TWI436173B - Exposure device - Google Patents

Description

Exposure device

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus that can cope with a plurality of reticles having different sizes and adsorption margins.

A TFT (thin film transistor) substrate, a color filter substrate, a plasma display panel substrate, or the like of a liquid crystal display device is irradiated with a photoresist through a photomask by using an exposure device. The pattern of the photomask is transferred onto the substrate to be manufactured. The reticle holder of the exposure device is provided with an adsorption groove, and the edge of the reticle is vacuum-adsorbed to the adsorption groove to hold the reticle.

Previously, exposure of substrates having different sizes was performed by replacing the mask holder of the exposure apparatus according to the size of the mask, but replacement of the mask holder took time and there was a problem in work efficiency. In this regard, an exposure apparatus for a photomask having a plurality of sizes by a single mask holder has been known (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 to 3).

The exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is formed by dividing a mask holder into a plurality of independent holder portions that hold the peripheral portion of the mask, and moving the holder portion according to the size of the mask. Respond to different sizes of reticle in a short time. Further, the scanning projection exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes a photomask stage for moving the photomask, an adsorption holding unit for adsorbing only two sides of the photomask, and a plurality of selectively movable in the mask stage. The mask is positioned with a touch pin, and a plurality of masks of different sizes are required.

In the mask holding mechanism of the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 3, the long side of the mask is held by a total of six clips at three positions on the long sides of the mask at a predetermined pitch. The reduction in the number of natural vibrations of the mask is suppressed, and a plurality of masks having different sizes are dealt with.

On the other hand, the visor that is vacuum-adsorbed to the reticle holder by the peripheral portion is bent due to its own weight, and the flatness of the reticle is not maintained. As a result, the gap between the reticle and the substrate occurs. Changes, which have a greater impact on exposure accuracy. In order to cope with this problem, there is disclosed an exposure apparatus that deforms a mask holder into a convex shape by applying an external force to an external force applying mechanism to a mask holder attached to a lower surface of a mask table via a spacer. The slant angle of the reticle, that is, the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction of the reticle holder is given, and the flatness of the reticle is corrected (for example, refer to Patent Document 4).

Prior technical literature Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-210920

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-5139

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-58789

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-178318

The exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 can cope with a plurality of reticles having different sizes without replacing the reticle holder, but since the mechanism for correcting the flatness is not included, the pattern of the transfer reticle cannot be exposed with high precision, and When a reticle of a different size is used, the gap between the reticle and the substrate is also changed by the replacement of the reticle, which may adversely affect the exposure accuracy. Further, the exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4 achieves an improvement in the flatness of the reticle by imparting a slant angle of the reticle. However, there is no description of the reticle of different sizes, and there is a problem that the reticle of a plurality of sizes cannot be handled. Improve room for improvement.

Further, in general, a plurality of sizes are used for the glass substrate for a photomask which forms a mask pattern, and the size of the mask pattern is determined by the size or pattern of the product, and a plurality of patterns having different sizes are present. Therefore, it is selected to use a glass substrate for a photomask which is an optimum size for patterning a desired mask pattern. Therefore, a portion other than the pattern by patterning can be used as a region in which the adsorption margin of the mask is used. On the other hand, since the price of the photomask is high, it is strongly required to be surely adsorbed and held by the photomask holder to prevent damage due to dropping or the like.

The exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 can move a plurality of masks of different sizes by moving the holder portion formed by independent division according to the size of the mask, but it is used for adsorption retention even without replacing the mask holder. The size of the adsorption groove of the photomask provided in the holder portion is fixed. For example, the adsorption margin of a large area can be set on the photomask, or it can be adsorbed and held only by the adsorption groove provided in the size of the holder portion. There is room for improvement in terms of maintaining the mask to prevent damage due to the falling of the mask. Further, the scanning projection exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 can adsorb and hold only the two sides of the long side of the mask, and has the same problem as that of Patent Document 1.

Further, as shown in FIG. 35(a), the exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 adsorbs and holds the mask M by the independent four holder portions Ha, Hb, Hc, Hd (where Hc, Hd are movable). 4 sides, without the need to replace the reticle holder, it is necessary to deal with a plurality of reticle M of different sizes. As shown in FIGS. 35(b) and (c), in the case where the mask M that is adsorbed and held by the peripheral portion is bent by its own weight and is held by the mask M held on the four sides, the amount of bending is obtained. In the X direction and the Y direction, the center portion of the mask M is the largest, and the three-dimensional bending is a complicated shape that gradually becomes smaller as it approaches the circumference. Further, since the curved shape of the mask M having different sizes of large and small is different because the span S between the holder portions Hc and Hd of the both edges of the short side is kept different, the curved shape in the X direction is according to the size of the mask M. different. The curvature of the mask M is a factor that causes unevenness in the gap between the mask M and the substrate, and has an adverse effect on the exposure accuracy. However, in the exposure apparatus of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the change in flatness (bending) caused by the replacement of the reticle having different sizes cannot be eliminated.

Further, in the mask holding mechanism of the exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, the distance between the chuck portions provided on the long side of the mask is set to 0.65 to 0.80 times with respect to 1/2 of the length of the long side, thereby suppressing The decrease in the number of natural vibrations of the reticle mounted on the reticle holder makes it impossible to fix the flatness due to the self-weight bending of the reticle of different sizes without being fixed in size, and there is room for improvement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object thereof is to provide an exposure apparatus capable of coping with a plurality of masks having different sizes while maintaining flatness in a fixed manner. Further, a second object of the invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that can prevent a damage caused by dropping or the like by reliably holding a plurality of masks different in size and adsorbable area. A third object is to provide an exposure apparatus which can cope with a plurality of reticle sizes different in size and which can easily correct the curvature of the reticle.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following constitution.

(1) An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposure material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit; The light for pattern exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a reticle base side member; and four reticle holders capable of adsorbing and holding the sides of the reticle; And a guiding mechanism respectively disposed between the reticle base side member and at least two of the reticle holders that adsorb and hold the short side of the reticle, and is detachable with respect to the reticle base side member a photomask holder for guiding the short side side in a longitudinal direction; a driving mechanism for moving the mask holder on the short side side in a longitudinal direction with respect to the base member side of the mask base; and skewing An angle adjusting mechanism respectively provided between the reticle base side member and each of the guiding mechanisms, and at least one of the guiding mechanisms and the short side reticle holder, and adjustable The above mask Bevel.

(2) The exposure apparatus according to (1), wherein the skew angle adjusting mechanism is provided between the mask base side member and each of the guide mechanisms, and each of the guide mechanisms and the short side mask Both between the holders.

(3) The exposure apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein each of the guiding means includes a guide attached to the base side of the mask stage and a slider member attached to the side of the mask holder, and the above The skew angle adjusting mechanism is provided between at least one of the mask base side member and the guides, and between each of the slider members and the short side mask holder.

(4) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the skew angle adjusting mechanism is a replaceable pair of spacers having different heights from each other.

(5) The exposure apparatus of any one of (1) to (3), wherein the skew angle adjustment mechanism includes: a spacer having a specific height; and a wedge mechanism disposed on an outer side of the spacer and including The fixed-side tapered member having the inclined surface and the movable-side tapered member having the inclined surface that is slidably contacted with the inclined surface, and the height can be changed by changing the sliding contact position of the inclined surface.

(6) The exposure apparatus according to (5), wherein the wedge mechanism adjusts the skew angle by driving the movable side tapered member using an electric actuator.

(7) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the skew angle adjustment mechanism is a piezoelectric element that can be changed in height by energization control.

(8) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7) wherein the driving mechanism is a cylinder body fixed to the reticle base side member, and a front end of the piston is fixed to the cylinder device of the reticle holder.

(9) The exposure apparatus according to (8), wherein the cylinder device includes a stopper including a damper movably attached to the base member of the reticle base, and the piston abuts against the stopper The reticle holder is positioned at a specific location.

(10) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7) wherein the drive mechanism is an electric motor.

(11) The exposure apparatus of (10), wherein the electric motor stops the reticle holder at at least three stop positions.

(12) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the short side of the reticle and the reticle holding that adsorbs and holds the long side of the reticle are held The side edges at least adjacent to each other include a thin wall portion formed to be thinner than the remaining portion.

(13) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the short side of the reticle and the reticle holding that adsorbs and holds the long side of the reticle are held The corners of the devices that are adjacent to each other include chamfered portions.

(14) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the short side of the reticle and the reticle holding the long side of the reticle is adsorbed and held Any one of the side edges that are adjacent to each other includes a step extending from the lower surface, and the other photomask holder includes a step extending from the upper surface, the short side and the long side The photomask holder adsorbs and holds the photomask in a state where the steps are superposed on each other.

(15) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (1) to (14) comprising a processing chamber opposite to a face of the reticle, further comprising a negative pressure correcting mechanism for the air pressure in the processing chamber And the air pressure acting on the other surface of the reticle imparts a pressure difference, and corrects the skew angle of the reticle.

(16) An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposure material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit; The light for pattern exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage includes: a pair of first reticle holders that are capable of adsorbing and holding the opposite sides of the reticle extending in a specific direction a pair of second photomask holders capable of adsorbing and holding the other two sides of the photomask extending in a direction orthogonal to the specific direction and movable in the specific direction of the photomask; and a pair of driving mechanisms for moving the respective second photomask holders in the specific direction of the photomask; each of the second photomask holders includes a plurality of rows of adsorption grooves, and the plurality of rows of adsorption grooves are supplied The other two sides of the photomask are adsorbed and held by the negative pressure, and are arranged in the specific direction.

(17) The exposure apparatus according to (16), wherein the adsorption tank of the second photomask holder switches the supply and the stop of the negative pressure by the electromagnetic valve.

(18) The exposure apparatus of (16) or (17), wherein each of the first photomask holders includes a plurality of other adsorption tanks, and the plurality of other adsorption tanks adsorb and hold the photomask according to the supplied negative pressure a side of the second side, and the plurality of adsorption grooves of the first photomask holder and the adsorption groove of the second photomask holder are respectively provided for each of the other adsorption grooves and the adsorption grooves. The solenoid valve is set to switch the supply and stop of the negative pressure, and the magnitude of the negative pressure is controlled.

