KR20040098586A - Substrate holding tool, substrate treating apparatus, substrate testing apparatus, and method for using these - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A substrate holding unit is provided to improve repeatability and precision by preventing a substrate from being varied(warped) and by maintaining the substrate(especially a large substrate) while the position of the substrate is determined. CONSTITUTION: A substrate holding unit(1) stably maintains a substrate in a predetermined position on a plate surface(11a). A fluid layer forming unit forms a fluid layer for floating the substrate, interposed between the lower surface of the substrate and the plate surface. A position determining unit(13) stably maintains the substrate by using the fluid layer. The position determining unit locates the substrate in a predetermined position on the plate surface, adjacent to at least the lower or side surface of the substrate floated by the fluid layer.

Description

SUBSTRATE HOLDING TOOL, SUBSTRATE TREATING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE TESTING APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR USING THESE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate holder, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate inspection apparatus, and a method of using the same, which stably holds a substrate on a plate surface.

Background Art In the state where a substrate is held in a substrate holding region, measurement, processing, inspection, and the like of the substrate are generally employed in the semiconductor manufacturing field, for example.

In the semiconductor manufacturing field, for example, when a pattern formed on a surface of a substrate such as a photomask or a reticle is precisely measured, processed, or inspected, it is required that the substrate held in the substrate holding region is flat and not bent. do.

However, in the conventional substrate holder, which supports the peripheral or side portions of the substrate or the method of supporting the surface and the back surface of the substrate at three points, the substrate is warped due to its own weight, which makes it difficult to make accurate measurements. There was.

For this reason, various techniques have been conventionally proposed to suppress the warpage of the substrate, correct the warpage, and perform measurement and the like with high precision as possible (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-61111

[Patent Document 2]

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-20904

In the technique described in Patent Literature 1, it has a frame-shaped XY stage for mounting a substrate, and a substrate formed on the XY stage is used to detect a pattern formed on the surface of the substrate with a detection system composed of a detection optical system. In this case, when the substrate is placed on the frame-shaped XY stage, the center portion of the substrate is recessed at the center portion of the XY stage and bent in a curved shape. Therefore, the detection system is disposed below the XY stage and the pattern surface of the reticle is lowered. The pattern coordinates of the reticle are measured in the same state that the reticle is placed on the exposure apparatus so as to remove the influence of the warpage.

In the technique described in Patent Literature 2, in order to eliminate the influence of the warpage of the substrate due to the nonuniformity of the temperature distribution in the substrate on the measurement result, the temperature measurement of the substrate is performed and correction is performed based on the measurement result and the thermal expansion coefficient of the substrate. Eliminate the effects of temperature nonuniformity.

However, since all of the techniques described in these patent documents are premised on the bending of the substrate, there is a problem in that there is a limit to the improvement in accuracy such as measurement.

In addition, a method of placing the substrate on a plate having a high rigidity and high precision flat surface so as not to bend the substrate, and pressing the substrate with a vacuum chuck or the like on the flat surface of the plate to perform a measurement or the like Is being considered.

However, even with this method, since the flatness of the substrate is closely related to the flatness of the flat surface of the plate on which the substrate is placed, if the plate is bent and there is even slight curvature on the flat surface of the plate, the flatness of the substrate Reflected on this, there is a problem that it is difficult to precise measurement.

In addition, in the case of adsorbing the substrate to the plate by a vacuum chuck, if particles or air accumulate between the flat surface of the plate and the substrate, there is a problem in that the substrate is warped in the corresponding portion, making precise measurement difficult.

If such a problem occurs, there is also a problem that the reproducibility of the measurement cannot be obtained. That is, since the board | substrate mounted on the plate is deformed rather than the original shape which a board | substrate itself has, the following problem arises.

For example, when a plurality of shape measurements, such as flatness of a substrate, are performed on the same substrate a plurality of times, the deformation degree of the substrate is different each time it is placed on a plate, so that measurement reproducibility is not obtained and further causes a decrease in measurement accuracy. .

