JPH11317350A - Stage equipment, aligner and manufacture of device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the deformation or inclination of a stage, by locating the place, at which driving means substantially actuates a driving force on the stage, between the center of gravity of the stage and a guiding surface as viewed in the direction parallel with the guiding surface. SOLUTION: The weight of a Y-stage 101 is reduced by performing a so- called 'lightening process' while providing a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves or through holes in the stage 101. At this time, the lightening process is performed in larger amounts on the lower side of the stage 101 than on the upper side, so that the center of gravity of the stage 101 is located at a higher position than driving power points 102 and 103. As a result, a rotation moment attributable to driving power is canceled out by a rotation moment attributable to resistance force. Therefore, rotation moment obtained by combining these moments is decreased, and thus the inclination of an object to be driven can be decreased. As a result, the machining tolerance of the object to be driven, e.g. a wafer or the like mounted on the stage can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus used in a lithography process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal device, a stage apparatus suitable for the exposure apparatus, and a device production method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, a pattern of an original (reticle or mask) is projected onto a plurality of exposure regions on a substrate while stepping a substrate (wafer or glass substrate). A step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus (also referred to as a stepper) for sequentially exposing through an optical system, or a step of repeating exposure and transfer to a plurality of regions on a substrate by repeating step movement and scanning exposure An and scan type exposure apparatus (also referred to as a scanner or a scanning type exposure apparatus) is typical. In particular, since the step-and-scan type uses only a portion relatively close to the optical axis of the projection optical system limited by a slit, it is possible to expose a fine pattern with higher precision and a wider angle of view. It is expected to become the mainstream in the future.

[0003] In these exposure apparatuses, a stage for scanning a reticle or a wafer or moving the step is used. Conventionally, in such a stage, it has been considered that a driving force point should be set on a plane substantially coincident with the center of gravity. In addition, in actuality, when measuring the position using a laser interferometer, etc., the merit of setting the point close to the measurement point as the driving force point and the fact that the interferometer is ruggedly arranged makes the configuration easier Therefore, the driving force point is often located above the center of gravity.

[0004]

However, as a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that when the driving force point is located above the center of gravity, the stage as a driving object is deformed or tilted, and the wafer or the like mounted on the stage is damaged. It has been found that the processing accuracy of the workpiece decreases. An object of the present invention is to provide a stage device in which deformation and inclination of a stage are reduced.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a guide means having a guide surface, a stage slidable along the guide surface, and a driving force substantially parallel to the guide surface are provided. And a driving means for driving the stage by generating a driving force, and a substantial place where the driving means applies a driving force to the stage is, when viewed from a direction parallel to the guide surface, a center of gravity of the stage and It is characterized by being located between the guide surface.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stage is provided with a static pressure bearing for supporting the stage from the guide surface. The place d for applying a driving force to the stage is as follows: d is the height of the driving force point as viewed downward from the center of gravity of the stage, D is the distance between the center of gravity and the guide surface, and μ is the coefficient of friction between the hydrostatic bearing and the guide surface. , N where d is the normal force between the hydrostatic bearing and the guide surface and f ₂ is the driving force, d ≦ μND / f ₂
(Where 0 ≦ d ≦ D). Or
Further, C is the viscosity coefficient of the hydrostatic bearing and the guide surface, dx / dt.
Is the stage speed, d ≦ (μND + CD (d
x / dt)) / f ₂ (where 0 ≦ d ≦ D). In particular, the latter formula is suitably used for a stage device in which the stage is driven along a trapezoidal time-speed curve of acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration, where dx / dt is the speed at the constant speed. The equal sign is satisfied.

[0007]

In a conventional stage device, it is considered that a point substantially coincident with the center of gravity should be set as a driving force point.
On the other hand, in practice, it is often the case that the driving force point is located above the center of gravity because it is better to use a point near the measurement point of the laser interferometer as the driving force point.

However, when an object moves, it receives a resistance force due to friction, viscosity, magnetic hysteresis, and the like existing on the bearing surface and the guide surface, and as a result, a rotational moment is generated. Even though the resistance is reduced as in an air guide stage, a rotational moment is generated to varying degrees.

For this reason, in the case of a stage that moves at a high speed, such as a wafer or a liquid crystal substrate, on which an object requiring flatness of a workpiece is mounted, the rotational moment generated by the driving causes The workpiece is tilted. If there is such an inclination, a part of the image is defocused, so that a defect of the workpiece occurs.