(19) The exposure apparatus according to any one of (16) to (18), comprising a processing chamber opposite to a face of the reticle, further comprising a negative pressure correcting mechanism for the air pressure in the processing chamber And the air pressure acting on the other side of the reticle imparts a pressure difference and corrects the curvature of the reticle.

(20) An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposure material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit; The light for pattern exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a pair of reticle holders respectively comprising a plurality of adsorption grooves, wherein the plurality of adsorption grooves are supplied by the negative Pressing and holding the opposite sides of the reticle and dividing into the direction of the two sides; and a negative pressure correcting mechanism including a processing chamber opposite to one of the reticle, and the air pressure in the processing chamber And the air pressure acting on the other surface of the reticle imparts a pressure difference to correct the curvature of the reticle.

(21) The exposure apparatus of (20), wherein the plurality of adsorption tanks of the pair of mask holders switch supply and stop of the negative pressure by a solenoid valve provided one by one for each of the adsorption tanks, and the control is negative The size of the pressure.

(22) An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposure material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit; The light for pattern exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a reticle base side member; and a pair of reticle holders respectively comprising a plurality of adsorption grooves, the plurality of adsorptions The groove adsorbs and holds the opposite sides of the reticle by the supplied negative pressure, and is divided and formed along the two sides; and the skew angle adjusting mechanism is respectively disposed on the reticle base side member and The skew angle of the reticle can be adjusted between the reticle holders and by tilting the reticle holders.

(23) The exposure apparatus of (22), wherein the plurality of adsorption tanks of the pair of mask holders switch supply and stop of the negative pressure by a solenoid valve provided one by one for each of the adsorption tanks, and the control is negative The size of the pressure.

According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the reticle stage comprises: a reticle stage base; four reticle holders for absorbing and holding the sides of the reticle; and a plurality of guiding mechanisms which are configurable with respect to the reticle stage base side member a reticle holder that movably guides the short side in the longitudinal direction; and a driving mechanism that moves the reticle holder on the short side in the longitudinal direction of the reticle; thus, by making the short side light The cover holder moves according to the size of the reticle, and can be adsorbed and held corresponding to a plurality of reticle of different sizes without replacing the reticle holder. Further, at least one of the reticle base side member and each of the guiding mechanisms, and between the guiding mechanism and the short side reticle holder includes a skew angle adjusting mechanism, so that the size of the reticle is not relevant The flatness of the mounted photomask is corrected, and the gap between the photomask and the substrate is fixedly maintained to improve the exposure accuracy.

Further, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the mask stage includes: a pair of first mask holders that can adsorb and hold two opposite sides of the mask extending in a specific direction; and a pair of second mask holders, It can adsorb and hold the opposite two sides of the photomask extending in a direction orthogonal to a specific direction, and can move in a specific direction of the photomask; and a pair of driving mechanisms for respectively causing each of the second photomask holders It moves in a specific direction of the reticle; therefore, it is possible to cope with a plurality of reticles of different sizes without being replaced by the reticle holder. Further, since each of the second photomask holders is provided with a plurality of rows of adsorption grooves arranged in a specific direction, the photoreceptor regions can be effectively used for the photomasks having different adsorption regions, so that the adsorption can be surely maintained. Photomask.

Moreover, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the mask stage includes one of the opposite sides of the mask that is adsorbed and held by the plurality of divided adsorption grooves, so that the mask holder can be replaced without replacing the mask holder. The reticle of a plurality of sizes having different lengths of the two sides should be adsorbed and held. Further, since the photomask holder holds the photomask only on the two sides, the curved shape of the photomask does not change even if the mask is replaced with a different size. Further, since the negative pressure correction mechanism that applies a pressure difference to the air pressure in the processing chamber opposite to one side of the mask and the air pressure acting on the other surface of the mask and corrects the curvature of the mask, the light is corrected by the negative pressure correcting mechanism The curvature of the cover maintains a high gap between the reticle and the substrate while maintaining a high exposure accuracy.

Moreover, when the skew angle adjusting mechanism disposed between the base member of the reticle base and the reticle holder is included, the bending of the reticle can be corrected by the skew angle adjusting mechanism to make the reticle and the substrate The gap is fixed to improve the exposure accuracy.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the exposure apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

(First embodiment)

1 is a perspective view of a main part of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the mask stage, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the mask stage.

As shown in Fig. 1, the exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a mask stage 10 for holding a mask M, a substrate stage 20 for holding a glass substrate (exposed material) W, and an illumination optical system 30 for pattern exposure. The substrate assembly moving mechanism 40 moves the substrate stage 20 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions and performs tilt adjustment of the substrate stage 20; and the device substrate 50 supports the mask stage 10 and the substrate stage Movement mechanism 40.

Further, the glass substrate W (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate W") is disposed opposite to the mask M, and is used for exposing and transferring the mask pattern drawn on the mask M (the opposite of the mask M) The surface side) is coated with a photosensitizer.

First, the illumination optical system 30 will be described. The illumination optical system 30 includes, for example, a high-pressure mercury lamp 31, which is a light source for ultraviolet irradiation, a concave mirror 32 that condenses light irradiated from the high-pressure mercury lamp 31, and two optical integrators 33 that are arbitrarily disposed in the concave mirror 32. The focus mirrors 35, 36 and the spherical mirror 37 are used to change the orientation of the optical path; and the exposure control shutter 34 is disposed between the plane mirror 35 and the optical integrator 33 and switches to control the illumination optical path.

Further, in the illumination optical system 30, when the exposure control shutter 34 is controlled to be opened during exposure, the light irradiated from the high pressure mercury lamp 31 passes through the optical path L shown in FIG. 1 to be held on the photomask stage 10. The mask M is further irradiated with parallel light for pattern exposure perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate W held on the substrate stage 20. Thereby, the mask pattern of the mask M is exposed and transferred onto the substrate W.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the mask stage 10 includes a mask stage base 11 which is formed with a rectangular opening 11a at a central portion thereof, and a mask holding frame (a mask stage base side member) 12 which is X. The shaft, the Y-axis, and the θ direction are movably mounted at the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11.

The mask stage base 11 is movably supported in the Z-axis direction by the support 51 vertically disposed on the apparatus base 50 and the Z-axis moving device 52 provided at the upper end of the support 51 (refer to FIG. 2), and is configured Above the substrate stage 20. The Z-axis moving device 52 includes, for example, an electric actuator including a motor and a ball screw, a pneumatic cylinder, or the like, and raises and lowers the mask table 10 to a specific position by simply moving up and down. Further, the Z-axis moving device 52 is used when the photomask M is replaced or the Z-platform 21 is cleaned or the like.

As shown in Fig. 4, on the upper surface of the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11, the plane bearing 13 is provided with a plurality of portions, and the mask holding frame 12 is placed on the flange 12a provided at the outer peripheral edge portion of the upper end thereof. On the plane bearing 13. Thereby, the mask holding frame 12 is inserted into the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11 via a specific gap, so that the gap amount can be moved only in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ directions. The mask holding frame 12 forms a rectangular opening 12b for penetrating the pattern exposure light at the center portion.

Referring also to FIG. 5, the lower surface side of the reticle holding frame 12, which is an example of the reticle holding side member, includes a pair of fixed reticle holders 71 disposed on the long side of the opening 12b; a pair of movable reticle holders The device 72 is disposed on the short side of the opening 12b; a plurality of linear guides (guide means) 73 are disposed between the reticle holding frame 12 and each of the movable reticle holders 72; and the cylinder device 74 (refer to Figure 7) is a drive mechanism for moving the movable reticle holder 72 along the long side of the opening 12b. Further, a skew angle adjustment mechanism 80 is disposed between the linear guide 73 and the movable mask holder 72.

As shown in FIG. 5, a main adsorption groove 71a is formed on the lower surface (the substrate W side) of the fixed photomask holder 71, which is fixed to the lower surface of the mask holding frame 12 via a spacer or the like, and is formed in the main adsorption groove 71a. The center in the longitudinal direction and the auxiliary adsorption tank 71b are formed independently of the main adsorption tank 71a on the left and right of the main adsorption tank 71a. Further, the lower surface of the movable mask holder 72, which is movably disposed below the mask holding frame 12, is formed with an adsorption groove 72a around substantially the entire length. The main absorbing groove 71a, the auxiliary absorbing groove 71b, and the absorbing groove 72a of the fixed reticle holder 71 and the movable reticle holder 72 are used for absorbing the groove of the mask M which is not depicted in the peripheral portion of the reticle pattern. The vacuum suction device shown in the drawing adsorbs the four sides of the mask M and detachably holds the mask M.

Each of the main adsorption tank 71a, the auxiliary adsorption tank 71b, and the adsorption tank 72a is connected to a vacuum adsorption device via a switching valve (not shown), and any adsorption tank can be operated by appropriately switching the switching valve. Here, the size of the mask M is slightly different (for example, about 10 to 20 mm) due to the arrangement of the patterns drawn in the effective exposure area, etc., but the fixed mask holder 71 and the movable light are fixed. The cover holder 72 can be sucked and held in response to the mask M of such a different size. Specifically, the main adsorption tank 71a, the auxiliary adsorption tank 71b, and the adsorption tank 72a cooperatively adsorb the mask M of a large size, and the main adsorption tank 71a and the adsorption tank 72a cooperatively adsorb and hold the mask M of a small size.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the linear guide 73 is attached to the movable shutter holder 72 side and guided to the guide 73a attached to the mask base 11 side (the mask holding frame 12). The slider member 73b movable in the Y direction (the longitudinal direction of the opening 12b) in the member 73a (in the embodiment shown in the drawing, there are two slider members 73bi, 73bo with respect to one guide 73a, respectively) ) constitutes.

The pair of cylinder devices 74, which are driving mechanisms of the movable mask holder 72, are disposed substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction thereof corresponding to the respective movable mask holders 72, in other words, are disposed substantially at the center of the short side of the mask holding frame 12, and are extended. Set to the length direction. As shown in Fig. 7, in each of the cylinder devices 74, the cylinder main body 74a is fixed to the lower surface of the reticle holding frame 12, and the piston 74b is rotatably fitted to the projection 72b projecting upward from the movable reticle holder 72. Support on the shaft 75. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the change in the angle between the cylinder device 74 and the movable mask holder 72 when the skew angle of the movable mask holder 72 is adjusted to be smoothly operated.

