TW202043941A - Device for adjusting cable pulling stiffness and lithography machine including a cable tensioning unit, a cable bracket, a vibration detection sensor and a controller - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device for adjusting cable pulling stiffness and a lithography machine. The device for adjusting cable pulling stiffness includes: a cable tensioning unit, a cable bracket, a vibration detection sensor, and a controller. The controller is connected with the cable tensioning unit and the vibration detection sensor. The cable tensioning unit is located on a supporting surface of a fixed platform, and the cable bracket is located on a supporting surface of a moving platform. A distance between the fixed platform and the moving platform is set to a predetermined distance. The cable tensioning unit and the cable bracket together support a plurality of cables, and the plurality of cables are fixedly connected to the cable bracket. The vibration detection sensor is installed on the supporting surface of the moving platform.

Description

Adjusting device and photoetching machine for cable pulling stiffness

The present invention relates to the technical field of photoetching machines, for example to a device for adjusting the pulling stiffness of cables and a photoetching machine.

Lithography machine, also known as mask alignment exposure machine, exposure system or lithography system, is a key equipment in the semiconductor industry.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a side view structure of a lithography machine in the related art. As shown in Figure 1, the lithography machine includes an inner frame 110 and an outer frame 120. The inner frame 110 is used to carry the exposure objective lens and the key core measurement system. It mainly has the interface function, the bearing function, the vibration reduction function and the vibration isolation function. The active shock absorber 130 is installed on the outer frame 120, wherein the active shock absorber 130 can isolate the disturbance excitation of the outer frame 120 from the inner frame 110 such as the movement impact and the foundation vibration, so as to make the exposure system and height in the inner world The accuracy measurement system obtains excellent dynamic stability performance.

Fig. 2 is a schematic top view of the structure of the photoetching machine in the related art. As shown in FIG. 2, to avoid mutual influence, there is a gap between the inner frame 110 and the outer frame 120. The cables 140 used to realize the communication between the components in the internal world and the external equipment will pass through the area where the gap is located. The cables 140 in this area are respectively located on the inner frame 110 and the outer frame 120. Two cable supports 150 support. During the normal working process of the lithography machine, the displacement of the internal frame 110 will change, resulting in a change in the distance between the two cable supports 150. If the length of the cable 140 between the two cable supports 150 is set equal to this The distance between the two cable supports 150 is likely to cause elastic-plastic deformation of the cable 140. Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems, the length of the cable 140 between the two cable supports 150 is set to be greater than the two The distance between the two cable supports 150 is shown in FIG. 3. However, as the demand for the overall performance of the lithography machine becomes higher and higher, the number of cables 140 increases, and the pulling force caused by the weight of the cable 140 between the two cable brackets 150 increases, which makes the cable 140 more effective. The pulling rigidity becomes larger. In addition, the friction between adjacent cables 140 further increases the pulling rigidity of the cable 140, which reduces the ability of the cable 140 to dampen external vibrations through its own deformation, and the external vibrations easily pass through the cable 140. Transmission to the internal world, affecting the stability of the internal world.

The invention provides a device for adjusting the pulling stiffness of a cable and a photoetching machine, so as to reduce the pulling stiffness of the cable and improve the stability of the side parts of the moving table.

A device for adjusting the pulling stiffness of a cable includes:

Cable tensioning unit, cable support, vibration detection sensor and controller;

Wherein, the controller is connected with the cable tensioning unit and the vibration detection sensor;

The cable tensioning unit is located on the supporting surface of the fixed platform, the cable bracket is located on the supporting surface of the exercise platform, and the distance between the fixed platform and the exercise platform is set to a preset distance;

The cable tensioning unit and the cable bracket jointly support a plurality of cables, and the plurality of cables are fixedly connected to the cable bracket;

The vibration detection sensor is installed on the supporting surface of the motion table, and the vibration detection sensor is used to detect the vibration acceleration of the motion table and transmit the vibration acceleration to the controller; The controller is configured to control the cable tensioning unit to adjust the plurality of wires between the cable tensioning unit and the cable support according to the received comparison result of the vibration acceleration and the preset vibration acceleration. The length of the cable.