When the midpoint between the center of gravity of the driving object and the guide surface is set as the driving point, the generated rotational moment component can be reduced. As a result, the vibration characteristics in the rotation direction are improved, and the imaging performance is also improved.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the present invention.
In FIG. 2, the center of gravity of the driving object is G, the resistance is F _r , and the driving forces are f ₀ , f ₁ , and f ₂ . f ₀ is when the driving force point is exactly at the center of gravity of the driving object, f ₁ is when the driving force point is above the center of gravity of the driving object by distance d, f ₂
Respectively correspond to the case where the driving force point is below the center of gravity of the driving object by the distance d. Table 1 summarizes the equations of motion in each case. In Table 1, D is the distance from the center of gravity to the guide surface, M is the mass of the driven object, J is the moment of inertia of the driven object, K is the stiffness of the bearing, L is the support span of the bearing, and x is the translation distance in the translation direction. is there. In the case of f ₂ , it can be seen that the moment F _r D due to the resistance force and the moment f ₂ d due to the driving force cancel out on the right side of the equation of motion representing rotation. Therefore, the case of f ₂ is most advantageous.

[0012]

[Table 1]

The above discussion is based on the case where the driving object is a completely rigid body. However, an actual semiconductor exposure apparatus is composed of a combination of complicated structures, and has an elastic deformation. In general, the lower structure has higher rigidity than the upper structure to form the driving object. Therefore, when the driving force point is lower than the center of gravity, the deformation of the driving object can be reduced.

In the above configuration, the distance from the measurement point of the laser interferometer increases, which may be disadvantageous in terms of control. In this case, the control can be performed with good accuracy by using the measurement of the tilt component using, for example, a two-axis interferometer.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, exposure is performed while simultaneously scanning the reticle and the wafer together, and exposure and transfer of the reticle pattern is performed on one shot area of the wafer.
The present invention is applied to a so-called step-and-scan type scanning exposure apparatus in which patterns are arranged and transferred onto a plurality of shot areas by moving a wafer stepwise.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is roughly divided into a base frame 2 serving as a basis of an exposure apparatus main body, a reticle stage 5 on which a reticle 4 as an original is mounted and movable, and a wafer 6 (or a glass substrate) as a substrate to be exposed. A reticle 4 with illumination light, a projection optical system 9 for reducing and projecting the pattern of the reticle 4 onto the wafer 6 at a predetermined magnification (for example, 4: 1), A lens barrel base 10 for holding the projection optical system 9 and an air-conditioning machine room 11 for supplying clean temperature-controlled air are provided.

The illumination optical system 8 has a built-in light source (discharge lamp such as an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp) or a light source device (not shown) (excimer laser device) placed on the floor separately from the exposure device.
Illumination light is introduced from through the beam line. Then, slit light is generated by various lenses and apertures, and the reticle 4 as the original held on the reticle stage 5 is slit-illuminated from above.

The base frame 2 is installed on an installation floor 1 of a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing factory. The base frame 2 is fixed to the floor 1 with high rigidity, and can be regarded as substantially integral with the floor 1 or as an extension of the floor 1. The base frame 2 includes three or four high rigid supports 3, and the lens barrel base 10 is vertically mounted on the upper part of each base frame support 3 via an active mount 12 (three or four). Supporting. The active mount 12 incorporates an air spring, a damper, and an actuator to prevent vibration from the floor 1 from being transmitted to the lens barrel base 10 and to actively compensate for the tilt and swing of the lens barrel base 10. .

The lens barrel base 10 holding the projection optical system 9 further supports a reticle stage base 14 via a reticle support frame 13. Further, an alignment detector 15 for detecting an alignment state between the reticle 4 and the wafer 6 is attached to the lens barrel base 10, and alignment is performed based on the lens barrel base 10. Further, the lens barrel surface plate 10
In order to detect the position of the wafer stage 7 with reference to the above, a laser interferometer is also attached to the lens barrel base 10. This is a Z interferometer 1 that measures the position of the wafer stage 7 in the Z direction.
6 and XY for measuring the position of the wafer stage 7 in the XY directions
It has an interferometer 17. As a reference mirror of the interferometer, the Z interferometer mirror 18 is fixed to the wafer stage base 31, and the XY interferometer mirror 19 is fixed to the wafer stage 7. Where Z
The reason for mounting the interferometer mirror 18 on the wafer stage base 31 instead of the stage base member 33 is that the stage base 31 is close to the stage to be finally positioned, and the stage base member 33 operates the force actuators 38 and 39. Although there is a possibility that the stage base 31 will be slightly deformed when it is moved, the influence of the stage base 31 is small, so that accurate measurement can be performed.

