JP2018092102A - Stage device, exposure device, and production method of article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stage device advantageous in the point of strength of the holding power.SOLUTION: A stage device includes: a first holding part 201 for holding a first surface on a stage side of an article R; and a second holding part for holding a second surface, in which the second holding part includes: a contact part 21 that contacts with a second surface; a movable part 222 moving in the first direction along a movement direction of the stage on the stage; a fixed part 223 fixed to the stage at a position opposite to the movable part 222 in the first direction; and a movement part 225 that moves the movable part 222 to the first direction, in which the movable part 222 and the fixed part 223 position a contact part 21 in the first direction by sandwiching the member 221 connected to the contact part 21, a plane including a contact part between the movable part 222 and the member 221 and a plane including a contact part between the fixed part 223 and the member 221 incline toward the second direction, a force in the first direction imparted from the driving part 225 works on the member 221 from the movable part 222 and the fixed part 223 with a force including a component in the second direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a stage apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and an article manufacturing method.

  As an apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, and the like, an exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern of an original to an exposure area on a substrate while moving a reticle (hereinafter also referred to as an original) and a substrate in synchronization is used. Yes. This exposure apparatus has an original stage that is movable while holding the original. The original stage holds the original by vacuum-sucking the lower surface of the original. In order to improve the throughput of the exposure apparatus, it is effective to increase the speed and acceleration at which the original is moved. However, when the original plate is moved, if the inertia force applied to the original plate becomes larger than the holding force of the original plate, the original plate may be misaligned, and the alignment accuracy between the original plate and the substrate may be lowered, or the alignment may be It can be impossible. Therefore, the moving speed and acceleration of the original plate are limited by the strength of the holding force of the original plate.

  On the other hand, there is a method of increasing the holding force by giving holding force to the upper surface as well as the lower surface of the original. For example, the holding device of Patent Document 1 includes a holding tool that deforms a spring with a force that vacuum-sucks the upper surface of the reticle and presses the upper surface of the reticle using the elastic force of the spring. Further, the lithographic apparatus of Patent Document 2 includes a support having a mechanism for rotating a lever assembly so as to apply a clamping force to the upper surface of the patterning device.

JP 2000-299370 A Special table 2008-526018

  However, the strength of the vacuum suction force is limited, and the holding device of Patent Document 1 may have insufficient holding force. Further, the mechanism for pressing the original plate from the upper surface needs to be configured so that it can be retracted when the original plate is replaced. Can be inadequate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a stage apparatus that is advantageous in terms of strength of holding force, for example.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a stage apparatus having a stage that can move while holding an object, the first holding unit that holds the first surface of the object on the stage side, A second holding portion that holds a second surface different from the first surface, the second holding portion being in contact with the second surface, and along the moving direction of the stage on the stage A movable part that moves in the first direction; a fixed part that is fixed to the stage at a position facing the movable part in the first direction; and a drive part that moves the movable part in the first direction. The portion positions the contact portion in the first direction by sandwiching a member connected to the contact portion, and includes a plane including a contact portion between the movable portion and the member, and a plane including a contact portion between the fixed portion and the member. Is provided so as to be inclined toward the second direction in which the contact portion approaches the second surface. The first direction of the force given from is characterized in that acting on the member from the movable portion and a fixed portion with a force which includes a second direction component.

  According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a stage apparatus that is advantageous in terms of strength of holding force.

