JP4960019B2 - Exposure equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device that can prevent a work chuck from deforming and can improve exposure accuracy by eliminating operational force of a cylinder acting on the work chuck during exposure of a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: In the exposure device, a directional control valve 85 is provided in a piping circuit 80 that connects a work fluid supply source 81 with a cylinder 70 and supplies the work fluid from the work fluid supply source 81 to the cylinder 70, and the directional control valve 85 shuts off the supply of the work fluid to the cylinder 70 as well as to release the inner pressure of the cylinder 70 when at least a substrate W is exposed by irradiation with exposure light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly, to an exposure apparatus that performs divided successive proximity exposure (proximity exposure) on a mask pattern of a mask on a substrate of a large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display.

  In an exposure apparatus that manufactures color filters for flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and plasma display devices, the substrate stage that holds the substrate is moved stepwise while positioning with high accuracy relative to the mask stage that holds the mask. Then, the mask pattern is exposed and transferred to the substrate by irradiating light for pattern exposure. The gap between the mask and the substrate at the time of exposure transfer is one of the particularly important management items for exposing and transferring the mask pattern with high accuracy. The work chuck holding the substrate has a rough Z moving mechanism and a fine Z moving mechanism. The position in the Z direction, that is, the gap between the mask and the substrate is precisely adjusted by the moving mechanism.

  In the case of a large exposure apparatus, some work chucks reach several hundred kilograms. Therefore, the conventional work chuck is moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism with its weight supported by a balance cylinder or the like. Thereby, the load applied to the vertical movement mechanism is reduced, and the vertical movement mechanism can be simplified. As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional pneumatic circuit 1 that supplies compressed air to a balance cylinder 3 that supports a work chuck 2 includes an air pump 4 such as an air compressor, a manual switching valve 5, a relief valve 6, and a pressure regulating valve. 7 and the like, each connected by a pipe 8. The pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air pump 4 is adjusted by the pressure adjusting valve 7 and supplied to the balance cylinder 3. The pressure adjusting valve 7 adjusts the pressure so that the operating force of the balance cylinder 3 is the same as the weight of the work chuck 2, and balances the weight of the work chuck 2 and the operating force of the balance cylinder 3.

  However, in the above-described conventional exposure apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, since the compressed air is always supplied to the balance cylinder 3, the upward force from the balance cylinder 3 always acts on the work chuck 2. Accordingly, when the work chuck 2 is lifted by the vertical movement mechanism 9, the load applied to the vertical movement mechanism 9 is reduced by balancing the force of the balance cylinder 3 with the weight of the work chuck 2, and the work chuck 2 can be easily lifted. The operation force (upward force) of the balance cylinder 3 also acts on the work chuck 2 when the chuck 2 reaches the raised position and exposes the substrate to be held. As a result, there is a possibility that the work chuck 2 and, in turn, the substrate held by the work chuck 2 may be deformed to warp upward as shown by the solid line in FIG. .

  The present invention has been made to eliminate such inconveniences, and its object is to prevent deformation of the work chuck by eliminating the operating force of the cylinder acting on the work chuck during substrate exposure. An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that can improve exposure accuracy.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configurations.
(1) A work chuck that holds a substrate as an exposed material, a vertical movement mechanism that moves the work chuck up and down relative to the substrate stage, a cylinder that is disposed on the substrate stage and supports the work chuck, and operates on the cylinder An exposure apparatus comprising a working fluid supply source for supplying fluid, wherein a switching valve is provided in a piping circuit that connects the working fluid supply source and the cylinder and supplies the working fluid from the working fluid supply source to the cylinder. The piping circuit includes a pressure adjusting valve that adjusts the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder to a predetermined pressure. The switching valve is disposed between the pressure adjusting valve and the cylinder, and the switching valve is at least a substrate. when exposing by irradiating light for exposure, as well as cutting off the supply of hydraulic fluid to the cylinder, by opening the inner pressure of the cylinder to the outside, the operation force of the cylinder is zero Exposure apparatus characterized in that it is.
(2) The exposure apparatus according to (1), wherein a plurality of cylinders are provided, and the pressure adjusting valve adjusts the pressure of the working fluid so that the operation force generated by each cylinder becomes a predetermined value.
(3) The vertical movement mechanism includes a base frame installed on the substrate stage, a linear guide disposed on the base frame along a predetermined axial direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a shaft by the linear guide. Two moving tables supported so as to be movable in the direction, a driving device for moving the two moving tables so as to be separated from each other or approaching each other along the axial direction, and two moving tables connected to the two moving tables When the operating force of the cylinder is made zero, a link mechanism for moving the work chuck in the vertical direction as the moving table moves away or approaches, and a guide for guiding the vertical movement of the work chuck, The exposure apparatus according to (1), wherein the work chuck is supported only by a link mechanism.
(4) The piping circuit includes a pressure adjustment valve that adjusts the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder to a predetermined pressure, and the switching valve is disposed between the pressure adjustment valve and the cylinder, so that the vertical movement is achieved. The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein a load applied to the mechanism is reduced.

