JP2010267807A - Substrate holding apparatus, stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate holding apparatus that can receive and hand over a substrate without causing mounting deviation nor deformation, to provide a stage apparatus, to provide an exposure apparatus, and to provide a device manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate holding apparatus 9 which holds the substrate includes a plurality of substrate mounting portions 31 where the substrate is mounted, a recessed portion 30 sectioning the plurality of substrate mounting portions 31, and a plurality of communication holes 40 through which the recessed portion 30 communicate with back spaces of the mounting portions 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate holding apparatus, a stage apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and a device manufacturing method.

  In a manufacturing process of an electronic device such as a flat panel display, a processing apparatus for a large substrate such as an exposure apparatus or an inspection apparatus is used. In an exposure process and an inspection process using these processing apparatuses, a transport apparatus as disclosed in the following patent document that transports a large substrate (for example, a glass substrate) to the processing apparatus is used.

JP 2001-100189 A

  By the way, in the above-mentioned large substrate transfer device, an air layer is interposed between the substrate and the substrate holding device when the substrate is transferred to the substrate holding device. There may be a case where the substrate is displaced with respect to a desired placement position on the holding device. When mounting displacement or deformation occurs on the substrate after delivery, for example, in the exposure apparatus, there arises a problem of exposure failure such that predetermined exposure cannot be performed at an appropriate position on the substrate. If the substrate is displaced or deformed, there is a problem that processing of the substrate is delayed by re-delivering the substrate, for example, in order to eliminate it. Further, for example, if the transfer speed of the substrate is lowered so that the air layer does not remain after the transfer, there arises a problem that the processing of the substrate is further delayed.

  An aspect of the present invention is to provide a substrate holding apparatus, a stage apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and a device manufacturing method capable of transferring a substrate without causing a displacement or deformation.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate holding device for holding a substrate, wherein a plurality of placement portions on which the substrate is placed, a recess that partitions the plurality of placement portions, and the recess There is provided a substrate holding device including a plurality of communication holes that communicate with the back space of the placement unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stage apparatus including the substrate holding apparatus of the present invention that holds a substrate and a moving mechanism that moves the substrate holding apparatus.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus for irradiating a substrate with exposure light via a pattern, the substrate holding apparatus of the present invention for holding the substrate, and the substrate holding apparatus for the exposure light. An exposure apparatus comprising a moving mechanism for moving to an irradiation area is provided.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, using the exposure apparatus of the present invention, transferring the pattern to the substrate, processing the substrate on which the pattern is transferred, based on the pattern, A device manufacturing method is provided.

  According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to transfer a substrate without causing any mounting displacement or deformation.

It is a cross-sectional top view which shows the whole exposure apparatus outline. It is an external appearance perspective view of a conveyance robot. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of the plate holder mounted on the plate table. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the structure of the principal part in a plate holder. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the structure of the principal part in a plate holder. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the structure of the principal part which looked at the plate holder from the back surface side. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the relationship between a plate holder and a plate table. It is a figure which shows the planar structure of a tray. It is a perspective view for demonstrating operation | movement of a conveyance robot. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement which delivers a board | substrate to a board | substrate mounting part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the manufacturing process of a microdevice.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this. Hereinafter, an exposure apparatus that performs an exposure process for exposing a liquid crystal display device pattern to a substrate coated with a photosensitive agent will be described, and an embodiment of a substrate holding apparatus, a stage apparatus, and a device manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described. A form is also demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment. The exposure apparatus 1 includes an exposure apparatus main body 3 that exposes a pattern for a liquid crystal display device on a substrate, a transfer robot 4, and a carry-in / out unit 5, which are highly purified and adjusted to a predetermined temperature. Stored in the chamber 2. In the present embodiment, the substrate is a large glass plate, and the size of one side thereof is, for example, 500 mm or more.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the exposure apparatus main body 3 and the transfer robot 4 that transfers the substrate P to the exposure apparatus main body 3. The exposure apparatus main body 3 is disposed below the mask stage, an illumination system (not shown) that illuminates the mask M with the exposure light IL, a mask stage (not shown) that holds the mask M on which the liquid crystal display device pattern is formed. A projection optical system PL, a plate holder (substrate holding device) 9 as a substrate holder provided so as to be movable two-dimensionally on a base 8 disposed below the projection optical system PL, and a plate holder 9 A moving mechanism 33 that holds and moves the plate holder 9 is provided. That is, the exposure apparatus main body 3 is provided with a stage apparatus including a plate holder 9 and a moving mechanism 33.

