JP7161309B2 - Stage apparatus, lithographic apparatus, and method of manufacturing article - Google Patents

Description

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

A lithography apparatus used for manufacturing semiconductor devices and the like is provided with a stage device that drives a stage holding a substrate along a surface plate. The stage device is provided with a hydrostatic bearing for floating the stage from the surface plate, for example, by blowing gas toward the surface plate. In such a stage apparatus, if particles (foreign matter) or the like adhere to the hydrostatic bearings, it becomes difficult to float the stage from the surface plate to a desired height. Therefore, it is preferable to clean the hydrostatic bearings. . In Patent Document 1, a stage (slider) is placed over a maintenance hole provided in a surface plate, and compressed air is blown out from the maintenance hole to clean a hydrostatic bearing (air bearing surface). disclosed.

JP 2011-41443 A

In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the stage is placed over the maintenance hole provided in the surface plate, the pressure (floating force) of the hydrostatic bearing changes. It is possible that the two (eg, the stage and the platen) come into contact with each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that is advantageous for preventing contact between parts in a stage device when driving a stage for cleaning the static pressure bearings.

In order to achieve the above object, a stage device as one aspect of the present invention is a stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate, the drive unit driving the stage along the surface plate; a plurality of static pressure bearings provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate; and a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for sequentially cleaning each of the plurality of static pressure bearings. and a holding mechanism for holding the posture of the stage, wherein some of the plurality of static pressure bearings are moved above the cleaning mechanism by driving the stage by the drive unit. and the holding mechanism holds the posture of the stage, the cleaning mechanism performs the cleaning process on the part of the static pressure bearings .

Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will be made clear by preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for preventing contact between parts in the stage device in driving the stage for cleaning the static pressure bearings, for example.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a stage device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flow chart when performing cleaning processing on each hydrostatic bearing of the substrate stage. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the stage device of the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart when performing cleaning processing on each hydrostatic bearing of the beam member. It is a figure for demonstrating operation|movement of the stage apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a stage device of a third embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a stage device of a fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a stage device according to a fifth embodiment; It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of an article.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals are given to the same members or elements, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

In the following embodiments, an example in which a stage apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of imprint material on a substrate using a mold will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the stage apparatus according to the present invention can also be applied to other lithography apparatuses such as an exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern of a mask (original) onto a substrate and a drawing apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate using a charged particle beam. be able to.

<First embodiment>
An imprint apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the invention will be described. An imprinting device is a device that brings an imprinting material supplied onto a substrate into contact with a mold and applies energy for curing to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern of a hardened product to which the uneven pattern of the mold is transferred. is. The imprint apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is used for manufacturing semiconductor devices and the like, and uses a mold M on which an uneven pattern is formed to transfer the pattern onto an imprint material supplied onto a shot region of a substrate W. Perform imprint processing. For example, the imprint apparatus 100 cures the imprint material on the substrate while the mold M on which the pattern is formed is in contact with the imprint material. Then, the imprint apparatus 100 widens the distance between the mold M and the substrate W, and separates (releases) the mold M from the cured imprint material, thereby forming a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate. can.

Methods for curing the imprint material include a thermal cycle method using heat and a photo-curing method using light. In this embodiment, an example using the photo-curing method will be described. In the photo-curing method, an uncured ultraviolet curable resin is supplied onto a substrate as an imprint material, and the imprint material is irradiated with light (ultraviolet rays) while the mold 1 and the imprint material are in contact with each other. This is a method of curing the imprint material.

A curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when energy for curing is applied is used for the imprint material. Electromagnetic waves, heat, and the like are used as curing energy. The electromagnetic wave is, for example, light such as infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays whose wavelengths are selected from the range of 10 nm or more and 1 mm or less.

A curable composition is a composition that is cured by irradiation with light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition that is cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent if necessary. The non-polymeric synthetic compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of sensitizers, hydrogen donors, internal release agents, surfactants, antioxidants, polymer components and the like.

The imprint material is applied in the form of a film on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, it may be applied onto the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets, by a liquid jet head. The viscosity of the imprint material (viscosity at 25° C.) is, for example, 1 mPa·s or more and 100 mPa·s or less.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imprint apparatus 100 of this embodiment. The imprint apparatus 100 includes, for example, a curing unit 11, an imprint head 12 that holds the mold M, a first measurement unit 13, a second measurement unit 14, a supply unit 15 (ejection unit), and a control unit 16. and The control unit 16 is configured by, for example, a computer having a CPU, a memory, and the like, controls each unit of the imprint apparatus 100 , and controls imprint processing for each of the plurality of shot areas on the substrate W. FIG. Further, the imprint apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can include a stage device ST having a substrate stage 20 (stage) capable of holding the substrate W and moving on the surface plate. A specific configuration of the stage device ST will be described later.

