WO2018062508A1

WO2018062508A1 - Object holding device, exposure device, flat-panel display manufacturing method, device manufacturing method, and object holding method

Info

Publication number: WO2018062508A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/035547
Authority: WO
Inventors: 青木　保夫
Original assignee: 株式会社ニコン
Priority date: 2016-09-30
Filing date: 2017-09-29
Publication date: 2018-04-05
Also published as: KR102306204B1; CN109791369B; JP7414102B2; TWI760371B; KR20210118252A; CN109791369A; JP2022176233A; TW201816924A; JPWO2018062508A1; KR20190050828A; JP2021081740A

Abstract

A substrate holder (70) holding a substrate (P) comprises: multiple chucks (74) each provided with a holding surface for holding a substrate (P) and a suction part and non-suction part disposed on the back side of the holding surface; base units (72) to which the suction parts of the chucks (74) are suctioned; a surface plate (50); and a pipeline unit (62) which is provided between the surface plate (50) and the base units (72) and which comprises pipelines for circulating a gas through the non-suction parts of the chucks (74). The chucks (74) use the gas passing through the non-suction parts to hold the substrate (P), and a first member is removed from a base member when suctioning of the base unit (72) by the suction parts is released.

Description

Object holding apparatus, exposure apparatus, flat panel display manufacturing method, device manufacturing method, and object holding method

The present invention relates to an object holding apparatus, an exposure apparatus, a flat panel display manufacturing method, a device manufacturing method, and an object holding method, and more particularly, an object holding apparatus and method for holding an object, and the object holding apparatus. And a manufacturing method of a flat panel display or a device using the exposure apparatus.

Conventionally, in a lithography process for manufacturing an electronic device (microdevice) such as a liquid crystal display element, a semiconductor element (integrated circuit, etc.), a pattern formed on a mask or reticle (hereinafter collectively referred to as “mask”) is used as an energy beam. An exposure apparatus is used for transferring to a glass plate or a wafer (hereinafter collectively referred to as “substrate”) using the above.

In this type of exposure apparatus, there is known a substrate holding apparatus in which a substrate holder included in a substrate stage apparatus holds a substrate by, for example, vacuum suction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The substrate holding device is required to hold the substrate with high flatness.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0266961

The present invention has been made under the above circumstances. According to the first aspect, the present invention is an object holding device for holding an object, the first holding surface for holding the object, and the first holding surface. A plurality of first members each having a first portion and a second portion provided at different positions on the back surface side, and a second holding surface for holding the first member, the first portion and the The second part of the second part is provided between the second member fixed to the second holding surface, the base part, the base part and the second member, and the second member is And a conduit portion having a conduit that allows gas to pass through and communicates with the first portion of the first member, and the first member uses the gas that passes through the first portion. When holding the object and releasing the fixation of the second part to the second holding surface, Object-holding device is removed from the second member, it is provided.

According to a second aspect, an exposure apparatus comprising: the object holding device of the present invention; and a pattern forming device that forms a predetermined pattern on the object held by the object holding device using an energy beam, Is provided.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a flat panel display manufacturing method including exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus of the present invention and developing the exposed substrate.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a device manufacturing method including exposing the object using the exposure apparatus of the present invention and developing the exposed object.

According to the fifth aspect, there is provided an object holding method for holding an object, the first holding surface for holding the object, the first portion provided at different positions on the back side of the first holding surface, and Holding the object using a plurality of first members each having a second part, and comprising a second holding surface for holding the first member, wherein the first part and the second part The second part is provided between the base member and the second member by holding the first member using a second member fixed to the second holding surface; Passing the gas using a conduit portion having a conduit that allows the gas to pass through the member and communicates with the first portion of the first member, and uses the plurality of first members. Holding the object using the gas passing through the first portion It comprises holding the body, to release the fixation with respect to the second holding surface of the second portion, wherein the removing the first member from the second member, the object holding method comprising, are provided.

It is a figure which shows schematically the structure of the liquid-crystal exposure apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the fine movement stage with which the liquid crystal exposure apparatus of FIG. 1 is provided (a part of upper surface is abbreviate | omitted). FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the fine movement stage of FIG. 2. It is a top view of the fine movement stage of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4. It is the top view which removed a part of member from the fine movement stage. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly procedure of a fine movement stage. It is a top view of the chuck | zipper part with which a fine movement stage is provided. It is sectional drawing of the pipe line part and holder part with which a fine movement stage is provided. It is the top view seen from the back surface side of the chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows an example of the modification of a fine movement stage. It is a top view of the fine movement stage of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the fine movement stage of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the fastening structure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows the other example of the fastening structure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows an example of the raising prevention structure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows the other example of the raising prevention structure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows the lapping process with respect to a fine movement stage. It is FIG. (1) for demonstrating the replacement | exchange procedure of a chuck | zipper part. It is FIG. (2) for demonstrating the replacement | exchange procedure of a chuck | zipper part. It is FIG. (3) for demonstrating the replacement | exchange procedure of a chuck | zipper part. It is FIG. (4) for demonstrating the replacement | exchange procedure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows the back surface of the chuck | zipper part for replacement | exchange. It is a figure for demonstrating the other example (the 1) of the replacement procedure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a top view of the chuck | zipper part used in the exchange procedure which concerns on FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the other example (the 2) of the replacement procedure of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure which shows the back surface of the chuck | zipper part used in the exchange procedure which concerns on FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of a chuck | zipper part. It is a figure for demonstrating the collision prevention structure of adjacent chuck | zipper parts.

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of an exposure apparatus (here, a liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10) according to an embodiment. The liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 is a so-called scanner, a step-and-scan projection exposure apparatus that uses an object (here, the glass substrate P) as an exposure target. A glass substrate P (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate P”) is formed in a rectangular shape (planar shape) in plan view, and is used for a liquid crystal display device (flat panel display) or the like.

The liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 includes an illumination system 12, a projection optical system 14, a substrate stage apparatus 20 that holds a substrate P on which a resist (sensitive agent) is applied on the surface (the surface facing the + Z side in FIG. 1), and these It has a control system. Hereinafter, the direction in which the mask M and the substrate P are relatively scanned with respect to the projection optical system 14 at the time of exposure is referred to as a first direction (here, the X-axis direction), and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis in the horizontal plane is the second direction. (Here, the Y-axis direction), the direction orthogonal to the X-axis and the Y-axis is the Z-axis direction (the direction parallel to the optical axis direction of the projection optical system 14), and the rotational directions around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis Are described as θx, θy, and θz directions, respectively. Further, description will be made assuming that the positions in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are the X position, the Y position, and the Z position, respectively.

The illumination system 12 is configured in the same manner as the illumination system disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,729,331 and the like, and irradiates the mask M with exposure illumination light (illumination light) IL. As the illumination light IL, light such as i-line (wavelength 365 nm), g-line (wavelength 436 nm), and h-line (wavelength 405 nm) (or combined light of the i-line, g-line, and h-line) is used.

As the mask M, a transmissive photomask is used. A predetermined circuit pattern is formed on the lower surface of the mask M (the surface facing the -Z side in FIG. 1). The mask M is driven with a predetermined long stroke in the scanning direction (X-axis direction) by a mask stage device (not shown).

The projection optical system 14 is disposed below the mask M. The projection optical system 14 is a so-called multi-lens projection optical system having the same configuration as the projection optical system disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,552,775 and the like. Are provided with a plurality of lens modules.

