated from the body BD (exposure apparatus main body) on which the substrate stage is mounted.

Embodiment 11

Next, embodiment 11 will be described with reference to fig. 120. Fig. 120 schematically shows the structure of an exposure apparatus 1100 according to embodiment 11. As shown in fig. 120, the exposure apparatus 1100 is different from the exposure apparatuses of the above embodiments in that a plurality of alignment detection systems AL for detecting alignment marks of substrates are provided in the substrate holders PH on which the substrates P1, P2, and the like are mounted.

The substrates P1 and P2 used in the exposure apparatus 1100 according to embodiment 11 are provided with at least 2 alignment marks at predetermined positions on the back surface (surface on the (-Z) side) corresponding to any of the plurality of alignment detection systems AL. Each alignment mark has, for example, a plurality of scale marks, and the position of the substrate relative to the substrate holder PH (or the amount of positional deviation from the reference position) can be measured by the alignment detection system AL.

The other parts of exposure apparatus 1100, including substrate stage apparatus PSTh, are configured in the same manner as exposure apparatus 900 according to embodiment 9. Therefore, the same effects as those of the exposure apparatus 900 according to embodiment 9 can be obtained with the exposure apparatus 1100 according to embodiment 11. In addition, in the exposure apparatus 1100, even during the movement of the substrate stage including the fine movement stage 26, the alignment measurement of the substrate can be performed. Specifically, the main controller 50 can perform alignment measurement of one of the substrates P1 and P2 with respect to the substrate holder PH while performing X-scanning of the other substrate in 2 pieces of substrates. Therefore, the main controller 50 can slightly move the other substrate together with the fine movement stage 26 (substrate holder PH) immediately after the X-scan of the one substrate is finished, based on the result of the alignment measurement, thereby correcting the position of the other substrate. Therefore, the scanning exposure of one substrate can be started immediately after the scanning exposure of the other substrate is finished, and the production efficiency can be improved.

In the exposure apparatus 1100, the alignment detection system AL is not limited to be provided on the substrate holder PH, and may be provided on the fine movement stage 26 on which the substrate holder PH is mounted.

In the exposure apparatus according to each of the embodiments 9 to 11, the air floating unit, the substrate Y stepping conveyor, the substrate X stepping conveyor, and the like mounted on the coarse movement stage may be mounted on the fine movement stage, or another movable body that moves following the coarse movement stage may be provided, and the air floating unit may be mounted on the other movable body so as to be movable in the X axis direction. In this case, the substrate Y stepping conveyor 88 may be provided on another moving body which carries an air floating unit and moves following the coarse movement stage. In each of the embodiments 9 to 11, the substrate X-step transport device 91 may be disposed outside the substrate stage.

In each of the above embodiments 1 to 11, the Y-axis width of the substrate holder PH is set to about 1/3 or 1/2 of the substrate, but the Y-axis width of the substrate holder PH is not limited thereto as long as it is significantly shorter than the Y-axis width of the substrate holder PH. The width of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction may be equal to or more than the exposure field width (Y-direction) of the projection optical system. For example, if the exposure field width (Y direction) of the projection optical system is about 1/n (n is an integer of 2 or more) of the substrate, the width of the substrate holder PH may be about 1/n of the Y direction dimension of the substrate. In this case, the width of the air floating units disposed on both sides of the substrate holder PH in the Y-axis direction is preferably set to be about (n-1)/n of the dimension of the substrate in the Y-axis direction, in order to suppress the deflection of the substrate. Further, the substrate Y-step transport apparatus preferably has a Y-stroke sufficient to move the entire substrate in the region on the substrate holder.

In the above embodiments, although the description has been given of the case where the air floating unit is used for the purpose of preventing the deflection of the substrate P, the present invention is not limited to this, and a substrate sagging prevention device including a contact type rolling bearing (using a roller, a ball, or the like) may be used instead of at least a part of the air floating unit in the above embodiments. In order to prevent the substrate P from being warped, a substrate sag prevention device including a bearing member other than the air floating unit and the rolling bearing may be used.

In each of the above embodiments, the weight canceling device (stem) may be used as a device separated from the fine movement stage (see fig. 1 and 3) as in embodiment 1, or may be used as a device integrated with the fine movement stage as in embodiments 2 to 11. In addition, the wrist for the target of the level sensor may be eliminated. The leveling mechanism and the weight canceling mechanism may be disposed in a vertically opposite manner. As described above, the structure of the weight canceling device is not limited to the above embodiments.

Further, although the above embodiments have been described with respect to the case where the substrate holder PH is mounted on the fine movement stage 26, the present invention is not limited to this, and when ceramics or the like is used as the material of the fine movement stage, etching or the like may be applied to the upper portion thereof, and the holding portion having the same function as the substrate holder PH holding the substrate may be integrally configured with the fine movement stage.

Further, the components commonly provided in the above embodiments are not necessarily provided in the exposure apparatus. For example, in the case of a so-called vertical exposure apparatus that performs exposure while holding the substrate P in parallel with a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane, since the substrate P does not hang down due to its own weight, the substrate support device such as an air floating unit is not necessarily provided. In addition, the weight offset device is not necessary. In this case, a movement stage for moving the substrate holder is necessary, but the movement stage may be a so-called coarse and fine movement stage or a single 6DOF stage. It is important that the substrate holder be driven in the XY plane (at least in the X-axis direction) by moving the stage, but it is preferable that the substrate holder be driven in the 6-degree-of-freedom direction. The components of the embodiments 1 to 11 may be arbitrarily combined as long as the configurations do not contradict each other.

