JP2008311575A - Substrate transfer mechanism for exposure device, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate transfer mechanism for an exposure device capable of preventing substrate deviation from the substrate transfer mechanism for the exposure device, and to provide a control method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate driving unit 17 for carrying out the vacuum suction of a substrate W levitated and supported by an air flow from a levitation unit 16 and transferring it in the predetermined direction while sucking it comprises a chuck 22 which forms at least two suction regions 35 each of which is defined by a plurality of sucking holes 41 formed at the top face for sucking the substrate, and an air pressure circuit 40 which can control air pressure in the sucking holes 41 independently for each suction region 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus and a control method thereof, and more specifically, for an exposure apparatus capable of reliably adsorbing and transporting one end of a substrate levitated and supported by a levitating unit in a predetermined direction. The present invention relates to a substrate transport mechanism and a control method thereof.

Conventionally, as a manufacturing method of a large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display used for a large thin television, a method of exposing and transferring a mask pattern onto the substrate while conveying the substrate is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a substrate is floated on an intake / exhaust air pad that ejects gas from an exhaust hole and sucks ejected gas from an intake hole on the lower side of the substrate, and one end of the substrate is paired with a pair of grips. Exposure is performed while the substrate is transported in a certain direction by the substrate driving unit to be gripped.
JP 2007-72267 A

  By the way, in order to effectively use an expensive substrate, it is required to take as wide an exposure area as possible. For this reason, the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 transports the substrate by gripping the side edge portion which is a non-exposure region of the substrate with a pair of grips, but the area of the side edge portion of the gripped substrate is sufficient. Otherwise, the substrate may come off the grip. If the substrate is removed from the grip, there is a concern that not only the substrate but also the exposure apparatus may be damaged. In particular, the frictional force does not act on the substrate that is levitated and supported by the air flow from the levitating unit, and the substrate that has lost its restraint force due to the grip slips at high speed in the conveyance direction by the inertial force without decelerating and exposure. Not only does it collide with each part of the apparatus and cause serious damage, but it may be dangerous for the operator.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus that can prevent the substrate from coming off from the substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus, and a control method thereof. It is in.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.
(1) An exposure apparatus substrate transport mechanism that is applied to an exposure apparatus that irradiates a substrate with exposure light through a mask and exposes the pattern of the mask onto the substrate,
A levitation unit for levitating and supporting the substrate;
A substrate driving unit for conveying the substrate in a predetermined direction while adsorbing the substrate;
With
The substrate drive unit has a chuck portion in which a plurality of suction holes for sucking the substrate are formed on an upper surface, and a pneumatic circuit for controlling air pressure in the suction holes of the chuck portion,
The chuck portion constitutes at least two suction sections respectively defined by the plurality of suction holes,
The substrate transfer mechanism for an exposure apparatus, wherein the pneumatic circuit is capable of independently controlling the at least two suction sections.
(2) The substrate transfer mechanism for an exposure apparatus according to (1), wherein the pneumatic circuit has a plurality of pneumatic circuits configured separately for each of the at least two suction sections.
(3) The substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the chuck portion includes a clamp mechanism that sandwiches the attracted substrate.
(4) The method according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a stopper member that moves up and down in a vertical direction and abuts against an end surface of the substrate when it is detected that the substrate is detached from the chuck portion. The substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus according to any one of the above.

(5) A levitation unit that is applied to an exposure apparatus that irradiates the substrate with exposure light through a mask and exposes the pattern of the mask onto the substrate, and floats and supports the substrate; A substrate having a chuck part in which a plurality of suction holes for adsorbing the substrate are formed and a pneumatic circuit for controlling the air pressure in the suction hole of the chuck part, and transporting the substrate in a predetermined direction while adsorbing the substrate A method for controlling an exposure apparatus substrate transport mechanism comprising: a drive unit;
Configuring a plurality of pneumatic circuits for each of at least two suction sections respectively defined by the plurality of suction holes;
Detecting the air pressure of each of the suction sections in a state where the chuck portion vacuum-sucks the substrate;
If there is an abnormality in the detected air pressure, shutting off the pneumatic circuit of the suction section in which the abnormality is detected and switching to a vacuum interrupt circuit, and generating an alarm not to hold the substrate;
A method for controlling a substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus, comprising:

  According to the substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus of the present invention and the control method thereof, the chuck portion that sucks the substrate includes at least two suction sections that can independently control the air pressure in the suction holes by the pneumatic circuit. Even if a suction failure occurs in one chuck portion, the substrate can be sucked and held by the remaining chuck portions. As a result, the substrate is prevented from being detached from the chuck portion, and damage to the substrate and the exposure apparatus can be prevented.