The mold M is usually made of a material such as quartz that can transmit ultraviolet light. An uneven pattern is formed. Further, as the substrate W, glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like is used, and if necessary, a member made of a material different from that of the substrate may be formed on the surface thereof. The substrate W is specifically a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, or the like. Moreover, before applying the imprint material, if necessary, an adhesion layer may be provided in order to improve the adhesion between the imprint material and the substrate.

The curing unit 11 irradiates the imprint material with light (eg, ultraviolet light) through the mold M to cure the imprint material while the mold M and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other. The curing unit 11 can include, for example, a light source and an optical system (collimator lens, etc.) that shapes light emitted from the light source.

The imprint head 12 can include, for example, a mold chuck 12a, a mold stage 12b, and a mold driver 12c. The mold chuck 12a is supported (mounted) by the mold stage 12b, and holds the mold M by, for example, vacuum suction. The mold chuck 12a and mold stage 12b are provided with openings (not shown) for passing light (ultraviolet light) from the curing section 11 . Further, on the mold stage 12b, a sensor 12d for detecting the height of the substrate W held by the substrate stage 20, and a load cell ( (not shown) may be provided.

The mold drive unit 12c includes an actuator for raising and lowering the mold, and drives the mold M in the Z direction together with the mold chuck 12a and the mold stage 12b. Specifically, the mold driving unit 12c moves the mold M in a Z direction so as to bring the mold M into contact with the imprint material on the substrate, or to separate (release) the mold M from the hardened imprint material. It has the function of driving in the direction. Further, the mold driving section 12c may have a function of correcting the inclination (orientation) of the mold M in accordance with the substrate surface.

The first measurement unit 13 can include, for example, a TTM (Through The Mold) scope provided on the mold stage 12b. Specifically, the first measurement unit 13 is an optical system for detecting the reference mark provided on the substrate stage 20 or the alignment mark provided on the substrate W through the alignment mark provided on the mold M. and imaging system. Then, the first measurement unit 13 measures the positional relationship in the XY directions between the mold M and the substrate W in the XY directions from the detection result of the TTM scope.

The second measurement unit 14 includes an off-axis scope having an optical system and an imaging system for detecting the reference mark provided on the substrate stage 20 or the alignment mark provided on the substrate W without the mold M. sell. Then, the second measurement unit 14 measures the positional relationship in the XY directions between the substrate stage 20 (reference mark) and the substrate W (alignment mark) from the detection result of the off-axis scope. Thereby, the control unit 16 can control the alignment between the mold M and the substrate W based on the measurement result of the first measurement unit 13 and the measurement result of the second measurement unit 14 .

The supply unit 15 includes a dispenser (dispense head) having a supply port (nozzle) for supplying (dropping) an imprint material (for example, photocurable resin) onto the substrate. The supply unit 15 employs, for example, a piezo-jet method or a micro-solenoid method, and in a state in which the substrate W is moved in the XY directions, the imprint material having a minute volume is supplied to each of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate W. droplets can be supplied (discharged).

Next, the configuration of the stage device ST will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the stage device ST. 2(a) is a view of the stage device ST viewed from above (+Z direction), and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the substrate stage 20 (cross-sectional view along line AA in FIG. 2(a)). be. The stage device ST can include, for example, the substrate stage 20, the beam member 30, the first driving section 40, and the second driving section 50.

The substrate stage 20 has a substrate chuck 21 that holds the substrate W by a vacuum chuck or the like, and a movable portion 22 that supports the substrate chuck 21 and can move on the surface plate BP in the XY directions. Further, the substrate stage 20 (movable part 22) is provided with a static pressure bearing 23 (for example, a , air bearings, air guides) are spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2(a), a plurality of static pressure bearings 23a to 23d are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the movable portion 22 (surface on the surface plate side).