Further, although the above embodiments have been described with respect to the case where the exposure apparatus is a projection exposure apparatus that performs scanning exposure in accordance with the step-and-scan operation of the substrate P, the embodiments are not limited thereto, and the embodiments may be applied to a step & step (step & step) type projection exposure apparatus and a proximity (proximity) type exposure apparatus that does not use a projection optical system.

In the exposure apparatus of each of the above embodiments, the illumination light may be ultraviolet light such as ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193nm) and KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248nm), or F₂Vacuum ultraviolet light such as laser light (wavelength 157 nm). Further, as the illumination light, for example, infrared light oscillated from a DFB semiconductor laser or a fiber laser can be usedA single wavelength laser in the line band, or visible band, is amplified as vacuum ultraviolet light by, for example, an erbium (or both erbium and ytterbium) doped fiber amplifier and converted to a wavelength in the harmonic of the ultraviolet light by nonlinear optical crystallization. In addition, solid-state lasers (wavelength: 355nm, 266nm) and the like can also be used.

In each of the above embodiments, the description has been made of the projection optical system of the multi-lens system in which the projection optical system PL includes a plurality of optical systems (projection optical units), but the number of projection optical units is not limited to this, and may be 1 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 an offner type large mirror, for example.

The projection optical system PL in each of the above embodiments is described with respect to the case where the projection magnification is equal, but the projection optical system PL is not limited to this, and may be either a reduction system or an enlargement system.

In the above embodiments, although the mask is a light transmissive mask in which a predetermined light shielding pattern (or phase pattern or light reduction pattern) is formed on a light transmissive mask substrate, an electronic mask (variable forming mask) disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,778,257 for forming a transmission pattern, a reflection pattern or a light emitting pattern from electronic data of a pattern to be exposed, or a DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device) variable forming mask using a non-light emitting type image display Device (also referred to as a spatial light modulator) may be used instead of the mask.

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

Further, a liquid crystal display device of a microdevice can be manufactured using the exposure apparatus of each of the above embodiments. First, a pattern image is formed on a photosensitive substrate (a glass substrate or the like coated with a resist), a so-called photolithography process. By this photolithography process, a predetermined pattern including a plurality of electrodes and the like is formed on the photosensitive substrate. Then, 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. Then, through the steps of forming color filter, assembling unit and assembling module, the liquid crystal display element of the micro-element is obtained.

In the above embodiments, although the exposure apparatus has been described as the substrate processing apparatus, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least some of the above embodiments 1 to 11 may be applied to a substrate processing apparatus other than the exposure apparatus, such as a device manufacturing apparatus or a test apparatus, which is provided with an inkjet functional liquid applying apparatus.

Further, the disclosures of all publications, international publications, U.S. patent application publications, and U.S. patent specifications relating to exposure apparatuses and the like cited in the above description are incorporated as a part of the present specification.

Industrial applicability

The substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention are suitable for processing large-sized substrates. The exposure method and the exposure apparatus of the present invention are suitable for exposure of large-sized substrates. The device manufacturing method and the flat panel display manufacturing method of the present invention are suitable for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device or the like.

Claims (13)

1. An exposure apparatus includes:

a1 st support part for adsorbing and supporting a part of an object;

a2 nd support portion that contactlessly supports the other portion of the object;

a driving unit for moving the 1 st and 2 nd supporting units for supporting the object in a scanning direction;

a projection optical system for projecting illumination light so as to expose the part of the object that is supported by the 1 st and 2 nd support portions and is moving by the drive portion, the part of the object facing the 1 st support portion; and

a3 rd supporting part adsorbing and supporting the object;

the 3 rd supporting part, in the state that the part of the object is exposed and absorbs and supports the object after the absorption and support of the 1 st supporting part are released, relatively moving the object in a predetermined direction intersecting with the scanning direction relative to the 1 st supporting part;

the 1 st supporting part for absorbing and supporting the area opposite to the 1 st supporting part in the object moved relatively by the 3 rd supporting part;

the drive unit moves the 1 st and 2 nd support units relative to the projection optical system in the scanning direction so that the region facing the 1 st support unit is exposed.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit relatively moves one of the 1 st and 2 nd support units with respect to the other support unit.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the driving portion relatively moves the 1 st support portion that adsorbs and supports the part of the object with respect to the 2 nd support portion.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the 2 nd support portion is disposed on both sides of the 1 st support portion in a predetermined direction intersecting the scanning direction.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the 2 nd support portion has a gas supply hole that supplies a gas to a lower face of the object.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the 1 st support portion has a suction hole that sucks gas under the object.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the 1 st support portion has a supply hole that supplies a gas under the object.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the 2 nd support portion is formed of a porous body.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a patterning device that forms a predetermined pattern on the object using an energy beam.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the object is a substrate for a flat panel display.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a length of at least one side or a diagonal length of the substrate is 500mm or more.

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

an act of exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to claim 10 or 11; and

and developing the exposed object.

13. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

an act of exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to claim 9; and

and developing the exposed object.

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