In the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10, when the illumination area on the mask M is illuminated by the illumination light IL from the illumination system 12, the illumination area IL passes through (transmits) the mask M via the projection optical system 14. A projection image (partial upright image) of the circuit pattern of the mask M is formed in an irradiation area (exposure area) of illumination light conjugate to the illumination area on the substrate P. Then, the mask M moves relative to the illumination area (illumination light IL) in the scanning direction, and the substrate P moves relative to the exposure area (illumination light IL) in the scanning direction. Scanning exposure of one shot area is performed, and the pattern formed on the mask M is transferred to the shot area.

The substrate stage apparatus 20 is an apparatus for controlling the position of the substrate P with respect to the projection optical system 14 (illumination light IL) with high accuracy, and the substrate P is aligned along the horizontal plane (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction). While driving with a predetermined long stroke, it is slightly driven in the direction of 6 degrees of freedom. The configuration of the substrate stage apparatus (excluding the fine movement stage 22) used in the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0057140. A so-called coarse / fine movement substrate stage apparatus 20 including a gantry type two-dimensional coarse movement stage and a fine movement stage that is finely driven with respect to the two-dimensional coarse movement stage is used.

The substrate stage device 20 includes a fine movement stage 22, a Y coarse movement stage 24, an X coarse movement stage 26, a self-weight support device 28, and the like.

The fine movement stage 22 is formed in a plate shape (or box shape) having a rectangular shape in plan view (see FIG. 2), and the substrate P is placed on the upper surface (substrate placement surface). The dimensions of the upper surface of fine movement stage 22 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are set to be approximately the same as substrate P (actually somewhat shorter). The substrate P is vacuum-sucked and held on the fine movement stage 22 in a state of being placed on the upper surface of the fine movement stage 22, so that almost the entire surface (the entire surface) is flattened along the upper surface of the fine movement stage 22. Therefore, it can be said that the fine movement stage 22 of this embodiment is a member having the same function as the substrate holder provided in the conventional substrate stage apparatus. The detailed configuration of fine movement stage 22 will be described later.

Y coarse movement stage 24 is arranged below fine movement stage 22 (−Z side). The Y coarse movement stage 24 has a pair of X beams 30a. The X beam 30a is made of a member having a rectangular YZ section extending in the X-axis direction. The pair of X beams 30a are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval in the Y-axis direction. The Y coarse movement stage 24 including a pair of X beams 30a is driven with a predetermined long stroke in the Y-axis direction by a Y actuator (not shown).

The X coarse movement stage 26 is disposed above (+ Z side) the Y coarse movement stage 24 and below the fine movement stage 22 (between the fine movement stage 22 and the Y coarse movement stage 24). The X coarse movement stage 26 is a plate-like member having a rectangular shape in plan view, and is placed on the pair of X beams 30a via a plurality of mechanical linear guide devices 30b. The X coarse movement stage 26 is movable with respect to the Y coarse movement stage 24 in the X-axis direction, whereas the X coarse movement stage 26 moves integrally with the Y coarse movement stage 24 in the Y-axis direction. The X coarse movement stage 26 is driven with a predetermined long stroke in the X-axis direction by a plurality of X actuators 30c with respect to the Y coarse movement stage 24. In FIG. 1, a linear motor is illustrated as the X actuator 30c, but the type of the X actuator is not particularly limited. Similarly, the type of Y actuator for driving the Y coarse movement stage 24 is not particularly limited.

A Y stator 32 a is attached to the upper surface of the X coarse movement stage 26. The Y stator 32a, together with the Y mover 32b attached to the side surface of the fine movement stage 22, is a Y linear motor for applying thrust in the Y-axis direction to the fine movement stage 22 (in this embodiment, a voice coil motor). Configure. In the substrate stage device 20, a plurality of Y linear motors are arranged apart from each other in the X-axis direction. Although not shown, the substrate stage device 20 also has a plurality of X linear motors for applying thrust in the X-axis direction to the fine movement stage 22. The configuration of the X linear motor is the same as that of the Y linear motor except for the arrangement. That is, an X stator is attached to the upper surface of the X coarse movement stage 26, and an X mover is attached to the side surface of the fine movement stage 22.

The main controller (not shown) is configured so that the relative position between the fine movement stage 22 and the X coarse movement stage 26 falls within a predetermined range when the X coarse movement stage 26 moves in the X axis and / or Y axis direction. Using the plurality of X and Y linear motors, thrust in the three-degree-of-freedom direction (X axis, Y axis, and θz directions) in the horizontal plane is applied to the fine movement stage 22 and the plurality of X and Y linear motors are used. Then, the fine movement stage 22 is slightly driven with respect to the X coarse movement stage 26 in the direction of three degrees of freedom in the horizontal plane. The position information of the fine movement stage 22 in the three-degree-of-freedom direction in the horizontal plane is obtained by a laser interferometer (not shown) using a bar mirror 34b fixed to the fine movement stage 22 via a mirror base 34a. Although only the Y bar mirror extending in the X-axis direction is shown in FIG. 1, in practice, the Y bar mirror is fixed to the −Y side side surface of fine movement stage 22, and on the −X side side surface of fine movement stage 22. An X bar mirror extending in the Y-axis direction is fixed. A measurement system using a laser interferometer is disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0018950, and the like, and will not be described. Note that the positional information of the fine movement stage 22 in the direction of three degrees of freedom in the horizontal plane may be obtained using an encoder system having a head and a scale instead of an interferometer.

A Z stator 36 a is attached to the upper surface of the X coarse movement stage 26. The Z stator 36a is a Z linear motor (in this embodiment, a voice coil motor) for applying thrust in the Z-axis direction to the fine movement stage 22 together with the Z movable element 36b attached to the lower surface of the fine movement stage 22. Configure. In the substrate stage device 20, the Z linear motors are arranged at least at three locations that are not on the same straight line. A main controller (not shown) uses a plurality of Z linear motors to slightly drive the fine movement stage 22 in the Z tilt direction (Z-axis, θx, and θy directions) with respect to the X coarse movement stage 26. The position information of the fine movement stage 22 in the Z tilt direction is obtained by the Z sensor 38a attached to the lower surface of the fine movement stage 22 using the target 38b attached to the self-weight support device 28. In the substrate stage apparatus 20, the Z sensors 38 a (and corresponding targets 38 b) are arranged at least at three locations that are not on the same straight line. A measurement system using a plurality of Z sensors 38a is disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0018950 and the like, and will not be described.

The own weight support device 28 includes a weight cancellation device 40a that supports the weight of the fine movement stage 22 from below, and a Y step guide 42a that supports the weight cancellation device 40a from below.

The weight cancellation device 40a is inserted into an opening formed in the X coarse movement stage 26. The weight canceling device 40a is mechanically connected to the X coarse movement stage 26 via a plurality of coupling members 40b, and moves in the X axis and / or Y axis direction integrally with the X coarse movement stage 26. To do. The weight canceling device 40a supports the self-weight of the fine movement stage 22 through the leveling device 44 from below without contact. As a result, the relative movement of the fine movement stage 22 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θz directions with respect to the weight cancellation device 40a and the swinging relative to the horizontal plane (relative movement in the θx and θy directions) are allowed. The configuration and function of the weight cancellation device 40a are disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0018950 and the like, and will not be described.

The Y step guide 42a is composed of a member extending in parallel with the X axis, and is disposed between the pair of X beams 30a. The weight canceling device 40a is placed on the Y step guide 42a via an air bearing 40c. The Y step guide 42a is placed on the gantry 16 via a mechanical linear guide device 42b. The Y step guide 42a is movable in the Y axis direction with respect to the gantry 16, whereas the Y step guide 42a is relatively moved in the X axis direction. Limited. The gantry 16 is a part of a member that supports the projection optical system 14 and the like, and is separated from the Y coarse movement stage 24 and the X coarse movement stage 26 in a vibrational manner. The Y step guide 42a is mechanically connected to the pair of X beams 30a via a plurality of connecting members 42c. The Y step guide 42 a is pulled by the Y coarse movement stage 24 to move integrally with the Y coarse movement stage 24 in the Y axis direction.