  According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the switching valve is provided in the piping circuit that connects the working fluid supply source and the cylinder and supplies the working fluid from the working fluid supply source to the cylinder, and the switching valve exposes at least the substrate. When exposure is performed by irradiating light for use, the supply of the working fluid to the cylinder is shut off and the internal pressure of the cylinder is released, so that the operating force of the cylinder acting on the work chuck during substrate exposure can be eliminated. Thereby, deformation of the work chuck can be prevented, so that the exposure accuracy of the exposure apparatus can be improved.

  According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the piping circuit includes a pressure adjustment valve that adjusts the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder to a predetermined pressure, and the switching valve is provided between the pressure adjustment valve and the cylinder. Therefore, the pressure of the working fluid can be accurately adjusted to a pressure that balances the weight of the work chuck and supplied to the cylinder by the pressure adjusting valve. Therefore, since the work chuck can be supported by the cylinder with an optimum operating force, the load applied to the vertical movement mechanism when the work chuck moves up and down can be reduced, and the work chuck can be easily moved up and down.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 is a front view for explaining an embodiment of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substrate stage shown in FIG. Half is a plan view when the work chuck is lowered, left half is a plan view when the work chuck is raised, FIG. 4 is a front view of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a piping circuit of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the exposure apparatus PE of this embodiment includes a mask stage 10 that holds a mask M, a substrate stage 20 that holds a glass substrate (exposed material) W, and irradiation for pattern exposure. Illumination device 13 as means, substrate stage moving mechanism 40 for moving substrate stage 20 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions and adjusting the tilt of substrate stage 20, mask stage 10 and substrate stage moving mechanism 40 And a stage base 50 for supporting the above.

  Note that a glass substrate W (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate W”) is disposed to face the mask M, and a surface (on the opposite surface side of the mask M) for exposing and transferring a mask pattern drawn on the mask M. ) Is coated with a photosensitive agent.

  The mask stage 10 includes a mask stage base 11 having a rectangular opening 11a formed at the center, and a mask holding frame 12 that is mounted on the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11 so as to be movable in the X axis, Y axis, and θ directions. And comprising.

  The mask stage base 11 is supported by a column 51 standing on the stage base 50 and a Z-axis moving device 52 provided at the upper end of the column 51 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction, and is disposed above the substrate stage 20. Is done. The Z-axis moving device 52 includes, for example, an electric actuator including a motor and a ball screw, a pneumatic cylinder, or the like, and moves the mask stage 10 up and down to a predetermined position by performing a simple vertical movement.

  A chuck portion 14 that holds the mask M is attached to the lower surface of the mask holding frame 12. The chuck portion 14 is provided with a plurality of suction nozzles (not shown) for sucking the peripheral portion of the mask M on which the mask pattern is not drawn. The mask M is vacuum-sucked via the suction nozzle. It is detachably held on the chuck portion 14 by the apparatus. The mask holding frame 12 is moved in the X axis, Y axis, and θ directions by a mask position adjusting mechanism (not shown) provided on the mask stage base 11.