  An embodiment of a proximity scan exposure apparatus suitable for applying a substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus and its control method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the proximity scanning exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment floats and supports a substrate (color filter substrate) W and transports the substrate in a predetermined direction (X direction in FIG. 1). A plurality of mechanisms 10 and a plurality of masks M are respectively held and arranged in two rows in a staggered manner along a direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) intersecting a predetermined direction (6 in each of the left and right in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1). ) Mask holding units 11, a mask driving unit 12 for moving the mask holding unit 11, a plurality of irradiation units 14 arranged on the top of the plurality of mask holding units 11 to irradiate exposure light, And a control unit 15 that controls the movement of each operating part of the proximity scan exposure apparatus 1.

  The substrate transport mechanism 10 includes a floating unit 16 provided in a region for transporting the substrate W in the X direction, that is, a region below the plurality of mask holders 11 and a region extending from the bottom region to both sides in the X direction. And a substrate driving unit 17 that holds the one side in the Y direction (the upper side in FIG. 1) and conveys it in the X direction. The levitation unit 16 includes a plurality of exhaust air pads 20 and intake / exhaust air pads 21 respectively provided on a plurality of frames 19, and the exhaust air pads 20 and the intake / exhaust air pads 21 are provided via pumps (not shown) and solenoid valves (not shown). Air is exhausted or sucked and exhausted from the exhaust air pad 21. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate drive unit 17 includes a suction pad 22 that is a chuck portion that holds one end of the substrate W that is floated and supported by the flying unit 16, and includes a motor 23, a ball screw 24, and a nut (see FIG. The substrate W is transported in the X direction along the guide rail 26 by a ball screw mechanism 25 comprising a not-shown). The substrate W may be transported by a linear servo actuator instead of the ball screw mechanism 25.

  The frame 19 is provided with a plurality of stopper members 36 that are moved up and down in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 1) to be able to advance and retract in the transport path of the substrate W. When it is detected that the substrate W is detached from the suction pad 22, the stopper member 36 is protruded into the transport path of the substrate W and is brought into contact with the end surface of the substrate W to stop the travel of the substrate W due to inertial force. Let The plurality of frames 19 are arranged via another level block 28 on a device base 27 installed on the ground via the level block 18.

  The mask drive unit 12 is attached to a frame (not shown), and is attached to the X direction drive unit 31 that drives the mask holding unit 11 along the X direction, and the tip of the X direction drive unit 31. Is attached to the tip of the Y direction drive unit 32, and the mask holding unit 11 is rotationally driven in the θ direction (around the horizontal plane of the X and Y directions). A θ-direction drive unit 33 and a Z-direction drive unit 34 that is attached to the tip of the θ-direction drive unit 33 and drives the mask holding unit 11 in the Z direction (vertical direction of the horizontal plane composed of the X and Y directions). Accordingly, the mask holding unit 11 attached to the tip of the Z direction driving unit 34 can be moved in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions by the mask driving unit 12. Note that the order of arrangement of the X, Y, θ, and Z direction drive units 31, 32, 33, and 34 can be changed as appropriate.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a mask changer 2 capable of simultaneously exchanging the masks M of the mask holding portions 11a and 11b between the carry-in side and carry-out side mask holding portions 11a and 11b arranged in two rows in a staggered manner. Is arranged. The used or unused mask M transported by the mask changer 2 is transferred to and from the mask stockers 3 and 4 by the loader 5. The mask M is pre-aligned by a mask pre-alignment mechanism (not shown) during the transfer between the mask stockers 3 and 4 and the mask changer 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiation unit 14 disposed on the upper part of the mask holding unit 11 includes a light source 6, a mirror 7, an optical integrator (not shown), a shutter (not shown), and the like. As the light source 6, for example, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, a xenon lamp or an ultraviolet light emitting laser that emits exposure light EL including ultraviolet light is used.