It is the schematic of the exposure apparatus which can apply the stage apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which looked at the stage apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment from the Z-axis direction upper side. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the principal part of FIG. 2 by XZ plane. It is a figure explaining the structure which positions a 2nd holding | maintenance part in detail. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the principal part of FIG. 4 by the YZ plane. It is a figure which shows the contact state of each contact surface in FIG. It is a figure which shows the contact surface of the movable part and fixed part which the 2nd holding part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment has. It is a figure which shows the structure of the stage apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the case where the contact surface of a movable part and a fixed part is made into a spherical surface, and the contact surface of a contact part is made into an inclined surface. It is a figure which shows the case where the contact surface of a movable part and a fixed part is used as a spherical surface, and it is set as a one part inclined surface of a contact part. It is a figure which shows the case where the curved surface which is not a spherical surface, and an inclined surface are made to contact | abut. It is a figure which shows the case where inclined surfaces are made to contact | abut.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a main part of an exposure apparatus to which the stage apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be applied. The exposure apparatus 100 includes an illumination system 101, a reticle stage 102, a projection optical system 103, a wafer stage 104, a main body structure 105, a light source introducing unit 106, and a surface plate 107. The stage apparatus of the present embodiment is applied to a stage apparatus having a reticle stage 102 arranged on a surface plate 107. The object held by the stage apparatus of this embodiment is a reticle (original) R.

  The illumination system 101 irradiates the reticle R with light from the light source introduction unit 106 as exposure light shaped in a uniform light amount and a predetermined shape. The projection optical system 103 reduces and projects the pattern formed on the reticle R and irradiated with the exposure light onto the wafer W. When reducing and projecting a pattern, reticle stage 102 and wafer stage 104 move in a predetermined scanning direction in synchronization with each other. The main body structure 105 supports the reticle stage 102, the projection optical system 103, and the wafer stage 104. The reticle R is an original plate made of, for example, quartz glass, and a pattern to be formed is a circuit pattern or the like. The wafer W is, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate having a surface coated with a resist. In the coordinate system in this embodiment, the scanning direction is the Y direction, the gravity direction is the Z direction, and the direction perpendicular to these is the X direction.

  The configuration of the stage apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the stage apparatus according to the first embodiment viewed from the upper side in the Z-axis direction. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. The stage apparatus 200 includes a reticle stage 102, a first holding unit 201, a second holding unit 202, and a driving unit 203. The first holding unit 201 holds the surface of the reticle R on the reticle stage 102 side, that is, the lower surface. The second holding unit 202 holds the upper surface opposite to the lower surface of the reticle R. The second holding unit 202 is provided at a symmetrical position with respect to the moving direction of the reticle stage 102, that is, the scanning direction (Y direction). The first holding unit 201 is provided on the opposite side of the reticle R from the second holding unit 202. The second holding unit 202 includes the contact unit 21 and the positioning unit 22. The contact portion 21 is a rectangular plate-like member extending in the scanning direction, and is in contact with the upper surface of the reticle R. The positioning unit 22 includes a member 221 coupled to the contact unit 21, a movable unit 222, a fixed unit 223, an X drive unit 226, a Y drive unit 225, and a Z drive unit 224. The member 221 is kinematically supported by the bar 227 connected to the Z driving unit 224. The drive mechanism including the X drive unit 226, the Y drive unit 225, and the Z drive unit 224 can move the second holding unit 202 in a direction crossing the scanning direction.

  The drive unit 203 is a linear motor having a stator 203a and a mover 203b, and moves the reticle stage 102 in the Y direction. Stator 203a is arranged on both sides of reticle stage 102 so as to face each other with reticle stage 102 in the X direction. By generating a Lorentz force between the stator 203a and the mover 203b, the reticle stage 102 is moved in the scanning direction, that is, in the Y direction. The drive unit 203 is not limited to a linear motor, and may be another drive actuator.

  In the present embodiment, the first holding unit 201 and the second holding unit 202 hold the reticle R also by vacuum suction. A vacuum groove (not shown) is provided on the surface of the first holding unit 201 in contact with the reticle R, and the contact unit 21 of the second holding unit 202 has a vacuum groove 21a (in FIG. 4) on the surface in contact with the reticle R. (Shown) is provided. Each vacuum groove communicates with a vacuum source (not shown) via a pipe 21b passing through the reticle stage 102 and the inside of the member 221. The pressure inside each vacuum groove can be adjusted using a vacuum valve or the like.

  The member 221 includes a first support part 221a, a pipe formation part 221b, a second support part 221c, and a contact part 221d. The first support part 221 a contacts the bar 227 and supports the second holding part 202. The pipe forming part 221b has a pipe 21b inside.