The reticle stage 5 is mounted on a reticle stage base 14 and accelerates in the horizontal direction (Y direction) in the drawing during scanning exposure by a drive mechanism including a drive source 20 (linear motor) and a static pressure bearing. It moves in the order of constant speed and deceleration. As will be described later, the stator of the drive source 20 (linear motor) of the reticle stage 5 includes a connecting member 21 and a force actuator 22 along the scanning direction.
It is connected via a (linear motor) to an air conditioning machine room 11 which is a reaction force receiving structure for a reticle stage. The variable thrust generated by the force actuator 22 can be transmitted between both the drive source 20 and the air-conditioning machine room 11.

Next, the periphery of the wafer stage of this embodiment will be described. The wafer stage 7 has a wafer 6 as a substrate mounted thereon, and moves the mounted wafer 6 in a horizontal plane (XY directions) and a vertical direction (Z direction), and rotates around each direction (ωx, ωy, ωz). Can be positioned in a total of six axial directions. A linear motor is used as a driving source for positioning. Basically, it has an X stage and an X linear motor that move straight in the X direction, and a two-dimensional stage that has a Y stage and a Y linear motor that moves in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, and has a Z direction and a tilt (ωx , Ωy)
It has a structure in which a stage that can move in the direction and rotation direction is mounted. Static pressure bearings are used for the guides in each direction. For a more detailed configuration of the wafer stage 7, refer to, for example, JP-A-1-188241, JP-A-3-245593, and JP-A-6-267823.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the wafer stage 7. In the figure, 101 is a Y stage, and 102 and 103 are Y stages.
A driving force point by the linear motor, 105 is a groove or a through hole. FIG. 3B shows the center of gravity of the Y stage using a conventional solid material. The center of gravity is substantially at the center of the Y stage 101, and is below the driving force points 102 and 103.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The stage 101 is provided with a plurality of grooves or through holes 105 in the longitudinal direction, so-called lightening is performed, so that the weight is reduced, the lightening is increased below the Y stage 101, and the center of gravity of the Y stage 101 is reduced as the upper side is reduced. The driving force point 102,
It is brought above 103.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. ₂ , the state of f ₂ shown in FIG. 2 and Table 1 is obtained, and the rotational moment f ₂ d and the resistance F F due to the driving force f _{2 are obtained.
The} rotational moment F _r D due to _r cancels out.
When only the frictional force is considered as the resistance, d = μND
/ F ₂ (0 ≦ d ≦ D) is most preferable. The rotational moment offset by the rotational moment f ₂ d due to the driving force f ₂ is μN due to the frictional force μN.
D (dx / dt) due to viscous force caused by a fluid (for example, air) for generating a static pressure.
C is a viscosity coefficient) and ED (dx / dt) (where E is an equivalent viscosity coefficient) due to a viscous force caused by a magnet that attracts the stage toward the guide surface to increase the rigidity of the hydrostatic bearing. In order to cancel the rotational moment due to the viscous force caused by the fluid, d = CD (dx / dt) / f ₂
(0 ≦ d ≦ D), to cancel the rotational moment due to the viscous force caused by the magnet, d = ED (dx / dt) /
f ₂ (0 ≦ d ≦ D). When considering all three factors, d = μND / f ₂ + CD (dx
/ Dt) / f ₂ + ED (dx / dt) / f ₂ . However, the rotational moment due to the viscous force depends on the stage speed dx / dt. Therefore,
In the scanning exposure apparatus of the present embodiment, the stage is driven along a trapezoidal time-speed curve of acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration.
As torque at a constant speed to be exposed is minimized, for a _{d = (μND + CDv c +} EDv c) / f 2 is substituted dx / dt = a <speed during the constant speed v _c> in the above formula Is preferred.