  The illumination device 13 is disposed above the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11, and includes, for example, a high-pressure mercury lamp, a concave mirror, an optical integrator, a plane mirror, a spherical mirror, and a shutter for exposure control, which are ultraviolet light sources. Configured. Then, the light irradiated from the high-pressure mercury lamp is irradiated as parallel light for pattern exposure onto the surface of the substrate W held on the substrate stage 20 through the mask M held on the mask stage 10. Thereby, the mask pattern of the mask M is exposed and transferred onto the substrate W.

  The substrate stage 20 is installed on a substrate stage moving mechanism 40. The substrate stage moving mechanism 40 includes a Y-axis table 41, a Y-axis feeding mechanism 42, an X-axis table 43, an X-axis feeding mechanism 44, and a Z−. A tilt adjustment mechanism 45 is provided to drive the substrate stage 20 in the X and Y directions with respect to the stage base 50, and to adjust the gap between the mask M and the substrate W to Z. Finely tilt and tilt in the axial direction.

  The Y-axis feed mechanism 42 includes a linear guide 46 and a Y-axis feed drive mechanism 47 between the stage base 50 and the Y-axis table 41. The linear guide 46 is attached to two guide rails 46a arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction on the stage base 50 and the back surface of the Y-axis table 41, and the guide rail 46a is provided with a rolling element (not shown). And a slider 46b straddled across.

  The Y-axis feed drive mechanism 47 is attached to the motor 47a installed on the stage base 50, the ball screw shaft 47b rotated by the motor 47a, and the back surface of the Y-axis table 41, and is screwed to the ball screw shaft 47b. A ball screw nut 47c. The Y-axis table 41 is moved along the Y-axis direction along the two guide rails 46a by rotationally driving the ball screw shaft 47b by the motor 47a.

  The X-axis feed mechanism 44 also includes a linear guide 48 and an X-axis feed drive mechanism 49 between the Y-axis table 41 and the X-axis table 43. The linear guide 48 is attached to two guide rails 48a arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction on the Y-axis table 41 and the back surface of the X-axis table 43. A rolling element (not shown) is attached to the guide rail 48a. And a slider 48b straddled through.

  The X-axis feed drive mechanism 49 is attached to the motor 49a installed on the Y-axis table 41, the ball screw shaft 49b rotated by the motor 49a, and the back surface of the X-axis table 43, and is screwed onto the ball screw shaft 49b. A ball screw nut 49c to be joined. The X-axis table 43 is moved along the X-axis direction along the two guide rails 48a by rotationally driving the ball screw shaft 49b by the motor 49a.

  The Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 45 includes a motor 45a installed on the X-axis table 43, a ball screw shaft 45b driven to rotate by the motor 45a, and a wedge formed in a wedge shape and screwed into the ball screw shaft 45b. And a wedge portion 45d that protrudes in a wedge shape on the lower surface of the substrate stage 20 and engages with the inclined surface of the wedge nut 45c. In this embodiment, two Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 45 are provided on one end side (right side in FIG. 2) in the X-axis direction of the X-axis table 43 and one on the other end side (left side in FIG. 2). Three units are installed and each is independently driven and controlled. The number of Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 45 installed is arbitrary.

  In the Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 45, when the ball screw shaft 45b is rotationally driven by the motor 45a, the wedge-shaped nut 45c is horizontally moved in the X-axis direction, and this horizontal movement is performed by the wedge-shaped nut 45c and the wedge portion 45d. The wedge portion 45d is finely moved in the Z direction by being converted into a highly precise vertical fine movement by the slope action. Accordingly, by driving the three Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 45 by the same amount, the substrate stage 20 can be finely moved in the Z-axis direction, and the three Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 45 can be individually and independently operated. The tilt adjustment of the substrate stage 20 can be performed. As a result, the position of the substrate stage 20 in the Z-axis and tilt directions can be finely adjusted so that the mask M and the substrate W face each other in parallel with a predetermined interval.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the substrate stage 20 is provided with a substrate via a vertical movement device 60 and four balance cylinders (cylinders) 70 disposed on the upper surface of the substrate stage 20. A work chuck 30 for holding W is provided.