  In such a proximity scanning exposure apparatus 1, the substrate W is levitated and held by the air flow of the exhaust air pad 20 and the intake / exhaust air pad 21 of the levitation unit 16, and one end of the substrate W is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 22 of the substrate drive unit 17. And transport in the X direction. Then, the exposure light EL from the irradiation unit 14 is irradiated to the substrate W located below the mask holding unit 11 through the mask M, and the pattern of the mask M is transferred to the color resist applied to the substrate W. To do.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction pad 22 of the substrate driving unit 17 is formed with a plurality of suction holes 41 opened on its upper surface, and these suction holes 41 are formed in the pneumatic circuit 40a shown in FIG. , 40b,..., 40g.

  Further, the suction pad 22 has a plurality (seven in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3) of suction regions (suction sections) 35a defined by a plurality of suction holes 41 (12 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3). , 35b,..., 35g. In addition, the pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b,..., 40g are also independently configured with a number (seven in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3) corresponding to the suction regions 35a, 35b,. ing.

  The pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b, ..., 40g are connected to vacuum pumps 44a, 44b, ..., 44g and positive pressure pumps 45a, 45b, ... via solenoid valves 43a, 43b, ..., 43g. .. are connected to 45g, and by switching the solenoid valves 43a, 43b,..., 43g, the vacuum pumps 44a, 44b,. Air is supplied to the suction holes 41 by the pumps 45a, 45b,. By sucking air from the suction holes 41, the substrate W is vacuum-sucked to the suction pads 22, and by supplying air to the suction holes 41, the vacuum-sucked substrates W are released from the suction pads 22.

  Further, pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g for detecting the pressure of the suction holes 41 are disposed between the intake holes 41 and the solenoid valves 43a, 43b,. Yes. Then, when the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g detect that the air pressure has dropped below the vacuum pressure due to an air leak or the like during vacuum suction of the substrate W, the corresponding solenoid valve 43a, By closing 43b,..., 43g, the pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b,..., 40g corresponding to the suction areas 35a, 35b,. Switch to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, above the suction pad 22, a clamper 52 is brought close to or away from the suction pad 22 by a driving device 51 such as an air cylinder, and the substrate W is mechanically moved by the suction pad 22 and the clamper 52. A clamp mechanism 50 is disposed between the two.

  Next, a sequence for monitoring the substrate holding state by the pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b,..., 40g of the suction pad 22 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, it is determined in step S1 whether or not the substrate holding operation process is in progress. If the substrate holding operation process is not in progress, the process returns to the original route and waits until the substrate holding operation process is in progress. If the substrate holding operation is being performed, it is determined whether or not a substrate suction command is output from the control unit 15 to each suction region 35a, 35b,..., 35g (step S2).

  When the substrate suction command is output, each solenoid valve is connected so that the suction holes 41 of the suction regions 35a, 35b,..., 35g are connected to the corresponding vacuum pumps 44a, 44b,. Since 43a, 43b,..., 43g are switched, the air pressure detected by the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g of the respective suction areas 35a, 35b,. To do. If the pressure values of all the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g are normal, that is, if the pressure value is equal to or higher than a predetermined vacuum pressure, the substrate W is normally vacuum-sucked by the suction pad 22. After the determination, the process returns to step S2, and the same control is repeated until the substrate suction command is released.

  If at least one of the pressure values detected by the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g is equal to or lower than the predetermined vacuum pressure, it is determined that the substrate holding is abnormal, and the Z direction of the mask drive unit 12 is determined in step S4. The driving unit 34 is operated to retract the mask M together with the mask holding unit 11, the substrate driving unit 17 is stopped to stop the transfer of the substrate W, and the stopper member 36 is protruded into the transfer path of the substrate W. Processing is performed to prevent interference between the substrate W and each part of the proximity scan exposure apparatus 1 even if the substrate W is detached from the suction pad 22, and an alarm indicating that the substrate cannot be held is generated. At the same time, by closing the solenoid valve 43 in the suction region that has become equal to or lower than a predetermined vacuum pressure, the corresponding pneumatic circuit is shut off and the other vacuum pressure circuits are not affected.