A photoetching machine includes the above-mentioned cable pulling stiffness adjusting device.

The device for adjusting the pulling stiffness of a cable provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes: a cable tensioning unit, a cable support, a vibration detection sensor, and a controller, wherein the controller and the cable tensioning unit and the vibration detection sensor The cable tensioning unit is located on the supporting surface of the fixed platform, and the cable bracket is located on the supporting surface of the sports platform. The fixed platform and the sports platform are set at a preset distance. The cable tensioning unit and the cable support support more Multiple cables are fixedly connected to the cable bracket, and the vibration detection sensor is installed on the supporting surface of the motion table, so that the controller can control the cable tension unit to adjust the cable tension according to the vibration of the motion table The length of the multiple cables between the unit and the cable bracket reduces the pulling force caused by the weight of the multiple cables, which makes the pulling stiffness of the multiple cables smaller. In addition, the tensioned multiple cables There is no contact between adjacent cables in the cables, which eliminates the friction between adjacent cables, further reduces the pulling stiffness of multiple cables, and reduces The probability that the vibration on the side of the fixed table is transmitted to the side of the sports table through multiple cables improves the stability of the overall structure of the side of the sports table.

10: Lithography machine

110: internal frame

120: external frame

130: Active shock absorber

140: Cable

150: cable bracket

200: adjusting device

210: cable tensioning unit

211: Sliding cable bracket

212: L-shaped bracket

213: Spring

220: cable bracket

230: Vibration detection sensor

240: cable

250: motion stage

251: Base Rod

252: Adjusting lever

260: Displacement sensor

270: Tension detection sensor

300: fixed table

400: sports table

2111: The first subsection

[Figure 1] is a schematic diagram of a side view of a lithography machine in the related art.

[Fig. 2] is a schematic diagram of the top view structure of the photoetching machine in the related art.

[Figure 3] is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a lithography machine in the related art.

[Figure 4] is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 5] A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a device provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 6] is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lithography machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. It should be mentioned that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although the flowchart describes various operations (or steps) as sequential processing, many of the operations can be implemented in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of various operations can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operation is completed, but it can also have additional steps not included in the schema. The processing can correspond to methods, functions, procedures, subroutines, subroutines, and so on.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The device adopts the cable pulling stiffness adjustment device provided by the embodiment of the present invention to adjust the cable pulling force. Row adjustment. As shown in FIG. 4, the device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable includes a cable tensioning unit 210, a cable support 220, a vibration detection sensor 230, and a controller (not shown in the figure), wherein the controller and The cable tensioning unit 210 and the vibration detection sensor 230 are connected. The cable tensioning unit 210 is located on the supporting surface of the fixed platform 300, the cable bracket 220 is located on the supporting surface of the exercise platform 400, and the distance between the fixed platform 300 and the exercise platform 400 is set to a preset distance. The cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable bracket 220 jointly support a plurality of cables 240, and the plurality of cables 240 are fixedly connected to the cable bracket 220. The vibration detection sensor 230 is installed on the supporting surface of the motion table 400. The vibration detection sensor 230 is used to detect the vibration acceleration of the motion table 400 and transmit the vibration acceleration to the controller. The controller is used to detect the vibration acceleration according to the received vibration acceleration. Based on the comparison result with the preset vibration acceleration, the cable tensioning unit 210 is controlled to adjust the length of each cable 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220.

It should be noted that this embodiment only uses the structure of the cable tensioning unit 210 shown in FIG. 4 as an example for description, instead of limiting the structure of the cable tensioning unit 210. Anything that can realize the cable tensioning function The structures are all within the protection scope of this embodiment.

It should also be noted that the fixed table 300 is a support table with a fixed position, and the motion table 400 is a support table with a variable position. For example, for a lithography machine, the outer frame may be the fixed table 300, and the inner frame may be Sports platform 400.