  In the following description, the two-dimensional movement of the plate holder 9 relative to the base 8 is performed in a horizontal plane, and the X axis and the Y axis are set in directions orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane. The holding surface of the plate holder 9 with respect to the substrate P is parallel to the horizontal plane in a reference state (for example, a state when the substrate P is transferred). The Z axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis, and the optical axis of the projection optical system PL is parallel to the Z axis. The directions around the X, Y, and Z axes are referred to as the θX direction, the θY direction, and the θZ direction, respectively.

  The moving mechanism 33 includes a moving mechanism main body 35 and a plate table 34 that is disposed on the moving mechanism main body 35 and holds the plate holder 9. The moving mechanism body 35 is supported by the gas bearing in a non-contact manner on the guide surface 8a (the upper surface of the base 8), and can move on the guide surface 8a in the XY directions. The exposure apparatus main body 3 can move within a predetermined region of the guide surface 8a on the light emission side (image surface side of the projection optical system PL) while holding the substrate P.

  The movement mechanism main body 35 can move in the XY plane on the guide surface 8a by the operation of a coarse movement system (movement mechanism) including an actuator such as a linear motor. The plate table 34 is movable in the Z-axis, θX, and θY directions with respect to the moving mechanism body 35 by the operation of a fine movement system including an actuator such as a voice coil motor. The plate table 34 is moved in six directions including the X axis, the Y axis, the Z axis, the θX, the θY, and the θZ directions while holding the substrate P by the operation of the substrate stage driving system including the coarse movement system and the fine movement system. It is movable.

  The transport robot 4 is for transporting the substrate P to the exposure apparatus main body 3 and the carry-in / out section 5. The transport robot 4 transports the substrate P supported via a tray (support member) T described later.

  The exposure apparatus 1 performs step-and-scan exposure with the rectangular substrate P placed on the plate holder 9, and a plurality of patterns formed on the mask P, for example 4 The images are sequentially transferred to two exposure areas (pattern transfer areas). That is, in the exposure apparatus 1, the slit M on the mask M is illuminated by the exposure light IL from the illumination system, and the mask M is moved by a controller (not shown) via a drive system (not shown). The pattern of the mask M in one exposure region on the substrate P is obtained by moving the mask stage to be held and the plate holder 9 for holding the substrate P in synchronization in a predetermined scanning direction (here, the Y-axis direction). Is transferred, that is, scanning exposure is performed. Note that the exposure apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called multi-lens scan in which the projection optical system PL includes a plurality of projection optical modules, and the illumination system includes a plurality of illumination modules corresponding to the plurality of projection optical modules. It constitutes an exposure apparatus.

  After the scanning exposure of this one exposure region is completed, a stepping operation is performed in which the plate holder 9 is moved in the X direction by a predetermined amount to the scanning start position of the next exposure region. In the exposure apparatus main body 3, the pattern of the mask M is sequentially transferred to the four exposure regions by repeatedly performing such scanning exposure and stepping operation.

  The transfer robot 4 has, for example, a horizontal joint type structure, and includes an arm unit (transfer device) 10 composed of a plurality of parts connected via a vertical joint axis, and a transfer connected to the tip of the arm unit 10. A hand 12 and a driving device 13 are provided. The arm unit 10 can be moved, for example, in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by the driving device 13. The driving of the driving device 13 is controlled by a control device (not shown). As a result, the transfer robot 4 delivers the substrate P to the plate holder 9.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2 for the sake of convenience, the transfer robot 4 is provided below the transfer hand 12, has a mechanism similar to that of the transfer hand 12, and includes a transfer hand that can be independently driven. It has a double arm structure. Further, the transfer robot 4 is not limited to a horizontal joint type robot, and can be realized by appropriately adopting or combining known robots (generally, a transfer mechanism).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in / out unit 5 carries in and delivers a substrate P coated with a photosensitive agent in a coater / developer (not shown) arranged adjacent to the exposure apparatus 1, and also carries in the loaded substrate P. And a holder 17 serving as a carry-in port for adjusting the temperature of the substrate and a holder 15 serving as a carry-out port disposed above the holder 17 and to which the substrate P exposed by the exposure apparatus 1 is delivered. (Only the holder 15 is shown in FIG. 1). The holders 15 and 17 are rotatable in the θZ direction (around the Z axis), and can correct the position in the rotational direction relative to the transport hand 12 and rotate the substrate P by 90 degrees. .