  The vertical movement mechanism 60 is supported by a base frame 61 installed on the substrate stage 20, a linear guide 62 arranged on the base frame 61 along the Y-axis direction, and movable in the Y-axis direction by the linear guide 62. Two moving tables 63A and 63B, a driving device 64 that moves the moving tables 63A and 63B in the Y-axis direction, and a link mechanism that moves the work chuck 30 in the Z-axis direction as the moving tables 63A and 63B move. 65 and a Z-axis guide 66 for guiding the movement of the work chuck 30 in the Z-axis direction.

  The linear guide 62 is attached to each of the two guide rails 62a arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction on the base frame 61 and the back surfaces of the moving tables 63A and 63B, and is not shown on the guide rail 62a. And a slider 62b straddled via.

  The driving device 64 is provided at the central portion of the motor 64a attached to the Y-axis direction end portion (left end portion in FIG. 3) of the base frame 61, the ball screw shaft 64b rotated by the motor 64a, and the moving tables 63A and 63B. A ball screw nut 64c that is respectively attached and screwed to the ball screw shaft 64b. The ball screw shaft 64b is formed with left and right screws having different screwing directions with the axial center portion as a boundary. Therefore, when the ball screw shaft 64b is rotationally driven by the motor 64a, the moving tables 63A and 63B move in opposite directions along the two guide rails 62a, that is, move symmetrically.

  The link mechanism 65 includes four fulcrum blocks 65a fixed to the lower surface of the work chuck 30, a support pin 65b projecting from the outer surface in the X-axis direction of the fulcrum block 65a, and the X-axis of the moving tables 63A and 63B. Support pins 65c projecting on both side surfaces in the direction, and four links 65d connecting the support pins 65b of the fulcrum block 65a and the support pins 65c of the moving tables 63A and 63B, respectively. Further, the support pins 65b and 65c and the link 65d are rotatably connected.

  The Z-axis guide 66 includes four rail holding portions 66 a fixed to the lower surface of the work chuck 30, guide rails 66 b disposed along the Z-axis direction inside the rail holding portion 66 a, and the base frame 61. The slider 66c is mounted so as to be opposed to the four rail holding portions 66a, and spans the guide rail 66b of the rail holding portion 66a via a rolling element (not shown).

  The balance cylinder 70 is a pneumatic cylinder, and includes a cylinder body 70 a attached on the base frame 61 and a piston rod 70 b attached on the lower surface of the work chuck 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the balance cylinder 70 is supplied with compressed air, which is a working fluid, from the piping circuit 80, and by adjusting the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the piping circuit 80, The balance cylinder 70 supports the work chuck 30 and cancels the weight of the work chuck 30 applied to the link mechanism 65 (vertical movement mechanism 60).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the piping circuit 80 includes an air pump (working fluid supply source) 81, a manual switching valve 82, a relief valve 83, a pressure regulating valve 84, a switching valve 85, and a balance cylinder 70. Each is connected by a hose 86. The switching valve 85 is connected between the pressure adjustment valve 84 and the balance cylinder 70. In addition, the code | symbol 87 of FIG. 5 is a chamber which stores the whole exposure apparatus PE and interrupts | blocks exposure apparatus PE and external air.

  The air pump 81 is disposed outside the chamber 87, generates compressed air therein, and supplies the compressed air to the balance cylinder 70 via the switching valve 85, the pressure hose 86, and the like.

  The manual switching valve 82 is disposed outside the chamber 87, and normally communicates compressed air supplied to the relief valve 83. Further, it is manually operated during maintenance or emergency, and the compressed air in the piping circuit 80 is exhausted out of the chamber 87 or the compressed air supplied to the relief valve 83 is shut off.

  The relief valve 83 is disposed inside the chamber 87, and communicates compressed air supplied to the pressure regulating valve 84 in a normal state. Further, when compressed air exceeding a predetermined pressure is supplied from the air pump 81, the automatic switching is performed, the compressed air supplied to the pressure regulating valve 84 is shut off, and the compressed air is exhausted out of the chamber 87.