  The first holding unit 201 is fixed to the reticle stage 102. From the viewpoint of increasing the holding force of the reticle R, the second holding unit 202 is desirably fixed to the opposite side of the reticle R from the first holding unit 201 in the Z direction. Therefore, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the movable unit 222 is moved in the direction along the Y direction on the reticle stage 102 by the Y driving unit 225. Then, the contact part 221d supported by the second support part 221c is sandwiched between the movable part 222 and the fixed part 223, and the contact part 21, that is, the second holding part 202 connected to the member 221 is positioned in the Y direction. . Accordingly, the second holding unit 202 is fixed to the opposite side of the first holding unit 201 in the Z direction with respect to the reticle R. In addition, the contact part 221d and the 2nd support part 221c may be comprised integrally.

  When the reticle R is transported out of the reticle stage 102, it is necessary to retract the second holding unit 202 from the transport path of the reticle R. The retraction of the second holding unit 202 is performed using the X driving unit 226 and the Z driving unit 224. A Z drive unit 224 is connected to one end of the X drive unit 226 in the X direction. The X drive unit 226 moves the second holding unit 202 in the X direction, and the Z drive unit 224 moves the second holding unit 202 in the Z direction.

  The bar 227 connected to the Z drive unit 224 is in contact with the first support unit 221a when the second holding unit 202 is positioned above the reticle R and does not hold the reticle R, and the first support unit 221a is Support kinematic. Accordingly, the posture of the second holding unit 202 is fixed, and the X driving unit 226, the Z driving unit 224, the bar 227, and the second holding unit 202 are integrated. On the other hand, when the second holding unit 202 holds the reticle R, the bar 227 is not in contact with the first support unit 221a, and the second holding unit 202 includes the X driving unit 226, the Z driving unit 224, and the bar. 227 physically independent. This has an effect of preventing the vibrations of the X drive unit 226, the Z drive unit 224, and the bar 227 from being transmitted to the reticle R.

  When the operation of transporting the reticle R out of the reticle stage 102 starts, the Y drive unit 225 pressing the movable unit 222 against the contact unit 221d moves the movable unit in the direction opposite to the pressing direction, that is, in the −Y direction. 222 is moved. Thereby, the contact part 221d sandwiched between the movable part 222 and the fixed part 223 is released. Further, the vacuum suction by the second holding unit 202 is also stopped. Thereafter, as described above, the first support portion 221a is brought into contact with the bar 227, and the X drive unit 226, the Z drive unit 224, the bar 227, and the second holding unit 202 are integrated. The X drive unit 226 moves the second holding unit 202 in the X direction and retracts it from the conveyance path of the reticle R. After evacuation, reticle R is transported out of reticle stage 2 by a reticle transport system (not shown).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating in detail a configuration for positioning the second holding unit 202 of the stage apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a state before the second holding portion 202 is positioned in the Y direction with the contact portion 221d sandwiched between the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223. The contact portion 221d (FIG. 3) has a contact surface S1 that contacts the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223. The pipe forming part 221b is disposed on the upper part of the vacuum groove 21a of the second holding part 202, and communicates the vacuum source and the vacuum groove 21a through the pipe 21b. Further, in order to perform positioning accurately, a plurality of contact portions 221d are provided on the fixed portion 223 side, and one is provided on the movable portion 222 side. In the present embodiment, two are provided on the fixed portion 223 side. By abutting the plurality of abutting portions 221d with the fixing portion 223, the positioning accuracy of the second holding portion 202 in the Y direction can be improved as compared with the case where only one abutting portion 221d is abutted.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 4 taken along the YZ plane. The contact portion 21 is sandwiched between the contact portion 221d and the pipe forming portion 221b, and the first support portion 221a is disposed on the uppermost portion of the member 221. The contact surface S1 of the contact portion 221d is a spherical surface. Further, the contact surface S2 that contacts the contact portion 221d of the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223 is symmetric with respect to the Z axis. Further, the contact surface S2 is a tapered inclined surface inclined toward the -Z direction. A contact portion between the contact surface S1 and the contact surface S2 is a point. That is, in the present embodiment, the contact surface S1 and the contact surface S2 are in point contact.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a contact state between the contact surface S1 and the contact surface S2 in FIG. The length of the arrow indicates the magnitude of the force, and the direction of the arrow indicates the direction of the force. The force F acting on the contact surface S1 from the contact surface S2 of the movable portion 222 is divided into a component force F1 in the Y direction and a force F2 in the component in the -Z direction. Similarly, the force Fr acting on the contact surface S1 from the contact surface S2 of the fixed portion 223 is also divided into a force F1r in the −Y direction and a force F2r in the −Z direction.