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the plate holder 9 placed on the plate table 34, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the configuration of the main part of the plate holder 9. 4 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 4 (b) is an AA arrow view corresponding to FIG. 4 (a), and FIG. 4 (c) is a BB arrow view corresponding to FIG. 4 (a). It is. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of the plate holder 9, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of the main part when the plate holder 9 is viewed from the back side (the side opposite to the mounting surface of the substrate P). FIG.

  A groove 30 for holding the tray T is formed on the upper surface of the plate holder 9. The groove portions 30 are provided in a lattice shape corresponding to the frame structure of the tray T. In addition, a plurality of substrate placement portions 31 that are partitioned in a rectangular shape by the groove portions 30 are provided on the upper surface of the plate holder 9. The substrate platform 31 has a plurality of support points or support surfaces (not shown) for supporting the substrate P, and a plate for the substrate P is defined by the surface of each substrate platform 31 including the support points or support surfaces. A substantial holding surface of the holder 9 is formed. The thickness of the tray T is smaller than the depth of the groove 30. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, only the substrate P placed on the tray T is delivered to and placed on the substrate placement portion 31 by accommodating the tray T in the groove portion 30. It has become.

  Further, the upper surface (support point or upper surface of the support surface) of the substrate platform 31 is finished so that the substantial holding surface of the plate holder 9 with respect to the substrate P has good flatness. Furthermore, a plurality of suction holes K are provided on the upper surface of the substrate platform 31 for bringing the substrate P into close contact with the surface. Each suction hole K is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

  In addition, the plate holder 9 includes a plurality of communication holes 40 that allow the groove 30 and the back space of the substrate platform 31 to communicate with each other. Here, the back space of the substrate platform 31 means a space formed on the back side of the substrate platform 31 (the side opposite to the holding surface of the substrate P).

  The communication hole 40 is provided at a position different from the substrate placement surface of the substrate placement portion 31. The communication hole 40 has a function as an exhaust port for exhausting air between the substrate P and the plate holder 9 when the substrate P is delivered to the substrate platform 31. Note that the communication holes 40 are arranged at the number or position where the air between the substrate P and the plate holder 9 can be efficiently exhausted based on, for example, simulation.

  In general, after the substrate P is placed on the plate holder 9, there is a high possibility that an air pool is generated between the central portion of the substrate P and the plate holder 9 (that is, an air layer remains). Therefore, it is desirable that the communication hole 40 is provided at least in the central portion of the plate holder 9. In this embodiment, the communication hole 40 is provided in the groove part 30, and the opening part on the groove part 30 side of the communication hole 40 is formed in the side wall part 30 a and the bottom part 30 b of the groove part 30.

  Hereinafter, the hole formed in the side wall part 30a of the groove part 30 among the communication holes 40 is referred to as a first communication hole 40a, and the hole formed in the bottom surface part 30b is referred to as a second communication hole 40b. The first communication hole 40 a passes through the plate holder 9 in a direction parallel to the substrate placement surface of the substrate placement unit 31, and the second communication hole 40 b is a direction perpendicular to the substrate placement surface of the substrate placement unit 31. It penetrates (that is, the thickness direction of the plate holder 9).

  In the present embodiment, the air between the substrate P and the plate holder 9 can be exhausted satisfactorily by forming the first communication hole 40a and the second communication hole 40b as described above. The second communication hole 40 b is arranged at a position hidden behind the lower surface of the tray T in a state where the tray T is accommodated in the groove portion 30.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the plate holder 9 has a plurality of dents 70 provided on the back surface side corresponding to each of the substrate placement portions 31, thereby reducing the thickness of the substrate placement portion 31. Thus, the weight of the plate holder 9 is reduced. Each substrate placement portion 31 includes a reinforcing rib 71 at the bottom of the recess 70 that reinforces the strength of the substrate placement portion 31. Each rib 71 is formed, for example, in a substantially cross shape in plan view. The opening 41 on the back space (recess 70) side of the substrate placement portion 31 in the first communication hole 40 a is formed so as not to overlap the rib 71. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the relief portion 71 a is made by scraping a portion of the rib 71 that overlaps the opening 41, and at least a part of the opening 41 is provided at a height different from that of the rib 71.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the relationship between the plate holder 9 and the plate table 34. As shown in FIG. 7, the plate holder 9 has a leg portion 9a protruding to the back surface side, and the plate table 34 has a convex receiving portion 34a provided at a position corresponding to the leg portion 9a. . Thereby, the back surface of the plate holder 9 is thereby held in a state of being separated from the plate table 34. Specifically, in the present embodiment, for example, the height of the leg portion 9a is set to 910 mm, and the height of the convex receiving portion 34a is set to 5 mm. As a result, the back surface of the plate holder 9 and the surface of the plate table 34 are sufficiently separated from each other. Thereby, the flow path of the air exhausted from between the substrate P and the substrate platform 31 through the communication hole 40 can be sufficiently secured.