Next, the configuration of fine movement stage 22 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the fine movement stage 22 includes a surface plate part 50, a pipe line part 60, a base part 72, and a chuck part 74. The surface plate portion 50 is formed in a rectangular box shape in plan view, and the duct portion 60 and the holder portion 70 are each formed in a plate shape in rectangular shape in plan view. The fine movement stage 22 has a pipe section 60 disposed (stacked) on the surface plate section 50, a base section 72 disposed (stacked) on the pipe section 60, and a chuck section 74 disposed on the base section 72 ( 4 layer structure as a whole.

While the length of the surface plate part 50, the pipe line part 60, the base part 72, and the chuck | zipper part 74 and the dimension of the width direction (X-axis and Y-axis direction) are set substantially the same, a surface plate The dimension of the portion 50 in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) is set larger (thicker) than the pipe line portion 60, the base portion 72, and the chuck portion 74. The dimension in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) of the surface plate unit 50, the pipe line unit 60, and the base unit 72 is set larger (thicker) than the chuck unit 74. Further, the combined weight of the surface plate part 50, the pipe line part 60, and the base part 72 is heavier than the chuck part 74, for example, about 2.5 times the weight.

The surface plate part 50 which is the lowest layer is a part which becomes the base of the fine movement stage 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the surface plate portion 50 includes a lower surface portion 52, an upper surface portion 54, an outer wall portion 56, and a honeycomb structure 58. Each of the lower surface portion 52 and the upper surface portion 54 is a plate member having a rectangular shape in plan view and formed of CFRP (carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic). The outer wall portion 56 is a frame member having a rectangular shape in plan view, and is formed of an aluminum alloy or CFRP. A honeycomb structure 58 is filled in the outer wall portion 56. The honeycomb structure 58 is made of an aluminum alloy. In FIG. 3, only a part of the honeycomb structure is illustrated from the viewpoint of avoiding the confusion of the drawings, but actually, the honeycomb structure 58 is disposed inside the outer wall portion 56 with almost no gap. (See FIG. 5 and FIG. 6).

In the outer wall portion 56 filled with the honeycomb structure 58, the upper surface portion 54 is bonded to the upper surface, and the lower surface portion 52 is bonded to the lower surface. Thereby, the surface plate part 50 is made into what is called a sandwich structure, is lightweight and highly rigid (especially highly rigid in the thickness direction), and is easy to produce. In addition, the material which forms each element which comprises the surface plate part 50 is not restricted to what was demonstrated above, It can change suitably. Further, the fastening structure of the lower surface portion 52, the upper surface portion 54, and the outer wall portion 56 is not limited to adhesion.

An opening 52 a is formed at the center of the lower surface portion 52. In the honeycomb structure 58, a recess (depression) is formed in a portion corresponding to the opening 52a (see FIGS. 5 and 6), and the above-described leveling device 44 is fitted in the recess. Here, the configuration of the leveling device 44 is not particularly limited as long as the leveling device 44 has a function of swinging the fine movement stage 22 with respect to a horizontal plane (in the θx and θy directions). Therefore, although the spherical bearing device is shown in FIG. 1, the leveling device 44 is not limited to this, and may be an elastic hinge device as shown in FIGS. A pseudo-spherical bearing device as disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010/0018950 may be used.

The pipe line section 60 includes a plurality of pipes 62 extending in the Y-axis direction, and the plurality of pipes 62 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. The dimension of the pipe 62 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) is set to be approximately the same as the dimension of the surface plate portion 50 in the Y-axis direction. The number of pipes 62 is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately changed according to desired performance required for fine movement stage 22. In FIG. 6 and the like, the number of pipes 62 is smaller than the actual number in order to facilitate understanding of the configuration and functions of the fine movement stage 22. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the XZ cross section of the pipe 62 is not particularly limited. In FIG. 6 or the like, a so-called square pipe having a rectangular XZ section is used as the pipe 62, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a so-called round pipe as shown in FIG. 12 may be used. When using a round pipe, it is good to process so that the upper surface and lower surface of the outer peripheral surface of this round pipe may become mutually parallel (the cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction becomes a barrel shape). In this embodiment, the pipe 62 is formed of CFRP, but the material of the pipe 62 is not particularly limited, and can be changed as appropriate. When CFRP is not used as the material of the pipe 62, it is preferable to use a member having a different expansion coefficient from that of CFRP. In addition, it has been described that the plurality of pipes 62 extend in the Y-axis direction and are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the pipes 62 extend in the X-axis direction and are arranged in line in the Y-axis direction. Also good.

As shown in FIG. 3, the base portion 72 is a thin plate-like member having a rectangular shape in plan view, and is formed of stone or ceramics. The material of the base portion 72 is not particularly limited, but a material that is excellent in hardness and easy to process with high precision is preferable. In the fine movement stage 22, a plurality of base portions 72 are placed on a plurality of pipes 62 constituting the conduit portion 60. Each base part 72 is spread on the pipe line part 60 in a state of being in close contact with each other (a gap is negligible), and is fixed to the plurality of pipes 62 with an adhesive.

Each base portion 72 is processed (lapping or the like) so that the flatness of the surface (the surface opposite to the bonding surface with respect to the pipe 62) is very high. In addition, the surface height positions of the plurality of base portions 72 are adjusted so that the steps between the base portions 72 are substantially negligible while being laid on the pipeline portion 60. Yes. If a plane having an area equivalent to that of the substrate P (see FIG. 1) can be formed above the pipe line portion 60, the size (area) of each base portion 72 is as shown in FIG. The base portions 72 having different sizes may be mixed as shown in FIG. 7. Further, the total number of the base portions 72 is not particularly limited, and may be configured by a single base portion 72. In addition, although demonstrated that the base part 72 was processed so that flatness might become very high, it is not restricted to this. One or a part of the base part 72 may be lower than the other base parts 72, or a part of the base part 72 may be missing or a dent may be present. As will be described later, it is sufficient that the flatness is obtained when the chuck portion 74 is placed on the base portion 72, and a chip or a dent smaller than the size of the chuck portion 74 may be present in the base portion 72.

The above-described surface height position adjustment between the base portions 72 may be performed by lapping or the like. In this case, the lapping process is performed in consideration of the bending so that a desired accuracy can be obtained with various attachments (bar mirror 34b,

movers

32b and 36b, and a plurality of chuck portions 74) attached to fine movement stage 22. desirable. In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, the vicinity of the end portion on the upper surface of the base portion 72 is chamfered, and a plurality of base portions 72 are spread between the adjacent base portions 72. A groove is formed. The V-shaped groove is filled with a joint material 72a, and it is possible to prevent moisture and the like from entering between adjacent base portions 72 from entering.

3, the chuck portion 74 is a portion on which the substrate P (see FIG. 1) is placed. The chuck portion 74 holds the substrate P by suction in cooperation with the pipe line portion 60 and the base portion 72. The chuck portion 74 is a thin plate member having a rectangular shape in plan view, and is formed of ceramics or the like. The formation of static electricity from the substrate P can be suppressed by forming the chuck portion 74 from ceramics. The material of the chuck portion 74 is not particularly limited, but a material that is lightweight and easy to process with high precision is preferable. By using a lightweight material as the material of the base portion 72, deformation of the base portion and / or the pipeline portion 60 can be prevented. The thickness of the chuck portion 74 (for example, 8 mm) is set thinner than the thickness of the base portion (for example, 12 mm). In fine movement stage 22, a plurality of chuck portions 74 are spread on a plane formed by spreading a plurality of base portions 72 (partially omitted in FIGS. 2 and 3). The chuck part 74 is sucked and held by the corresponding base part 72 (below the chuck part 74). A structure for adsorbing and holding the chuck portion 74 on the base portion 72 (adsorption holding structure of the chuck portion 74) will be described later.