In the case where a pattern or the like is present on the substrate, such as a photomask, when the substrate placed on the plate is deformed, the pattern dimensions and pattern shape are also deformed accordingly. As a result, measurement precision and coordinate measurement precision, such as a pattern, fall.

Moreover, the reproducibility and precision in the inspection and measurement of the substrate are lowered by the movement of the substrate in addition to the deformation of the substrate described above.

In recent years, there is a tendency for the substrate size to be enlarged (for example, a square substrate of 300 mm or more on one side) so as to be represented by a substrate such as a liquid crystal glass substrate or a photo mask for manufacturing a liquid crystal device. As a result, the degree of deformation due to the weight of the substrate itself (the amount of warpage, etc.) increases, and the surface area of the substrate increases, so that the above problems become more remarkable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention was conceived to solve the above problems, and it is possible to maintain a substrate (especially a large substrate) without causing deformation (curvature) in the original shape of the substrate itself and without moving it in a positioned state. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate holder, a substrate treating apparatus, a substrate inspecting apparatus, and a method of using the same, which improves the accuracy so that measurement, processing, and inspection can be performed with high accuracy.

In order to achieve the above object, the substrate holder of the present invention is a substrate holder for stably holding a substrate at a predetermined position on a plate surface, and is a fluid interposed between the substrate and the plate surface and floating the substrate on one surface side. A fluid layer forming means for forming a layer, and the fluid layer stably holds the substrate, and abuts at least a lower surface or a side surface of the substrate floated with the fluid layer so as to contact the substrate on the plate surface. It is set as the structure which has the positioning means for positioning in a predetermined position.

According to this configuration, since the fluid layer lifts the substrate in a non-contact state with the plate surface by the same force, it is possible to eliminate the bending of the substrate due to its own weight. Moreover, since it has a positioning means, movement of a board | substrate can be regulated. Furthermore, since the positioning means contacts the substrate floating by the fluid layer at the plate surface side and positions it at a predetermined position, the effect of the positioning means on contacting the substrate can be minimized.

The fluid forming the fluid layer may be a liquid, but by using a gas such as air or nitrogen, there is an advantage that the work of removing the fluid in a later step is unnecessary. Moreover, as a board | substrate, a photomask blank, a photomask, or the glass substrate used for these may be sufficient, for example. As a material of a glass substrate, synthetic quartz, fluorine-doped quartz, etc. are recommended, for example.

The positioning means is composed of an elastic body provided on the plate surface and a contact member attached to the elastic body and abutting the substrate, and the contact member contacts the lower surface of the substrate in a floating state, thereby moving the substrate. Regulating can be used.

According to this configuration, the substrate and the positioning means can be kept in a constant contact state. That is, when a board | substrate rises by a fluid layer, the contact member also raises in the state which contacted the board | substrate by the elastic force of an elastic body by this. By appropriately adjusting the floating height position of the substrate and the elastic force of the elastic body by the fluid layer, it becomes possible to position and fix the substrate in the minimum range without affecting measurement or the like.

The said positioning means is comprised by the contact-removable contact member which abuts on the side surface of the said board | substrate in the circumferential direction of the said board | substrate of a floating state, The said contacting member contacts a plurality of places around the said board | substrate of a floating state, and the said board | substrate It may be used to regulate the movement of.

According to this configuration, the contact member of the positioning means abuts on the side surface of the substrate in the floating state, and the movement of the substrate can be regulated to perform positioning and fixing. Since the contact member is good enough to contact the substrate lightly enough to regulate the movement of the substrate, the warping of the substrate by the positioning means can be substantially eliminated.

In addition, although the advancing / removing movement of the contact member may be performed by a driving body such as a motor or an actuator, it may be performed manually.

The substrate holder of the above configuration can be applied to any device that needs to hold the substrate while maintaining the flatness with high accuracy.

For example, it is possible to apply the substrate holding apparatus of the above structure to a substrate processing apparatus having irradiation means for irradiating processing light such as an electron beam or a laser beam to the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding apparatus. .

As this kind of substrate processing apparatus, for example, a drawing apparatus or an exposure apparatus for using a substrate such as a photo mask blank coated with a photoresist and irradiating the laser light to form a pattern is recommended.