  By the way, in order to efficiently perform the above-described exhaust, it is desirable to form a large number of second communication holes 40 b facing the substrate P among the communication holes 40. However, if a large number of second communication holes 40b are formed, the mechanical strength of the plate holder 9 may be reduced. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in addition to the second communication hole 40b as described above, the first communication hole 40a is formed as described above, thereby maintaining the mechanical strength of the plate holder 9 and the substrate P. Air existing between the plate holder 9 and the plate holder 9 can be efficiently exhausted.

  Next, the structure of the tray T will be described in detail. In the present invention, the tray T is not limited to a dish-like one, and includes a tray having a frame structure formed by combining a plurality of frame members as described later. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a planar structure of the tray T. As shown in FIG. 8, the tray T includes a support portion 20 having a frame structure formed in a substantially rectangular shape as a whole by a plurality of linear members 19 stretched in a grid at predetermined vertical and horizontal intervals. The largest of the rectangular frame structures shown inside the substrate P). In addition, a plurality of rectangular openings 21, each of which is smaller than the substrate P, are formed inside each grid constituted by the plurality of linear members 19. In the openings 21, a plurality of linear members 19 to be described later are welded to each other or combined in a lattice shape. The shape of the tray T is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 8. For example, the tray T is a frame-shaped single frame that supports only the peripheral edge of the substrate P and has only one opening 21. Also good.

  On the four sides of the support portion 20, flange portions 18 are provided so as to protrude. As shown in FIG. 2, out of the total four collar portions 18 projecting from the four sides of the tray T that supports the substrate P, the opposite two collar portions 18 are moved downward by the transport hand 12 of the transport robot 4. (See FIG. 2). That is, the transfer robot 4 in the present embodiment supports the substrate P via the tray T as shown in FIG. 2 and transfers the substrate P to a predetermined position.

  As a material for forming the tray T, a material capable of suppressing the bending due to the weight of the substrate P when the tray T supports the substrate P can be used. For example, various synthetic resins or metals can be used. it can. Specific examples include nylon, polypropylene, AS resin, ABS resin, polycarbonate, fiber reinforced plastic, and stainless steel. Examples of the fiber reinforced plastic include GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic). Further, the linear member 19 stretched around in a lattice shape may be formed using a member having excellent flexibility such as a wire. Note that the surface of the tray T is set to have the same reflectance as the surface of the plate holder 9 (substrate placement unit 31).

Next, the operation of the exposure apparatus 1 will be described. Specifically, a method for loading and unloading the substrate P by the transfer robot 4 will be described. FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the transfer robot 4, and FIG. 10 is a view seen from the −Y axis direction when the substrate P is placed on the plate holder 9.
Here, a procedure for placing the substrate P on the tray T and carrying the substrate P placed on the tray T into and out of the exposure apparatus main body 3 by the transport robot 4 will be described. The delivery of the substrate P to the tray T includes a substrate delivery device (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the holder 17, for example, a component such as a support bar and its vertical movement mechanism. Is carried out by a transfer device that descends and transfers the substrate P to the tray T.

  When the substrate P coated with the photosensitive agent is conveyed from the coater / developer to the holder 17, the holder 17 rotates to position the tray T on the holder 17 in a predetermined posture.

When the position of the tray T is determined, the support rod of the delivery device rises through the opening 21 of the tray T, and the substrate P is sucked and supported above the tray T from below.
After the substrate P is accurately aligned with respect to the tray T above, the support bar descends while adsorbing the substrate P, so that the substrate P is supported on the support portion 20 in a positioned state. Here, the substrate P is adjusted to a temperature at which the exposure process is performed.