Further, a stopper portion 77 including a damper 76 is fixed to the lower surface of the reticle holding frame 12 in the forward direction of the piston 74b, and when the cylinder device 74 is operated and the piston 74b is extended, the projection is made via the damper 76. The 72b (movable reticle holder 72) abuts against the stopper portion 77, thereby positioning the movable reticle holder 72 at a specific position without applying an impact.

The position of the stopper portion 77 is a position for restricting the position of the movable reticle holder 72 when the reticle M of a larger size is mounted, and the movable reticle holder 72 when the piston 74b of the cylinder device 74 enters the cylinder body 74a The position is the position of the movable reticle holder 72 when the reticle M of a smaller size is mounted.

As described above, the fixed reticle holder 71, the movable reticle holder 72, the linear guide 73, and the cylinder device 74 are mounted in the reticle holding frame 12, and thus, together with the reticle holding frame 12, can be opposed to the reticle stage The substrate 11 moves in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ directions.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the cylinder device 74 is operated, and when the mask M of a large size is attached, the pair of movable mask holders 72 are simultaneously moved in the direction in which they are spaced apart (outside) to enlarge the interval (Fig. 6(a)), when the mask M of a smaller size is mounted, the pair of movable mask holders 72 are simultaneously moved toward the direction in which they approach each other (inner side) to shorten the interval (Fig. 6(b)), whereby It is easy to cope with a plurality of masks M of different sizes.

According to the cylinder device 74 of the present embodiment in which two positions can be positioned, it is possible to cope with the size and the size of the mask M. At this time, the pair of cylinder devices 74 are simultaneously operated, so that the pair of movable mask holders 72 are always positioned at the left-right symmetry position, thereby preventing the central position of the two movable mask holders 72, that is, the center of the mask M from being moved. The mask M can be replaced.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the driving device according to the modification, and the stopper portion 77 including the damper 76 is movable in the moving direction of the piston 74b by, for example, the electric actuator 78. Thereby, the stop position of the movable mask holder 72 of the cylinder device 74 can be positioned at a plurality of positions of three or more positions, and can be positioned at any position, and three or more masks M having different sizes can be handled. , or a small change in size.

Further, the driving device may be constituted by an electric motor (not shown) instead of the cylinder device 74, and the electric motor may easily set a plurality of stop positions to an arbitrary position, and the movable shutter holder 72 may be stopped at the stop position. on.

The skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 is a mechanism for adjusting the angle of the pair of movable mask holders 72, that is, the skew angle. In the present embodiment, the replaceable ones of the spacers 80a and 80b having different heights are disposed in the respective sliders. The member 73b is interposed between the mask holder 72 on the short side. Thereby, the mask M that is adsorbed and held at both ends by the pair of movable mask holders 72 is given a skew angle with respect to the center C in the longitudinal direction, and can be corrected to reduce the curvature of the mask M, thereby The flatness of the mask M is increased. Thereby, the gap between the mask M and the substrate W in the effective exposure region of the mask M can be made uniform as much as possible.

Further, since the curvature of the mask M in the mask M having a large size becomes large, the skew angle is set at a large angle with respect to the mask M which is largely curved. Therefore, when the size of the mask M to be replaced is changed, the skew angle can be adjusted by replacing the pair of spacers 80a and 80b.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a mask position adjusting mechanism 16 is provided on the upper surface of the mask stage base 11, and the mask position adjusting mechanism 16 causes the mask holding frame 12 to be in the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the θ direction. Moving upwards and adjusting the position of the mask M held in the mask holding frame 12.

The reticle position adjusting mechanism 16 includes: one Y-axis direction driving device 16y mounted on one side of the reticle holding frame 12 in the X-axis direction; and two X-axis direction driving devices 16x mounted on the reticle holding frame 12 along one side of the Y-axis direction.

The Y-axis direction driving device 16y includes a driving actuator (for example, an electric actuator or the like) 55 that is disposed on the reticle base 11 and includes a rod 56 that expands and contracts in the Y-axis direction, and a slider 58 that passes through The pin supporting mechanism 57 is coupled to the front end of the rod 56; and a guide member 59 is attached to the side of the reticle holding frame 12 in the X-axis direction, and the slider 58 is movably mounted.

On the other hand, the X-axis direction driving device 16x is also configured similarly to the Y-axis direction driving device 16y, and includes a driving actuator 55 which is provided on the mask stage base 11 and includes a rod that expands and contracts in the X-axis direction. 56; a slider 58 coupled to the front end of the rod 56 via a pin supporting mechanism 57; and a guide member 59 attached to a side of the reticle holding frame 12 in the Y-axis direction and movably mounting the slider 58.

Further, in the mask position adjusting mechanism 16, by driving one Y-axis direction driving device 16y, the mask holding frame 12 is moved in the Y-axis direction, and the two X-axis direction driving devices 16x are driven equally. The mask holding frame 12 is moved in the X-axis direction. Further, the shutter holding frame 12 is moved in the θ direction (rotation around the Z axis) by driving either of the two X-axis direction driving devices 16x.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a gap sensor 17 is provided on the upper surface of the mask stage base 11, which measures the gap between the opposite faces of the mask M and the substrate W; and an alignment camera 18 for confirming The mounting position of the mask M. The gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are movably held in the X-axis and Y-axis directions via the moving mechanism 19, and are disposed in the reticle holding frame 12.

The moving mechanism 19 includes: a holding frame 25 which is respectively disposed on opposite sides of the reticle holding frame 12 in the Y-axis direction, and holds the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18; the linear guides 26, 27, The holder base 25 is movably supported in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and the drive actuators 28 and 29 move the holder stage 25 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

Further, in the moving mechanism 19, the holder 26 is moved in the X-axis direction by the linear guide 26 and the drive actuator 28, and the holder 25 is held by the linear guide 27 and the drive actuator 29. Move in the Y-axis direction. Further, the moving mechanism 19 moves the holder table in the X-axis and Y-axis directions using the linear guide and the driving actuator, but a linear motor or the like may be used.

The alignment camera 18 optically detects the mask side alignment mark (not shown) on the surface of the mask M from the back side of the mask, and performs focus adjustment by the focus adjustment mechanism moving closer to the mask M.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, on the upper surface of the mask stage base 11, at both end portions of the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11 in the X-axis direction, it is provided to shield the both ends of the mask M as needed. Board 38. The light shielding plate 38 is movable in the X-axis direction by a light shielding plate driving mechanism 39 including a motor, a ball screw, and a linear guide to adjust the shielding area of both end portions of the mask M. Further, the light shielding plate 38 is not provided only at both end portions of the opening 11a in the X-axis direction, and is similarly provided at both end portions of the opening 11a in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate stage 20 includes a Z stage 21 on which the workpiece chuck 22 is disposed on the upper surface, and is disposed on the substrate stage moving mechanism 40. Further, the workpiece chuck 22 holds the substrate W by vacuum suction.

The substrate stage moving mechanism 40 includes a Y-axis conveying mechanism 41 that moves the substrate stage 20 in the Y-axis direction, an X-axis conveying mechanism 42 that moves the substrate stage 20 in the X-axis direction, and a Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 43. This performs tilt adjustment of the substrate stage 20 and causes the substrate stage 20 to be slightly moved in the Z-axis direction.

The Y-axis conveying mechanism 41 includes a pair of linear guides 44 which are disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus base 50 in the Y-axis direction, and a Y-axis stage 45 which is supported by the linear guide 44 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. And a Y-axis transport drive 46 that moves the Y-axis stage 45 in the Y-axis direction. The linear guide 44 includes: a guide 44a disposed on the device base 50 in the Y-axis direction; a pair of sliders 44b fixed to the lower surface of the Y-axis platform 45 and movably mounted on the guide 44a; And a rolling element (not shown) interposed between the guide 44a and the slider 44b. The Y-axis conveying drive unit 46 includes: a ball screw nut 46a fixed to a lower surface of the Y-axis table 45; a ball screw shaft 46b screwed to the ball screw nut 46a; and a motor 46c disposed on the device base 50, and the ball screw shaft 46b is rotationally driven.

Further, in the Y-axis conveying mechanism 41, the ball screw shaft 46b is rotated by driving the motor 46c of the Y-axis conveying drive unit 46, so that the Y-axis stage 45 and the ball screw nut 46a are along the linear guide 44. The guide 44a moves and moves the substrate stage 20 in the Y-axis direction.

The X-axis conveying mechanism 42 includes: a pair of linear guides 47 disposed on the upper surface of the Y-axis platform 45 in the X-axis direction; and an X-axis platform 48 movably supported by the linear guides 47 in the X-axis direction; And an X-axis transport drive 49 that moves the X-axis stage 48 in the X-axis direction. The linear guide 47 includes a guide 47a disposed on the Y-axis stage 45 in the X-axis direction, and a pair of sliders 47b fixed to the lower surface of the X-axis stage 48 and movably mounted on the guide 47a. And a rolling element (not shown) interposed between the guide 47a and the slider 47b. The X-axis conveying drive device 49 includes: a ball screw nut (not shown) fixed to a lower surface of the X-axis table 48; a ball screw shaft 49b screwed to the ball screw nut; and a motor 49c, which is disposed The Y-axis stage 45 is rotated and the ball screw shaft 49b is rotationally driven.

Further, in the X-axis conveying mechanism 42, the ball screw shaft 49b is rotated by the motor 49c of the X-axis conveying drive unit 49, whereby the X-axis table 48 is linearly guided together with the ball screw nut (not shown). The guide 47a of the member 47 moves and moves the substrate stage 20 in the X-axis direction.

The Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 43 includes a motor 43a that is disposed on the X-axis stage 48, a ball screw shaft 43b that is rotationally driven by the motor 43a, and a wedge nut 43c that is formed in a wedge shape and screwed to the ball screw The shaft 43b has a wedge-shaped portion 43d which is protruded from the lower surface of the substrate stage 20 in a wedge shape and is engaged with the inclined surface of the wedge nut 43c. In the present embodiment, the Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 43 is provided on one side of the X-axis direction of the X-axis stage 48 (near the front side in FIG. 1), and one on the other end side (the back side of FIG. 1). Referring to FIG. 2), a total of three sets are set, and the control is independently driven. Furthermore, the number of Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 43 is arbitrary.