Returning to FIG. 1, the wafer stage 7 is supported by a wafer stage base 31 and moves on an XY horizontal guide surface (guide surface) of the wafer stage base 31. The wafer stage base 31 is supported on a stage base member 33 by three (or four) support feet 32. The support feet 32 have high rigidity and do not have a damping action. The stage base member 33 is vertically supported by the base frame 2 at three places via three mounts 34. Most of the load of the stage base member 33 and the members mounted thereon is basically supported by the three mounts 34, and the load received by the mount 34 is received by the base frame 2 which is substantially integrated with the floor 1. Basically, the basic load of the wafer stage 7 is the floor 1
It is equivalent to supporting with. An air spring capable of supporting a large load is used for the mount 34.

On the other hand, a reaction force receiving structure 35 (reaction force receiving pallet) having a large mass is located directly below the stage base member 33. Since the reaction force receiving structure 35 is located below the stage base member 33, the installation area occupied by the apparatus on the floor 1 can be reduced.

The reaction force receiving structure 35 is supported by four vertical elastic supports 36 with respect to the floor 1 in the vertical direction. Further, in the horizontal direction, the stage base member 33 is supported on the side surface of the column 3 (or the side surface of the member fixed to the floor 1) by the horizontal elastic support members 37 provided corresponding to the two directions of XY. (Only the horizontal elastic support 37 in the Y direction is shown in FIG. 1). Each of the vertical elastic support 36 and the horizontal elastic support 37 has a spring element and a damper element. For example, a vibration-proof rubber, an air spring, or a spring or a leaf spring as a spring element, and oil viscosity or electromagnetic force as a damper element. Fluids and the like are preferred.
Having a spring element and a damping element means that
In other words, it has a mechanical filter function of blocking transmission of vibration in a predetermined frequency range.
In the present embodiment, transmission of high-frequency vibration including at least the natural frequency of the floor and the natural frequency of the device is cut off. In addition,
In FIG. 1, the horizontal elastic support 37 is provided between the reaction force receiving structure 35 and the column 3 of the base frame 2, but is provided between the fixing member fixed to the floor 1 and the reaction force receiving structure 35. You may do it.

Between the stage base member 33 and the reaction force receiving structure 35, force actuators for generating thrusts in the vertical and horizontal directions are interposed. A plurality of (four) vertical force actuators 38 are provided in the vertical direction, and a plurality (two) are provided in the horizontal direction corresponding to the scanning exposure direction (Y direction). When viewed from above, the four vertical force actuators 38 are provided at substantially the same positions as the four vertical elastic supports 36. The transmission of force between the two can be controlled by the variable thrust generated by these force actuators. Here, the height of the center of gravity of the wafer stage 7 (indicated by the center of gravity symbol 45 in FIG. 1)
And the height of the force acting position of the horizontal force actuator 39 are substantially equal. Therefore, a compensating force can be given to the same height as the reaction force, so that the reaction force can be effectively canceled.

Further, an acceleration sensor 40 is mounted on the stage base member 33 to measure vertical and horizontal (Y-direction) acceleration. The acceleration sensor 40 may be mounted on the wafer stage base 31. As the force actuators 22, 37, and 38, a linear motor of a small stroke type is preferable in terms of high control response and a high ability to cut off mechanical vibration because the stator and the mover are not in contact with each other. , A fluid actuator using fluid pressure such as air pressure or hydraulic pressure, or a mechanical actuator using a piezo element can also be used.

In this embodiment, the reticle stage 5 and the projection optical system 9 which are substantially integrated by the lens barrel base 10 are substantially mounted on the floor 1 via the columns 3 of the base frame 2 by the active mount 12. It is supported vertically. On the other hand, the wafer stage 7 and the stage base member 33 are supported by the mount 34 substantially vertically with respect to the floor 1 via a base frame. Assuming that the mount 34 is a first mount and the active mount 12 is a second mount, the wafer mount 7 and the reticle stage 5 are independently supported on the floor 1 by the first mount and the second mount. Has become
The system is designed so that mutual interference does not occur against vibration and shaking.

The stage base member 33 is vertically supported by the mount 34 in the vertical direction with respect to the floor, and the reaction force receiving structure 35 is substantially supported by the elastic vertical support 36 in the vertical direction with respect to the floor. Both of them are independently supported on the floor except for the force actuators (38, 39).

