JP2005189776A - X-y positioning table and exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate assembling work by transporting tables without disassembling. <P>SOLUTION: An exposure apparatus is equipped with: a lower axis moving table 3x supported on a lower axis base 7a as movable in the X axis direction; and an upper axis moving table 3y supported on the lower axis moving table 3a via an upper axis base 7b as movable in the Y axis direction nearly orthogonal to the moving direction of the lower axis moving table 3x, wherein the upper axis base 7b is supported as turnable with respect to the lower axis moving table 3x. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an XY positioning table and an exposure apparatus using the same, and particularly suitable for proximity exposure transfer of a mask pattern onto a substrate such as a large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display. The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus.

  In the proximity exposure, a substrate as an exposure material is held on a substrate stage of an exposure apparatus, and the substrate is brought close to a mask held on a mask holding frame of a mask stage so that a gap between the two is several tens μm to several hundreds μm, for example. Next, the pattern drawn on the mask is exposed and transferred onto the substrate by irradiating the mask with exposure light from the side away from the substrate of the mask.

By the way, in proximity exposure, there is a method in which the mask is made the same size as the substrate and is exposed in a lump. However, in such a method, when the mask pattern is exposed and transferred onto a large substrate, the mask becomes large and the mask is exposed. This causes problems in terms of the influence on the pattern accuracy due to the bending of the pattern and the cost.
Under these circumstances, conventionally, when a mask pattern is exposed and transferred onto a large substrate, a mask smaller than the substrate is used, and a moving table on which a substrate stage is mounted is stepped, for example, in the X-axis direction with respect to the mask. The pattern exposure light is irradiated in a state where the mask is moved close to the substrate on the substrate table for each step, and thereby a plurality of patterns drawn on the mask are exposed and transferred onto the substrate. The proximity exposure method is often used.

  By the way, in the step type exposure apparatus, in order to improve the exposure efficiency and increase the productivity, two-axis step exposure in the X axis direction and the Y axis direction can be considered. That is, for example, by providing a Y-axis movement table on the X-axis movement table, mounting the substrate stage on the Y-axis movement table, and moving the X-axis movement table and the Y-axis movement table stepwise in the axial direction respectively, The mask pattern can be efficiently transferred to the substrate.

However, if the size of the substrate is increased with these two-axis step exposure apparatuses (recently, each side is 2 to 3 m), the size of the apparatus becomes too large to be transported in one piece. In particular, in the positioning table for positioning the substrate stage, it takes time to assemble at the transportation destination, and there is a problem that the labor for reassembling with high accuracy becomes a heavy burden. .
The present invention has been made in order to eliminate such inconveniences, and provides an XY positioning stage and an exposure apparatus capable of facilitating assembly work by allowing each table to be transported without being disassembled. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a lower shaft moving table supported on a lower shaft base so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the lower shaft moving table on the lower shaft moving table via the upper shaft base. In an XY positioning table comprising an upper axis moving table supported so as to be movable in an axial direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the lower axis moving table, the upper axis base is supported so as to be able to turn on the lower axis moving table. It is characterized by being.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in claim 1, a hydrostatic bearing is used as a guide member for guiding the turning of the upper shaft base.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate stage mounted on the upper axis movement table of the XY positioning table according to the first or second aspect, and a substrate stage for holding a substrate as an exposed material, and a mask having a pattern to be exposed. And a irradiating means for irradiating exposure light toward the mask so as to expose and transfer the pattern of the mask onto the substrate.

  According to the present invention, the upper shaft base that supports the upper shaft moving table so as to be movable in the axial direction is supported so as to be pivotable with respect to the lower shaft moving table. By making the movement direction of the table substantially match, even when using a large substrate, it is possible to transport the table by temporarily reducing the size of the device without disassembling each table. Can be facilitated.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining a proximity exposure apparatus as an example of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the upper shaft base is turned by approximately 90 °, and FIG. 5 is a view seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a proximity exposure apparatus as an example of an embodiment of the present invention includes an X-axis movement table (lower-axis movement table) provided on the lower-axis base 7a so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. XY positioning table 10 comprising 3x and a Y-axis movement table (upper-axis movement table) 3y provided on the X-axis movement table 3x via the upper-axis base 7b so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. A substrate stage 2 for holding a substrate W as a material to be exposed is mounted on the Y-axis moving table 3y of the positioning table 10, and a mask M smaller than the substrate W is placed above the substrate stage 2 on the substrate W. In order to expose and transfer the pattern of the mask stage 5 and the mask M held in a state of being opposed to each other onto the substrate W, an irradiation device 6 for irradiating the exposure light toward the mask M is disposed.