Further, in the Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 43, the ball screw shaft 43b is rotationally driven by the motor 43a, whereby the wedge nut 43c is horizontally moved in the X-axis direction by the wedge nut 43c and The bevel of the wedge portion 43d is converted into a high-precision upper and lower fine motion, and the wedge portion 43d is slightly moved in the Z direction. Therefore, by causing the three Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 43 to drive only the same amount, the substrate stage 20 can be slightly moved in the Z-axis direction, and the three Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 43 can be independently driven. The tilt adjustment of the substrate stage 20. Thereby, the position of the Z-axis and the oblique direction of the substrate stage 20 is finely adjusted, and the mask M and the substrate W can be aligned in parallel at a predetermined interval.

Further, the combination of the ball screw shaft mechanism and the motor constituting the Y-axis conveying mechanism 41, the X-axis conveying mechanism 42, and the Z-tilt adjusting mechanism 43 may be replaced by a linear motor.

Further, in the exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a laser distance measuring device 60 which is a position measuring device for detecting the position of the substrate stage 20 is provided. The laser distance measuring device 60 measures the moving distance of the substrate stage 20 generated when the substrate stage moving mechanism 40 is driven.

The laser ranging device 60 includes an X-axis mirror 64 and a Y-axis mirror 65 disposed on the substrate stage 20; an X-axis range finder (rangometer) 61 and a sway measuring device (a range finder) 62, which is disposed on the device substrate 50 and irradiates the X-axis mirror 64 with laser light (measurement light), receives the laser light reflected by the X-axis mirror 64, and measures the position of the substrate stage 20; and 1 Y A shaft range finder (rangometer) 63 that irradiates the laser light to the Y-axis mirror 65, receives the laser light reflected by the Y-axis mirror 65, and measures the position of the substrate stage 20. Further, a position detection signal in the XY direction of the substrate stage 20 is input to the control device.

In the exposure apparatus 1 configured as described above, the skew angle adjustment mechanism 80 can impart a skew angle to the center of the longitudinal direction C of the mask M, and correct it to reduce the curvature of the mask M to make the mask The flatness of M is improved. Thereby, the gap between the mask M and the substrate W in the effective exposure region of the mask M can be made uniform as much as possible. Further, when the mask M of a smaller size shown in FIG. 6(b) is used with respect to the mask M of a larger size shown in FIG. 6(a), the cylinder device 74 is operated to make a pair The movable reticle holders 72 are moved in a direction apart from or close to each other, so that a plurality of reticle M having different sizes can be handled and adsorbed and held. Further, it is possible to cope with the mask M having different sizes, and the skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 adjusts the skew angle to correct the change in the amount of bending of the mounted mask M. Thereby, the gap between the mask M and the substrate W can be fixedly maintained regardless of the size of the mask M, and high exposure precision can be maintained.

Next, a modification of the skew angle adjusting mechanism will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 . Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a wedge-shaped mechanism, which is an example of a skew-angle adjusting mechanism, Figure 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the fixed-side tapered member of the wedge-shaped mechanism, and Figure 11 is a side view of the movable-side tapered member of the wedge-shaped mechanism Figure and section view.

The skew angle adjustment mechanism 80 is composed of a spacer 81 for horizontal level adjustment and a wedge mechanism 83. The spacer 81 is disposed between the lower surface of the slider member 73bi located on the inner side (the center side of the reticle holding frame 12) and the movable reticle holder 72, and the movable reticle holder 72 is fixed by the reticle retainer 82 is mounted to the lower surface of the slider member 73bi. A wedge mechanism 83 for applying a downward external force is provided on the upper surface of the movable reticle holder 72 between the slider member 73bo located outside the spacer 81 and the movable reticle holder 72.

The wedge mechanism 83 includes a fixed-side tapered member 84 having an inclined surface 84a that is inclined inward from the outside of the movable mask holder 72 (left side in FIG. 9); and a movable-side tapered member 85 having An inclined surface 85a slidably contacting the inclined surface 84a of the fixed-side tapered member 84; and a conveying screw 86 as a movable side for moving the movable-side tapered member 85 in a direction in which the movable-side tapered member 85 is in contact with or away from the spacer 81 Conical member conveying assembly. The conveying screw 86 is held on a bracket 87 that protrudes outward from the fixed-side tapered member 84. The movable side tapered member 85 is formed with an inclined surface 85a and a long hole 85b having the same inclination angle as the inclined surface 84a of the fixed side tapered member 84 and in sliding contact with the inclined surface 84a.

The fixed-side tapered member fixing bolt 88 inserted into the bolt hole 72c of the movable reticle holder 72 penetrates the through hole 84b of the fixed-side tapered member 84, the long hole 85b of the movable-side tapered member 85, and is fixed to the slide The lower surface of the member 73bo.

In such a configuration, the height of the wedge mechanism 83 is changed by operating the conveying screw 86 of the wedge mechanism 83 to move the movable-side tapered member 85 in the left-right direction in FIG. 9 and changing the sliding contact position of the inclined surfaces 84a and 85a. Thereby, the downward external force applied to the outer side (the left side in FIG. 9) of the spacer 81 of the movable mask holder 72 is adjusted, and the inclination of the movable mask holder 72 is changed centering on the position of the spacer 81.

Thereby, the reticle angle of the reticle M which is adsorbed and held at both ends can be imparted by the pair of movable reticle holders 72, and correction can be performed to reduce the curvature of the reticle M, whereby the flatness of the reticle M can be improved. Further, the movable side tapered member 85 may be driven by an electric actuator (not shown) to adjust the skew angle instead of the conveying screw 86.

Further, the skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 is not particularly limited as long as it can adjust the angle of the pair of movable mask holders 72, and may be used in addition to the spacers 80a and 80b or the wedge mechanism 83 described above. A piezoelectric element (not shown) whose height can be changed by energization control.

(Second embodiment)

Fig. 12 is a view showing an exposure apparatus of a second embodiment in which the skew angle adjusting mechanism is different from that of the first embodiment. In the exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the skew angle adjustment mechanism 80 is disposed between the mask holding frame 12 and the guide 73a.

According to the exposure apparatus 1, as in the first embodiment, a plurality of masks of different sizes can be adsorbed and held without replacing the mask holder. Further, regardless of the size of the mask M, the skew angle adjustment mechanism 80 adjusts the skew angle and corrects the flatness of the mounted mask M, thereby maintaining the gap between the mask M and the substrate W and improving the exposure accuracy. . Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the height of the suction position of the movable mask holder 72 on the short side changes depending on the size of the mask M. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a gap on the mask stage side or the substrate stage side. Adjustment.

(Modification)

Fig. 13 is a view showing an exposure apparatus 1 according to a modification of the second embodiment, in which a first skew angle adjustment mechanism 80A is disposed between the mask holding frame 12 and the guide 73a, and is held by the slider member 73b and the movable mask. A second skew angle adjustment mechanism 80B is disposed between the units 72. According to the exposure apparatus 1, even if the level of the mask holding frame 12 is slightly inclined, the inclination of the guide 73a can be corrected by the first skew angle adjusting mechanism 80A to be horizontal. Further, the second skew angle adjusting mechanism 80B adjusts the skew angle of the movable mask holder 72, corrects the change in the amount of bending of the mask M attached to the mask M, and maintains the gap between the mask M and the workpiece W fixedly. The gap enables the transfer exposure to be performed with higher exposure accuracy.

(Third embodiment)

Fig. 14 is a view showing a component for adjusting the step difference between the fixed mask holder and the movable mask holder when the movable mask holder is tilted by the skew angle adjusting mechanism as the exposure apparatus according to the third embodiment; .

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, if the skew angle of the movable reticle holder 72 is adjusted, there is a case where a difference (step difference) in height is generated between the fixed reticle holder 71 and the movable reticle holder 72. When the step is large, the rigidity of the holders 71 and 72 is high, so that a gap C occurs between the movable mask holder 72 and the mask M, which adversely affects the exposure accuracy.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the fixed mask holder 71 and the movable mask holder 72 cut off the upper surface sides of the adjacent side edge portions 71d, 72d, respectively, thereby forming a thinner portion having a thinner wall than the remaining portion. 71e, 72e. When the thin portion 72e having the reduced rigidity absorbs the holding mask M, the elasticity is generated in the direction of the thickness of the mask holder 72 from the position shown by the broken line in Fig. 14 (b) to the position shown by the solid line. In the deformation, the mask M is sucked and held without generating a gap C between the mask holders 71 and 72 and the mask M.

The thickness t of the thin portions 71e and 72e is preferably 1/2 h ≦ t ≦ 2 / 3 h when the thickness of the mask holders 71 and 72 is h. The reason for this is that if the thickness t of the thin portions 71e and 72e is 1/2 h or less, the mask holders 71 and 72 are too weak to be damaged, and if the thickness is less than 2/3 h, the rigidity is too high. A gap C is created between the mask holders 71, 72 and the mask M.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 14(c) and 14(d), the front ends of the thin portions 71e and 72e may be formed in a triangular or curved shape in cross section, thereby preventing the reticle holders 71 and 72 from being light. A gap C is created between the covers M. Further, as shown in FIGS. 14(e) and 4(f), the thin portions 71e and 72e may be formed by forming the side edge portions 71d and 72d into a cross-sectional triangular shape or a curved shape without providing a step. Since the rigidity of the side edge portions 71d, 72d is lowered, the gap C between the mask holders 71, 72 and the mask M can be prevented from occurring.

Further, as another component for adjusting the step difference between the fixed mask holder 71 and the movable mask holder 72, in the mask holders 71 and 72 shown in Fig. 16 (a), the near corner portion is provided. Chamfered portions 71f, 72f. Thereby, the span between the corner portions of the mask holders 71 and 72 becomes long, and the deformation of the mask M is facilitated, so that the gap between the mask M and the mask holders 71 and 72 can be adsorbed without a gap. maintain. Further, it is preferable that the ridge portions joined to the side faces of the mask holders 71 and 72 and the chamfered portions 71f and 72f are chamfered in a curved shape to prevent concentrated stress. Further, as shown in FIG. 16(b), if the shapes of the chamfered portions 71f and 72f are curved, the concentration stress can be further reduced, which is preferable.