In the process of forming a pattern, the precision of the pattern to be formed largely depends on the holding state of the substrate for forming the pattern. For example, in the process of forming a pattern, if a substrate (for example, a photomask blank or a semiconductor substrate) for forming a pattern is deformed, the pattern to be formed is formed according to the degree of deformation of the substrate.

Further, when the substrate for forming the pattern moves during the process of forming the pattern, the positional accuracy of the formed pattern is lowered. In particular, in manufacturing a photomask, a process of forming a pattern using a writing apparatus or an exposure apparatus is the most important process, and the quality of the photomask can be said to be almost determined in this process. Similarly, the process of transferring the pattern of the photomask to the semiconductor substrate is a very important process in semiconductor manufacturing.

Therefore, the substrate holder of the present invention which can hold the substrate without bending (not deforming) and moving (positioning) can be used if it is used for a writing apparatus or exposure apparatus for irradiating laser light to form a pattern. Particularly effective.

Other substrate processing apparatuses include annealing processing apparatuses such as silicon on insulator (SOI) technology that produces single crystal silicon by irradiating damage caused by ion implantation, activation of implanted impurities, and recrystallization of polycrystalline silicon using a laser beam, or a semiconductor substrate. A CVD treatment apparatus for selectively filming the phase is recommended.

Further, the substrate holding member of the above configuration includes inspection light irradiation means for irradiating inspection light to the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding portion, and detection for detecting light on the surface of the substrate based on the inspection light. It is also applicable to a board | substrate inspection apparatus provided with a means.

As this kind of board | substrate inspection apparatus, the inspection apparatus which measures the flatness of a board | substrate, or the coordinate measuring apparatus which measures the pattern formed in the board | substrate surface, for example is recommended.

By using the substrate holder of the present invention, a substrate held without bending (not deforming) or moving (positioning) is used to measure the original flatness of the substrate itself when the flatness is measured. In this way, flatness measurement can be performed with high reproducibility and accuracy.

In addition, when performing coordinate measurement of a pattern on a substrate such as a photo mask, the substrate is held in a state in which there is no deformation in the original pattern dimension or pattern shape by holding the substrate without being bent (not deformed) or moving in a positioned state. Since measurement of a pattern and coordinate measurement are possible, coordinate measurement can be performed with reproducibility and precision.

The object of the present invention can also be achieved by the substrate holding method according to claim 7 or 8.

That is, the substrate holding method of the present invention is a substrate holding method for stably holding a substrate at a predetermined position on a plate surface, and a fluid which floats the substrate on one side by forming a fluid layer between the substrate and the plate surface. A layer forming step and a positioning step of positioning a contacting member on a lower surface or side surface of the substrate floated by the fluid layer and positioning in a plane substantially parallel to the plate surface.

The substrate holding method of the present invention can be applied to any method that needs to hold a substrate in a state where the flatness is maintained with high accuracy. For example, the surface of the substrate positioned and held using the substrate holding method is used. A substrate processing method including an irradiation step of irradiating processed light such as an electron beam or a laser light, or an inspection light irradiation step of irradiating inspection light to the surface of the substrate positioned and held using the substrate holding method. It is also applicable to the substrate inspection method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a partially broken perspective view illustrating a configuration of a substrate holding tool according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate holder showing a state in which a fluid layer is formed between the plate surface and the substrate.

3 is an enlarged view for explaining the configuration and operation of the positioning means according to the first embodiment;

4 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement of positioning means;

Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of the substrate holder according to the second embodiment of the present invention using another positioning means, as a plan view thereof;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view for explaining a substrate holding procedure as an explanatory diagram of a substrate holding tool according to a second embodiment of the present invention using another positioning means.

7 is a schematic view showing an example of a substrate inspection apparatus.