The beam member 30 extends in the first direction (the X direction in this embodiment) so as to pass through the opening 24 provided in the substrate stage 20 (movable part 22), thereby moving the substrate stage 20 in the first direction. It is a member for guiding. The beam member 30 can include a guide portion 31 that guides movement of the substrate stage 20 and support portions 32 that support the guide portion 31 at both ends (X direction) of the guide portion 31 . The support portion 32 is provided with a mover 52 of a second driving portion 50, which will be described later, and also serves as a static device for floating the beam member 30 from the surface plate BP by, for example, blowing compressed air toward the surface plate BP. A pressure bearing 33 may be provided. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, a plurality of static pressure bearings 33a to 33d are provided on the lower surface of the support portion 32 (the surface on the platen side). In addition, a static pressure bearing 25 is provided on the side surface of the opening 24 of the substrate stage 20 on the X direction side, and by ejecting compressed air toward the X direction side surface of the beam member 30 (guide portion 31), the X direction , the relative positions of the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 are controlled.

The first drive unit 40 drives the substrate stage 20 along the beam member 30 in the first direction (X direction). The first drive unit 40 may include, for example, a linear motor including a stator 41 having a plurality of coils arranged along the X direction and a mover 42 having permanent magnets. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the stator 41 of the first drive section 40 is provided on the beam member 30 (guide portion 31), and the mover 42 is provided on the substrate stage 20 (movable section 22). It is Further, the second driving section 50 drives the beam member 30 along the surface plate BP in a second direction (the Y direction in the present embodiment) different from the first direction. The second drive unit 50 may include, for example, a linear motor including a stator 51 having a plurality of coils arranged along the Y direction and a mover 52 having permanent magnets. In this embodiment, as described above, the mover 52 of the second driving section 50 is provided on the support portion 32 of the beam member 30 . Here, hereinafter, the first drive section 40 and the second drive section 50 may be collectively referred to as "drive section".

Here, in the imprinting apparatus 100, if the substrate stage 20 is tilted when pressing the mold M against the imprinting material on the substrate (especially, the imprinting material on the peripheral edge of the substrate W), the mold M and the substrate W are separated. Therefore, it becomes difficult to perform the alignment with high precision. Therefore, in order to reduce tilting of the substrate stage 20 due to the pressure, the stage device ST is required to have rigidity that can withstand the pressure. The rigidity depends on the floating amount of the substrate stage 20 from the surface plate BP, and increases as the floating amount decreases. Therefore, in the stage device ST, it is preferable to configure the hydrostatic bearing 23 so that the substrate stage 20 is levitated with a floating amount that allows the inclination of the substrate stage 20 at the time of pressing to be within an allowable range. In this embodiment, for example, the static pressure bearing 23 can be configured so that the substrate stage 20 floats from the platen BP within a range of several μm to ten and several μm.

In the stage device ST, if particles (foreign matter) adhere to the hydrostatic bearings 23, it may become difficult to float the substrate stage 20 from the platen BP at a desired height. It is preferable to do Therefore, in the stage device ST, a cleaning mechanism 60 for cleaning the static pressure bearing 23 can be provided on the side (periphery) of the platen BP. For example, the cleaning mechanism 60 may be configured to remove particles adhering to the static pressure bearing 23 by vacuum adsorption or electrostatic adsorption, or may eject compressed air toward the static pressure bearing 23 to clean the static pressure bearing 23 . 23 may be configured to remove particles. Also, the cleaning mechanism 60 may be configured to remove particles from the hydrostatic bearing 23 using a sponge, wipes, or the like.

In the stage device ST of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the cleaning mechanisms 60 can be provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of the surface plate BP (for example, the four corners of the surface plate BP are located in the cleaning mechanisms 60). has been replaced). Then, the driving unit drives the substrate stage 20 so that some of the static pressure bearings 23 among the plurality of static pressure bearings 23 provided on the substrate stage 20 are arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60 , and , the cleaning process is performed on the hydrostatic bearing 23 of . Such cleaning processing can be sequentially performed on each of the plurality of hydrostatic bearings 23 .

For example, in the stage device ST of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the same number of cleaning mechanisms 60a to 60d corresponding to the hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d provided on the substrate stage 20 are installed on the surface plate BP. They are spaced apart at positions corresponding to the four corners. The cleaning process of the static pressure bearing 23a is performed in a state where the substrate stage 20 is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing 23a is arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60a. At this time, the other hydrostatic bearings 23b to 23d can be arranged on the surface plate. Further, the cleaning process of the static pressure bearing 23b is performed in a state in which the substrate stage 20 is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing 23b is arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60b. Similarly, the cleaning process of the static pressure bearing 23c is performed with the static pressure bearing 23c disposed above the cleaning mechanism 60c, and the cleaning process of the static pressure bearing 23d is performed with the static pressure bearing 23d positioned above the cleaning mechanism 60d. This is done while in place.