The working process of the device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable in this embodiment is specifically as follows: After the displacement of the motion table 400 changes, the controller controls the cable tensioning unit 210 to perform the tensioning operation of the cable 240 to reduce the cable tension. The length of the cable 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220, while controlling the vibration detection sensor 230 to start working; the vibration detection sensor 230 detects the motion acceleration of the motion table 400, and sends the detection result to the control Controller The preset motion acceleration is stored. After receiving the above detection result, the controller compares the detection result with the preset motion acceleration, and after determining that the two are equal, controls the cable tensioning unit 210 to stop the tensioning operation and maintain the cable tensioning unit The length of the multiple cables 240 between 210 and the cable support 220 remains unchanged. After that, the controller detects that the received detection result is greater than the preset motion acceleration, and controls the cable tensioning unit 210 to relax the multiple cables 240 to The length of the multiple cables 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220 is increased; and after detecting that the received detection result is less than the preset motion acceleration, the cable tensioning unit 210 is controlled to be more tensioned The cables 240 are used to reduce the length of the cables 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220. The device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable realizes the instant adjustment of the length of the cable 240 during the working process, and can adjust the cable between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable bracket 220 according to the actual vibration of the exercise table 400. The length of the cable 240 reduces the pulling stiffness of the multiple cables 240 without causing elastoplastic deformation of the cable 240.

The device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of a cable provided in this embodiment includes: a cable tensioning unit 210, a cable support 220, a vibration detection sensor 230, and a controller, wherein the controller and the cable tensioning unit 210 and The vibration detection sensor 230 is connected, the cable tensioning unit 210 is located on the supporting surface of the fixed table 300, the cable bracket 220 is located on the supporting surface of the moving table 400, and the distance between the fixed table 300 and the moving table 400 is set to a preset value. Set the distance, the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable bracket 220 jointly support a plurality of cables 240, and the plurality of cables 240 are fixedly connected to the cable bracket 220, and the vibration detection sensor 230 is installed on the supporting surface of the exercise table 400 , So that the controller can control the cable tensioning unit 210 to adjust the length of the multiple cables 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220 according to the vibration condition of the exercise table 400, thereby reducing the multiple cables 240 The pulling force caused by its own weight makes the pulling stiffness of the multiple cables 240 smaller; In addition, the adjacent cables 240 of the tensioned cables 240 are not in contact with each other, which eliminates the friction between the adjacent cables 240, further reduces the pulling stiffness of the cables 240, and reduces The probability that the vibration on the side of the fixed platform 300 is transmitted to the side of the exercise platform 400 through the multiple cables 240 improves the stability of the overall structure of the side of the exercise platform 400.

4, the cable tensioning unit 210 includes an L-shaped bracket 212, a sliding cable bracket 211, and a spring 213. The L-shaped bracket 212 includes a first branch and a second branch that are perpendicular to each other. The first branch is perpendicular to the fixed platform. The supporting surface of 300, the sliding cable support 211 and the second branch are slidably connected, and the two ends of the spring 213 are respectively fixed on the first branch and the sliding cable support 211.

It should be noted that the sliding cable support 211 and the second branch can be slidably connected in a variety of ways. Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 4, the sliding cable support 211 includes a sliding wheel arranged on its side close to the second branch. Structure, the sliding wheel in the sliding wheel structure can slide on the second branch. Alternatively, the second branch may include a first sliding rail, the first sliding rail extends along the extension direction of the second branch, and the sliding cable support 211 includes a first sliding wheel structure adapted to the first sliding rail. The first slide rail in the latter arrangement can limit the sliding direction of the first sliding wheel structure, and prevent the first sliding wheel structure from sliding outside the second branch.