  The position of the contact portion 221d in the Y direction is fixed by the force F1 and the force F1r. At the same time, the forces F2 and F2r in the −Z direction become a force by which the contact portion 21 pushes the reticle R in the −Z direction, that is, a holding force. This force is greater than the vacuum suction force. The upper limit of the magnitude of the vacuum suction force is determined by atmospheric pressure, and the force is determined by the force with which the drive unit 225 pushes the movable unit 222, that is, the output of the drive unit 225. Although there is a limit to the output of the drive unit 225, generally, the force by which the drive unit 225 such as an actuator pushes the movable unit 222 is larger than the vacuum suction force. As a force in the −Z direction for pressing the reticle R against the reticle stage 102, a force obtained by combining the vacuum suction force and the forces F2 and F2r acts. As a result, the holding force of the reticle R can be increased more than when the reticle R is held only by the vacuum suction force.

  Here, the position of the contact point between the contact surface S1 and the contact surface S2 in the Z direction is preferably aligned with the position of the upper surface of the reticle R in the Z direction. This is to prevent moment force from being generated at the contact position.

  As described above, the stage device 200 can apply, as a holding force, a component of the force output by the driving unit to fix the second holding unit 202 to the conventional vacuum suction force. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a stage apparatus that is advantageous in terms of strength of holding force. Further, since the holding force can be increased, the moving speed of the reticle R can be further increased, and the throughput of the exposure apparatus 100 can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the contact surface S3 of the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223 included in the second holding portion 202 according to the second embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a contact portion 300 including a contact surface S3 that makes the contact surface S1 contact a part of the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223 is provided. The contact surface S3 is a surface inclined obliquely downward. In this case, by adjusting the inclination angle of the contact surface S3, the force by which the contact portion 21 pushes the reticle R in the −Z direction and the force by which the contact portion 221d is fixed can be adjusted. The force is adjusted based on the holding force required according to the scanning speed of the reticle R. When the inclination angle of the contact surface S2 of the first embodiment is extremely increased, the movable portion 222 has a triangular prism shape, and, for example, rigidity may be insufficient. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the contact surface S3 can be increased while suppressing a decrease in the rigidity of the movable portion 222. According to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Note that the contact portion 300 and the movable portion 222, and the contact portion 300 and the fixed portion 223 may be integrally formed.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a stage apparatus according to the third embodiment. In the above embodiment, the second holding unit 202 holds the upper surface of the reticle R. The contact portion 31 included in the second holding portion of this embodiment is in contact with the side surface extending along the scanning direction among the side surfaces of the reticle R. The same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The contact surface S5 of the contact portion 500 provided in the contact portion 31 that contacts the contact surface S4 of the contact portion 400 provided in the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223 of the present embodiment is the contact portion 31. Is tilted in the direction of pushing the side surface of the reticle R, that is, in the X direction. Thereby, the force with which the contact surface S4 presses the contact surface S5 is divided into a direction in which the side surface of the reticle R is pressed and a direction in which the contact portion 31 is fixed in the Y direction. According to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Note that the contact portion 400 and the movable portion 222, and the contact portion 400 and the fixed portion 223 may be integrally formed. Moreover, the contact part 500 and the contact part 31 may also be comprised integrally.