Fig. 17 (a) is another assembly for adjusting the step of the fixed reticle holder 71 and the movable reticle holder 72. The fixed reticle holder 71 includes a step extending from the lower surface of the side edge portion 71d of the proximal portion. 71g, the movable reticle holder 72 has a step portion 72g extending from the upper surface of the side edge portion 72d. The photomask holders 71 and 72 can increase the force of pressing the mask M by superimposing the step portions 71g and 72g on each other, thereby absorbing and holding the mask M without gaps.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the adjusting bolts 79 are provided on the overlapping portions 72g of the fixed mask holder 71 and the movable mask holder 72, and the fixed mask holder 71 and the movable mask are fixed. The height of the device 72 is such that the step difference between the fixed reticle holder 71 and the lower surface of the movable reticle holder 72 (the reticle holding surface) does not exist. In this case, a sliding material 79a such as Teflon (registered trademark) is provided at the front end portion of the screw of the adjusting bolt 79, thereby preventing the upper surface 71g1 of the step portion 71g of the fixed mask holder 71 from being worn by the adjusting bolt 79.

Further, the positions at which the thin portions 71f and 72f or the step portions 71g and 72g are provided are not limited to the side edge portions 71d and 72d, and may be formed around the periphery of the mask holders 71 and 72.

(Fourth embodiment)

Fig. 18 is a side view showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, the exposure apparatus 1 of this embodiment employs the negative pressure correction mechanism 90 as the skew angle adjustment mechanism of the mask M. The periphery of the mask stage 10 and the substrate stage 20 is shielded by the heat treatment chamber 91. An opening 91a for conveying the substrate W is provided on the side wall of the heat treatment chamber 91. Further, the upper side of the mask stage 10 is shielded by the optical system processing chamber 92, and the light source processing chamber 93 is disposed adjacent to the optical system processing chamber 92. Between the optical system processing chamber 92 and the light source processing chamber 93, a transparent plate 94 is disposed, and the exposure light that is irradiated from the high-pressure mercury lamp 31 in the light source processing chamber 93 and penetrates the transparent plate 94 is introduced into the mask M via the optical path L.

The heat treatment chamber 91 is connected to the positive pressure pump 96 via the air supply passage 95, and the optical system processing chamber 92 is connected to the negative pressure pump 98 via the exhaust passage 97. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 measures the pressure of the heat treatment chamber 91 and the optical system processing chamber 92 by the sensor 102, and appropriately controls the positive pressure pump 96 and the negative pressure pump 98.

According to the exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the signal from the gap sensor 17 (see FIG. 3) is correlated with the signal from the sensor 102, and the pressure difference of the curvature of the correctable mask M is obtained in advance and memorized. In the CPU 101, the negative pressure pump 98 and the positive pressure pump 96 are thereby operated to pressurize the inside of the heat treatment chamber 91 and decompress the inside of the optical system processing chamber 92, and apply pressure between the heat treatment chamber 91 and the optical system processing chamber 92. Poor, whereby the curvature of the mask M can be corrected.

According to the exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the curvature of the mask M is corrected by the pressure difference, it is preferable to bend the mask M which is largely corrected as a whole. Moreover, it is preferable to arrange a temperature adjustment device (not shown) in the heat treatment chamber 91 and the optical system processing chamber 92, and to perform temperature control so that the indoor temperature difference between the heat treatment chamber 91 and the optical system processing chamber 92 is minimized. The reason for this is that gas flows in a relatively large space (optical system processing chamber 92) on the upper surface side of the mask M, so that the upper surface of the mask M is easily cooled, but becomes the lower surface side of the mask M. Since the flow of the gas in the heat treatment chamber 91 is small and it is difficult to cool, the thermal deformation (expansion/contraction) of the mask M due to the temperature difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the mask M is prevented from affecting the flatness of the mask M. Further, since the high-pressure mercury lamp 31 serving as a heat source is partitioned by the transparent plate 94, it is advantageous in that heat generated by the high-pressure mercury lamp 31 is hardly conducted to the mask M and the substrate W, and exposure transfer can be performed with high precision.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, a skew angle adjustment mechanism may be provided in combination.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mask holding frame 12 is used as the mask base side member. However, the mask base 11 can be used as the mask base side member according to the configuration of the mask holder, and the mask can be fixed. The movable unit 71, the movable guide holder 72, the linear guide 73, the cylinder device 74, and the skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 are disposed on the lower surface side of the mask stage base 11.

(Fifth Embodiment)

Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the exposure apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the reticle stage is different from that of the first embodiment, and the same or equivalent portions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted or simplified.

In the mask stage 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, FIG. 20 and FIG. 22, on the lower surface side of the mask holding frame 12, a pair of fixed mask holders 171 are disposed on the opening 12b. a first photomask holder on the long side; a pair of movable mask holders 172 disposed on the short side of the opening 12b; a plurality of linear guides (guide means) 73 It is disposed between the reticle holding frame 12 and each of the movable reticle holders 172; and the cylinder device 74 is a driving mechanism for moving the movable reticle holder 172 along the long side of the opening 12b.

As shown in FIG. 20, one of the lower surfaces of the mask holding frame 12 is fixed to the lower surface (the substrate W side) of the mask holder 171 via a spacer or the like, and the main adsorption groove 171a formed at the center in the longitudinal direction is formed. The auxiliary adsorption grooves 171b formed independently of the main adsorption grooves 171a on the left and right sides of the main adsorption tank 171a are divided in a specific direction (X direction). Further, the lower surface of the movable mask holder 172 movably disposed below the mask holding frame 12 is arranged in two rows of the main adsorption grooves 172a and the auxiliary adsorption grooves 172b in the longitudinal direction. It is formed over substantially the entire length.

Each of the adsorption grooves 171a, 171b, 172a, and 172b of the fixed mask holder 171 and the movable mask holder 172 is a groove for adsorbing the peripheral portion of the mask M where the mask pattern is not drawn, and the vacuum type adsorption device 110 The connection (see FIG. 21) is carried out, and the four sides of the mask M are respectively adsorbed and detachably held. That is, the fixed mask holder 171 adsorbs and maintains the opposite sides (long sides) of the mask M extending in a specific direction (X direction), and the movable mask holder 172 is adsorbed and held in a direction orthogonal to a specific direction ( The opposite direction of the mask M extending in the Y direction is the two sides (short side).

As shown in FIG. 21, the main adsorption grooves 171a and 172a of the fixed mask holder 171 and the movable mask holder 172 are connected to the vacuum adsorption device 110 via a pipe 111. Further, each of the auxiliary adsorption tanks 171b of the fixed mask holder 171 is connected to the vacuum type adsorption device 110 via a pipe 112 and a switchable on/off solenoid valve 113, and each of the auxiliary adsorption grooves 172b of the movable mask holder 172 is via The piping 114 and the switchable on/off solenoid valve 115 are connected to the vacuum adsorption device 110. As the solenoid valves 113 and 115, a direct-acting or guided type is used.

In the main suction tanks 171a and 172a of the fixed mask holder 171 and the movable mask holder 172, the vacuum adsorption apparatus 110 is always connected via the piping 111 and supplied with vacuum, and the vacuum is supplied. By switching between the solenoid valves 113 and 115, vacuum is selectively supplied to each of the auxiliary adsorption grooves 171b and 172b of the fixed mask holder 171 and the movable mask holder 172, and any of the adsorption grooves can be operated. Here, the size of the mask M or the size of the pattern is slightly different (for example, about 10 to 20 mm) by the arrangement of the pattern drawn in the effective exposure region at the time of multi-chamfering, but the fixed mask holder 171 and The movable reticle holder 172 can be sucked and held in response to the reticle M of such a different size.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, the solenoid valve 113 is switched to the ON state, the solenoid valve 115 is switched to the OFF state, and the main adsorption tank 171a and the auxiliary adsorption tank 171b of the reticle holder 171 are fixed to the movable hood. The main adsorption tank 172a of the holder 172 is in an operating state. Thereby, the mask M of a larger size is adsorbed and held by the main adsorption grooves 171a and 172a and the auxiliary adsorption groove 171b.

As shown in FIG. 19, the linear guide 73 is guided by the guide 73a attached to the lower surface of the reticle holding frame 12, and attached to the movable reticle holder 172 and guided to the guide 73a in the X direction (the opening 12b) The slider member 73b is movable in the longitudinal direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the pair of cylinder devices 74, which are driving means of the movable mask holder 172, are disposed substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction of each of the movable mask holders 172, in other words, in the mask holding frame 12. The side is roughly central and extends to the length direction. In each of the cylinder devices 74, the cylinder main body 74a is fixed to the lower surface of the reticle holding frame 12, and the piston 74b is rotatably fitted to the support shaft 75 of the projection 172c projecting upward from the movable reticle holder 172.

Further, a stopper portion 77 including a damper 76 is fixed to the lower surface of the reticle holding frame 12 in the forward direction of the movement of the piston 74b. When the cylinder device 74 moves the piston 74b to extend, the projection portion 172c (movable reticle holder) is provided. 172) Abutting against the stopper portion 77 via the damper 76, the movable mask holder 172 is positioned at a specific position without applying an impact.

The position of the stopper portion 77 limits the position of the movable reticle holder 172 when the reticle M of a larger size is mounted, and the position of the movable reticle holder 172 when the piston 74b of the cylinder device 74 enters the cylinder body 74a The position of the movable reticle holder 172 when the reticle M of a smaller size is mounted.

As described above, the fixed reticle holder 171, the movable reticle holder 172, the linear guide 73, and the cylinder device 74 are attached to the reticle holding frame 12, and thus, together with the reticle holding frame 12, with respect to the reticle base 11 It is movable in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ directions.

Further, when the cylinder device 74 is operated to mount the mask M of a large size, the pair of movable mask holders 172 are simultaneously moved in the direction in which they are spaced apart (outside) to increase the interval, and when the mask of a smaller size is mounted In the case of M, the pair of movable mask holders 172 are simultaneously moved in the direction in which they approach each other (inner side) to shorten the interval, whereby a plurality of masks M having different sizes can be easily handled.