It should also be noted that the sliding cable support 211 is controlled by the controller to slide on the second branch for a specified displacement to drive the multiple cables 240 fixed on the upper end of the sliding cable support 211 to move closer to or away from the exercise platform 400 The length of the multiple cables 240 between the sliding cable support 211 and the cable support 220 is adjusted by moving in the direction. It is worth noting that the length of the multiple cables 240 between the sliding cable support 211 and the cable support 220 here refers to the distance between the sliding cable support 211 near the edge of the exercise table 400 and the cable support 220 The length of multiple cables 240 between Degree is not the length of the multiple cables 240 between the sliding cable support 211 and the cable support 220.

Optionally, the cable tensioning unit 210 may also have other structures. For example, the cable tensioning unit 210 may include a threaded rotation wheel, and the controller can control the rotation of the threaded rotation wheel to rotate the plurality of cables 240 to the thread. The multiple cables 240 are released on the wheel or from the threaded rotating wheel to adjust the length of the multiple cables 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 4, the device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable further includes a pulling force detecting sensor 270 connected to the controller, and the pulling force detecting sensor 270 is arranged on the sliding cable support 211.

It should be noted that the multiple cables 240 are connected to the sliding cable support 211, so the pulling force of the multiple cables 240 on the sliding cable support 211 and the pulling force of the sliding cable support 211 on the multiple cables 240 are Because the pulling force of the multiple cables 240 is not easy to measure, the present embodiment uses the tension detection sensor 270 to detect the pulling force of the sliding cable support 211 on the multiple cables 240, so as to approximate the multiple cables 240. The pulling force.

It should also be noted that the cable pulling stiffness adjustment device 200 in this embodiment can be applied to different equipment. After the equipment is replaced, the cable pulling stiffness adjustment device 200 needs to re-tension the cables 240. Tight operation. After installing the tension detection sensor 270 on the sliding cable bracket 211, before replacing the device, the controller can record the first value of the tension detection sensor 270 when the detection result of the vibration measurement sensor 230 is equal to the preset acceleration After the device is replaced, after the controller determines that the device starts to work, it can directly control the cable tensioning unit 210 to tension multiple cables 240 until the test value of the tension detection sensor 270 is equal to the above-mentioned first value, and then based on the vibration The detection result of the detection sensor 230 further adjusts the length of the multiple cables 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220, thereby reducing the cost of replacing the device. Exploring the adjustment time enhances the adaptability of the equipment to different equipment.

Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 4, the sliding cable bracket 211 includes a first sub-part 2111 fixedly connected to a plurality of cables 240, and the tension detection sensor 270 may be disposed at the center of the first sub-part 2111.

It should be noted that a plurality of cables 240 are sequentially connected to the first sub-part 2111 of the sliding cable holder 211 along the extension direction of the sliding cable holder 211, and each cable 240 is connected to the pulling point of the sliding cable holder 211. As the connection point between the two, the center position of the first sub-part 2111 is the central force point where the first sub-part 2111 receives the overall pulling force of the multiple cables 240. Therefore, a tensile force detection sensor 270 is preferably provided here. Set at the center of the first sub-part 2111.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 4, the device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable may also include a moving platform 250 connected to the controller and placed on the supporting surface of the fixed platform 300. The moving platform 250 includes a base whose extending directions are perpendicular to each other. The rod 251 and the adjusting rod 252. One end of the adjusting rod 252 is fixed on the base rod 251. The base rod 251 is a multi-degree-of-freedom moving part and is placed on the supporting surface of the fixing table 300. The first branch is slidably connected with the adjusting rod 252.

It should be noted that the first branch can be slidably connected with the adjusting rod 252 in a variety of ways. For example, the adjusting rod 252 may include a second sliding rail, which extends along the extension direction of the adjusting rod 252, and the first branch includes A second sliding wheel structure adapted to the second sliding rail. In other implementations of this embodiment, the first branch may also be slidably connected to the adjusting rod 252 in other ways, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

It should also be noted that the cable tensioning unit 210 can move up and down along the adjusting rod 252, and the base rod 251 can drive the adjusting rod 252 and the cable tensioning unit 210 to move in multiple degrees of freedom, thereby connecting multiple cables 240 At one end of the cable tensioning unit 210 It can change with the movement of the base rod 251 to adjust the pulling force of the multiple cables 240 from more angles.