[Description of the code]

1,2 Substrate Holding Zone

11,21 stage

11a, 21a plate surface

11b, 21b air blower

11c recess

11d, 21d air chamber

12,22 guide frame

13,23 positioning means

14 contact members

15 leaf spring (elastic material)

24 driving body

25 contact members

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In addition, in the following description, although the glass substrate used for a photomask, a reticle, etc. is demonstrated as an example, this invention is not limited to such a glass substrate, Transmittance control films, such as Cr film | membrane and MoSi film | membrane, ITO film | membrane, etc. are mentioned. It can be applied to all kinds of substrates such as glass substrates, resin substrates, and metal substrates. In addition, as a material of the glass substrate demonstrated below, synthetic quartz, fluorine-doped quartz, etc. are recommended, for example.

[Explanation of Board Holding Area]

1 is a partially broken perspective view illustrating a structure of a substrate holding tool according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate holding tool showing a state where a fluid layer is formed between the plate surface and the substrate.

The substrate holder 1 of this first embodiment includes a stage 11 having a flat surface (hereinafter referred to as a plate surface) 11a in a horizontal plane, and a glass substrate placed on the plate surface 11a of this stage. It is formed in a shape similar to S, and has a guide frame 12 provided on the stage 11 to cover the glass substrate S. As shown in FIG.

Inside the stage 11, an air chamber 11d for storing compressed air is formed. 11d of air chambers are connected to air supply means, such as a blower not shown, and the air supplied from this air supply means is hold | maintained at constant pressure. Moreover, many air blowout holes 11b which penetrate to air chamber 11d are formed in plate surface 11a, and the air in air chamber 11d is substantially equal in each of these air blowout holes 11b. It is to be taken out at one flow rate. In addition, although the board | substrate holding slot 1 of FIG. 1 has shown the air blowout holes 11b of 6 rows and 4 columns for the convenience of illustration, the arrangement | positioning form and number of the air blowout holes 11b are not limited to this.

In this embodiment, a fluid layer is formed between the glass substrate S and the plate surface 11a by the above air supply means, the air chamber 11d and the air blowout hole 11b to float the glass substrate S. The fluid layer forming means is configured.

As shown in FIG. 2, when air is supplied to the air chamber 11d by driving the air supply means in a state where the glass substrate S is placed on the plate surface 11a, the air in the air chamber 11d is released into the air outlet hole. It extracts toward the lower surface of the glass substrate S in 11b. Air blown out toward the lower surface of the glass substrate S flows toward the periphery of the glass substrate S, and is discharged into the atmosphere at the gap between the guide frame 12 and the periphery of the glass substrate S. As a result, a fluid layer (air layer) is formed between the glass substrate S and the plate surface 11a.

When the glass substrate S rises to a predetermined height position, the pressure of the air forming the fluid layer and the own weight of the glass substrate S are balanced to maintain the glass substrate S at the height position.

The recessed part 11c is formed in many places (three places in this example) of the plate surface 11a. Positioning means 13 for positioning the glass substrate S in the floating state is provided in the center of the recess 11c (see FIG. 1).

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, the structure and operation | movement of the positioning means 13 in this embodiment are demonstrated.

3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration and operation of the positioning means in this embodiment.

3A shows a state before the glass substrate S is supplied to the substrate holding tool 1. As shown in Fig. 3A, the positioning means 13 includes a leaf-shaped spring spring 15 in which one hem portion is mounted in a cantilever state at the bottom of the recessed portion 11c, and the crown of the leaf spring 15. It is comprised by the contact member 14 attached to the part and contacting the lower surface of the glass substrate S. As shown in FIG. The contact member 14 is preferably formed of a material which does not damage the lower surface of the glass substrate S and which does not easily slip between the glass substrate S. For example, a urethane resin, rubber, or the like. It is good to form. In addition, what is necessary is just to select the elasticity of the leaf spring 15 small enough with respect to the weight of the board | substrate S itself. Preferably, it is good to select the elasticity of the leaf spring 15 suitably in the minimum range which does not give curvature to the board | substrate according to the floating height position of the board | substrate S by a fluid layer.

3B shows a state when the glass substrate S is supplied to the substrate holder 1. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the glass substrate S is placed on the plate surface 11a without the air being blown out of the air ejection hole 11b (see FIGS. 1 and 2), the weight of the glass substrate S The contact member 14 is pressed against the elastic force of the leaf spring 15 and pushed back toward the recess 11c to be stored in the recess 11C.