  Returning to step S2, if the substrate suction command is not output, that is, is canceled, in step S5, the pressure values detected by the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,. If the pressure values of 46a, 46b,..., 46g are 0, it is normal and the process returns to step S1. If at least one of the pressure values is not zero (if a negative pressure is detected), the solenoid valves 43a, 43b,..., 43g of the suction regions 35a, 35b,. Are switched to the positive pressure pumps 45a, 45b,..., 45g. Next, in step S7, the pressure values detected by the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g are confirmed again, and if all the pressure values are 0, it is determined that the normal state has been restored and before step S5. Return to. If the pressure values detected by the pressure sensors 46a, 46b,..., 46g remain negative pressure, the solenoid valves 43a, 43b,. The alarm is output.

  As described above, the pressures of the suction holes 41 in the suction areas 35a, 35b,..., 35g are confirmed, and if any abnormality is detected, a predetermined abnormality process is performed. It is possible to avoid unexpected situations such as the substrate W sometimes coming off or the substrate W remaining adsorbed when the adsorption is released. Further, the suction pad 22 is divided into a plurality of suction areas 35a, 35b,..., 35g connected to the pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b,. Even if a malfunction such as an air leak occurs in the pneumatic circuit of the suction region, and the pressure of the suction hole 41 in the suction region falls below a predetermined vacuum pressure, the substrate W is sucked into the suction holes 41 in the remaining suction region. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate W from being detached from the suction pad 22.

  Next, removal of the substrate W is prevented by controlling the flying height of the substrate W to monitor the flying height of the substrate W. That is, when the substrate W is transferred in a state where the flying height is insufficient, the substrate W is prevented from coming off due to the contact of the substrate W with the exhaust air pad 20 and the intake / exhaust air pad 21. Further, when the substrate W is transported in an excessively floating amount state, the substrate W is prevented from coming off due to interference with the mask M or the mask holding unit 11.

  7 and 8 are flowcharts for explaining a method for controlling the flying height of the substrate W. FIG. When the substrate W is transported and reaches the position of the substrate gap sensor (not shown), the substrate gap sensor detects and captures the position of the lower surface and the upper surface of the substrate W (step S10), and the flying height of the substrate W The thickness of the substrate W is obtained by calculation (step S11).

  It is determined whether or not the obtained flying height is abnormal (step S12). If the flying height is abnormal, it is determined that there is a flying height error, the Z direction driving section 34 of the mask driving section 12 is operated, and the mask holding section 11 is retracted. The substrate W and the mask M are prevented from interfering with each other, and the transport of the substrate W by the substrate driving unit 17 is stopped. Further, the stopper member 36 is advanced into the transport path of the substrate W, and even if the substrate W is detached from the suction pad 22, it is brought into contact with the stopper member 36 to prevent damage to the substrate W and the exposure apparatus 1 (step). S13).

  If the flying height is normal, it is determined whether the flying height is within the allowable value with respect to the target flying height (step S14). If the flying height is within the allowable value, the control counter value is cleared (step S15). It is determined whether or not the thickness of the substrate W is within an allowable value (step S16). If the plate thickness is not within the allowable value, it is determined that the substrate W has a plate thickness that cannot be corrected by the Z-direction drive unit 34, and substrate plate thickness error processing is performed (step S17). If the thickness of the substrate W is within the allowable value, the Z-direction drive unit 34 of the mask drive unit 12 is operated based on the detected flying height and thickness of the substrate W, and the substrate W and the mask M are moved. Correction is performed so that the gap becomes a predetermined exposure gap (step S18). Thereby, even if the flying height and the plate thickness of the substrate W vary, the error corresponding to the variation can be absorbed.

  Further, if it is determined in step S5 that the flying height is not within the allowable value, after the flying height control counter is incremented (step S19), it is determined whether the flying height control counter value is within the allowable value (step S19). Step S20). If the flying height control counter value is not within the allowable value, it is determined that the flying height control described later is not controlled to the target flying height, and the flying height control impossible error process is performed (step S21).