The area of one (one) chuck part 74 is set smaller than that of one (one) base part 72. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the case where two chuck portions 74 are placed on one base portion 72 is shown, but the chuck portion placed on one base portion 72. The number of sheets 74 is not particularly limited. The area of one chuck portion 74 is not limited to the above, and may have the same area as one base portion 72 or may have an area larger than one base portion 72. . In the case of the same area, one chuck portion 74 may be mounted on one base portion 72, or one chuck portion if the area of the chuck portion 74 is larger. 74 may be supported by a plurality of base portions 72. The base part 72 and the chuck part 74 may be collectively referred to as a holder part 70. In this case, the holder part 70 has a two-layer structure of a base part 72 (lower layer) and a chuck part 74 (upper layer). As described above, the fine movement stage 22 has a four-layer structure of the surface plate part 50, the pipe line part 60, the base part 72, and the chuck part 74, but the surface plate part 50, the pipe line part 60, and the holder part. It can also be said that it has a three-layer structure consisting of 70.

In fine movement stage 22, a substrate placement surface is formed by a plurality of chuck portions 74 placed (laid) on a plurality of base portions 72. Each chuck portion 74 is processed with high accuracy so that the thickness is substantially the same. Therefore, the substrate placement surface of fine movement stage 22 formed by the plurality of chuck portions 74 is formed with high flatness following the plane formed by the plurality of base portions 72. The chuck part 74 is placed on the base part 72 so as to be replaceable and separable. The chuck portion 74 is placed so as to be replaceable and separable with respect to the surface plate portion 50 and / or the pipe line portion 60.

Next, the configuration of the chuck portion 74 will be described. The fine movement stage 22 is a so-called pin chuck type holder, and a plurality of pins 74a and a peripheral wall portion 74b are formed on the upper surface of each chuck portion 74 as shown in FIG. The plurality of pins 74a are arranged at almost equal intervals. Since the diameter of the pin 74a in the pin chuck type holder is very small (for example, about 1 mm in diameter) and the width of the peripheral wall portion 74b is thin, the possibility of sandwiching and supporting dust and foreign matter on the back surface of the substrate P can be reduced. The possibility of deformation of the substrate P due to the inclusion of the foreign matter can also be reduced. The number and arrangement of the pins 74a are not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate. The peripheral wall portion 74 b is formed so as to surround the outer periphery of the upper surface of the chuck portion 74. The plurality of pins 74a and the peripheral wall portion 74b are set to have the same tip height position (Z position). Further, in order to suppress the reflection of the illumination light IL (see FIG. 1), the surface of the chuck portion 74 is subjected to various surface processing such as coating treatment and ceramic spraying so that the surface becomes black.

In the fine movement stage 22, a vacuum suction force is supplied to the space surrounded by the peripheral wall portion 74b in a state where the substrate P (see FIG. 1 respectively) is placed on the plurality of pins 74a and the peripheral wall portion 74b (space). The substrate P is sucked and held on the chuck portion 74 by the vacuum of the air inside. The substrate P is flattened following the plurality of pins 74a and the distal end portions of the peripheral wall portion 74b. A structure for adsorbing and holding the substrate P on the chuck portion 74 (adsorption holding structure of the substrate P) will be described later.

Further, the fine movement stage 22 is configured such that the substrate P (see FIG. 1) is placed on the plurality of pins 74a and the peripheral wall 74b, and a pressurized gas (compressed air or the like) is formed in a space surrounded by the peripheral wall 74b. , The adsorption of the substrate P on the substrate mounting surface can be released. In order to release the adsorption of the substrate P on the substrate placement surface, in other words, a structure for floating the substrate P on the substrate placement surface (floating support structure of the substrate P) will be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of

pins

74 c and 74 d and a peripheral wall portion 74 e are also formed on the lower surface of the chuck portion 74. That is, the lower surface of the chuck portion 74 also has a pin chuck structure. In the state where the chuck portion 74 is placed on the base portion 72, the plurality of

pins

74 c and 74 d and the distal end portions of the peripheral wall portion 74 e are in contact with the upper surface of the base portion 72. The plurality of

pins

74c and 74d are arranged at almost equal intervals. The pin 74d is set such that the radial dimension is larger (thicker) than the pin 74c, and the contact area with the base portion 72 (see FIG. 10) is wider than the pin 74c. Through

holes

74f and 74g are provided at substantially the center of the pin 74d, respectively. These through

holes

74f and 74g are configured to penetrate the chuck portion 74, and communicate with the through hole 72b communicating with the suction pipe 62b provided in the base portion 72 and the through hole of the exhaust pipe 62c. The base portion 72 communicates with the through hole. The through-hole 74f is a hole for sucking air, and the space (air) formed by the pin chuck formed on the upper surface of the chuck portion 74 and the substrate P is vacuum-sucked through the through-hole 74f to obtain the substrate P. Adsorb and hold. The through hole 74g is a compressed air exhaust hole for exhausting (blowing out) air, and has a smaller diameter (opening diameter) than the through hole 74f. The through hole 74g adsorbs the substrate P adsorbed on the upper surface of the chuck portion 74. When canceling, air having a force sufficient to float the substrate P is blown to the substrate P through the through hole 74g.

In addition, the number and arrangement of the

pins

74c and 74d are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately changed. The positions in the XY direction of the plurality of pins 74a and the plurality of

pins

74c and 74d may be the same or may be arranged at different positions. The peripheral wall portion 74e is formed so as to surround the outer periphery of the lower surface of the chuck portion 74. The plurality of

pins

74c, 74d and the peripheral wall portion 74e are set to have the same tip height position (Z position). In the fine movement stage 22, the chuck portion 74 is sucked and held by the base portion 72 by supplying a vacuum suction force to the space surrounded by the peripheral wall portion 74 e in a state where the chuck portion 74 is placed on the base portion 72. The That is, on the lower surface (rear surface) side of the base portion 72 chuck portion 74, a space (vacuum sucked space) surrounded by the base portion 72 and the peripheral wall portion 74e, the pin 74c, and the pin 74d of the chuck portion 74 is provided. The chuck part 74 is fixed to the base part 72. On the other hand, as described above, the through

holes

74f and 74g on the lower surface of the chuck portion 74 are arranged so as to communicate with the through holes of the base portion 72, and thus are not fixed to the base portion 72. .

Here, in the present embodiment, the chuck portion 74 is fixed to the base portion 72 while the suction force is acting on a part of the lower surface of the chuck portion 74 (the space) as in the vacuum suction described above. This is to maintain a state where the base part 72 is not peeled off (no positional deviation in the Z direction occurs) and a relative positional deviation relative to the base part 72 (a positional deviation in the X and Y directions) does not occur. Further, if the suction force is not applied to the chuck portion 74 after the vacuum suction is released, the chuck portion 74 can be detached (removed) from the base portion 72. In addition, although it demonstrated that the chuck | zipper part 74 was mounted according to the plane formed by the some base part 72, it does not need to be a plane. As long as the shape formed by the plurality of base portions 72 and the bottom surface of the chuck portion 74 are substantially the same, the plurality of base portions 72 may be curved surfaces instead of flat surfaces.