3C shows a state in which air is blown out of the air blowout holes 11b to float the glass substrate S. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3C, when the air is blown out of the air ejection hole 11b and the glass substrate S is floated, the contact member 14 rises in the state which abuts on the glass substrate S according to this injury.

At this time, since the elasticity of the leaf spring 15 does not press the contact member 14 to the glass substrate S more than necessary, and the movement of the glass substrate S can be regulated, the leaf spring 15 The problem that the glass substrate S bends partially can be avoided due to the elasticity.

In addition, in the case of the positioning means 13 using the leaf spring 15 like this embodiment, the direction which can suppress the movement of the glass substrate S is limited to the linear direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the contact member 14 does not move in the Y-axis direction (the direction orthogonal to the surface of FIG. 3), but slightly moves in the X-axis direction according to the deformation of the leaf spring 15. Therefore, in the single positioning means 13, it is difficult to perform positioning in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the substrate S.

As shown in FIG. 4, three positioning means (hereinafter, three positioning means are denoted by reference numerals 13A, 13B, and 13C in FIG. 4, respectively) are moved of the contact member 14. As shown in FIG. Arrange so that the directions are orthogonal. That is, the direction of the leaf spring 15 of the two positioning means 13A, 13B is made to face in the X-axis direction, and the direction of the leaf spring 15 of the remaining positioning means 13C is made in the Y-axis direction. . By doing so, the two spring positioning means 13A, 13B restrict the movement of the glass substrate in the Y-axis direction toward the X-axis direction, and the leaf spring 15 positions the Y-axis direction. The means 13C regulates the movement of the glass substrate S in the X axis direction. As a result, the glass substrate S can be positioned within the X-Y plane.

Furthermore, by providing the pressure-sensitive adsorption mechanism on the contact member 14 with the adsorption force to the extent that the unstable elements such as warpage and injury do not occur on the glass substrate S, the contact member 14 can be positioned with higher accuracy. do.

In addition, the positioning means is not limited to the above-described configuration, and it is possible to perform positioning by regulating the movement of the glass substrate S in the floating state in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction without giving bending or the like. If it exists, you may use the thing of another structure. In the above description, the glass substrate S is placed on the plate surface 11a in a state in which air is not blown out from the air blowout hole 11b, and after that, the air is blown out of the air blowout hole 11b to remove the glass substrate S. Although it is made to float, the glass substrate S may be supplied on the plate surface 11a in the state which air was blown out from the air blowout hole 11b.

5 and 6 are explanatory views of the substrate holding apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention using the positioning means of another configuration, FIG. 5 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 6 is a substrate by the positioning means of this second embodiment. It is sectional drawing explaining a maintenance procedure.

In this embodiment, the positioning means 23 is mounted on the guide frame 22 provided on the stage 21.

The positioning means 23 includes a retractable movable contact member 25 which abuts the side surface of the glass substrate S in the circumferential direction of the substrate S in a floating state, and a solenoid for moving the contact member 25 forward and backward with respect to the glass substrate S. FIG. It consists of drive bodies 24, such as these.

A plurality of contact members 25 are provided on each side of the rectangular guide frame 22 (two on the short side in the example shown in FIG. 5) so that the four sides of the rectangular glass substrate S can contact the side surfaces of the glass substrate S. , Four on each long side). The drive body 24 is provided corresponding to each of the contact members 25.

In addition, a single drive body may be disposed on each side of the guide frame 22, and the plurality of contact members 25 arranged on the same side may be configured to move forward and backward simultaneously.

The control of the drive body 24 is controlled by the drive command of the control apparatus which is not shown in figure. The timing for moving the contact member 25 forward and backward by driving the drive body 24 may be such that the drive body 24 is driven after a predetermined time elapses from the start of air extraction, for example, a photoelectric sensor or the like. May be provided to drive the driving body 24 when the photoelectric sensor detects the substrate S floating to a predetermined height position.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the glass substrate S is supplied to the substrate holder 2 in a state where the driving body 24 is stopped, that is, the contacting member 25 is retracted to a position which does not interfere with the glass substrate S. FIG. .