The air-conditioning machine room 11, which is a reaction force receiving structure of the reticle stage, is supported on the floor 1 via an elastic support 23 having a damping action. Elastic support 23
Can be regarded as a mechanical filter, and blocks transmission of vibration including at least the natural frequency of the floor (for example, 20 to 40 Hz) and the natural frequency of the exposure apparatus (for example, 10 to 30 Hz) and higher.

The air-conditioning machine room 11 contains a blower fan, a temperature controller (a heater or a refrigerator), a chemical filter, and the like, and circulates a temperature-controlled gas in the exposure apparatus chamber. Basically, the temperature-controlled gas is supplied from above by a downflow, but the temperature-controlled gas is also locally blown toward the projection optical system 9 and the wafer stage 7 (especially near the laser interferometer optical path). An outlet for this purpose is provided, and a gas filter for trapping fine particles in gas is attached to the outlet.

A control device 30 of the exposure apparatus is built in a lower space in the air conditioning machine room 11. The control device 30 performs operation sequence control of the exposure apparatus, drive control of the force actuator, drive control of the active mount, and the like.

Next, the operation of the apparatus having the above configuration will be described. The basic operation sequence of the step-and-scan includes a step operation of moving the wafer stage in the X direction or the Y direction to position a shot area to be transferred, and a synchronous operation of moving the reticle stage and the wafer stage in the Y direction. The scanning operation for performing the scanning exposure is repeated. In the scanning operation, the reticle stage 5 and the wafer stage 7 are both synchronously moved at a constant speed at a predetermined speed ratio (4: 1 in this embodiment) with respect to the slit-shaped illumination light,
The entire pattern of the reticle 4 is transferred to one shot area of the wafer 6 by scanning exposure.

When the reticle stage 5 and the wafer stage 7 are driven, acceleration is caused by acceleration at the start of scanning and deceleration at the end of scanning, and the linear motor as a driving source for moving the stage is <mass of stage moving body> × < It is necessary to generate a driving force of only acceleration>. Then, the reaction force of this driving force acts on the linear motor stator in the horizontal direction, and is transmitted from the stator to the stage base member 33 via the stage base supporting the stage. Although the reaction force originally occurs only in the horizontal direction (Y direction), a moment is generated due to the difference in the height of the center of gravity between the stage driving source and the stage base member 33. In addition, the effect of the reaction force acts in the vertical direction. When the natural vibration of the mechanical system of the exposure apparatus is excited by the reaction force, the vibration becomes large.

The basic technical idea of the reaction force receiving system for reducing the vibration and the sway due to the influence of the reaction force is that the reaction force accompanying the driving of the stage is isolated from the floor with respect to a predetermined range of vibration frequency. It escapes to the reaction receiving structure. The vibration frequency in this predetermined range is
The vibration covers at least the natural frequency of the floor of 20 to 40 Hz, for example, 10 Hz or more. In other words, the idea is that the reaction force receiving structure itself may vibrate in order to reduce the vibration of the floor. In addition, the lower limit of the above-mentioned predetermined range is not limited to 10 Hz, but is 10 to 40 Hz.
It is sufficient that the frequency is within the range of the natural frequency of the floor.

In order to realize this, in the present embodiment, a stage on which a substrate to be exposed is mounted and movable, a stage base member for supporting the stage, and the stage which receives a reaction force when the stage is driven A reaction force receiving structure different from the base member is provided, and transmission of vibration at a predetermined frequency or more between the reaction force receiving structure and the floor is interrupted.

Here, the control means 30 controls the driving of the force actuator by feedforward control (prediction control) according to the driving of the stage. There are the following two types.

First, the force actuator is feed-forward controlled in response to the acceleration or deceleration of the stage,
Vibration and shaking of the stage base member 33 due to the reaction force during acceleration / deceleration are reduced. Specifically, the reaction force is predicted by predicting a force corresponding to the force acting on each actuator by the reaction force, and the force is generated by each force actuator, thereby canceling the reaction force. The force generated by the force actuator also acts on the reaction force receiving structure 35 together with the stage base member 33, and the reaction force receiving structure 35 is supported by the elastic supports 36 and 37 (corresponding to mechanical filter means) on the floor 1 or the base. Frame 2
, The high-frequency vibration transmission to the floor 1 is filtered.