Here, the fine movement stage 22 has various mechanisms for preventing the plurality of chuck portions 74 from floating from the base portion 72. In the example shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a flat convex portion 76 is formed at the + Y side end of the chuck portion 74, and a concave portion (convex portion corresponding to the convex portion 76 is formed at the −Y side end. (Not shown) because it overlaps 76. Adjacent chuck portions 74 are mechanically fastened by fitting the convex portions 76 to the corresponding concave portions. The chuck portion 74 disposed along the outer periphery of the fine movement stage 22 is mechanically fastened to the base portion 72 by a fastening member 78. In addition, each chuck | zipper part 74 may be fastened to the surface plate part 50 or the pipe line part 60 (refer FIG. 12). The fastening member 78 is provided at, for example, the + X side and + Y side corners of the base part 72, the surface plate part 50, or the pipe line part 60, and the chuck part from the −X side and the −Y side using different members. 74 may be pressed against the fastening member 78 and fastened.

In the example of the fastening structure shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, a recess 176 is formed in each of the + Y side and −Y side ends of the chuck portion 74, and a band-shaped member 178 ( A band 178) is inserted. The band 178 is fastened to the surface plate part 50 (the base part 72 or the pipe line part 60 may be used), and thereby the lift of the chuck part 74 from the base part 72 is prevented.

In addition, the fastening structure of the chuck part 74 and the lifting prevention structure can be changed as appropriate. Although the convex portion 76 and the concave portion corresponding to the convex portion 76 are provided at the Y side end portion of the chuck portion 74, they may be provided at the X side end portion, or between the Y side and the X side. It may be provided at both ends. In the example shown in FIG. 15, recesses 276 (recess holes) are formed at both ends of the chuck portion 74 and the Y-axis direction, and the recesses 276 are prepared as separate parts from the main body portion of the chuck portion 74. 278 is assembled by an adhesive or the like. In this example, the main body portion of the chuck portion 74 does not protrude on the surface at the time of molding, so that it can be processed with a desired external dimension with high accuracy. In addition, if the hozo 278 is not made of a brittle material, it is resistant to chipping.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 16, a magnet 374 is embedded on the lower surface side of the chuck portion 74. In this case, by forming the base portion 72 from a magnetic material, the chuck portion 74 can be prevented from being lifted, dropped off, or the like. In this case, the chuck portions 74 may not be connected. In order to more reliably prevent the chuck portion 74 from being lifted or dropped, the chuck portions 74 may be connected. Further, the magnet 374 of the chuck portion 74 may be temporarily fixed to the base portion 72, and the chuck portion 74 may be attracted and held to the base portion 72.

In the example shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, each chuck portion 74 is fastened to the surface plate portion 50 by a belt-like band 178. However, as shown in FIG. 17, a wire rope 476 is used instead of the band 178. Each chuck portion 74 may be fastened. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, instead of the band 178 (see FIG. 13) and the wire rope 476 (see FIG. 17), a single bar 576 is inserted between adjacent chuck portions 74. May be. In this case, the concave portion 578 formed at the end portion in the Y-axis direction of the chuck portion 74 is preferably formed to have a triangular shape in cross section so that one bar 576 straddles the pair of chuck portions 74.

Next, the suction holding structure of the chuck portion 74, the suction holding structure of the substrate P, and the floating support structure of the substrate P in the fine movement stage 22 described above will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the pipe section 60 of the fine movement stage 22 is constituted by the plurality of pipes 62. As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of pipes 62 include a suction pipe 62 a for supplying a vacuum suction force for sucking the chuck portion 74 and a suction pipe for supplying a vacuum suction force for sucking the substrate P. 62b, an exhaust pipe 62c for supplying pressurized gas for floating the substrate P, and a pipe 62d disposed in a gap between the pipes 62a to 62c. The pipe 62d is not supplied with a vacuum suction force or pressurized gas, and functions exclusively as a member for supporting the plurality of base portions 72 together with the pipes 62a to 62c. In FIG. 7, an example in which the chuck portion 74 is placed via a base portion 72 on a set of five pipes 62 (two pipes 62 a, one pipe 62 b and two pipes 62 c) ( Although an example in which a set of five pipes 62 is arranged corresponding to one chuck portion 74 is shown, the number, combination, arrangement, etc. of each of the pipes 62a to 62c are not limited to this, It can be changed. In addition, instead of providing the suction pipe 62b and the exhaust pipe 62c, a dual-purpose pipe 62e that also functions as the respective functions may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 10, a plug 64 is fitted into one end in the longitudinal direction of the substrate suction pipe 62b (in this embodiment, the end on the -Y side). A plug 66 with a joint (hereinafter simply referred to as “joint 66”) is fitted into the other end of the pipe 62b in the longitudinal direction. A vacuum suction force (see the black arrow in FIG. 10) is supplied to the joint 66 from the outside of the fine movement stage 22 via a pipe member (tube or the like) (not shown) (the inside of the pipe 62b is in a vacuum state). When the dual-purpose pipe 62e is provided, the vacuum suction force and the pressurized gas can be switched and supplied.

A plurality of through holes 68 are formed on the upper surface of the pipe 62b. Further, a through hole 72b is formed in the base part 72 of the holder part 70 at a position where the position in the XY plane is substantially the same as the through hole 68 when placed on the pipe 62b. Further, in the chuck portion 74 of the holder portion 70, a through hole 74f is formed at a position where the position in the XY plane is substantially the same as that of the through

holes

68 and 72b when placed on the base portion 72. . The through holes 68, 72b, and 74f communicate with each other, and when a vacuum suction force is supplied into the pipe 62b, the peripheral wall portion 74b (see FIG. 5) of the upper surface of the chuck portion 74 through the through

holes

68, 72b, and 74f. 9)), a vacuum suction force is supplied to the space surrounded by. Thereby, the fine movement stage 22 sucks and holds the substrate P (see FIG. 1) placed on the chuck portion 74.

Note that the strength of the vacuum suction force supplied to the through

holes

68, 72b, and 74f may be changed according to the position in the fine movement stage. By increasing the strength of the vacuum suction force supplied to the through

holes

68, 72b, and 74f disposed in the central portion of the fine movement stage 22, an air pocket generated in the central portion of the substrate P can be eliminated. Further, when the air pool disappears, the strength of the vacuum suction force may be reduced. Further, the vacuum suction force supplied to the through

holes

68, 72b, 74f arranged in the center of the fine movement stage 22 is earlier than the through

holes

68, 72b, 74f arranged in the peripheral part of the fine movement stage 22, that is, a time difference. You may make it supply with. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the through hole 74 f is formed so as to penetrate the pin 74 d (thick pin), and the vacuum suction force from the pipe 62 b is supplied to the lower surface side of the chuck portion 74. There is nothing.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which two through holes 74f are formed in the chuck portion 74. However, the number and arrangement of the through holes 74f (the same applies to the corresponding through

holes

68 and 72b) are shown in FIG. It is not limited and can be changed as appropriate. The diameters of the through

holes

68, 72b, and 74f may be different from each other. The diameter of the through hole located below is increased, that is, the diameter of the through hole 68 is made larger than the diameter of the through hole 74f, and conversely, the diameter of the through hole located above is increased. In other words, the diameter of the through hole 74 f may be larger than the diameter of the through hole 68. This facilitates alignment when the chuck portion 74, the base portion 72, and the pipe 62b are stacked (placed). Further, the diameters of the through

holes

68, 72b, 74f may be made larger as the through

holes

68, 72b, 74f located near the center of the fine movement stage. In addition, the diameters of the through

holes

68, 72b, and 74f may be made larger as they are closer to the plug 64 in the Y-axis direction.