  Subsequently, the transport robot 4 holds the substrate P whose temperature has been adjusted integrally with the tray T by driving the arm unit 10 and the transport hand 12 by the driving device 13. The transport hand 12 rises while supporting the lower surface side of the tray T, and separates the substrate P supported via the tray T from the upper surface of the holder 17.

  Subsequently, the transfer robot 4 changes the direction of the transfer hand 12 so that the longitudinal direction of the transfer hand 12 (long side direction of the substrate P) faces the plate holder 9 side of the exposure apparatus main body 3. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, the transport robot 4 transports the tray T held by the transport hand 12 to above the plate holder 9. Then, as shown in FIG. 10A, each linear member 19 of the support portion 20 and the groove portion 30 of the plate holder 9 are opposed to each other. At this time, the transport hand 12 transports the substrate P so that the surface of the substrate P and the substrate mounting portion 31 of the plate holder 9 are substantially parallel. Here, “substantially parallel” means that the substrate P is in a parallel or nearly parallel state when the deflection of the substrate P due to its own weight is excluded. Specifically, the transport hand 12 transports the substrate P so that the held portion of the substrate P by the transport hand 12 and the substrate placement surface of the substrate platform 31 are substantially parallel. In FIG. 5, only the transport hand 12 is shown, and the entire configuration of the transport robot 4 is omitted.

  Subsequently, the transport robot 4 drives the driving device 13 to move the transport hand 12 downward (Z-axis direction). The transport hand 12 accommodates the tray T in the groove portion 30 and delivers the substrate P to the substrate platform 31.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the substrate P is placed on the plate holder 9 by moving in the vertical direction will be described. However, in the present invention, the substrate placement portion 31 of the plate holder 9 is installed in a horizontal state. The present invention is not limited to this, and includes the case where the substrate P is transported to the plate holder 9 that is disposed with the surface facing the vertical direction.

  By the way, when the conventional substrate is placed on the plate holder, there is a possibility that the placement displacement of the substrate (position displacement from a predetermined placement position) or the deformation of the substrate may occur. One possible cause of this displacement is that the substrate floats due to a thin air layer generated between the substrate and the plate holder immediately before the substrate is placed, for example. Further, as one of the causes for causing the deformation of the substrate, for example, it is conceivable that the substrate swells when an air pocket is interposed between the substrate and the plate holder after the substrate is placed.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, as the plate holder 9 enters the groove 30 as the transport hand 12 is lowered, the substrate P and the plate holder 9 (substrate The air 100 to and from the mounting portion 31) is exhausted through the first communication hole 40a and the second communication hole 40b. Further, when the lowering operation of the transport hand 12 proceeds, the air 100 is mainly exhausted through the second communication hole 40b as shown in FIG. Finally, the plate holder 9 is accommodated in the groove portion 30, so that the substrate P is placed on the substrate placement portion 31 without causing air accumulation as shown in FIG. .

  As described above, the air between the substrate P and the plate holder 9 is exhausted through the plurality of communication holes 40 communicating with the back space of the substrate platform 31. Thereby, it can suppress that an air pool and a thin air layer arise between the plate holder 9 and the board | substrate P. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the substrate P from being floated or swollen due to the air reservoir or air layer, and to prevent the substrate P from being displaced or deformed. . Therefore, the transfer of the substrate P to the plate holder 9 can be performed smoothly, the substrate P can be satisfactorily placed on the plate holder 9, and the productivity can be increased by repeating the transfer operation of the substrate P a plurality of times. There is no decline.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the back surface of the plate holder 9 and the front surface of the plate table 34 are arranged in a sufficiently separated state, so that a gap between the plate holder 9 and the plate table 34 is provided. The air exhausted through the communication hole 40 can be released efficiently.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the opening 41 in the first communication hole 40a is formed so as not to overlap the rib 71, so that the substrate P and the substrate mounting are disposed via the first communication hole 40a. It is possible to prevent the air exhausted from between the portions 31 from interfering with the ribs 71 and exhaust the air efficiently.