However, when the substrate stage 20 is driven in this way to dispose a part of the static pressure bearings 23 from above the surface plate BP to above the cleaning mechanism 60, the floating force of the part of the static pressure bearings 23 changes. sell. As a result, the substrate stage 20 is tilted, and parts (for example, the substrate stage 20 and the platen BP) in the stage device may come into contact with each other. Therefore, in the stage apparatus ST of the present embodiment, when the substrate stage is driven such that a part of the static pressure bearings 23 is arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60, the posture of the substrate stage 20 is held at the target posture. It has a mechanism 61 .

In this embodiment, as the holding mechanism 61, for example, the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 (the guide portion 31) are arranged so as to fix the relative position of the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 (that is, the posture of the substrate stage 20). A connecting mechanism 61a may be provided to connect the . For example, the coupling mechanism 61a includes an electromagnet and a magnetic body arranged to face each other, one of which is attached to the beam member 30 (guide portion 31) and the other is attached to the substrate, as shown in FIG. 2(b). It can be provided within the opening of the stage 20 . When the substrate stage 20 is driven to perform the cleaning process of the static pressure bearing 23, the electromagnet of the coupling mechanism 61a is operated to couple the electromagnet and the magnetic body, thereby separating the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30. can be connected to each other. Further, the connecting mechanism 61a may be configured to connect the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 to each other by vacuum adsorption or the like instead of the electromagnet. Further, the connecting mechanism 61a may be a mechanical structure including a jack or the like that connects the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 by widening the gap between the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 above or below the beam member 30. good.

Next, cleaning processing for each of the plurality of hydrostatic bearings 23 provided on the substrate stage 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flow chart for cleaning each hydrostatic bearing 23 . Each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 can be controlled by the control unit 16 . Here, hereinafter, of the plurality of static pressure bearings 23a to 23d, the static pressure bearing 23 to be cleaned may be referred to as a "target static pressure bearing". Further, among the plurality of cleaning mechanisms 60a to 60d, the cleaning mechanism 60 assigned to perform the cleaning process of the target static pressure bearing may be called the "target cleaning mechanism".

In S11, the control unit 16 drives the substrate stage 20 in the X direction along the beam member 30 by the first driving unit 40 so that the target static pressure bearing is arranged in the X direction position range of the target cleaning mechanism. . This step of S11 can be performed in a state in which the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d are on the surface plate and the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d are in operation. For example, when the static pressure bearing 23a is the target static pressure bearing, the control unit 16 arranges the static pressure bearing 23a in the position range of the cleaning mechanism 60a in the X direction, as shown in FIG. , the first drive unit 40 drives the substrate stage 20 in the X direction.

In S12, the controller 16 controls the connecting mechanism 61a to connect the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 to each other. At S13, the control unit 16 stops the operation of the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d. The reason for stopping the operation of the hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d is to prevent the substrate stage 20 from oscillating due to a change in the balance of the floating forces of the hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d. Further, the static pressure bearing 33 provided in the support portion 32 of the beam member 30 is maintained in an operating state (that is, in a state in which a levitation force is generated) without stopping.

In S14, the control unit 16 drives the substrate stage 20 in the Y direction by the second driving unit 50 so that the target static pressure bearing is arranged above the target cleaning mechanism. For example, when the static pressure bearing 23a is the target static pressure bearing, the control unit 16 causes the static pressure bearing 23a to be arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60b as shown in FIG. The substrate stage 20 is driven in the Y direction by the unit 50 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the static pressure bearings 33a to 33d of the beam member 30 are positioned on the surface plate, and the posture of the beam member 30 is held at the target posture. Therefore, even if part of the hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d of the substrate stage 20 is arranged outside the surface plate, the posture of the substrate stage 20 connected to the beam member 30 by the coupling mechanism 61a can also be held at the target posture. can.

In S15, the control unit 16 causes the target cleaning mechanism to perform cleaning processing of the target static pressure bearing. Here, even if an observation mechanism for observing the air guide surface of the target static pressure bearing is provided in the stage device ST, the condition of the cleaning process, such as the removal condition of particles on the air guide surface and the occurrence condition of defects, can be observed by the observation mechanism. good. In this case, the control unit 16 may end the cleaning process according to the observation result of the observation mechanism.