The X-axis moving table 3x is provided with a slider 24 of a linear guide device on the back surface, and the slider 24 rolls on a guide rail 8 installed in parallel along the X-axis direction on the lower shaft base 7a (not shown). ). Thereby, the X-axis moving table 3x is supported so as to be movable along the X-axis direction with respect to the lower shaft base 7a.
As an X-axis drive control means for controlling the X-axis movement table 3x in the X-axis direction (including step movement), in addition to a combination of a linear motor and a control device for controlling the linear motor, for example, a ball screw device, A combination of a motor that rotationally drives the screw shaft of the ball screw device and a control device that controls the motor can be used.

  The Y-axis moving table 3y has a linear guide device slider 24 attached to the back surface thereof, and the slider 24 is installed in parallel along the Y-axis direction on the upper-axis base 7b disposed on the X-axis moving table 3x. The guide rail 8 is suspended over rolling elements (not shown). Thus, the Y-axis movement table 3y is supported by the upper shaft base 7b on the X-axis movement table 3x so as to be movable along the Y-axis direction.

  Further, between the Y-axis moving table 3y and the substrate stage 2, the clearance between the mask M and the substrate W is measured up to a preset position by performing a simple vertical movement of the substrate stage 2. A Z-axis coarse movement device (not shown) that moves up and down without performing it, and a Z-axis fine movement device that finely moves the substrate stage 2 up and down to finely adjust the gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask M and the substrate W to a predetermined amount ( (Not shown) is installed.

  The Y-axis moving table 3y includes Y-axis drive control means dedicated to step feed (for example, a combination of a ball screw device, a motor that rotationally drives the screw shaft of the ball screw device, and a control device that controls the motor, a linear motor, The linear motor can be moved stepwise in the Y-axis direction by a combination of control devices that control the linear motor. The Y-axis drive control means and the X-axis drive control means allow the substrate W on the substrate stage 2 to be moved. It enables two-axis step exposure in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

The XY positioning table 10 thus configured has not only the maximum width in the X-axis direction (the length of the lower shaft base 7a) shown in FIG. 1, but also the maximum width in the Y-axis direction (the length of the upper shaft base 7b). ) Also exceeds the maximum lateral width that can be accommodated in containers currently used to transport this type of equipment. On the other hand, the lateral width of the lower shaft base 7a is set to a width that can be accommodated in the container.
Here, in this embodiment, the upper shaft base 7b that supports the Y-axis movement table 3y so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the X-axis movement table 3x.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a pivot shaft 20 projects downward from the center portion of the upper shaft base 7b, and the pivot shaft 20 has an inner peripheral surface as a bearing surface, and the upper shaft base 7b pivots. Is supported by a hole 30 formed in the center of the X-axis moving table 3x through a cylindrical hydrostatic bearing 21 that can rotate around the Z-axis. Also, a plurality of flat, substantially cylindrical hydrostatic bearings 22 are embedded in the surface facing the upper shaft base 7b of the X-axis moving table 3x so that the upper surface is a bearing surface and guides the turning of the upper shaft base 7b. ing.

The hydrostatic bearings 21 and 22 are both made of a porous material, and are connected to the wall surface of the X-axis moving table 3x via a gas passage (not shown) passing through the X-axis moving table 3x by a gas supply source (not shown). By supplying a gas such as air to the annular air supply cavity 23 provided on the upper surface, the upper shaft base 7b is levitated together with the Y-axis moving table 3y and the like to reduce the weight. The shaft base 7b is turned.
4 and 5, during transportation, the upper shaft base 7b is turned so that the movement direction of the Y-axis movement table 3y and the movement direction of the X-axis movement table 3x substantially coincide with each other. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper shaft base 7b is turned so that the moving direction of the Y-axis moving table 3y and the moving direction of the X-axis moving table 3x are orthogonal to each other.