  The pressure regulating valve 84 is disposed inside the chamber 87 and is balanced so that the operation force generated by the four balance cylinders 70 becomes a predetermined value (in this embodiment, the same force as the weight of the work chuck 30). The pressure of the compressed air supplied to the cylinder 70 is adjusted, and the compressed air can be adjusted to an arbitrary pressure.

  The switching valve 85 is a pneumatic solenoid valve, and is disposed inside the chamber 87, and communicates compressed air supplied to the balance cylinder 70 when the work chuck 30 is raised or lowered before and after the exposure of the substrate W. As a result, the operating force of the balance cylinder 70 acts on the work chuck 30, and the weight of the work chuck 30 is offset. Further, when the substrate W is exposed, that is, when the link 65d of the link mechanism 65 stands vertically and the work chuck 30 moves up to the exposure position, it automatically switches to shut off the compressed air supplied to the balance cylinder 70. Then, the compressed air (internal pressure) in the balance cylinder 70 is exhausted (opened) out of the chamber 87. Thereby, the operating force of the balance cylinder 70 that has supported the weight of the work chuck 30 is released, and deformation of the work chuck 30 is prevented. The position of the work chuck 30 in the Z-axis direction is calculated based on the position of the movement tables 63A and 63B in the Y-axis direction measured by a sensor (not shown). It is automatically switched based on the direction position data.

  In the exposure apparatus PE configured as described above, when the work chuck 30 is raised, the pressure adjusting valve 84 and the balance cylinder 70 are communicated with each other by the switching valve 85, supplied from the air pump 81, and pressure is applied by the pressure adjusting valve 84. The adjusted compressed air is supplied to the balance cylinder 70. As a result, the operating force of the balance cylinder 70 balances with the weight of the work chuck 30, so that the load applied to the link mechanism 65 (vertical movement mechanism 60) becomes zero. At the same time, the motor 64a of the driving device 64 is driven to rotate the ball screw shaft 64b, thereby moving the moving tables 63A and 63B along the linear guide 62 in a direction away from each other. As a result, the link 65d of the link mechanism 65 is rotated so that it rises, and the work chuck 30 rises along the Z-axis guide 66 (see the left half of FIGS. 3 and 4).

  Then, when the work chuck 30 is raised to the exposure position, the switching valve 85 is automatically switched to shut off the communication between the pressure adjustment valve 84 and the balance cylinder 70, and the compressed air in the balance cylinder 70 is supplied to the chamber 87. By opening it to the outside, the operating force of the balance cylinder 70 acting on the work chuck 30 is made zero. Thereby, deformation of the work chuck 30 is prevented, and the substrate W is held on the work chuck 30 with high accuracy. At this time, the weight of the work chuck 30 is supported only by the link mechanism 65, but since the link 65d stands vertically, an excessive load is not applied to the vertical movement mechanism 60.

  When the work chuck 30 is lowered, the switching valve 85 is switched, and the pressure adjusting valve 84 and the balance cylinder 70 are connected to each other, whereby compressed air is supplied to the balance cylinder 70 and the work chuck 30 is moved to the balance cylinder. 70. Then, the motor 64a of the driving device 64 is driven to reversely rotate the ball screw shaft 64b, thereby moving the moving tables 63A and 63B in a direction approaching each other. As a result, the link 65d of the link mechanism 65 is rotated so as to lie down, and the work chuck 30 is lowered along the Z-axis guide 66 (see the right half of FIGS. 3 and 4).