In S16, the control unit 16 drives the substrate stage 20 by the first driving unit 40 and the second driving unit 50 so that the plurality of static pressure bearings 23a to 23d are arranged on the surface plate. In S17, the control unit 16 operates the plurality of hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d, and releases the connection between the substrate stage and the beam member by the connection mechanism 61a. In S18, the control unit 16 determines whether or not there is a static pressure bearing 23 that has not been cleaned (an untreated static pressure bearing 23) among the plurality of static pressure bearings 23a to 23d. If there is an untreated static pressure bearing 23, the untreated static pressure bearing 23 is set as the target static pressure bearing and the process returns to S11. On the other hand, if there is no unprocessed hydrostatic bearing 23, the process ends.

As described above, the stage device ST of the present embodiment holds the posture of the substrate stage 20 when driving the substrate stage 20 so that a part of the static pressure bearings 23 is arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60. It has a holding mechanism 61 . As a result, when the substrate stage 20 is driven to drive a part of the static pressure bearings 23 above the cleaning mechanism 60, the substrate stage 20 is tilted, and the components in the stage device (for example, the substrate stage 20 and the surface plate) are separated from each other. BP) can be prevented from contacting. Here, it is preferable that the upper surface of the cleaning mechanism 60 is lower than the upper surface of the platen BP. With such a configuration, interference (contact) between the substrate stage 20 and the cleaning mechanism 60 can be avoided when the substrate stage 20 is driven so that the hydrostatic bearing 23 is arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60 . .

<Second embodiment>
A stage device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The stage device of the second embodiment basically succeeds the stage device ST of the first embodiment, and the device configuration is also the same as that of the stage device ST of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, an example in which cleaning processing is performed for each of the plurality of static pressure bearings 33a to 33d provided on the support portion 32 of the beam member 30 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart when cleaning each of the plurality of static pressure bearings 33 provided on the beam member 30 . Each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 can be controlled by the control unit 16 . Here, the connection mechanism 61 a (holding mechanism 61 ) of this embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, but can be used to hold (fix) the posture of the beam member 30 .

In S21, the controller 16 controls the connecting mechanism 61a to connect the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 to each other. At S22, the control unit 16 stops the operation of the static pressure bearings 33a to 33d. The hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d of the substrate stage 20 are maintained in an operating state (that is, in a state in which a levitation force is generated) without stopping.

In S23, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 16 controls the second driving unit 50 so that the static pressure bearing 33a is disposed above the cleaning mechanism 60a and the static pressure bearing 33c is disposed above the cleaning mechanism 60c. to drive the beam member 30 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d of the substrate stage 20 are positioned on the surface plate, and the posture of the substrate stage 20 is held at the target posture. Therefore, even if some of the static pressure bearings 33a to 33d of the beam member 30 are arranged outside the surface plate, the attitude of the beam member 30 connected to the substrate stage 20 by the connecting mechanism 61a can also be held at the target attitude. can. In S24, the control unit 16 causes the cleaning mechanisms 60a and 60c to perform cleaning processing for the static pressure bearings 33a and 33c, respectively.

In S25, the control unit 16 causes the second driving unit 50 to move the beam so that the static pressure bearing 33b is disposed above the cleaning mechanism 60b and the static pressure bearing 33d is disposed above the cleaning mechanism 60d, as in S23. drive member 30; In S26, the control unit 16 causes the cleaning mechanisms 60b and 60d to perform cleaning processing for the static pressure bearings 33b and 33d, respectively. In S27, the control unit 16 drives the beam member 30 by the second driving unit 50 so that the plurality of static pressure bearings 33a to 33d are arranged on the surface plate. In S28, the control unit 16 operates the plurality of static pressure bearings 33a to 33d, and releases the connection between the substrate stage 20 and the beam member 30 by the connection mechanism 61a. By controlling the stage device as described above, the static pressure bearing 33 provided on the beam member 30 can be cleaned.

<Third Embodiment>
A stage device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The stage device of this embodiment differs from the stage device ST of the first embodiment in the configuration (arrangement) of the cleaning mechanism 60 . Below, portions different from the stage device ST of the first embodiment will be described.

In the stage device of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a cleaning mechanism 60 is arranged to surround the side (XY direction side) of the surface plate BP. By arranging the cleaning mechanism 60 in this way, two or more static pressure bearings 23 out of the plurality of static pressure bearings 23 a to 23 d provided on the substrate stage 20 can be cleaned at the same time.