According to the cylinder device 74 of the present embodiment which can be positioned at two locations, it is possible to cope with the size and the size of the mask M. At this time, the pair of cylinder devices 74 are simultaneously operated, so that the pair of movable mask holders 172 are always positioned at the left-right symmetry position, thereby preventing the central position of the two movable mask holders 172, that is, the center of the mask M from being moved. The mask M can be replaced.

23 is a side view of the driving device according to the modification, and the stopper portion 77 including the damper 76 is movable in the moving direction of the piston 74b by, for example, the electric actuator 78. Thereby, the stop position of the movable mask holder 172 of the cylinder device 74 can be positioned at a plurality of positions of three or more positions, and can be positioned at any position, and can handle three or more masks M of different sizes or Minor changes in size.

Further, the drive device may be constituted by an electric motor (not shown) instead of the cylinder device 74. Depending on the electric motor, it is easy to set a plurality of stop positions to an arbitrary position, and the movable shutter holder 172 can be stopped at the stop position.

The material of the mask M is a glass substrate in which a length of two sides on the short side is substantially the same, and a plurality of glass substrates having different lengths on both sides of the long side are used, and a mask pattern is drawn on the glass substrate. Therefore, the size of the non-pattern area remaining in the peripheral portion of the four sides, that is, the size of the adsorbable regions by the photomask holders 171, 172, is different by the mask pattern or the pattern layout formed on the glass substrate of a specific size.

20 is an example of a case where the mask M having a large size of the mask and a small adsorbable area on the short side (the mask pattern is large) is held, and the piston 74b is extended until it abuts against the stopper portion 77. The pair of movable mask holders 172 are spaced apart from each other, and the auxiliary adsorption grooves 172b are positioned outside the mask M to enlarge the pattern area. Then, the electromagnetic valve 113 is turned on, and the electromagnetic valve 115 is turned off, and the adsorption of the auxiliary adsorption tank 172b is stopped (see FIG. 21). Thereby, the photomask M is adsorbed and held by the adsorption grooves 171a and 171b of the fixed photomask holder 171 and the auxiliary adsorption grooves 172b of the movable photomask holder 172.

Fig. 24 is an example of a case where the reticle M having a large reticle size and a large adsorbable area on the short side is held, and the piston 74b is introduced to shorten the interval between the pair of movable reticle holders 172, and the movable reticle is held. The main adsorption tank 172a and the auxiliary adsorption tank 172b of the vessel 172 are located inside the mask M. Further, all of the solenoid valves 113 and 115 are set to the ON state, and the reticle M is adsorbed by the adsorption grooves 171a and 171b of the reticle holder 171 and the adsorption grooves 172a and 172b of the movable reticle holder 172. Really keep it. In this case, the short side of the mask M is effectively utilized by the larger adsorbable region and adsorbed by the two adsorption grooves 172a and 172b, so that the holding force is improved.

Fig. 25 shows an example in which the size of the mask is small and the adsorbable area on the short side is large. Since the auxiliary adsorption groove 171b of the fixed mask holder 171 is deviated from the mask M, the solenoid valve 83 is switched off. The state stops the adsorption of the auxiliary adsorption tank 171b, and the solenoid valve 85 is set to the ON state, by fixing the main adsorption tank 171a of the mask holder 171 and the main adsorption tank 172a and the auxiliary adsorption tank of the movable mask holder 172. The reticle M is adsorbed and held by 172b. In this case, the short side of the mask M is also adsorbed and held by the two adsorption grooves 172a and 172b.

26 is an example of a case where the size of the mask is small and the adsorbable area on the short side is small, the auxiliary adsorption groove 171b of the fixed mask holder 171, and the auxiliary adsorption groove 172b and the mask of the movable mask holder 172. When M is deviated, the solenoid valves 113 and 115 are both switched to the off state, and the adsorption of the auxiliary adsorption grooves 171b and 172b is stopped. Thereby, the mask M is sucked and held by fixing the main adsorption groove 171a of the mask holder 171 and the main adsorption groove 172a of the movable mask holder 172, thereby coping with the small mask M.

In the exposure apparatus 1 configured as described above, it is possible to cope with a plurality of masks of different sizes without replacing the mask holder, and to cope with a plurality of masks having different adsorption regions, thereby effectively utilizing the adsorbable region and reliably adsorbing maintain.

Further, the air compressor circuit connected to each of the adsorption grooves 171a, 171b, 172a, and 172b of the first and second mask holders 171 and 172 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be deformed as shown in FIG. Formed as an example. Specifically, the main adsorption slots 171a of the fixed photomask holders 171 are connected to the solenoid valves 116 that can be switched on/off, and the main adsorption slots 172a of the movable mask holders 172 are switchable on/off. The respective solenoid valves 117 are connected. Further, the electromagnetic valves 116 and 117 are connected to the vacuum adsorption device 110 via a pipe 111. Further, the auxiliary adsorption grooves 171b of the fixed mask holders 171 are connected to the respective solenoid valves 113 that can be switched on/off, and the electromagnetic valves 113 are connected to the vacuum type adsorption device 110 via the pipes 112. Further, the auxiliary adsorption tank 172b of each of the movable mask holders 172 is connected to each of the solenoid valves 115 that can be switched on/off, and each of the electromagnetic valves 115 is connected to the vacuum type adsorption device 110 via a pipe 114.

That is, as in this modification, the air compressor circuit can be provided with the largest number of solenoid valves corresponding to the number of adsorption grooves. In this manner, the electromagnetic valves 113, 115, 116, and 117 are provided one by one for each of the adsorption tanks 171a, 171b, 172a, and 172b, whereby the flow rates of the adsorption tanks 171a, 171b, 172a, and 172b can be easily controlled, thereby achieving optimum adsorption. . In particular, the negative pressure of each of the electromagnetic valves 113, 115, 116, and 117 is controlled one by one in such a manner that the negative pressures of the respective adsorption grooves 171a, 171b, 172a, and 172b are the same, and the absorbing mask M can be stably adsorbed.

Further, in the exposure apparatus including the mask stage of the fifth embodiment, the negative pressure correction mechanism 90 for correcting the curvature of the mask M shown in Fig. 18 can be used. Further, the correction mechanism of the curvature of the mask M is not limited to the negative pressure correction mechanism for correcting the bending by the pressure difference, and may be the same as the above-described embodiment, and the height of the difference may be adjusted to the mounting angle of the mask holder for the spacer or the like. The skew angle adjustment mechanism of the skew angle of the reticle can be adjusted. Further, a negative pressure correction mechanism and a skew angle adjustment mechanism may be provided in combination.

Further, in the fifth embodiment, the photomasks having different sizes are used, and the masks having the same length on both sides of the short side and the lengths of the two sides on the long side are different. The length of the two sides of the long side is substantially the same, and the length of the two sides of the short side is different.

(Sixth embodiment)

Hereinafter, a sixth embodiment of the exposure apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the reticle stage is different from that of the first embodiment, and the same or equivalent portions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted or simplified.

In the mask stage of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28, one of the holding masks M and the mask holder 14 are fixed to the lower surface of the mask holding frame 12 via the spacer 15. The mask holder 14 is movable with the mask holding frame 12 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ directions with respect to the mask stage base 11. Furthermore, the photomask holder 14 may be a one-piece type photomask holder that is not divided into two parts and that is connected to the rectangular frame at both ends.

As shown in FIG. 29, on the lower surface (the substrate W side) of the pair of mask holders 14, a main adsorption groove 14a is formed, which is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of auxiliary adsorption grooves 14b for the main adsorption. The left and right sides of the groove 14a are formed independently of the main adsorption groove 14a. The main adsorption tank 14a of the mask holder 14 and the auxiliary adsorption tank 14b are used to adsorb the grooves of the periphery of the two sides of the long side of the mask M which are not drawn.

The main adsorption tank 14a and the auxiliary adsorption tank 14b are respectively connected to the vacuum adsorption device 110 via the solenoid valves 113 and 115 that can be switched on/off. Specifically, each of the main adsorption tanks 14a is connected to each of the solenoid valves 113 that can be switched on/off, and each of the solenoid valves 113 is connected to the vacuum adsorption device 110 via a pipe 111. Further, each of the auxiliary adsorption tanks 14b is connected to each of the solenoid valves 115 that can be switched on/off, and each of the electromagnetic valves 115 is connected to the vacuum type adsorption device 110 via a pipe 112. Therefore, the solenoid valves 113 and 115 are appropriately switched, and the two sides of the mask M are respectively sucked by the vacuum supplied to any of the adsorption grooves, and are detachably held. As the solenoid valves 113, 115, a linear motion type or a guide type is used.

As shown in Fig. 29, the air compressor circuit is provided with a solenoid valve which is the largest and corresponds to the number of adsorption grooves. In this way, the electromagnetic valves 113 and 115 are provided one by one for each of the adsorption tanks 14a and 14b, whereby the flow rate of each of the adsorption tanks 14a and 14b can be easily controlled, and optimum adsorption can be achieved. In particular, the negative pressure of each of the electromagnetic valves 113 and 115 is controlled one by one in such a manner that the negative pressure of each of the adsorption tanks 14a and 14b becomes the same, whereby the absorbing mask M can be stably adsorbed. Further, the number of parts (number) may be considered, and the main adsorption tank 14a is connected to the vacuum type adsorption device 110 via the pipe 111 without the electromagnetic valve, and the plurality of auxiliary adsorption grooves 14b are provided with the common electromagnetic valve 115, and the pipe 112 is provided via the pipe 112. It is connected to the vacuum adsorption device 110.

Here, the size of the mask M differs depending on the arrangement of the pattern drawn on the effective exposure area at the time of multi-chamfering (for example, about 10 to 20 mm), but the mask holder 14 can cope with such a size (long side) The length of the side is different from the mask M and is adsorbed and held. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 30(a), the main adsorption tank 14a and the auxiliary adsorption tank 14b are simultaneously operated to adsorb and hold the mask M _{L of a} large size, as shown in FIG. 30(b). Only the main adsorption tank 14a is operated to adsorb and hold the mask M _{s of a} smaller size.

Further, in the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment, the negative pressure correction mechanism 90 for correcting the curvature of the mask M shown in Fig. 18 is also employed.