The suction holding structure of the chuck portion 74 is configured substantially the same as the suction holding structure of the substrate P. That is, the plug 64 and the joint 66 are fitted into both ends of the chuck part suction pipe 62a, respectively, and a vacuum suction force is supplied into the pipe 62a from the outside of the fine movement stage 22 through the joint 66. A through hole is formed in the upper surface of the pipe 62a (see FIG. 7), and the peripheral wall portion 74e of the lower surface of the chuck portion 74 is inserted through the through hole and the through hole formed in the base portion 72 (see FIG. 7). A vacuum suction force is supplied to the space surrounded by (see FIG. 11). 11 indicates a region corresponding to the through hole formed in the base portion 72, and it can be seen that the vacuum suction force is supplied to a position that does not overlap the

pins

74c and 74d.

In the above embodiment, the method (configuration) for vacuum suction is described as the method (configuration) for fixing the chuck portion 74 to the base portion 72. However, the method for fixing the chuck portion 74 is not limited to suction. No. For example, the chuck portion 42 may be fixed to the base portion 72 by bonding a part of the back surface of the chuck portion 74 to the base portion 72 with an adhesive. In this case, the performance required for the adhesive that bonds the chuck portion 74 and the base portion 72 is that both are easy to peel off and difficult to shift. When the adhesive is hardened, it becomes very hard and expands, and it is required that the adhesive does not lift the chuck portion 74 from the base portion 72, that is, does not cause a step. Since the back surface of the chuck portion 74 and the base portion 72 are in close contact with each other, the flatness of the upper surface of the chuck portion 42 is determined, so that the adhesive enters the groove portion on the back surface of the chuck portion 42 in a paste state before being cured, but is elastic after the curing. It is preferably a certain rubber-like material, for example, a moisture-curing peelable deformable silicone sealant is preferably used.

Further, as a method of fixing the chuck portion 74 to the base portion 72, the above-described vacuum suction method and adhesion method may be used in combination.

Since the air cannot be taken in and out from the place where the adhesive is applied to the chuck portion 74, when applying the adhesive on the back surface of the chuck portion 74, an air flow path for adsorbing and holding the substrate P and Apply to a position that does not block the suction hole.

In addition, a magnet is built in the chuck portion 74, and the base portion 72 (see FIG. 2 and the like) is formed of a magnetic material, and the chuck portion 474 is fixed to the base portion 72 by the magnetic force of the magnet. May be.

It is also conceivable to reverse the relationship between the magnet and the magnetic material so that the chuck portion 74 is formed of a magnetic material and the base portion 72 is provided with a magnet. In this case, however, the magnetic material is, for example, a metal. In some cases, static electricity is likely to be generated on the surface of the chuck portion 74, so that countermeasures against static electricity (use of a static eliminator) are required. It is also necessary to take measures against heat, such as irradiation heat from exposure light and heat transmitted from the stage, and temperature management (use of cooling gas).

In addition, when the chuck part 74 cannot be held by suction (vacuum suction) such as when the apparatus is transported or assembled, the chuck part 74 is not displaced from the base part 72 by using the above-mentioned adhesive or magnet. You may make it (it does not come off).

The floating support structure of the substrate P is also substantially the same as the suction holding structure of the substrate P. That is, when pressurized gas is supplied to the substrate levitation pipe 62c, the through hole formed in the vibrator 62c, the through hole of the base portion 72 communicating with the through hole, and the through hole of the chuck portion 74, respectively. The pressurized gas is supplied into the peripheral wall portion 74b through 74g (see FIG. 9). Thereby, fine movement stage 22 can float substrate P (refer to Drawing 1) laid on chuck part 74 from the lower part. As described above, the substrate P is sucked and held by the pipe line portion 60, the base portion 72, and the chuck portion 74, and the plane is corrected along the substrate placement surface. In other words, it can be said that the three-layer structure of the pipe line part 60, the base part 72, and the chuck part 74 has the function of a substrate holder.

The fine movement stage 22 may have a floating pin for floating the substrate P from the chuck portion 74 using a mechanical member. The flying pin has a surface that comes into contact with the substrate P, and is configured by a member on a rod that supports the surface. A substrate mounting surface is formed by the surface of the floating pin and the upper surface of the chuck portion 74. Further, the floating pin functions as a structure for preventing the chuck portion 74 from being lifted by being disposed between each chuck portion 74. Note that the number and arrangement of the floating pins are not particularly limited.

In addition, although the pipe line part 60 was demonstrated as a structure provided with the some pipe 62, a groove | channel is provided in one or several plate-shaped members, and this groove | channel is covered with the surface plate part 50 and / or the base part 72. Thus, a flow path through which pressurized gas (compressed air or the like) flows may be formed, or a flow path to which a vacuum suction force is supplied (air in the space is vacuumed) may be formed. .

In the liquid crystal exposure apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1) configured as described above, the substrate P is loaded onto the fine movement stage 22 by a plate loader (not shown) under the control of a main controller (not shown). At the same time, alignment measurement is performed using an alignment detection system (not shown), and after completion of the alignment measurement, a step-and-scan exposure operation is sequentially performed on a plurality of shot areas set on the substrate P. Since this exposure operation is the same as a conventional step-and-scan exposure operation, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The fine movement stage 22 holds the substrate P by suction during the alignment measurement and the scanning exposure. Further, the fine movement stage 22 is placed on the lower surface of the substrate P during a pre-alignment operation before the substrate P to be exposed is placed on the substrate placement surface or when the exposed substrate P is carried out to an external device. The pressurized gas is jetted to release the adsorption of the substrate P from the substrate placement surface.

According to fine movement stage 22 (substrate holder) according to the present embodiment described above, a plurality of chuck portions 74 are laid out in a tile shape on a plane formed by a plurality of base portions 72, thereby placing a substrate mounting surface (substrate holding). Therefore, the flatness of the substrate mounting surface can be easily ensured only by processing the thickness of each chuck portion 74 with high accuracy. Further, since the chuck portion 74 is smaller than the size of the substrate P, it is easy to process with high accuracy and good flatness. Further, as the chuck portion 74, it is easy to use a ceramic material that is lightweight and highly rigid but difficult to increase in size.

Also, in the substrate stage apparatus 20, the fine movement stage 22 can be replaced with high efficiency because it is not necessary to replace the entire substrate mounting portion and only the desired chuck portion 74 can be replaced.

Further, since each chuck portion 74 is fixed to the base portion 72 by vacuum suction, the chucking force can be evenly applied to the chuck portion 74. Therefore, deformation of the chuck portion 74 can be suppressed.

Further, in the fine movement stage 22, since the bottom platen 50, which is the lowermost layer, is formed of a honeycomb structure, the substrate P can be held with good flatness with a light weight and high rigidity.

Further, since the fine line stage 60 has the pipe line part 60 disposed (inserted) between the surface plate part 50 and the base part 72, the base part 72 is compared with the case where the pipe line member is separately connected to the holder 70 part. , And the arrangement (including replacement) of the chuck portion 74, and the assembly of the fine movement stage 22 is easy.

The fine movement stage 22 has been described as a four-layer structure of the surface plate part 50, the pipe line part 60, the base part 72, and the chuck part 74, but the upper surface of the pipe line part 60 has the same flatness as the upper surface of the base part 72. Can be formed, the base portion 72 may not be stacked on the pipe line portion 60. In this case, it can be said that the fine movement stage 22 has a three-layer structure of the surface plate part 50, the pipe line part 60, and the chuck part 74.

Next, the assembly procedure of the fine movement stage 22 and the replacement method of the chuck portion 74 will be described. As an example, fine movement stage 22 is assembled by placing holder portion 70 on conduit portion 60 after conduit portion 60 is placed on surface plate portion 50. As described above, the holder portion 70 is formed by laying a plurality of base portions 72 to form a plane with high flatness, and laying a plurality of chuck portions 74 on the plane.