As shown in FIG. 6B, the air of the air chamber 21d is blown out of the air blowout hole 21b, and the drive body 24 is moved as shown in FIG. 6C in the place where the glass substrate S rose to a predetermined height position. Drive it.

Thereby, the contact member 25 abuts the side surface of the glass substrate S around the glass substrate S, and regulates the movement of the glass substrate S in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

In addition, since the contact member 25 abuts, the partial bending of the glass substrate S is made as small as possible. Therefore, when the driving body 24 is driven, the head of the contact member 25 is in light contact with the side surface of the glass substrate S. It is preferable to adjust the stroke of the contact member 25 to an extent previously.

[Description of Substrate Processing Equipment]

The substrate holders 1, 2 having the above-described configuration can be used for substrate processing apparatuses used when manufacturing photomask blanks, photomasks, and the like.

In this case, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with irradiation means for irradiating an electron beam or laser light to the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding holes 1 and 2, and irradiating the electron beam or laser light from this irradiation means. The predetermined process is performed by drawing a pattern in a board | substrate, correct | amending the pattern formed in the board | substrate by this.

As such a substrate processing apparatus, for example, a drawing apparatus or an exposure apparatus using a substrate such as a photomask blank coated with a photoresist and irradiating a laser beam to the pattern is recommended.

[Explanation of Board Inspection Device]

Next, the board | substrate inspection apparatus which inspects a board | substrate is demonstrated.

In the following description, an inspection apparatus for inspecting the flatness of a substrate will be described as an example. Incidentally, as the inspection apparatus of this kind, a preliminary incidence interference method and a vertical incidence interference method are known. In the following description, the incidence interference method is described as an example.

In the incidence-interfering interference method, as shown in Fig. 7, for example, a He-Ne laser is used as a light source of inspection light, and the bright and dark codes appearing when the optical path difference of the parallel luminous flux of this laser becomes an integer multiple of the used wavelength ( Measure the flatness by reading

The substrate inspection apparatus 5 of the incidence incident interference method transmits only a laser power supply unit 51, a laser tube 52 for generating He-Ne laser light, and a laser light of a predetermined wavelength, as shown in Fig. 7A. A light beam parallel to the filter 53 for discharging, the objective lens 54 and the diffusing plate 55 for diffusing the laser light, the motor 56 for driving the diffuser plate 55, and the diffused laser light. The collimator lens 57, the prism primitive 58, the Fresnel plate 60, the screen 61, and the many mirrors M1-M5 for adjusting the optical path of a laser beam are comprised.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the relationship between the parallel light beam and the optical path difference, and FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of a portion of the sample (glass substrate S) and prismatic primitive 58.

As can be seen from FIG. 7B, the optical path difference δ can be expressed by the following equation when the refractive index of air is n _o and the refractive orange of the prism is n.

δ = n _o (P1P2-P2P3) -nTP3

In addition, P1P2, P2P3, and TP3 represent the distance between each point of FIG. 7B.

here,

P1P2 = 2n _o / cosθ '

TP3 = P1P3sinθ = 2d _o tanθ'sinsinθ

δ = 2n _o / cosθ '-2d _o tanθ'

from n _o sinθ '= nsinθ,

δ = 2n _o d _o cosθ '+ λβ / 2π

Since the phase change β = π at P3,

δ = 2n _o d _o cosθ '+ λ / 2

Since the interference arc is generated when the optical path difference becomes an integer multiple of the used wavelength, the height d _o of the surface of the substrate S where the arc is generated is

d _o = λ / 2 n _o cosθ '· (m-1 / 2) m: integer

Becomes

That is, since the flatness measurement uses an interference signal which appears when the optical path difference of the parallel luminous flux of the laser becomes an integer multiple of the used wavelength, it is necessary to maintain the substrate without moving the substrate during the measurement. In addition, it is necessary to measure flatness in the original shape which a board | substrate itself has. Therefore, the reproducibility and precision of the flatness measurement can be effectively improved by applying the substrate holding tool of the present invention, which can be maintained in the positioning without moving the substrate and that is, without deformation, to the flatness measurement. Can be.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the first embodiment, the positioning means 13 has been described as being provided in three places, but may be four or more places. Moreover, although the leaf spring 15 was used as an elastic body, as long as it can regulate the movement of the board | substrate S in the predetermined direction, other forms of springs, such as a winding spring, can be used.