In the exposure apparatus 1 configured as described above, the amount of bending in the X direction is fixed in the mask M which is held by the pair of mask holders 14 on the long sides of the side shown in Fig. 31 (a). Referring to Fig. 31 (b), the amount of bending in the Y direction is the largest at the center portion, and is a parabolic curve that gradually decreases toward the peripheral edge portion of the long side of the mask M (see Fig. 31 (c)). In other words, the curvature of the mask M is a relatively simple curved shape of a two-dimensional shape.

Therefore, the bending of the mask M of the present embodiment in which the two sides are adsorbed and held is larger than the bending of the mask M held by the four sides, but the three-dimensional bending is complicated with respect to the four sides. (Refer to Fig. 35), it is a simple curved shape in which the amount of bending in the X direction is fixed. Therefore, (the correction in the X direction does not require correction), the pressure difference is applied to both surfaces of the mask M by the negative pressure correcting mechanism 90, whereby the Y-direction bending can be easily and accurately corrected, and the flatness of the mask M can be improved. Thereby, the gap between the mask M and the substrate W in the effective exposure region of the mask M can be made as uniform as possible, and high exposure precision can be obtained.

Further, by switching the adsorption of the auxiliary adsorption tank 14b, it is possible to adsorb and hold the mask M _L of the larger size shown in Fig. 31 (a) and the mask M _s of the smaller size shown in Fig. 31 (b). Both of them can cope with a plurality of masks M having different sizes on the long sides. Further, even if the size of the long side of the mask M is different, the bending shape in the Y direction is not changed in a state where the amount of bending in the X direction is fixed, so that it is easy to correct the accompanying mask without substantially adjusting the negative pressure correcting mechanism 90. The amount of bending of each mask M that is replaced by M.

(Seventh embodiment)

Next, a longitudinal sectional view of a reticle stage will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 32 with respect to an exposure apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention including a skew angle adjusting mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 32, in the reticle holding frame 12, a pair of reticle holders 14 are attached via the skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 to the lower surfaces of the long sides of the openings 12b.

The skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 is a mechanism for adjusting the angle of the pair of mask holders 14, that is, the skew angle. In the present embodiment, the replaceable ones of the spacers 80a and 80b having different heights are disposed in the mask holding frame. 12 is between the photomask holder 14. Thereby, the pair of reticle holders 14 are inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the reticle angles of the reticle M which are adsorbed and held by the pair of reticle holders 14 are both provided symmetrically with respect to the center C in the longitudinal direction, and can be performed. Correction to reduce the curvature of the mask M, thereby improving the flatness of the mask M. Thereby, the gap between the mask M and the substrate W in the effective exposure region of the mask M can be made uniform as much as possible.

According to the exposure apparatus 1, as in the sixth embodiment, even if the dimension of the long side of the mask M is different, the bending shape in the Y direction is not changed in the state where the amount of bending in the X direction is fixed, and thus it is not necessary. The substantial adjustment of the skew angle adjustment mechanism 80 makes it easy to correct the amount of bending of each of the masks M accompanying the replacement of the mask M.

Further, as shown in Fig. 33, a modified example of the skew angle adjusting mechanism shown in Figs. 9 to 11 can be applied as the skew angle adjusting mechanism of the present embodiment.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, the skew angle adjusting mechanism may be provided in parallel.

Further, although the mask having the same length on both sides of the short side of the mask and the lengths of the two sides on the long side are different, the lengths of the two sides on the long side may be substantially the same. A mask having a length of two sides on the short side is different. In this case, the mask holder is configured to include a plurality of rows of adsorption grooves arranged in the short side direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, the mask holding frame 12 is used as the mask base side member. However, the mask base 11 can be used as the mask base side member by the configuration of the mask stage. At this time, the mask holder 14 and the skew angle adjusting mechanism 80 are disposed on the lower surface side of the mask stage base 11.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications, improvements, and the like may be appropriately performed. Further, the present invention can be applied in combination to various embodiments within the scope of the invention.

The substantially rectangular reticle of the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which four reticle holders or a pair of reticle holders can be adsorbed, as shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. It is limited to the case where the two sides adjacent to the corner are crossed by 90°±1°. For example, as shown in FIGS. 34( a ) to ( c ), the cut corners are also included.

The present invention is based on a Japanese patent application filed on June 17, 2010 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-138505), and a Japanese patent application filed on Jun. 17, 2010 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-138506), Japanese patent application filed on June 23, 2010 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-142856), Japanese Patent Application filed on May 31, 2011 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-122231), May 2011 Japanese Patent Application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-122232) filed on Sep. 31, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-122233 filed on May 31, 2011, the content of which is incorporated by reference. In this article.

1. . . Exposure device

10. . . Mask table

11. . . Photomask base (mask base side member)

11a. . . Opening

12. . . Photomask holding frame (mask base side member)

12a. . . Flange

12b. . . Opening

13. . . Plane bearing

14. . . Photomask holder

14a. . . Main adsorption tank

14b. . . Auxiliary adsorption tank (adsorption tank)

15. . . Gasket

16. . . Mask position adjustment mechanism

16x. . . X-axis direction drive

16y. . . Y-axis direction drive

17. . . Gap sensor

18. . . Align the camera

19. . . Mobile agency

20. . . Substrate table

twenty one. . . Z platform

twenty two. . . Workpiece chuck

25. . . Hold stand

26. . . Linear guide

27. . . Linear guide

28. . . Drive actuator

29. . . Drive actuator

30. . . Illumination optical system (irradiation component)

31. . . High pressure mercury lamp

32. . . concave mirror

33. . . Optical integrator

34. . . Exposure control shutter

35. . . Plane mirror

36. . . Plane mirror

37. . . Spherical mirror

38. . . Shading

39. . . Shading drive mechanism

40. . . Substrate table moving mechanism

41. . . Y-axis conveying mechanism

42. . . X-axis conveying mechanism

43. . . Z-tilt adjustment mechanism

43a. . . motor

43b. . . Ball screw shaft

43c. . . Wedge nut

43d. . . Wedge

44. . . Linear guide

44a. . . Guide

44b. . . Slider

45. . . Y-axis platform

46. . . Y-axis conveying drive

46a. . . Ball screw nut

46b. . . Ball screw shaft

46c. . . motor

47. . . Linear guide

47a. . . Guide

47b. . . Slider

48. . . X-axis platform

49. . . X-axis conveying drive

49b. . . Ball screw shaft

49c. . . motor

50. . . Device base

51. . . pillar

52. . . Z-axis mobile device

55. . . Drive actuator

56. . . Rod

57. . . Sales support agency

58. . . Slider

59. . . Guide

60. . . Laser distance measuring device

61. . . X-axis range finder

62. . . Flat pendulum tester

63. . . Y-axis range finder

64. . . X-axis mirror

65. . . Y-axis mirror

71. . . Fixed reticle holder (mask holder)

71a. . . Main adsorption tank

71b. . . Auxiliary adsorption tank

71d. . . Side edge

71e. . . Thin wall

71f. . . Chamfer

71g. . . Step

71g1. . . Upper surface

72. . . Movable reticle holder (short-side reticle holder, reticle holder)

72a. . . Adsorption tank

72b. . . Protrusion

72d. . . Side edge

72e. . . Thin wall

72f. . . Chamfer

72g. . . Step

73. . . Linear guide

73a. . . Guide

73b. . . Sliding member

73bi. . . Sliding member

73bo. . . Sliding member

74. . . Cylinder unit (drive mechanism)

74a. . . Cylinder body

74b. . . piston

75. . . Support shaft

76. . . Shock absorber

77. . . Stop

78. . . Electric actuator

79. . . Adjustment bolt

79a. . . Slip material

80. . . Skew angle adjustment mechanism

80A. . . Skew angle adjustment mechanism

80B. . . Skew angle adjustment mechanism

80a. . . Gasket

80b. . . Gasket

81. . . Gasket

82. . . Photoreceptor fixing bolt

83. . . Wedge mechanism

84. . . Fixed side tapered member

84a. . . Inclined surface of fixed side tapered member

84b through hole

85. . . Movable side tapered member

85a. . . Inclined surface of movable side tapered member

85b. . . Long hole

86. . . Conveyor screw

87. . . bracket

88. . . Fixed side tapered member fixing bolt

90. . . Negative pressure correction mechanism

91. . . Heat treatment room (treatment room)

91a. . . Opening

92. . . Optical system processing room (processing room)

93. . . Light source processing room

94. . . cant see thing

95. . . Gas supply path

96. . . Positive pressure pump

97. . . Exhaust passage

98. . . Negative pressure pump

101. . . CPU

102. . . Sensor

110. . . Vacuum adsorption device

111. . . Piping

112. . . Piping

113. . . The electromagnetic valve

114. . . Piping

115. . . The electromagnetic valve

116. . . The electromagnetic valve

117. . . The electromagnetic valve

171. . . Fixed reticle holder (1st reticle holder)

171a. . . Main adsorption tank (other adsorption tank)

171b. . . Auxiliary adsorption tank (other adsorption tank)

172. . . Movable reticle holder (2nd reticle holder)

172a. . . Main adsorption tank

172b. . . Auxiliary adsorption tank (adsorption tank)

C. . . Length direction center

Ha. . . Holder unit

Hb. . . Holder unit

Hc. . . Holder unit

Hd. . . Holder unit

L. . . Light path

M. . . Mask

M _L . . . Mask

M _s . . . Mask

S. . . Span

W. . . Substrate

1 is a perspective view of a main part of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the exposure apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the mask table in an enlarged manner;

Figure 4 is a front cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the reticle stage viewed from below;

6(a) and 6(b) are views showing a state in which the flatness of the reticle having different sizes is corrected by the skew angle adjusting mechanism;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the drive mechanism for moving the mask holder on the short side;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the drive mechanism of the modification;

Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a skew angle adjusting mechanism of a modification;

Figure 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the fixed-side tapered member of the wedge mechanism shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 (a) is a side view of the movable side tapered member of the wedge mechanism shown in Figure 9, and Figure 11 (b) is a front cross-sectional view taken along line B-B;

12(a) and 12(b) are views showing a state in which the flatness of the reticle having different sizes is corrected by the skew angle adjusting mechanism of the exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which the flatness of the reticle having different sizes is corrected by the skew angle adjusting mechanism according to the modification of the second embodiment;