Second, feedforward control of the force actuator is performed in response to the load movement accompanying the movement of the stage. This is because the position of the center of gravity of the stage changes in the horizontal direction with the movement of the stage.
Is applied from the stage to the stage base member 33. In order to reduce this, an eccentric load is predicted according to the movement of the stage, and the generated forces of the plurality of vertical force actuators 38 are individually changed. Although the load of the stage base member 33 and the moving member thereon is basically supported by three mounts 34, only the change in the load accompanying the movement is actively compensated by the force actuator.

The control means 30 performs not only feedforward control but also feedback control. This reduces the influence of unexpected disturbance vibration by feeding back the detected acceleration (vertical direction, horizontal direction) of the acceleration sensor 40 mounted on the stage base member 33 to the control of the vertical force actuator 38 and the horizontal force actuator 39. The swing of the wafer stage 7 is further reduced.

The mount 34 substantially supports the stage base member 33 elastically on the floor 1 or the base frame 2, but the mount 34 is a kind of mechanical filter means, and the vibration from the floor 1 is provided. Is not transmitted to the stage base member 33. Thus, the apparatus of the present embodiment is excellent in satisfying both (1) not transmitting vibration due to the driving reaction force of the stage to the floor, and (2) not transmitting vibration of the floor to the stage.

Although the reaction force receiving system on the wafer stage side has been described in detail above, the reaction force receiving system on the reticle stage side has a similar concept.
That is, the lens barrel base 10 supporting the reticle stage 5
A mount (active mount 12) for elastically supporting the lens barrel base 10 on the floor 1 or the base frame 2 in the vertical direction, and a force actuator 22 for receiving a reaction force when the reticle stage 5 is driven. The reaction force receiving structure (air conditioning machine room 11) and the reaction force receiving structure
Alternatively, an elastic support 2 elastically supported by the base frame 2
The control means 30 compensates for the influence of the reaction force accompanying the movement of the reticle stage 5 by feed-forward controlling the force actuator 22. As a result, since the wafer stage and the reticle stage that move synchronously receive a reaction force, an excellent step-and-step operation with extremely small vibration of the floor is achieved.
A scan type exposure apparatus can be provided.

[0044]

Next, an example of a device manufacturing method using the above-described exposure apparatus will be described. FIG. 4 shows a flow of manufacturing micro devices (semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.). In step 1 (circuit design), a device pattern is designed. In step 2 (reticle fabrication), a reticle having a designed pattern is fabricated. On the other hand, in step 3 (substrate manufacture), a substrate is manufactured using a material such as silicon or glass. Step 4 (substrate process) is referred to as a preprocess, and an actual circuit is formed on the substrate by lithography using the prepared reticle and substrate. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the substrate manufactured in step 4, and includes processes such as an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (chip encapsulation). including. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, a semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7).

FIG. 5 shows a detailed flow of the above substrate process. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the surface of the substrate. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the substrate surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the substrate by vapor deposition. Step 14 (ion implantation)
Then, ions are implanted into the substrate. In step 15 (resist processing), a resist is applied to the substrate. Step 16
In (exposure), the circuit pattern of the reticle is arranged in a plurality of shot areas on the substrate and printed by the exposure apparatus described above. Step 17 (development) develops the exposed substrate. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the substrate. By using the production method of this embodiment, a high-precision device, which was conventionally difficult to produce, can be produced with high productivity, that is, at low cost.

[0046]

In the above description, an example in which the present invention is mainly applied to a wafer stage in a step-and-scan type exposure apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be applied to a reticle stage. The present invention is also effective for a wafer stage of a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus in which the wafer stage moves at a high speed step, and is applicable to general driven objects.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By setting the driving force point below the center of gravity of the driven object, the rotational moment due to the driving force and the rotational moment due to the resistance force of the bearing, such as frictional force and viscous force, can be canceled out. The rotation moment can be reduced to reduce the inclination of the driven object.
Thereby, the processing accuracy of a driven object, for example, a wafer on which a stage is mounted can be improved.