  Further, after the upper shaft base 7b is turned, the supply of gas to the hydrostatic bearings 21 and 22 is stopped, so that the upper shaft base 7b is fixed to the X-axis moving table by its own weight and fixing means such as bolts. Fix to 3x. When fixing at the time of installation, the accuracy can be restored quickly and the working time can be shortened by securing the orthogonal accuracy between the Y-axis moving table 3y and the X-axis moving table 3x using a reference block, a right angle master or the like. it can. It should be noted that in the accuracy increasing operation by the right angle master or the like, the accuracy increasing operation can be facilitated by reducing the weight of the upper shaft base 7b or the like by using the gas supplied to the hydrostatic bearings 21 and 22.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the upper shaft base 7b that supports the Y-axis movement table 3y so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction is supported so as to be able to turn with respect to the X-axis movement table 3x, the Y-axis movement table Even when the largest possible substrate is used as the substrate W by turning the upper shaft base 7b so that the moving direction of 3y and the moving direction of the X-axis moving table 3x substantially coincide with each other, the XY positioning table 10 Without disassembling the apparatus, the apparatus size (width in the short direction of the XY positioning table 10) can be temporarily reduced to enable transportation, thereby facilitating assembly work.

  Further, since the static pressure bearings 21 and 22 are used as guide members for guiding the turning of the upper shaft base 7b, a gas such as air is supplied to the static pressure bearings 21 and 22 during the turning to float the upper shaft base 7b. By reducing the weight, it is possible to turn the upper shaft base 7b with particularly low friction. Therefore, the upper shaft base 7b can be easily turned by human power or the like. By stopping the supply of fluid to the bearings 21 and 22, the upper shaft base 7b can be easily fixed by the weight of the upper shaft base 7b and fixing means such as bolts.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, a hydrostatic bearing using a porous material is used as a guide member for guiding the turning of the upper shaft base 7b. Alternatively, a guide by a hydrostatic bearing or a rolling bearing or a guide by a sliding bearing may be employed.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the guide member for guiding the upper shaft base 7b is provided on the X-axis moving table 3x side, but it is not always necessary to do so. For example, instead of providing the hydrostatic bearing 21 on the X-axis moving table 3x side and using the inner peripheral surface as the bearing surface, it may be provided on the revolving shaft 20 side and using the outer peripheral surface as the bearing surface. Similarly, instead of embedding the hydrostatic bearing 22 on the X-axis moving table 3x side and making the upper surface the bearing surface, it may be embedded on the upper shaft base 7b side and the lower surface may be the bearing surface.

It is a top view for demonstrating the proximity exposure apparatus which is an example of embodiment of this invention. It is the figure seen from the arrow A direction of FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the turning structure of an upper shaft base. It is a top view which shows the state which rotated the upper shaft base about 90 degrees. It is the figure seen from the arrow B direction of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

W substrate M mask 2 substrate stage 3x X axis movement table (lower axis movement table)
3y Y-axis movement table 3 (upper axis movement table)
5 Mask stage 6 Irradiation device (irradiation means)
7a Lower shaft base 7b Upper shaft base 10 XY positioning tables 21, 22 Hydrostatic bearing (guide member)

Claims (3)

A lower shaft moving table supported on the lower shaft base so as to be movable in the axial direction, and an axial direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the lower shaft moving table via the upper shaft base on the lower shaft moving table. In an XY positioning table comprising an upper axis moving table supported so as to be movable,
An XY positioning table, wherein the upper shaft base is pivotally supported by the lower shaft moving table.   The XY positioning table according to claim 1, wherein a hydrostatic bearing is used as a guide member for guiding the turning of the upper shaft base.   A substrate stage mounted on the upper axis movement table of the XY positioning table according to claim 1 and 2 and holding a substrate as a material to be exposed, and a mask having a pattern to be exposed so as to face the substrate. An exposure apparatus comprising: a holding mask stage; and irradiation means for irradiating exposure light toward the mask in order to expose and transfer the mask pattern onto the substrate.

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