When the delivery of the substrate P to the plate holder 9 is completed, the transfer robot 4 retracts the transfer hand 12 from the plate holder 9.
When the substrate P is placed on the plate holder 9, the mask M is illuminated with the exposure light IL by the illumination system. The pattern of the mask M illuminated with the exposure light IL is projected and exposed to the substrate P placed on the plate holder 9 via the projection optical system PL.
Since the exposure apparatus 1 can satisfactorily place the substrate P on the plate holder 9 as described above, predetermined exposure can be performed at an appropriate position on the substrate P with high accuracy, and reliability can be improved. High exposure processing can be realized. Further, since the exposure apparatus 1 can smoothly transfer the substrate P to the plate holder 9 as described above, the exposure processing for the substrate P can be performed without delay.

By the way, the hole provided on the upper surface (the surface facing the exposure light) of the plate holder 9 has an extremely low reflectivity of the exposure light during exposure, while the surface of the plate holder 9 has a constant reflectivity. The exposure image may be uneven due to the difference in reflectance at the boundary portion. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the second communication hole 40b provided on the bottom surface of the groove 30 during the exposure process is hidden behind the bottom surface of the tray T, so that the above-described reflectance difference is prevented from occurring. It is possible to prevent unevenness in the exposure image. Moreover, since the surface of the tray T and the surface of the plate holder 9 are set to substantially the same reflectance, it is possible to prevent the exposure image from being uneven.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a highly reliable exposure process can be performed on the substrate P that is satisfactorily placed on the plate holder 9.

  Next, the carrying-out operation of the substrate P from the plate holder 9 after the exposure process is completed will be described. In the following description, the transport hand 12 is described as carrying the substrate P out, but another transport hand in the double hand structure may be carried out.

  When the exposure process is completed, the transport robot 4 drives the transport hand 12 and inserts the transport hand 12 from the −Y direction side on both sides in the X-axis direction of the plate holder 9 below the tray T placed on the plate holder 9. (See FIG. 9). At the same time, suction by the vacuum pump is released by a control device (not shown), and the adsorption of the substrate P by the plate holder 9 is released.

  Next, when the transport hand 12 is driven upward by a predetermined amount by the driving device 13, the transport hand 12 comes into contact with the lower surface of the flange portion 18 of the tray T, and when the transport hand 12 is driven further upward, The tray T supporting P is lifted above the plate holder 9, and the support portion 20 is separated from the plate holder 9. At this time, according to the present embodiment, the placement displacement and deformation of the substrate P are prevented as described above, so that when the tray T is moved upward, the substrate P is smoothly placed on the support portion 20 of the tray T. Can be placed.

  When the tray T is lifted to a position where the support portion 20 and the plate holder 9 are separated from each other, the tray T holding the substrate P is retracted from the plate holder 9 by the transport hand 12. In this way, the carry-out operation of the substrate P with respect to the exposure apparatus main body 3 is completed.

  As the substrate P in the above-described embodiment, not only a glass substrate for a display device but also a semiconductor wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a ceramic wafer for a thin film magnetic head, or an original mask (reticle) used in an exposure apparatus ( Synthetic quartz, silicon wafer) or the like is applied.

  Further, as the exposure apparatus, a step-and-scan type scanning exposure apparatus (scanning stepper) that moves the mask M and the substrate P synchronously to scan and expose the substrate P with the exposure light IL through the pattern of the mask M. In addition, the present invention may be applied to a step-and-repeat projection exposure apparatus (stepper) in which the pattern of the mask M is collectively exposed while the mask M and the substrate P are stationary, and the substrate P is sequentially moved stepwise. it can.

  The present invention also relates to a twin-stage type exposure having a plurality of substrate stages as disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,341,007, US Pat. No. 6,208,407, US Pat. No. 6,262,796, and the like. It can also be applied to devices.

  Further, the present invention relates to a substrate stage for holding a substrate as disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,897,963, European Patent Application No. 1713113, etc., and a reference mark without holding the substrate. The present invention can also be applied to an exposure apparatus that includes a formed reference member and / or a measurement stage on which various photoelectric sensors are mounted. An exposure apparatus including a plurality of substrate stages and measurement stages can be employed.

  In the above-described embodiment, a light-transmitting mask in which a predetermined light-shielding pattern (or phase pattern / dimming pattern) is formed on a light-transmitting substrate is used. As disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,778,257, a variable shaped mask (also called an electronic mask, an active mask, or an image generator) that forms a transmission pattern, a reflection pattern, or a light emission pattern based on electronic data of a pattern to be exposed. ) May be used. Further, a pattern forming apparatus including a self-luminous image display element may be provided instead of the variable molding mask including the non-luminous image display element.