Here, each of the plurality of chuck portions 74 is processed with high precision so that the thickness is uniform, but since the number of chuck portions 74 is large, the thickness of all the chuck portions 74 should be strictly uniform. May be difficult.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, after a plurality of chuck portions 74 are spread on a plane formed by a plurality of base portions 72, a surface (substrate mounting surface) formed by the plurality of chuck portions 74 is disposed. On the other hand, the substrate mounting surface is processed into a plane with high accuracy (flatness) by lapping. In the present embodiment, since the processing object is the large fine movement stage 22, the lapping is performed by handler lapping that manually moves the lapping tool 98 relative to the processing object. As a result, the fine movement stage 22 having the substrate placement surface with a very high flatness can be manufactured without strictly managing the individual thicknesses of the plurality of chuck portions 74. It should be noted that the seam between the adjacent base portions 72 is waterproofed using a joint material (see FIG. 10) as described above so that moisture used at the time of handling does not penetrate below the chuck portion 74. It is preferable to do. FIG. 19 shows a case where lapping is performed in a state where each chuck portion 74 is vacuum-sucked and held with respect to the base portion 72, but the suction-holding is not necessarily performed.

Further, since a plurality of small-diameter pins 74a that are in contact with the substrate P are formed in the chuck portion 74, there is a possibility that the pins 74a are damaged or the surface processing (film or the like) is lost. As described above, in the present embodiment, only the chuck part 74 in which the defect has occurred can be exchanged pinpoints, which is efficient. However, the chuck part 74 mounted after the exchange and the other (existing) chuck parts are efficient. There is a possibility that a slight level difference may occur between

In the example shown in FIG. 20, the replacement chuck portion 174 is formed thinner than the existing chuck portion 74. An adhesive is applied to the lower surface of the chuck portion 174 along the outer periphery (the tip of the peripheral wall portion 74e). The adhesive is applied so as to surround the gas supply and vacuum suction holes formed in the chuck portion 174. As shown in FIG. 24, a groove is formed around the tip of the peripheral wall 74e and the hole formed in the pin 74d, and an adhesive is applied to the groove. The adhesive is preferably one that cures when exposed to air and is easy to peel off after curing. The groove for applying the adhesive may be formed in the base portion 72.

21, since the chuck portion 174 is thinner than the other chuck portions 74, a step is formed between the chuck portion 174 and the chuck portion 74. Therefore, a plate 98 made of ceramics is bridged between a pair of chuck portions 74 adjacent to the replacement chuck portion 174. The plate 98 may be made of a material other than ceramics as long as it is a substantially rigid body. Since the chuck portion 174 is thinner than the chuck portion 74, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the chuck portion 174 and the lower surface of the plate 98.

Next, as shown in FIG. 22, compressed air is supplied from a base portion 72 disposed below the chuck portion 174. A plurality of the flow paths are formed in the base portion 72 along the longitudinal direction of the pipe 62 (here, the Y-axis direction), and a part of the flow path is formed thin on the upper surface side. Then, as shown in FIG. 24, a lower surface of the replacement chuck portion 174 is formed with a seating surface 74h protruding downward like the pin 74c, and the compressed air is applied to the tip of the seating surface 74h. On the other hand it is erupted. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 22, the chuck portion 174 floats on the base portion 72 due to the static pressure of the compressed air, and comes into close contact with the lower surface of the plate 98. In this state, when a predetermined time elapses, the adhesive is cured. The adhesive functions as a part of the peripheral wall portion 74e, a gas supply conduit, and a gas suction conduit after curing.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23, when the plate 98 laid between the pair of chuck portions 74 is removed, the height position of the surface of the chuck portion 174 is substantially the same as the height position of the surfaces of the other chuck portions 74. It will be in a consistent state. Thereby, the overall flatness of the substrate mounting surface formed by the plurality of chuck portions 74 and the replacement chuck portion 174 is ensured. According to the replacement direction of the chuck portion 74 described above, only the desired chuck portion 74 (a part of the substrate placement surface) can be easily replaced without removing the fine movement stage 22 from the substrate stage device 20.

In addition, the positioning and fixing procedure of the replacement chuck portion 174 is not limited to this. In the example shown in FIG. 26, a plug 94 that can be easily removed from above is attached to a through-hole 74f (see FIG. 9) for vacuum suction formed in the chuck portion 174. Further, a pipe line for ejecting pressurized gas to float and support the substrate P is formed inside a pin 74i that is somewhat thicker than the other pins 74a. A hole 74g for gas ejection is opened. In this case, as shown in FIG. 25, a vacuum suction joint 98 a is connected to the plate 98, and the replacement chuck portion 174 is vacuum-sucked from the upper surface side, whereby another chuck portion 74 is provided. And the height of the top surface are aligned. The plug 94 is removed after the adhesive is cured. According to this example, unlike the above-described example (see FIG. 24 and the like), it is not necessary to perform processing for airflow on the back surface of the base portion 72 and the chuck portion 174.

In the example shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the replacement chuck portion 174 has a plurality of screw holes penetrating in the thickness direction, and set screws 74j are screwed into the screws. . Further, a tool hole 98b having a diameter larger than the screw diameter of the set screw 74j is formed in the plate 98 at a position coinciding with the screw hole. In this example, when the tool 98c is inserted from the tool hole 98b and the set screw 74j is turned, the tip end portion of the set screw 74j comes into contact with the base portion 72, and then the chuck portion 174 is lifted from the base portion 72 and closely contacts the plate 98. . In this example, air (high pressure, vacuum pressure) is not required to align the surface position of the upper surface of the chuck portion 174 for replacement with the surface position of the upper surface of the existing chuck portion 74. Is easy. In the example shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the height position of the upper surface of the chuck portion 174 is mechanically defined by the set screw 74j. Therefore, the adhesive that bonds the chuck portion 174 and the base portion 72 is It is not limited to a curable material, and an elastic material such as a caulking agent may be used.

Note that the configuration of the fine movement stage 22 and the like according to the embodiment described above is an example, and can be changed as appropriate. Like the chuck portion 474 according to the modification shown in FIG. 29, the entire chuck portion 474 may be formed of a porous material. The substrate P may be adsorbed and held by supplying a vacuum suction force to the porous material. In this case, a magnet is built in the chuck portion 474, the base portion 72 (see FIG. 2 and the like) is formed of a magnetic material, and the chuck portion 474 is fixed (fixed) to the base portion 72 by a magnetic force.

Further, as a method of fixing the chuck portion 474 formed of a porous material to the base portion 72, the above-described method using an adhesive may be used. Further, an area that can be vacuum-adsorbed (for example, a hole is formed in a part of the lower surface of the chuck portion 474 of the porous material, and a member (rubber that prevents air leakage so that the hole does not leak air). Etc.) may be fixed by vacuum suction. Moreover, the non-contact holder which floats and supports the board | substrate P can also be obtained by forming the chuck | zipper part 474 with a porous material as mentioned above, and supplying a pressurized gas to this porous material. A plurality of minute holes communicating with the pipe line portion 60 are formed on the upper surface (substrate mounting surface) of the chuck portion 474 made of a porous material. The non-contact holder 32 causes the substrate P to float when pressurized gas (for example, compressed air) supplied from the pipe line portion 60 is ejected to the lower surface of the substrate P through (a part of) the hole. The non-contact holder sucks air between the lower surface of the substrate P and the substrate support surface by a vacuum suction force in combination with the ejection of the pressurized gas. Thereby, a load (preload) acts on the substrate P, and the substrate P is flattened along the upper surface of the non-contact holder. That is, the substrate P can be floated and supported (non-contact support) on the chuck portion 474 while the substrate P is flattened (flattened).