In addition, the setting of the movement stage 250 realizes a relatively large adjustment of the position of the cable tensioning unit 210, so that the cable tensioning unit 210 does not need to greatly adjust the length of the cable 240, but only for fine adjustment. Since the speed at which the movement of the moving platform 250 cancels the vibration of the moving platform 400 is much greater than the speed at which the length of the cable 240 is adjusted by the cable tensioning unit 210 to offset the vibration of the moving platform 400, the setting of the moving platform 250 accelerates the moving platform 400 Stable speed.

4, the device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable further includes a displacement sensor 260 connected to the controller. The displacement sensor 260 is arranged on a surface of the fixed platform 300 close to the moving platform 400 for detecting movement. The displacement of the stage 400 relative to the fixed stage 300.

It should be noted that when the moving platform 400 has a relatively large displacement relative to the fixed platform 300, the relatively large displacement of the moving platform 250 can offset or partially offset the increased vibration of the moving platform 400 caused by the aforementioned displacement. Specifically, when the displacement sensor 260 detects that at least one component of the displacement of the moving table 400 relative to the fixed table 300 is greater than the corresponding preset value, the displacement sensor 260 transmits the detected displacement of the moving table 400 relative to the fixed table 300 to The controller decomposes the received displacement to obtain at least two components in a preset manner, and controls the moving stage 250 and the L-shaped bracket 212 to adjust the positions according to the above at least two components, and then senses according to vibration detection The ratio of the detection result of the detector 230 to the preset acceleration can instantly adjust the length of the multiple cables 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable support 220 to reduce the pulling stiffness of the multiple cables 240. Exemplarily, define the arrangement direction of the movement table 400 and the fixed table 300 as the first direction, and the above displacement can be decomposed into the first direction and the extension direction of the adjustment rod 252 上, and in the second direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the above two directions.

The device 200 for adjusting the pulling stiffness of the cable may also include an active damper (not shown in the figure) and a vibration detector (not shown in the figure). The active damper is connected to the exercise table 400, and the vibration detector is connected to the active The shock absorber is connected to the controller. The vibration detector is used to detect the working state of the active shock absorber and transmit the working state of the active shock absorber to the controller. The controller is used to control the cable tensioning unit according to the received working state 210 working status.

The controller simultaneously controls the working states of the motion stage 250, the vibration detection sensor 230, the tension detection sensor 270, and the displacement sensor 260.

It should be noted that the active shock absorber can be used to reduce the vibration of the components on the side of the sports table 400. The active shock absorber starts to work after the sports table 400 starts to work. Therefore, the working state of the active shock absorber can be used as a controller. Control signal for state transition. Specifically, after the vibration detector detects that the active shock absorber is working, it transmits the information that the active shock absorber has started to work to the controller, and the controller controls the components connected to it to start working, and the vibration detector detects the active shock absorber. After it stops working, the information that the active shock absorber stops working is transmitted to the controller, and the controller controls the various components connected to it to stop working. It can be understood that the sliding cable bracket 211 in the cable tensioning unit 210 does not work at this time. Under the action of external force, the spring 213 between the sliding cable bracket 211 and the first branch of the L-shaped bracket 212 is in a natural state, and the cable 240 between the cable tensioning unit 210 and the cable bracket 220 is in a relaxed state, as shown in the figure 5 shown.

In other implementations of this embodiment, other states or signals may also be used as the control signal for the controller's working state transition. This embodiment does not specifically limit this, and the designer can make reasonable settings according to actual needs.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a lithography machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Such as As shown in FIG. 6, the lithography machine 10 includes a cable pulling stiffness adjustment device 200 provided by any embodiment of the present invention.

