JPH09266160A - Shutter device for aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shutter device which can perform high-speed opening/ closing operation of a shutter with a small-sized motor, by putting a shutter vane in such a structure that the inertial moment is small. SOLUTION: A shutter vane 4 is made in such structure that it consists of shading plates 4a and 4b which cover an opening when counterposed to the opening of a shutter opening plate 3 and shade the light path from a light source to an optical system, and a support 4c which supports the shading plates 4a-4b. Here, the shutter vane 4 is so arranged that the shading plates 4a and 4b can take the shading position and the light passage position where they allow the passage of light from the light source to the optical system, by turning the shutter vane 4 around the axis parallel with the shutter opening plate 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shutter device for an exposure apparatus used in an optical device of a projection exposure apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors or liquid crystal panels.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a projection exposure apparatus, a shutter device is arranged at the focal point of light emitted from a mercury lamp 1 as a light source and reflected by an elliptical mirror 2. The conventional shutter device is
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a shutter opening plate 3 having a shutter opening 3a for passing light is arranged across the optical path, and a shutter blade 4 is arranged in parallel with the shutter opening plate 3 and a central portion thereof is a rotary drive motor 5. Is connected to the rotating shaft of. The shutter blades 4 extend 180 degrees in opposite directions about a line perpendicular to the shutter aperture plate, and rotate about the axis in a plane parallel to the shutter aperture plate. Each of the extending portions of the shutter blades 4 is a rectangular flat plate having a size and a shape sufficient to completely cover the opening of the shutter aperture plate and block passage of light when facing the aperture of the shutter aperture plate. The rotary drive motor is 90
Intermittent rotation drive can be performed every degree, and the shutter blade repeatedly opens and closes the shutter by this drive.

In order to perform the shutter opening / closing operation at a higher speed with the structure of the shutter blade of the conventional shutter device as described above, the rotary drive motor had to be made large due to the constraint of the moment of inertia of the shutter blade.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a shutter device for an exposure apparatus, which has a shutter blade structure having a smaller moment of inertia, and which is capable of high-speed shutter opening / closing operations even when a relatively small motor is used. It is in.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, when a shutter blade is opposed to an opening of a shutter opening plate, the opening is covered with a light-shielding plate portion for blocking an optical path of an exposure apparatus. The shutter blade rotates around an axis parallel to the shutter opening plate, and the light shielding plate supported on the supporting portion opposes the opening to block the optical path. The light-shielding position and the light-passing position for passing light from the light source to the optical system outside the opening are alternately arranged.

[0006]

According to the shutter blade device of the present invention, the radius of rotation of the shutter blade can be made small, so that the moment of inertia becomes small even if the mass is about the same, so a relatively small motor can be used to open and close the shutter at high speed. It can be carried out.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The light source of the projection exposure apparatus comprises a mercury lamp 1 and an elliptic mirror 2, and the light emitted from the mercury lamp 1 is condensed by the elliptic mirror 2. At the focal position of the elliptical mirror 2, a shutter aperture plate 3 having an aperture 3a having a predetermined size and shape is arranged. Shutter blades 4 are provided on the back side of the shutter opening plate 3. Support part 4 for shutter blade 4
c is rotatably provided about a rotation axis parallel to the shutter aperture plate 3, and the support portion 4c is symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis.
The light-shielding plate portions 4a and 4b, which are opposed to each other and have a plate shape, are integrally formed in a U-shaped cross section. These light-shielding plate portions 4a and 4b have a size and shape capable of blocking the passage of light from the light source by rotating around the rotation axis together with the supporting portion 4c and covering the apertures of the shutter aperture plate 3 when facing each other. is there.
The shutter blade 4 is preferably formed by bending a single plate material.