Further, as in the modification shown in FIG. 30, a buffer member 676 may be inserted between the adjacent chuck portions 74 in order to prevent the adjacent chuck portions 74 from colliding with each other. The buffer member 676 is preferably formed of a viscoelastic body.

The configuration of the embodiment described above can be changed as appropriate. In the above embodiment, fine movement stage 22 can selectively perform non-contact support of substrate P (a jet of pressurized gas to the lower surface of substrate P) and adsorption holding of substrate P (vacuum suction of substrate P). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a mode in which only one of these functions is performed may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, each chuck portion 74 is configured to be fixed to the base portion 72 by a vacuum suction force (fixed in a state that is not mechanically constrained). You may fix to the base part 72 with an adhesive agent etc. In this case, in order to ensure the stability of the chuck portion 74 and the ease of replacement, the adhesive may be an adhesive that can be easily peeled off with little deformation during curing, for example, an epoxy resin-based adhesive. It is preferable to use an adhesive. In this case, in order to facilitate peeling from the base portion 72, it is preferable to apply a release agent and a release agent to the base portion 72 or the chuck portion 74 in advance. As the release agent and release agent, a fluorine release agent having a thin coating film (for example, about 0.1 to 1.0 μm) and low surface tension may be used.

Further, the fine movement stage 22 of the present embodiment is movable with a long stroke in two axial directions in a horizontal plane, but is not limited thereto, and is configured to be movable with a long stroke only in one axial direction in the horizontal plane. Alternatively, the position in the horizontal plane may be fixed. Further, although the fine movement stage 22 is configured to be slightly movable in the direction of six degrees of freedom in the horizontal plane, the configuration of the above embodiment may be applied to a substrate holding member (substrate holder) having a configuration that does not move slightly.

The illumination light may be ultraviolet light such as ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193 nm), KrF excimer laser light (wavelength 248 nm), or vacuum ultraviolet light such as F ₂ laser light (wavelength 157 nm). Moreover, as illumination light, the single wavelength laser beam of the infrared region or visible region oscillated from the DFB semiconductor laser or fiber laser is amplified by a fiber amplifier doped with erbium (or both erbium and ytterbium), You may use the harmonic which wavelength-converted into ultraviolet light using the nonlinear optical crystal. A solid laser (wavelength: 355 nm, 266 nm) or the like may be used.

Further, the case where the projection optical system 14 is a multi-lens projection optical system including a plurality of optical systems has been described, but the number of projection optical systems is not limited to this, and one or more projection optical systems may be used. The projection optical system is not limited to a multi-lens projection optical system, and may be a projection optical system using an Offner type large mirror. Further, the projection optical system 14 may be an enlargement system or a reduction system.

Further, the use of the exposure apparatus is not limited to the exposure apparatus for liquid crystal that transfers the liquid crystal display element pattern to the square glass plate, but is used for the exposure apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, for semiconductor manufacturing. The present invention can be widely applied to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing an exposure apparatus, a thin film magnetic head, a micromachine, a DNA chip, and the like. Moreover, in order to manufacture not only microdevices such as semiconductor elements but also masks or reticles used in light exposure apparatuses, EUV exposure apparatuses, X-ray exposure apparatuses, electron beam exposure apparatuses, etc., glass substrates, silicon wafers, etc. The present invention can also be applied to an exposure apparatus that transfers a circuit pattern.

The object to be exposed is not limited to the glass plate, but may be another object such as a wafer, a ceramic substrate, a film member, or a mask blank. When the exposure object is a substrate for a flat panel display, the thickness of the substrate is not particularly limited, and includes a film-like (flexible sheet-like member). The exposure apparatus of the present embodiment is particularly effective when a substrate having a side length or diagonal length of 500 mm or more is an exposure target.

For electronic devices such as liquid crystal display elements (or semiconductor elements), the step of designing the function and performance of the device, the step of producing a mask (or reticle) based on this design step, and the step of producing a glass substrate (or wafer) A lithography step for transferring a mask (reticle) pattern to a glass substrate by the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of each embodiment described above, a development step for developing the exposed glass substrate, and a portion where the resist remains. It is manufactured through an etching step for removing the exposed member of the portion by etching, a resist removing step for removing a resist that has become unnecessary after etching, a device assembly step, an inspection step, and the like. In this case, in the lithography step, the above-described exposure method is executed using the exposure apparatus of the above embodiment, and a device pattern is formed on the glass substrate. Therefore, a highly integrated device can be manufactured with high productivity. .

As described above, the object holding device of the present invention is suitable for holding an object. The exposure apparatus of the present invention is suitable for forming a predetermined pattern on an object. Moreover, the manufacturing method of the flat panel display of this invention is suitable for manufacture of a flat panel display. The device manufacturing method of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing micro devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Liquid crystal exposure apparatus, 20 ... Substrate stage apparatus, 22 ... Fine movement stage, 50 ... Surface plate part, 60 ... Pipe line part, 70 ... Holder part, 72 ... Base part, 74 ... Chuck part, P ... Substrate.

Claims

An object holding device for holding an object,
A plurality of first members each including a first holding surface for holding the object, and a first portion and a second portion provided at different positions on the back side of the first holding surface;
A second holding surface for holding the first member, wherein the second part of the first part and the second part is fixed to the second holding surface;
A base part;
A conduit portion provided between the base portion and the second member, and having a conduit that allows gas to pass through the second member and communicate with the first portion of the first member. ,
The first member holds the object using the gas passing through the first portion, and holds the object removed from the second member when the second portion is released from being fixed to the second holding surface. apparatus.
The object holding device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is adsorbed to the second holding surface.
The object holding device according to claim 2, wherein the second part has a structure that is vacuum-sucked.
The second portion includes a plurality of pin portions capable of holding the lower surface of the object at a plurality of points, a wall portion surrounding the plurality of pin portions, and a hole portion formed inside the wall portion. The object holding device according to claim 2, wherein the object is sucked and held by sucking the gas in the wall through the hole.
The pipeline section is
A first conduit for passing a gas holding the object;
The object holding device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: a second pipe that allows a gas that adsorbs the second portion to the second holding surface to pass therethrough.
6. The object holding device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the second part is adhered to the second holding surface with an adhesive.
The object holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first member is formed of a porous material.
The object holding device according to claim 2 or 7, wherein one of the second portion and the second holding surface includes a magnet, and the other includes a magnetic material.
The second member can be divided into a plurality of partial members,
The object holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an area of the first member is smaller than an area of the partial member.
10. The object holding device according to claim 1, wherein the first member sucks gas from the first holding surface and sucks and holds the object on the first holding surface.
The object holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first member jets gas from the first holding surface and levitates and supports the object on the first holding surface.
The object holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
An exposure apparatus comprising: a pattern forming apparatus that forms a predetermined pattern on the object held by the object holding apparatus using an energy beam.
The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the object is a substrate used for a flat panel display.
The exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the substrate has a length of at least one side or a diagonal length of 500 mm or more.
Exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 12 or 13,
Developing the exposed substrate. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display.
Exposing the object using the exposure apparatus of claim 14;
Developing the exposed object.
An object holding method for holding an object,
The first holding surface for holding the object, and a plurality of first members each including a first portion and a second portion provided at different positions on the back side of the first holding surface. Holding,
A second holding surface for holding the first member, wherein the second part of the first part and the second part is fixed to the second holding surface; Holding the first member;
A gas pipe is provided between a base part and the second member, and has a pipe line that communicates with the first part of the first member through the second member and allows gas to pass therethrough. Passing, and
Holding the object using the plurality of first members includes holding the object using the gas passing through the first portion;
Removing the first member from the second member by releasing the fixing of the second part to the second holding surface.