For example, it is assumed that the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d of the substrate stage 20 are cleaned sequentially according to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this case, in the first steps S14 to S15, as shown in FIG. 7, the static pressure bearings 23a and 23c are arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60, and the static pressure bearings 23a and 23c are cleaned at the same time. Then, in the next steps S14 and S15, the substrate stage 20 is driven in the -Y direction from the state shown in FIG. are cleaned at the same time. By configuring the cleaning mechanism 60 in this manner, two or more static pressure bearings 23 can be cleaned at the same time. Therefore, the time required for cleaning the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d of the substrate stage 20 can be shortened compared to the stage device ST of the first embodiment.

<Fourth Embodiment>
A stage device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The stage device of this embodiment differs from the stage device ST of the first embodiment in the configuration of the holding mechanism 61 that holds the posture of the substrate stage 20 . The parts different from the stage device ST of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 8(a) is a top view of the stage device of the present embodiment, and FIG. 8(b) is a sectional view of the substrate stage 20 (BB sectional view of FIG. 8(a)). .

In the stage device of the present embodiment, an attractive force generating mechanism 61b that generates an attractive force between the substrate stage 20 and the platen BP is provided as the holding mechanism 61. As shown in FIG. The attractive force generating mechanism 61b is provided on the substrate stage 20, for example, as shown in FIG. 8B, and generates a force to attract the platen BP by vacuum adsorption or electrostatic adsorption. A pressurizing mechanism in the static pressure bearing 23 may be applied as the attractive force generating mechanism 61b, but a mechanism having a configuration different from the pressurizing mechanism may be provided. Also, the attraction force generating mechanism 61 b can be provided for each static pressure bearing 23 .

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a state in which the static pressure bearing 23a is arranged above the cleaning mechanism 60a. In this state, if the center of gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 is inside the triangular area 27 connecting the hydrostatic bearings 23b to 23d on the surface plate, the posture of the substrate stage 20 can be maintained. However, when the center-of-gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 deviates from the area 27, the substrate stage 20 tilts so that the hydrostatic bearing 23a and the cleaning mechanism 60a are in contact with each other. Therefore, the stage device of the present embodiment adjusts the posture of the substrate stage 20 so that the static pressure bearing 23a and the cleaning mechanism 60a do not contact each other by adjusting the vacuum attraction force and the electrostatic attraction force of the attractive force generating mechanism 61b. controllable.

When the center-of-gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 is out of the area 27, the control unit 16 controls the attraction force generating mechanism provided for the static pressure bearing 23d diagonally opposite the static pressure bearing 23a (target static pressure bearing). By controlling 61b, the attitude of the substrate stage 20 is controlled to the target attitude. Specifically, a detection unit (for example, a laser interferometer) for detecting the position and orientation of the substrate stage 20 is provided in the stage device, and based on the detection result, the orientation of the substrate stage 20 is adjusted to the target orientation. Attractive force generating mechanism 61b can be controlled at the same time. At this time, the control unit 16 increases the levitation force of the static pressure bearings 23b and 23c to increase the clearance between the static pressure bearings 23a and the cleaning mechanism 60a to further reduce the possibility of contact between them. may The normal levitation force means the levitation force when all of the hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d of the substrate stage 20 are positioned on the surface plate.

Here, since the displacement of the center of gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 from the area 27 is generally less than 10 mm, the moment for tilting the substrate stage 20 is small. Also, the static pressure bearings 23a to 23d and the attractive force generating mechanism 61b can be arranged at a distance of several tens to several hundred mm from the center of the substrate stage 20 (in the XY directions). Therefore, the control unit 16 preferably controls the attractive force generating mechanism 61b so that a force difference corresponding to the inverse proportion of the positional deviation to the weight of the substrate stage 20 is generated.

Further, when the pressurizing mechanisms of the hydrostatic bearings 23a to 23d are used as the attractive force generating mechanisms 61b, the levitation forces of the hydrostatic bearings 23 are controlled without changing the attractive force of the pressurizing mechanisms of the hydrostatic bearings 23. You may For example, the levitation force of the static pressure bearings 23b to 23c is increased, and the levitation force of the static pressure bearing 23d is decreased to such an extent that the static pressure bearing 23d does not come into contact with the platen BP. In this case, the levitation forces of the hydrostatic bearings 23b-23d may be adjusted so as not to change the sum of the levitation forces of the hydrostatic bearings 23b-23d. With such control, the posture of the substrate stage 20 can be held at the target posture so that the hydrostatic bearing 23a and the cleaning mechanism 60a do not come into contact with each other.