Further, when the present invention is applied to a wafer stage of an exposure apparatus, inclination and pitching at the time of stepping or scanning the stage can be suppressed, so that the settling time of the stage after the stepping can be reduced, or the scanning can be performed. It is possible to improve the medium prefetching focus measurement system, which is useful for improving the throughput of the apparatus. Further, by using the exposure apparatus of the present invention, a device production method with excellent productivity can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a Y stage of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of a substrate process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Installation floor of manufacturing plant, 2: Base frame, 3: Support
Pillar, 4: reticle, 5: reticle stage, 6: wafer
C, 7: wafer stage, 8: illumination optical system, 9: projection light
Academic, 10: Barrel base plate, 11: Air conditioning machine room, 12: Access
Tive mount, 13: reticle stage support frame
14: reticle stage surface plate, 15: alignment
Detector, 16: Z interferometer, 17: XY interferometer, 17 _x1,
17_x2: X interferometer, 17_y1, 17_y2: Y interferometer: 1
8: Z interferometer mirror, 19: XY interferometer mirror, 19
_x : X interferometer mirror, 19_y : Y interferometer mirror, 20:
Reticle stage drive source (linear motor), 21: connection
Member, 22: force actuator (linear motor), 2
3: elastic support, 30: control device, 31: wafer stay
Surface plate, 32: support feet, 33: stage base member, 3
4: Mount, 35: Reaction force receiving structure, 36: Vertical elasticity
Support, 37: horizontal elastic support, 38: vertical force actuator
Eta, 39: horizontal force actuator, 40: acceleration sensor
Sensor, support, 101: Y stage, 102, 103:
Driving force point, 105: lightened portion, G: center of gravity.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H01L 21/30 503F 518

Claims (18)

[Claims] A guide means having a guide surface, a stage slidable along the guide surface, and a drive means for generating a driving force substantially parallel to the guide surface to drive the stage. A stage device, wherein a substantial place where the driving means applies a driving force to the stage is located between a center of gravity of the stage and the guide surface when viewed from a direction parallel to the guide surface. . 2. A place d for applying a driving force to the stage.
Is the height of the driving force point when d is viewed downward from the center of gravity of the stage, D is the distance between the center of gravity and the guide surface, and μ is the distance between the static pressure bearing and the guide surface provided on the stage to support the stage. Where N is the normal force between the hydrostatic bearing and the guide surface, and f ₂ is the driving force, d ≦ μND / f ₂ and 0
The stage device according to claim 3, wherein ≤d≤D. 3. A place d for applying a driving force to the stage.
Where, d is the height of the driving force point viewed from the center of gravity of the stage downward, D is the distance between the center of gravity and the guide surface, μ is the coefficient of friction between the static pressure bearing and the guide surface, and N is the static pressure bearing and the guide surface. normal force, the f ₂ driving force between, when the C and hydrostatic bearings viscosity coefficient between the guide surface, the equivalent coefficient of viscosity E magnets, the dx / dt and the stage of the speed, d ≦ (μND + ( C + E) D (dx
3. The stage device according to claim 2, wherein / dt)) / f ₂ and 0 ≦ d ≦ D. 4. A stage apparatus wherein the stage is driven along a trapezoidal time-speed curve of acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration, wherein the speed dx / dt of the stage is the speed at the constant speed. The place d for applying the driving force is substantially d
4. The stage apparatus according to claim 3, wherein = (μND + (C + E) D (dx / dt)) / f ₂ . 5. A stage base member for supporting the stage, and a reaction force receiving structure different from the stage base for receiving a reaction force when the stage is driven,
The stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein vibration transmission at a predetermined frequency or higher is blocked between the reaction force receiving structure and the floor. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: an elastic support for elastically supporting the reaction force receiving structure with respect to a floor or a base frame, wherein vibration transmission is interrupted by the elastic support. apparatus. 7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a force actuator for generating a force between the stage base member and the reaction force receiving structure. 8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the elastic support or the force actuator is provided corresponding to at least one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. 9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said force actuator is a linear motor. 10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the height of the center of gravity of the stage is substantially equal to the height of the force acting position of the force actuator. 11. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a mount for elastically supporting the stage base member on a floor or a base frame. 12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reaction force receiving structure is located below the stage base member. 13. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined frequency is equal to or lower than the natural frequency of the floor. 14. The device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined frequency is higher than 10 Hz. 15. An exposure apparatus comprising the stage device according to claim 1. Description: 16. An exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said exposure apparatus is a scanning type exposure apparatus. 17. A device manufacturing method, wherein a device is manufactured by a manufacturing process including a step of preparing the exposure apparatus according to claim 15 and a step of exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus. 18. The device manufacturing method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of applying a resist to the substrate before exposure and a step of performing development after exposure.