The support portion 4c of the shutter blade 4 is connected to the motor 5 directly or via an appropriate rotation transmission mechanism and receives its rotational drive. The motor 5 intermittently rotationally drives the shutter blades every 90 degrees, and by this rotational driving, the shutter blades have a light shielding position where one of the light shielding plate portions 4a or 4b opposes the opening of the shutter aperture plate and shields light from the light source. It can be rotated by 90 degrees from this position and can alternately take a light passage position where the light from the light source passes.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the shutter blades 4 are integrally provided with the support portion 4c, and four light shielding plate portions 14a to 14d are provided at equal intervals from the center at every 90 degrees about the rotation axis, and each adjacent light shielding plate portion is provided. The planes they make intersect at right angles to each other. That is, the support portion 4c has two pairs of light shielding plate portions 14a, 14a facing each other with the axis of rotation as the axis of symmetry.
4c, 14b, and 14d are provided, and the planes formed by the adjacent light-shielding plate portions intersect at right angles.

The gap between the light shielding plate portions 14a and 14b and the gap between the light shielding plate portions 14c and 14d are opposed to each other with the axis of rotation as the center, and the light shielding plate portions 14b and 14c.
Similarly, the gap between the light shielding plate portions 14d and 14a and the gap between the light shielding plate portion 14d and the light shielding plate portion 14a face each other.

Therefore, the shutter blades 4 are driven by the rotary drive motor 5 to rotate, so that the respective shading plate portions face the openings 3a of the shutter opening plate 3 so as to cover the openings, and adjacent shading plates. The gap between them alternates with a light passage position facing the opening 3a and forming an optical path from the light source to the optical system.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the surface of the light-shielding plate portions 4a and 4b which is exposed to light is processed into a mirror surface, and by reflecting the light, the temperature rise due to the light is avoided as much as possible. Furthermore, the reflected light can be used as a light source for detection such as position detection.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the support portion 24c of the shutter blade 4 has a disc shape centered on an axis parallel to the shutter aperture plate 3, and two arc-shaped light shielding plate portions 24a and 24b along the circumference thereof.
Are formed facing each other. The side of the opening 3a of the shutter opening plate 3 that faces the shutter blade 4 is chamfered according to the shape of the arc-shaped light shielding plate portions 4a and 4b.

Also in this embodiment, the shutter blade 4 receives the rotational drive of the rotary drive motor 5 to alternately take the light blocking position and the light passing position.

In the case of this embodiment, it is easy to carry out light tight shielding.

In any of the above embodiments, each of the support plate portion 4c and the light shielding plate portion of the shutter blade 4 can be formed by bending a single plate.

Although only the light source and the shutter device have been described in the above description, the other parts of the projection exposure apparatus have a conventional structure and are not directly related to the present invention, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the radius of rotation of the shutter blades, and hence the moment of inertia can be reduced, and a relatively small motor can be used to open and close the shutter at high speed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a shutter according to a first embodiment of the present invention is closed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a shutter device of FIG. 1 is opened.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which a conventional shutter device is closed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state where the shutter device of FIG. 3 is open.

FIG. 7 is a top view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Mercury Lamp 2 Concave Mirror 3 Shutter Aperture Plate 4 Shutter Blades 4a, 4b Shading Plate 4c Support 5 Rotation Drive Motor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A shutter opening plate arranged in an optical path from a light source of an exposure apparatus to an optical system and having a predetermined opening, and a light-shielding plate for covering the opening when facing the opening and blocking the optical path of the exposure apparatus. Section and a support member for supporting the light-shielding plate section, the light-shielding plate section being supported on the support member and facing the opening so as to block the optical path, and an optical system from the light source outside the opening. Exposure comprising a shutter blade rotatable about an axis parallel to the shutter aperture plate so as to alternately take light passing positions for passing light to and from the shutter opening plate, and a rotary drive motor for rotationally driving the shutter blade. Device shutter device. 2. At least two light shielding plates of the shutter blades are arranged equiangularly about the rotation axis, and the shutter blades are arranged when two adjacent light shielding plates face the opening. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light passing position is set. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the light shielding plate portion and the support member are formed of a single plate. 4. The light shielding plate portion is arranged along a circumference centered on the rotation axis, and the shutter opening plate is chamfered correspondingly to a portion facing the light shielding plate portion. The apparatus according to any one of 1-3.