<Fifth Embodiment>
A stage device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The stage device of this embodiment differs from the stage device ST of the first embodiment in the configuration of the holding mechanism 61 that holds the posture of the substrate stage 20 . The parts different from the stage device ST of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 9(a) is a top view of the stage device of the present embodiment, and FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional view of the substrate stage 20 (CC cross-sectional view of FIG. 9(a)). .

In the stage device of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, a center-of-gravity changing mechanism 61c for changing the center-of-gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 is provided as the holding mechanism 61. As shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the center-of-gravity changing mechanism 61c includes a mass body 61c- ₁ that can move in the XY directions within the substrate stage, and moves the mass body 61c- ₁ in the diagonal direction of the target hydrostatic bearing. Thereby, the center-of-gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 is moved in the diagonal direction. As a result, the posture of the substrate stage 20 can be held at the target posture so that the hydrostatic bearing 23a and the cleaning mechanism 60a do not come into contact with each other.

The center-of-gravity changing mechanism 61c includes a mass body 61c2 configured to be detachable from the substrate stage ₂₀ on the side of the substrate chuck 21, and a changing mechanism for changing the arrangement of the mass body _61c2 on the substrate stage. may be In this case, a robot arm or the like provided in the stage device (or in the imprint device) is used as the changing mechanism so that the center of gravity position 26 of the substrate stage 20 moves in the diagonal direction of the target hydrostatic bearing. , change the placement of the mass body _61c2 on the substrate stage. As a result, the posture of the substrate stage 20 can be held at the target posture so that the hydrostatic bearing 23a and the cleaning mechanism 60a do not come into contact with each other.

Here, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which each of the connecting mechanism 61a, the attractive force generating mechanism 61b, and the center-of-gravity changing mechanism 61c is used as the holding mechanism 61 has been described. It may be used as the holding mechanism 61 . For example, the connecting mechanism 61a and the attractive force generating mechanism 61b may be provided as the holding mechanism 61 in the stage device ST, or the connecting mechanism 61a and the gravity center changing mechanism 61c may be provided as the holding mechanism 61 in the stage device ST. Of course, all of the connecting mechanism 61 a , the attractive force generating mechanism 61 b , and the center of gravity changing mechanism 61 c may be provided as the holding mechanism 61 .

<Embodiment of method for manufacturing article>
The method for manufacturing an article according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes a step of forming a pattern on an imprint material supplied (applied) to a substrate using the imprinting apparatus (imprinting method) described above; and processing the substrate. In addition, such manufacturing methods include other well-known steps (oxidation, deposition, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of article performance, quality, productivity, and production cost compared to conventional methods.

A pattern of a cured product formed using an imprint apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles, or temporarily used when manufacturing various articles. Articles are electric circuit elements, optical elements, MEMS, recording elements, sensors, molds, or the like. Examples of 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 sensors, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include imprint molds and the like.

The pattern of the cured product is used as it is or temporarily used as a resist mask as at least a part of the article. After etching, ion implantation, or the like in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

Next, a specific manufacturing method for the article will be described. As shown in FIG. 10A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer having a surface to be processed 2z such as an insulator is prepared. A printing material 3z is applied. Here, a state is shown in which a plurality of droplet-like imprint materials 3z are applied onto the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 10(b), the imprinting mold 4z is opposed to the imprinting material 3z on the substrate with the side on which the uneven pattern is formed. As shown in FIG. 10(c), the substrate 1z provided with the imprint material 3z and the mold 4z are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated through the mold 4z as curing energy, the imprint material 3z is cured.

As shown in FIG. 10D, after the imprint material 3z is cured, the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated to form a pattern of the cured imprint material 3z on the substrate 1z. The pattern of this cured product has a shape in which the concave portions of the mold correspond to the convex portions of the cured product, and the convex portions of the mold correspond to the concave portions of the cured product. It will be done.