At this time, the fixed table 300 is the external frame of the lithography machine, and the motion table 400 is the internal frame of the lithography machine.

The applicable equipment of the cable pulling stiffness adjusting device 200 provided by any embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the lithography machine 10, but may also be other equipment, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

The present invention claims the priority of a Chinese patent application filed with the Chinese Patent Office with an application number of 201910419128.4 on May 20, 2019, and the entire content of the above application is incorporated into this application by reference.

200: adjusting device

210: cable tensioning unit

211: Sliding cable bracket

212: L-shaped bracket

213: Spring

220: cable bracket

230: Vibration detection sensor

240: cable

250: motion stage

251: Base Rod

252: Adjusting lever

260: Displacement sensor

270: Tension detection sensor

300: fixed table

400: sports table

2111: The first subsection

Claims (10)

A device for adjusting the pulling stiffness of a cable is characterized by: Cable tensioning unit, cable support, vibration detection sensor and controller; Wherein, the controller is connected to the cable tensioning unit and the vibration detection sensor; The cable tensioning unit is located on the supporting surface of the fixed platform, the cable bracket is located on the supporting surface of the exercise platform, and the distance between the fixed platform and the exercise platform is set to a preset distance; The cable tensioning unit and the cable bracket jointly support a plurality of cables, and the plurality of cables are fixedly connected to the cable bracket; The vibration detection sensor is installed on the supporting surface of the motion table, and the vibration detection sensor is used to detect the vibration acceleration of the motion table and transmit the vibration acceleration to the controller; The controller is configured to control the cable tensioning unit to adjust the plurality of wires between the cable tensioning unit and the cable support according to the received comparison result of the vibration acceleration and the preset vibration acceleration. The length of the cable. The device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the cable tensioning unit includes an L-shaped bracket, a sliding cable bracket, and a spring; The L-shaped support includes a first branch and a second branch that are perpendicular to each other, the first branch is perpendicular to the supporting surface of the fixing table, and the sliding cable support is slidably connected to the second branch; Both ends of the spring are respectively fixed on the first branch and the sliding cable support. The device according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the second branch includes a first slide rail, the first slide rail extends along the extension direction of the second branch, and the sliding cable bracket includes A first sliding wheel structure adapted to the first sliding rail. The device described in item 2 or 3 of the scope of the patent application further includes a tension detection sensor connected to the controller, and the tension detection sensor is arranged on the sliding cable support. The device according to item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the sliding cable bracket includes a first sub-part that is fixedly connected to a plurality of the cables; The tensile force detection sensor is arranged at the center of the first sub-part. The device described in item 2 of the scope of the patent application further includes a motion carrier connected to the controller and placed on the supporting surface of the fixed platform, and the motion carrier includes a base rod and a base rod whose extending directions are perpendicular to each other. An adjustment rod, one end of the adjustment rod is fixed to the base rod; the base rod is a multi-degree-of-freedom moving part and is arranged on the supporting surface of the fixing table; the first branch slides with the adjustment rod connection. The device according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the adjusting rod includes a second sliding rail, the second sliding rail extends along the extension direction of the adjusting rod, and the second branch includes the The second sliding wheel structure adapted to the second sliding rail. The device described in item 6 of the scope of patent application further includes a displacement sensor connected to the controller, and the displacement sensor is arranged on a side surface of the fixed platform close to the exercise platform. To detect the displacement of the moving table relative to the fixed table. The device as described in any one of items 1 to 8 of the scope of the patent application, further comprising an active shock absorber and a vibration detector, the active shock absorber is connected to the motion table, and the vibration detector is connected to the Active shock absorber and the controller connection; The vibration detector is used to detect the working state of the active shock absorber, and transmit the working state of the active shock absorber to the controller; the controller is used to control the station according to the received working state The working state of the cable tensioning unit is described. A photoetching machine is characterized in that it includes the cable pulling stiffness adjustment device as described in any one of the 1st to 9th items of the scope of patent application.

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