  On the other hand, if the flying height control counter value is within the allowable value, the flow proceeds to the flying height control sequence. Specifically, in this sequence, as shown in FIG. 8, the flying height of the substrate W actually measured by the substrate gap sensor is confirmed (step S22), and it corresponds to the flying height to be corrected from the difference from the target flying height. An air pressure and an air flow rate are determined (step S23).

  And the control part 15 becomes predetermined air pressure and air flow, detecting the air pressure and air flow rate of the air exhausted and taken in from the exhaust hole and intake hole of the intake / exhaust air pad 22 by the pressure sensor and the flow rate sensor. Thus, the solenoid valve is opened and closed to control the air pressure and the air flow rate (step S24).

  Next, it is determined whether the air flow rate is within the allowable range (step S25). If the air flow rate is out of the allowable range, air flow error processing is performed (step S26). If the air flow rate is within the allowable range, the air pressure is within the allowable range. It is determined whether or not there is (step S27). If it is out of the allowable range, an air pressure error process is performed (step S28), and if it is within the allowable range, the process returns to step S10 again and the same control is repeated. The above-described substrate plate thickness error processing, flying height control impossible error processing, air flow error processing, and air pressure error processing are performed by operating the Z direction driving unit 34 and the mask holding unit 11 in the same manner as the above flying height error processing. Is taken out, and the substrate driving unit 17 stops the conveyance of the substrate W.

  By controlling the flying height of the substrate W as described above, the pressure and flow rate of the air exhausted and sucked from the exhaust air pad 20 and the intake / exhaust air pad 21 of the flying unit 16 are controlled, and the substrate W is accurately lifted to the target flying height. Can be transported. Accordingly, contact and interference between the substrate W and the floating unit 16 due to insufficient flying height are prevented, and interference between the substrate W and the mask holding unit 11 due to excessive flying height is prevented, and the suction pad 22 caused by abnormal flying height is obtained. It is possible to prevent the substrate from coming off.

  Therefore, according to the substrate transport mechanism 10 for an exposure apparatus and its control method of the present embodiment, the suction pad 22 that sucks the substrate W has the air pressure in the suction hole 41 adjusted by the pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b,. Since it is divided into a plurality of suction areas 35a, 35b,..., 35g that can be controlled independently, even if a malfunction such as an air leak occurs in some suction areas, vacuum suction in other suction areas The function is prevented from being affected, and the substrate W is continuously held. Thereby, the substrate W is prevented from being detached from the suction pad 22, and damage to the substrate W and the exposure apparatus 1 can be prevented.

  In addition, since the pneumatic circuits 40a, 40b,..., 40g are configured independently, it is reliably prevented from affecting the vacuum suction function in the other suction areas due to the suction area where the malfunction has occurred. .

  Furthermore, since the substrate W vacuum-sucked by the suction pad 22 is sandwiched by the clamp mechanism 50, the substrate can be prevented from coming off from the suction pad 22 more reliably.

  In addition, when it is detected that the substrate W is detached from the suction pad 22, the substrate is removed from the suction pad 22 by providing the stopper member 36 that moves up and down in a vertical direction and contacts the end surface of the substrate W. However, the substrate can be stopped immediately, and the exposure operation can be recovered in a short time while minimizing damage.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to each embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably.

  In the above embodiment, a plurality of suction sections of the suction pad 22 that is a chuck portion are defined by a suction region in which a plurality of suction holes 41 are continuous in the X direction. However, as shown in FIG. The sections 35a, 35b,..., 35g may be configured by grouping the respective suction rows in which the plurality of suction holes 41 extend in the Y direction at a predetermined interval.

  As a result, the respective suction rows belonging to the respective suction sections 35a, 35b,..., 35g are repeatedly distributed in order, so that there is a problem such as an air leak in the pneumatic circuit of some suction sections. Even if it occurs, the portions where the suction force of the substrate W is insufficient are dispersed. Therefore, there is a low possibility that the suction force of a certain portion of the substrate W gathered intensively decreases and the substrate W is detached from the portion, and the influence of the reduction of the suction force can be reduced as a whole. In addition, the adsorption | suction division of this invention should just be appropriately grouped according to design specifications etc. not only in these prescription | regulations.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although each pneumatic circuit 40a, 40b, ..., 40g has the vacuum pump 44, respectively, as shown in FIG. Between the vacuum pump 44 and the solenoid valves 43a, 43b,..., 43g for switching between vacuum pressure and positive pressure, solenoid valves 47a, 47b,. It is good also as a simple structure. Similarly, on the positive pressure pump side, a plurality of solenoids that perform switching switching of positive pressure between the positive pressure pump and the solenoid valves 43a, 43b,..., 43g that perform switching between vacuum pressure and positive pressure. A single positive pressure pump may be provided by providing a valve.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the stopper member 36 is disposed on the frame 19 so that the substrate W is stopped when the substrate W is removed during transportation. However, pins are disposed in the vicinity of the end surface of the suction pad. Thus, the substrate W may be stopped.