As shown in FIG. 10(e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an anti-etching mask, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where the cured product is absent or remains thin is removed, leaving the grooves 5z. Become. As shown in FIG. 10(f), by removing the pattern of the cured product, an article having grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, it may be used as an interlayer insulating film included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a constituent member of an article, without being removed after processing.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

20: substrate stage, 30: beam member, 40: first driving unit, 50: second driving unit, 60: cleaning mechanism, 61: holding mechanism, 61a: coupling mechanism, 61b: attractive force generating mechanism, 61c: center of gravity changing mechanism

Claims (20)

A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a plurality of hydrostatic bearings provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for sequentially cleaning each of the plurality of static pressure bearings;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage;
including
In a state in which some of the plurality of static pressure bearings are arranged above the cleaning mechanism by driving the stage by the drive unit and the posture of the stage is held by the holding mechanism, The stage apparatus , wherein the cleaning mechanism performs the cleaning process on the part of the static pressure bearings . further comprising a beam member driven along the surface plate by the drive unit;
The stage is configured to be movable along the beam member,
2. A stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding mechanism includes a connecting mechanism for connecting said stage and said beam member to each other. further comprising a second hydrostatic bearing provided on the beam member for floating the beam member from the surface plate;
The connecting mechanism connects the stage and the beam member when the beam member is driven by the drive unit to dispose the second hydrostatic bearing above the cleaning mechanism. 3. The stage device according to claim 2. The driving unit includes a first driving unit that drives the stage along the beam member in a first direction, and a second driving unit that drives the beam member in a second direction different from the first direction. 4. The stage device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The holding mechanism drives the stage by the driving unit and disposes the part of the hydrostatic bearings above the cleaning mechanism. 5. The stage apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an attractive force generating mechanism for generating an attractive force therebetween. The holding mechanism changes the center of gravity of the stage so as to hold the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the driving unit and the part of the hydrostatic bearings is arranged above the cleaning mechanism. 6. The stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a changing mechanism. the plurality of hydrostatic bearings are provided on the stage so as to be spaced apart from each other;
7. The stage according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the same number of cleaning mechanisms as the plurality of static pressure bearings are provided on the side of the surface plate so as to be spaced apart from each other. Device. 8. A stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning mechanisms are arranged at positions corresponding to the four corners of said surface plate. 7. The stage device according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning mechanism is arranged so as to surround the side of said surface plate. 10. A stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of said cleaning mechanism is lower than the upper surface of said surface plate. The cleaning mechanism is configured such that the part of the static pressure bearings are arranged above the cleaning mechanism and the remaining static pressure bearings among the plurality of static pressure bearings are arranged on the surface plate. 11. The stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the cleaning process is performed on a portion of the hydrostatic bearings. A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a beam member driven along the surface plate by the drive unit;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the hydrostatic bearing;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism;
including
The stage is configured to be movable along the beam member,
A stage device, wherein the holding mechanism includes a connecting mechanism that connects the stage and the beam member to each other. A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the hydrostatic bearing;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism;
including
The holding mechanism has an attractive force between the stage and the surface plate so as to hold the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism. A stage apparatus comprising an attractive force generating mechanism that generates a A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the hydrostatic bearing;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism;
including
The holding mechanism includes a center-of-gravity changing mechanism that changes the center of gravity of the stage so as to hold the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism. A stage device comprising: A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the hydrostatic bearing;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism;
including
a plurality of the hydrostatic bearings are provided on the stage so as to be spaced apart from each other;
A stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the same number of said cleaning mechanisms as said hydrostatic bearings are provided on the side of said surface plate so as to be spaced apart from each other. A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the hydrostatic bearing;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism;
including
A stage apparatus, wherein the cleaning mechanisms are arranged at positions corresponding to the four corners of the surface plate. A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the hydrostatic bearing;
a holding mechanism that holds the posture of the stage when the stage is driven by the drive unit and the static pressure bearing is arranged above the cleaning mechanism;
including
A stage device, wherein the cleaning mechanism is arranged so as to surround the side of the surface plate. A stage device having a stage movable on a surface plate,
a driving unit that drives the stage along the surface plate;
a hydrostatic bearing provided on the stage for floating the stage from the surface plate;
a cleaning mechanism disposed on the side of the surface plate for cleaning the static pressure bearing;
A stage device, wherein the upper surface of the cleaning mechanism is lower than the upper surface of the surface plate. A lithographic apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate, comprising:
including the stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 18 for driving the stage,
A lithographic apparatus, wherein the substrate is held by the stage. forming a pattern on a substrate using a lithographic apparatus according to claim 19 ;
a processing step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the forming step;
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step.

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