  As described above, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the working fluid supply source 81 and the cylinder 70 are connected and switched to the piping circuit 80 that supplies the working fluid from the working fluid supply source 81 to the cylinder 70. A valve 85 is provided to shut off the supply of the working fluid to the cylinder 70 and release the internal pressure of the cylinder 70 when the switching valve 85 exposes at least the substrate W with exposure light. The operating force of the cylinder 70 that acts on the work chuck 30 during substrate exposure can be eliminated. Thereby, since the deformation | transformation of the workpiece chuck 30 can be prevented, the exposure accuracy of the exposure apparatus PE can be improved.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the piping circuit 80 includes the pressure adjustment valve 84 that adjusts the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder 70 to a predetermined pressure, and the switching valve 85 is a pressure adjustment valve. Since the pressure adjusting valve 84 adjusts the pressure of the working fluid to a pressure that balances the weight of the work chuck 30, the pressure adjusting valve 84 can supply the cylinder 70 with the pressure. Therefore, since the work chuck 30 can be supported by the cylinder 70 with an optimum operation force, the load applied to the vertical movement mechanism 60 when the work chuck 30 moves up and down is reduced, and the work chuck 30 can be easily moved up and down. Can do.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the working fluid supply source 81 and the manual switching valve 82 are arranged outside the chamber 78, and exhaust of the relief valve 83, the switching valve 85, and the cylinder 70 is outside the chamber 78. Therefore, the adverse effect on the exposure due to the exhaust can be eliminated, so that the exposure accuracy of the exposure apparatus PE can be improved.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably.
For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus for a flat panel display is illustrated, but instead, the present invention may be applied to a semiconductor exposure apparatus.
In this embodiment, the pneumatic cylinder is used as the balance cylinder that supports the weight of the work chuck. However, a hydraulic cylinder may be used.

It is a front view for demonstrating one Embodiment of the exposure apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 1, in which the right half is a plan view when the work chuck is lowered, and the left half is a plan view when the work chuck is raised. FIG. 4 is a front view of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 3. It is the schematic for demonstrating the piping circuit of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. It is the schematic for demonstrating the piping line of the conventional exposure apparatus. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the state which the workpiece chuck deform | transformed with the cylinder of the conventional exposure apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

PE exposure equipment M Mask W Glass substrate (material to be exposed)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mask stage 11 Mask stage base 11a Opening 12 Mask holding frame 13 Illumination device 14 Chuck part 20 Substrate stage 30 Work chuck 40 Substrate stage moving mechanism 41 Y-axis table 42 Y-axis feed mechanism 43 X-axis table 44 X-axis feed mechanism 45 Z -Tilt adjustment mechanism 50 Stage base 51 Post 52 Z-axis moving device 60 Vertical movement mechanism 61 Base frame 62 Linear guide 63A, 63B Moving table 64 Drive device 65 Link mechanism 66 Z-axis guide 70 Balance cylinder (cylinder)
80 Piping circuit 81 Air pump (working fluid supply source)
82 Manual switching valve 83 Relief valve 84 Pressure regulating valve 85 Switching valve 86 Pressure hose 87 Chamber

Claims (4)

A work chuck for holding a substrate as an exposed material; a vertical movement mechanism for moving the work chuck up and down with respect to a substrate stage; a cylinder disposed on the substrate stage and supporting the work chuck; and the cylinder An exposure apparatus comprising: a working fluid supply source for supplying a working fluid;
A switching valve is provided in a piping circuit for connecting the working fluid supply source and the cylinder and supplying the working fluid from the working fluid supply source to the cylinder,
The piping circuit includes a pressure adjusting valve that adjusts the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder to a predetermined pressure,
The switching valve is disposed between the pressure regulating valve and the cylinder;
Said switching valve, when exposing by irradiating light for exposure to at least the substrate, as well as cutting off the supply of the working fluid into the cylinder by opening the inner pressure of the cylinder to the outside, the cylinder An exposure apparatus characterized in that the operation force of the exposure apparatus is made zero . A plurality of the cylinders are provided,
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure adjusting valve adjusts the pressure of the working fluid so that an operating force generated by each of the cylinders becomes a predetermined value. The vertical movement mechanism includes a base frame installed on the substrate stage, a linear guide disposed on the base frame along a predetermined axial direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the linear guide. Two moving tables supported so as to be movable in the axial direction, a driving device for moving the two moving tables so as to be separated from or approach each other along the axial direction, and the two moving tables A link mechanism that is connected and moves the work chuck in the vertical direction as the two moving tables move apart or approach, and a guide that guides the vertical movement of the work chuck,
2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the operating force of the cylinder is made zero, the work chuck is supported only by the link mechanism. The piping circuit includes a pressure adjusting valve that adjusts the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder to a predetermined pressure,
The load applied to the up-and-down moving mechanism is reduced by arranging the switching valve between the pressure regulating valve and the cylinder. Exposure device.

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