In the above embodiment, the proximity scan exposure apparatus that performs exposure in a state where the mask and the substrate are close to each other has been described. However, the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention uses a projection lens to project the mask pattern onto the substrate. An exposure apparatus may be used.
In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the substrate W is a color filter substrate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any substrate such as a semiconductor substrate may be used as long as it forms a predetermined exposure pattern.

It is a top view of the exposure apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the exposure apparatus in FIG. It is a top view of the suction pad which shows arrangement | positioning of the suction area | region of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the adsorption | suction area | region and a pneumatic circuit in FIG. It is a side view of a clamp mechanism. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which confirms the board | substrate adsorption | suction by a chuck | zipper part. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which controls the flying height of a board | substrate. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which controls the flying height of a board | substrate. It is a top view of the suction pad which shows other arrangement of a suction section. It is a block diagram which shows the other structure of an adsorption | suction area | region and a pneumatic circuit.

Explanation of symbols

1 Proximity scan exposure equipment (exposure equipment)
10 Substrate transport mechanism 16 Floating unit 17 Substrate drive unit 22 Suction pad (chuck part)
35a, 35b, ..., 35g Adsorption region (adsorption section)
, 40 g Pneumatic circuit 41 Suction holes 43 a, 43 b,..., 43 g Solenoid valve 47 a, 47 b,..., 47 g Solenoid valve 50 Clamp mechanism EL Exposure light M Mask W Substrate

Claims (5)

An exposure apparatus substrate transport mechanism that is applied to an exposure apparatus that irradiates a substrate with exposure light through a mask and exposes the mask pattern onto the substrate,
A levitation unit for levitating and supporting the substrate;
A substrate driving unit for conveying the substrate in a predetermined direction while adsorbing the substrate;
With
The substrate drive unit has a chuck portion in which a plurality of suction holes for sucking the substrate are formed on an upper surface, and a pneumatic circuit for controlling air pressure in the suction holes of the chuck portion,
The chuck portion constitutes at least two suction sections respectively defined by the plurality of suction holes,
The substrate transfer mechanism for an exposure apparatus, wherein the pneumatic circuit is capable of independently controlling the at least two suction sections.   2. The substrate transfer mechanism for an exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic circuit has a plurality of pneumatic circuits configured separately for each of the at least two suction sections.   3. The substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chuck portion includes a clamp mechanism that sandwiches the attracted substrate.   The stopper member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a stopper member that moves up and down in a vertical direction and comes into contact with an end surface of the substrate when it is detected that the substrate is detached from the chuck portion. Substrate transport mechanism for exposure apparatus. Applied to an exposure apparatus that irradiates the substrate with exposure light through a mask and exposes the mask pattern onto the substrate, and floats the substrate to support it, and adsorbs the substrate to the upper surface. A substrate drive unit that has a chuck portion formed with a plurality of suction holes for controlling the pressure and a pneumatic circuit that controls the air pressure in the suction holes of the chuck portion, and transports the substrate in a predetermined direction while sucking the substrate. A method for controlling an exposure apparatus substrate transport mechanism comprising:
Configuring a plurality of pneumatic circuits for each of at least two suction sections respectively defined by the plurality of suction holes;
Detecting the air pressure of each of the suction sections in a state where the chuck portion vacuum-sucks the substrate;
If there is an abnormality in the detected air pressure, shutting off the pneumatic circuit of the suction section in which the abnormality is detected and switching to a vacuum interrupt circuit, and generating an alarm not to hold the substrate;
A method for controlling a substrate transport mechanism for an exposure apparatus, comprising:

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