  As a modification of the contact surface, when the contact surface of the movable portion 222 and the fixed portion 223 is a spherical surface and the contact surface of the contact portion 221c is an inclined surface (FIG. 9), a part of the contact surface is an inclined surface. There is a case (FIG. 10). Further, there is a case where one is a curved surface which is not a spherical surface and the other is an inclined surface (FIG. 11), and a case where both are inclined surfaces (FIG. 12). When one surface is a non-spherical curved surface and the other is an inclined surface, the contact surface is in line contact, and when both are inclined surfaces, the contact surface is in surface contact.

  The stage apparatus 200 of the above embodiment can be used not only for holding the reticle R but also for holding the wafer W. Further, the force for pushing the reticle R by the second holding unit 202 can be sufficiently larger than the vacuum suction, and the holding by the vacuum suction of the second holding unit 202 is not necessarily required. Note that, for example, the lower surface of the reticle R can be pressed and held by the second holding unit 202. Further, the suction by the first holding unit 201 and the second holding unit 202 is not limited to vacuum suction, and may be electrostatic suction. In this case, an electrode is provided instead of the vacuum groove (not shown) of the first holding unit 201 and the vacuum groove 21a of the contact unit 21 of the second holding unit 202, and the first holding unit 201 is applied by applying a voltage to the electrode. The reticle R is electrostatically attracted by the second holding unit 202.

(Embodiment related to article manufacturing method)
The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. For example, the article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include an imprint mold. In the method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment, a latent image pattern is formed on the photosensitive agent applied to the substrate using the above-described exposure apparatus (a step of exposing the substrate), and the latent image pattern is formed in this step. Developing the substrate. Further, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like). As the substrate, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like is used, and a member made of a material different from the substrate may be formed on the surface as necessary. Specific examples of the substrate include a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, and quartz glass.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

R reticle (original)
200 Stage Device 201 First Holding Part 202 Second Holding Part 21 Contact Part 22 Positioning Part 221 Member 221a First Support Part 221b Pipe Formation Part 221c Second Support Part 221d Contact Part 225 Y Drive Part

Claims (10)

A stage apparatus having a stage that is movable while holding an object,
A first holding unit for holding a first surface of the object on the stage side;
A second holding part for holding a second surface different from the first surface of the object,
The second holding part is
A contact portion in contact with the second surface;
A movable part that moves in a first direction along the moving direction of the stage on the stage;
A fixed portion fixed to the stage at a position facing the movable portion in the first direction;
A drive unit that moves the movable unit in the first direction;
The movable part and the fixed part position the contact part in the first direction by sandwiching a member connected to the contact part,
The plane including the contact portion between the movable portion and the member and the plane including the contact portion between the fixed portion and the member are such that the contact portion is in contact with the second surface. Provided to be inclined toward the second direction approaching the second surface;
The stage device characterized in that the force in the first direction applied from the driving unit acts on the member from the movable unit and the fixed unit with a force including a component in the second direction.   The stage device according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion and the fixed portion are in point contact, line contact, or surface contact at the contact portion.   When the movable portion and the fixed portion are in point contact or line contact at the contact portion, the surfaces of the movable portion and the fixed portion that contact the member are flat surfaces, and the movable portion and the fixed portion of the member The stage apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a surface that contacts the portion is a curved surface.   4. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there is one contact portion between the movable portion and the member, and there are a plurality of contact portions between the fixed portion and the member. 5. .   The stage device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is in surface contact with the second surface.   The position of the contact portion between the movable portion and the member and the contact portion between the fixed portion and the member in the direction of gravity is configured to be aligned with the position of the upper surface of the object in the gravity direction. Item 6. The stage device according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first holding unit and the second holding unit hold the object using a vacuum suction force.   The stage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism that moves the contact portion in a direction that intersects the first direction. An exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern drawn on an original to a substrate via a projection optical system,
A stage device that holds and moves the original plate,
An exposure apparatus, wherein the stage apparatus is the stage apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Forming a pattern on the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 9;
And developing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the step.

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