Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus and method for exposing substrate plate

• US 20030164934A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 09/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nishi, Kenji, Kiuchi, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 6,864,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/72
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70358 Scanning exposure, i.e. relative movement of patterned beam and workpiece during imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/707 Chucks, e.g. chucking or un-chucking operations or structural details
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70708 being electrostatic; Electrostatically deformable vacuum chucks
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70991 Connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure stations, particular arrangement of exposure apparatus and pre-exposure and/or post-exposure apparatus; Shared apparatus, e.g. having shared radiation source, shared mask or workpiece stage, shared base-plate; Utilities, e.g. cable, pipe or wireless arrangements for data, power, fluids or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68 for positioning, orientation or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6838 with gripping and holding devices using a vacuum; Bernoulli devices

Abstract

The stage apparatus has a movable stage structure body which holds a substrate plate to be processed and is movable on a base structure body. This stage apparatus comprises a receipt edge orifice disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is disposed at said stage structure body; and a feed edge orifice being detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice at a predetermined position on a base structure body and providing or discharging a predetermined fluid to the receipt edge orifice during said engagement of said feed edge orifice with said receipt edge orifice.

Claims

1. A stage apparatus having a movable stage structure body which holds a substrate plate and which is movable on a base structure body, comprising:

a receipt edge orifice disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is disposed at said movable stage structure body; and

a feed edge orifice being detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice at a predetermined position on the base structure body and providing or discharging a predetermined fluid to the receipt edge orifice during said engagement of said feed edge orifice with said receipt edge orifice.

2. The stage apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined position where said feed edge orifice is detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice is a position where an exchange of the substrate plate already processed for another substrate to be processed is conducted.

3. The stage apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable stage structure body includes a volume expansion chamber communicating with said fluid path and having a predetermined volume therein in a sealed manner.

4. The stage apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable stage structure body includes a valve mechanism for blocking communication between said fluid path and atmosphere during non-engagement of said receipt edge orifice with said feed edge orifice.

5. The stage apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a control unit for controlling said valve mechanism;

and

wherein said valve mechanism comprises an electromagnetic valve which is switched between an open and a close state based on a command from said control unit

6. An exposure apparatus comprising a stage apparatus, said stage apparatus having a movable stage structure body being movably supported on a base structure body and holding a photosensitive substrate plate onto which patterns formed on a mask is transcribed, said stage apparatus including:

a receipt edge orifice disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is provided in said movable stage structure body; and

a feed edge orifice being detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice at a predetermined position on the base structure body at each time of exposing the photosensitive substrate plate and providing or discharging a predetermined-fluid to the receipt edge orifice during said engagement of said feed edge orifice with said receipt edge orifice.

7. The exposure apparatus as claimed in claim 6, said exposure apparatus being a scanning type exposure apparatus for exposing said photosensitive substrate plate in a scanning manner to transcribe said patterns on said photosensitive substrate plate while said mask and said photosensitive substrate plate move relative to each other.

8. A method for exposing a substrate plate to transcribe patterns formed on a mask onto said substrate plate by using an exposure light passing through said mask, comprising a step of:

detachably engaging a receipt edge orifice with a feed edge orifice prior to an exposure operation on a base structure body , said receipt edge orifice being disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is provided in a movable stage structure body which is movable on said base structure body, and feed edge orifice being engageable with said receipt edge orifice so as to provide or discharge a predetermined fluid to the receipt edge orifice.

9. The method for exposing the substrate plate as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a step of causing a valve mechanism in a blocking manner, said valve mechanism blocking communication between said fluid path disposed at said movable stage structure body and atmosphere during non-engagement of said receipt edge orifice with said feed edge orifice.