The exposure apparatus of the above-described embodiment is manufactured by assembling various subsystems including the constituent elements recited in the claims of the present application so as to maintain predetermined mechanical accuracy, electrical accuracy, and optical accuracy. The In order to ensure these various accuracies, before and after assembly, various optical systems are adjusted to achieve optical accuracy, various mechanical systems are adjusted to achieve mechanical accuracy, and various electrical systems are Adjustments are made to achieve electrical accuracy.
The assembly process from the various subsystems to the exposure apparatus includes mechanical connection, electrical circuit wiring connection, pneumatic circuit piping connection, and the like between the various subsystems. Needless to say, there is an assembly process for each subsystem before the assembly process from the various subsystems to the exposure apparatus. When the assembly process of the various subsystems to the exposure apparatus is completed, comprehensive adjustment is performed to ensure various accuracies as the entire exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus is preferably manufactured in a clean room where the temperature, cleanliness, etc. are controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a microdevice such as a semiconductor device includes a step 201 for designing a function / performance of the microdevice, a step 202 for manufacturing a mask (reticle) based on the design step, and a substrate as a substrate of the device. Manufacturing step 203, including substrate processing (exposure processing) including exposing the substrate with exposure light using a mask pattern and developing the exposed substrate (photosensitive agent) according to the above-described embodiment It is manufactured through a substrate processing step 204, a device assembly step (including processing processes such as a dicing process, a bonding process, and a packaging process) 205, an inspection step 206, and the like. In step 204, the photosensitive agent is developed to form an exposure pattern layer (developed photosensitive agent layer) corresponding to the mask pattern, and the substrate is processed through the exposure pattern layer. It is.

  Note that the requirements of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be combined as appropriate. Some components may not be used. In addition, as long as it is permitted by law, the disclosure of all published publications and US patents related to the exposure apparatus and the like cited in the above-described embodiments and modifications are incorporated herein by reference.

P ... Substrate, T ... Tray, IL ... Exposure light, 1 ... Exposure device, 4 ... Transfer robot, 9 ... Plate holder, 13 ... Drive device, 30 ... Groove part, 30a ... Side wall part, 30b ... Bottom part, 31 ... Substrate Placement part 33 ... Moving mechanism 40 ... Communication hole 40a ... First communication hole 40b ... Second communication hole 71 ... Rib 100 ... Air

Claims (11)

A substrate holding device for holding a substrate,
A plurality of placement portions on which the substrate is placed;
A recess for partitioning the plurality of placement portions;
A plurality of communication holes for communicating the concave portion and the back space of the mounting portion;
A substrate holding apparatus comprising:   The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening on the recess side of the communication hole is formed in a side wall portion of the recess.   The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an opening portion on the concave portion side of the communication hole is formed on a bottom surface portion of the concave portion.   The said recessed part is a substrate holding apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 containing the several groove part which divides the said some mounting parts in a rectangular shape, respectively. A rib portion is provided in the back space of the mounting portion to reinforce the mounting portion,
The substrate holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an opening on the back space side of the communication hole is provided at a position that does not overlap the rib in a side wall portion of the back space.   The substrate holding device according to claim 5, wherein the opening portion on the back space side of the communication hole is provided with at least a part of the opening portion at a height different from that of the rib.   The said recessed part is a substrate holding apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-6 which accommodates the supporting member which supports the said board | substrate and performs delivery of this board | substrate with respect to the said mounting part. A substrate holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which holds a substrate;
A moving mechanism for moving the substrate holding device;
A stage apparatus comprising: An exposure apparatus for irradiating a substrate with exposure light through a pattern,
The substrate holding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which holds the substrate;
A moving mechanism for moving the substrate holding device to the irradiation region of the exposure light;
An exposure apparatus comprising: A support member for supporting the substrate;
A transport device that holds the substrate via the support member and transports the substrate to the substrate holding device;
The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the transfer device delivers the substrate to the mounting portion of the substrate holding device, and delivers the support member to the concave portion of the substrate holding device. Using the exposure apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, transferring the pattern to the substrate;
Processing the substrate to which the pattern is transferred based on the pattern;
A device manufacturing method including:

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