In the second embodiment, the positioning means 23 moves the contact member back and forth by the solenoid. However, the driving member is not limited to the solenoid and may be a cylinder or a motor as long as the contact member can move forward and backward. In the second embodiment, the contact member is moved forward and backward by the driving member, but the contact member may be moved forward and backward by manual operation.

In addition, in the above description, air is used to float the glass substrate S. However, depending on the type of the device, the substrate, the use, and the like, nitrogen gas or other inert gas may be used. Although a gas such as air has been described as an example of a fluid for floating the glass substrate S, a liquid such as water may be used without being limited to a gas. In this case, by selecting a liquid having a specific gravity larger than that of the glass substrate S, buoyancy is generated in the glass substrate S, and the glass substrate S can be floated more effectively. However, the use of a gas such as air has the advantage that an operation such as removing a fluid in the next step is unnecessary.

In addition, this invention is not limited to an untreated glass substrate, For example, it is applicable also to the glass substrate provided with the transmittance | permeability control film | membrane, such as Cr film | membrane and MoSi film | membrane, an ITO film | membrane, etc.

According to the present invention, since the substrate is floated on the plate surface using a fluid such as air to contact the contact member on the lower surface or the side surface of the substrate, positioning is performed, so that the bending of the substrate can be minimized. These branches can be measured, processed, inspected, or the like with high accuracy while maintaining flatness. In particular, the present invention has a great effect by applying to a large substrate that tends to bend by its own weight.

Claims (10)

As a substrate holder for stably holding a substrate at a predetermined position on a plate surface: Fluid layer forming means interposed between the lower surface of the substrate and the plate surface to form a fluid layer for floating the substrate; And And having positioning means for stably holding the substrate with the fluid layer and for positioning the substrate at a predetermined position on the plate surface in contact with at least the lower surface or the side surface of the substrate floating with the fluid layer. A substrate holding strip characterized by the above-mentioned. A substrate holding tool according to claim 1, wherein a gas is used as a fluid forming said fluid layer. The contacting member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the positioning means comprises an elastic body provided on the plate surface, and a contact member attached to the elastic body and contacting the substrate, wherein the contact member is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate in a floating state. A substrate holding tool characterized in that the movement of the substrate is regulated by abutting. The said positioning means has the advancing / removable contact member which abuts on the side surface of the said board | substrate in the circumferential direction of the said board | substrate of a floating state, and is located in many places around the said board | substrate of an injured state. The substrate holding tool which controls the movement of the said board | substrate by contacting the said contact member. A substrate processing apparatus having the substrate holder according to claim 1, And an irradiation means for irradiating an electron beam or a laser light to the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding tool. A substrate inspection apparatus having a substrate holding tool according to claim 1: Inspection light irradiation means for irradiating inspection light to the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding means; And And a light detecting means for inspecting light on the surface of the substrate based on the inspection light. A substrate holding method for stably holding a substrate at a predetermined position on a plate surface, Forming a fluid layer between the substrate and the plate surface to float the substrate on one surface side; And And a positioning step of contacting a contact member on at least a lower surface or a side surface of the substrate floated by the fluid layer to position the contact member in a plane substantially parallel to the plate surface. The substrate holding method according to claim 7, wherein the substrate is a photomask blank or a photomask or a substrate used for these. A substrate processing method using the substrate holding method according to claim 7 or 8, And a irradiation step of irradiating the processing light onto the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding method. A substrate inspection method using the substrate holding method according to claim 7 or 8, And an inspection light irradiation step of irradiating inspection light onto the surface of the substrate positioned and held by the substrate holding method.