Fig. 14 (a) is a view showing a step of adjusting the step difference between the fixed photomask holder and the movable photomask holder in the third embodiment, and the photoreceptor holder having a thin portion at the side edge portion is used to adsorb and hold the light. FIG. 14(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of (a), and FIG. 14(c) is a view showing a first modification of the thin portion formed at the side edge portion and (b) FIG. 14(d) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to (b) of the second modification of the thin portion formed at the side edge portion, and FIG. 14(e) is formed on the side edge. FIG. 14(f) shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to (b) of the third modification of the thin portion of the portion, and FIG. 14(f) shows a fourth modification of the thin portion formed at the side edge portion corresponding to (b). Sectional view

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a situation in which a step difference between a fixed reticle holder and a movable reticle holder is generated;

16(a) and 16(b) are diagrams showing a step of adjusting a step of a fixed photomask holder and a movable mask holder as a modification of the third embodiment, by providing a chamfered portion at a corner portion. a perspective view of a state in which the hood holder is attached to hold the reticle;

Fig. 17 (a) is a view showing an assembly for adjusting a step of a fixed photomask holder and a movable mask holder as another modification of the third embodiment, which comprises an upper surface and a lower surface extending from the side edge portion. FIG. 17(b) is a cross-sectional view of the reticle holder of the XVII-XVII line along the (a) of the adjustment bolt; FIG. 17(b) is a perspective view of the reticle holder of the step portion;

Figure 18 is a side view showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment;

Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 4 of the exposure apparatus of the fifth embodiment;

20 is a plan view showing an example of a positional relationship between a suction groove layout of the first and second photomask holders and a large photomask that is adsorbed and held by the adsorption grooves;

Figure 21 is a diagram showing a pneumatic circuit connected to each of the adsorption grooves of the first and second photomask holders;

Figure 22 is a side view showing a drive mechanism for moving the second mask holder on the short side;

Figure 23 is a side elevational view of the drive mechanism of the modification;

Figure 24 is a plan view showing another example of the positional relationship between the first and second mask holders and the large mask;

25 is a plan view showing an example of a positional relationship between the first and second mask holders and the small mask;

Figure 26 is a plan view showing another example of the positional relationship between the first and second mask holders and the small mask;

Figure 27 is a pneumatic circuit diagram showing a modification of the connection to each of the adsorption grooves of the first and second photomask holders;

Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 4 of the exposure apparatus of the sixth embodiment;

Figure 29 is a diagram showing a pneumatic circuit connected to each of the adsorption grooves of the reticle holder;

30(a) and (b) are plan views showing the positional relationship between the reticle and the reticle holder of different sizes;

Fig. 31 (a) is a plan view showing a reticle held by a reticle holder on two sides of the long side, Fig. 31 (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a curved state of the reticle in the X direction, and Fig. 31 (c) is a view showing light. a cross-sectional view of the curved state of the cover in the Y direction;

Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 28 of the seventh embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 33 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a skew angle adjusting mechanism of a modification;

34(a) to (c) are views showing the shape of the corner portion of the reticle; and

Figure 35 (a) is a plan view of a photomask held by a photomask holder on four sides, Figure 35 (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a curved state of the photomask in the X direction, and Figure 35 (c) is a Y of the photomask. A cross-sectional view of the curved state of the direction.

12. . . Photomask holding frame (mask base side member)

12b. . . Opening

71. . . Fixed reticle holder (mask holder)

71a. . . Main adsorption tank

71b. . . Auxiliary adsorption tank

72. . . Movable reticle holder (short-side reticle holder, reticle holder)

72a. . . Adsorption tank

73. . . Linear guide

73a. . . Guide

73b. . . Sliding member

74. . . Cylinder unit (drive mechanism)

M. . . Mask

Claims (21)

An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposure material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit that patterns The light for exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a reticle base side member; and four reticle holders respectively absorbing and holding the sides of the reticle; The guiding mechanism is respectively disposed between the reticle base side member and at least two of the reticle holders that adsorb and hold the short side of the reticle, and is long with respect to the reticle base side member a reticle holder that is movably guided in the lateral direction, and a driving mechanism that moves the reticle holder on the short side in a longitudinal direction with respect to the base side member of the reticle; and a skew angle An adjustment mechanism provided between the reticle base side member and each of the guiding mechanisms, and at least one of the guiding mechanism and the short side reticle holder, and the light can be adjusted Cover And the driving mechanism is a cylinder device fixed to the base unit side of the reticle base, and the front end of the piston is fixed to the cylinder device of the reticle holder; the cylinder device includes a movably mounted side of the reticle base The component includes a stopper of the damper, and the piston is stopped The reticle holder is positioned at a specific position while abutting. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the skew angle adjusting mechanism is disposed between the mask base side member and each of the guiding mechanisms, and each of the guiding mechanism and the short side mask holder Both. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the guiding means comprises a guide attached to the base side of the mask base, and a slider member attached to the mask holder side; the skew angle adjusting mechanism respectively It is provided between at least one of the mask base side member and the guides, and between the slider members and the short side mask holder. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the skew angle adjusting mechanism is a replaceable one pair of spacers having different heights from each other. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the skew angle adjusting mechanism comprises: a spacer having a specific height; and a wedge mechanism including a fixed side tapered member disposed on an outer side of the spacer and having an inclined surface The movable side tapered member having the inclined surface that is slidably contacted with the inclined surface can be changed in height by changing the sliding contact position of the inclined surface. The exposure apparatus of claim 5, wherein the wedge mechanism adjusts the skew angle by driving the movable side tapered member using an electric actuator. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the skew angle adjustment mechanism is a piezoelectric element that can be changed in height by energization control. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive mechanism is an electric motor. The exposure apparatus of claim 8, wherein the electric motor stops the reticle holder at at least three stop positions. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the short side of the reticle and the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the long side of the reticle are at least close to each other A thin wall portion formed to be thinner than the remaining portion is included. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the short side of the reticle and the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the long side of the reticle are included in a corner portion adjacent to each other Corner. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the short side of the reticle and the reticle holder that adsorbs and holds the long side of the reticle are at least mutually The proximal side edge portion includes a step extending from the lower surface; and the other photomask holder includes a step extending from the upper surface; the short side and the long side photomask holder are configured to make the step The portions are adsorbed and held in a state in which they overlap each other. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 or 2, comprising a processing chamber opposite to one of the masks, further comprising a negative pressure correcting mechanism for the air pressure in the processing chamber and acting on the other side of the mask The air pressure imparts a pressure difference and corrects the above-described skew angle of the reticle. An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposed material is placed; and a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage And maintaining a substantially rectangular reticle; and illuminating the component, wherein the light for pattern exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a reticle base side member; and a pair of first reticle a holder capable of adsorbing and holding two opposite sides of the reticle extending in a specific direction; a pair of second reticle holders capable of adsorbing and holding the reticle extending in a direction orthogonal to the specific direction The other two sides are movable in the specific direction of the photomask, and a plurality of guiding mechanisms are respectively disposed between the mask base side member and the pair of second mask holders. And the pair of second photomask holders are movably movable in the specific direction of the mask relative to the mask base side member; and the pair of driving mechanisms respectively enable the second mask holders Moving in the specific direction of the reticle; the first slanting angle adjusting mechanism is disposed between the reticle base side member and the guiding mechanism, and can correct the inclination of the guiding mechanism to be horizontal; And the second bevel a mechanism for adjusting a skew angle between the pair of second photomask holders between the respective guiding mechanisms and the pair of second mask holders; wherein each of the second mask holders comprises The negative pressure of the supply is used to adsorb and hold the plurality of rows of adsorption grooves arranged on the other two sides of the mask in the specific direction. The exposure apparatus of claim 14, wherein the adsorption tank of the second photomask holder switches the supply and the stop of the negative pressure by the electromagnetic valve. The exposure apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein each of the first photomask holders includes a plurality of other adsorption tanks, and the plurality of other adsorption tanks adsorb and hold the two sides of the photomask by the supplied negative pressure, And being disposed in the specific direction; the other adsorption tank of the first mask holder and the adsorption tank of the second mask holder are provided one by one for each of the other adsorption tanks and the adsorption tank The switching of the supply and stop of the negative pressure is performed, and the magnitude of the negative pressure is controlled. The exposure apparatus of claim 14 or 15, comprising a processing chamber opposite to a face of the reticle, further comprising a negative pressure correcting mechanism for the air pressure in the processing chamber and acting on the other side of the reticle The air pressure imparts a pressure difference and corrects the curvature of the reticle. The exposure apparatus of claim 14, comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposed material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit And irradiating the light for pattern exposure onto the substrate through the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a pair of reticle holders respectively comprising a plurality of adsorption grooves, wherein the plurality of adsorption grooves are supplied by Negatively adsorbing and holding two opposite sides of the reticle, and dividing is formed in a direction along the two sides; and a negative pressure correcting mechanism including a processing chamber opposite to one of the reticle, and the above processing The air pressure in the room and the other effect on the reticle The pressure on one side imparts a pressure difference to correct the curvature of the mask. The exposure apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of adsorption tanks of the pair of reticle holders switch supply and stop of the negative pressure by a solenoid valve disposed one by one for each of the adsorption tanks, and control the magnitude of the negative pressure . An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate stage on which a substrate as an exposure material is placed; a mask stage disposed above the substrate stage and holding a substantially rectangular mask; and an illumination unit that patterns The light for exposure is irradiated onto the substrate via the reticle; and the reticle stage comprises: a reticle base side member; and a pair of reticle holders respectively comprising a plurality of adsorption grooves, wherein the plurality of adsorption grooves are a negative pressure supplied to adsorb and hold two opposite sides of the mask, and is divided and formed in a direction along the two sides; and a skew angle adjusting mechanism respectively provided on the mask base side member and each of the above Adjusting the slant angle of the reticle between the reticle holders and tilting the reticle holders; the skew angle adjusting mechanism includes the reticle base side member and the pair of reticle holders One pair of gaskets that can be replaced with different heights. The exposure apparatus of claim 20, wherein the plurality of adsorption tanks of the pair of reticle holders switch supply and stop of the negative pressure by a solenoid valve disposed one by one for each of the adsorption tanks, and control the magnitude of the negative pressure .