Stage apparatus and exposure apparatus

• US 20070188732A1
• Filed: 08/02/2005
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shibazaki, Yuichi, Okumura, Masahiko, Hidaka, Yasuhiro
• Application Number:
  US11/659,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188732A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/72
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70775 Position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position

Abstract

The position of a movable stage is detected without increasing cost or the size of apparatus. An apparatus comprises movable stages (WST, MST) that move along a plane of motion (12a); and a position-detection apparatus that detects the positions of the movable stages (WST, MST) with beams (B1 to B3). The apparatus further comprises driving apparatuses (82, 84) that drives the movable stages (WST, MST); follow-up optical members (30 to 33) which are provided on the driving apparatuses (81, 84) and cause the beams (B1 to B3) to follow the movable stages (WST, MST) as the movable stages (WST, MST) move; and first optical members (34 to 39) which are provided on the movable stages (WST, MST) and are optically coupled with the follow-up optical members (30 to 33).

Claims

1. A stage apparatus comprising:

a movable stage that moves along a plane of motion; and

a position-detection apparatus that detects a position of the movable stage with a beam,

the stage apparatus further comprising;

a driving apparatus that drives the movable stage;

a follow-up optical member that is provided at the driving apparatus and causes the beam to follow the movable stage as the movable stage moves; and

a first optical member that is provided on the movable stage and is optically coupled with the follow-up optical member.

2. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position-detection apparatus comprises a correction apparatus that corrects an optical error in the follow-up optical member resulting from the driving apparatus.

3. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature regulator that adjusts a temperature of a space in which at least the follow-up optical member performs follow-up movement.

9. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first optical members is provided on the stage.

10. The stage apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the position-detection apparatus has a plurality of measurement points set at positions apart from the first optical members according to the respective positions of the plurality of first optical members, and

at least one of the plurality of measurement points is set to an incident side of the beam from the first optical members.

11. The stage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of measurement points is set at positions surrounding at least part of the movable stage.

12. The stage apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the position-detection apparatus detects an amount of tilting of the movable stage.

21. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position-detection apparatus comprises an interferometer.

22. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern onto a substrate using a stage apparatus, wherein the stage apparatus is a stage apparatus according to claim 1.

4. A stage apparatus comprising:

a movable stage that moves along a plane of motion; and

a position-detection apparatus that detects a position of the movable stage,

the stage apparatus further comprising;

a first optical member that is provided on the movable stage;

a second optical member that changes the direction of a beam from a light source towards the first optical member; and

a follow-up apparatus that causes the second optical member to follow a movement of the movable stage.

5. The stage apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the movable stage can move in a first direction and a second direction along the plane of motion,

the second optical member changes the direction of the beam towards the first direction, and

the follow-up apparatus drives the second optical member along the second direction.

6. The stage apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a temperature regulator that adjusts a temperature of a space in which at least the second optical member performs follow-up movement.

7. A stage apparatus comprising:

a movable stage that moves along a plane of motion; and

a position-detection apparatus that detects a position of the movable stage,

the stage apparatus further comprising;

a first optical member that is provided on the movable stage and changes the direction of an incident beam towards a direction intersecting the plane of motion; and

a second optical member that is provided on the movable stage and changes the direction of the beam from the first optical member towards a direction intersecting the plane of motion.

8. The stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an angle by which the beam is changed the direction by the first optical member differs from an angle by which the beam is changed the direction by the second optical member.

13. A stage apparatus comprising:

a movable stage that moves along a plane of motion; and

a position-detection apparatus that detects a position of the movable stage with a beam,

the stage apparatus further comprising;

optical separation members that are provided on the movable stage, each of the optical dividing members divides the beam into a first measuring beam along the plane of motion and a second measuring beam intersecting the plane of motion; and

a reflecting member that has a first reflecting surface and a second reflecting surface, the first reflecting surface reflecting the first measuring beam towards the optical separation members, the second reflecting surface reflecting the second measuring beam towards the optical separation members.

14. The stage apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the optical separation members are provided at three locations of the movable stage, and

the position-detection apparatus detects an amount of tilting of the movable stage and a position of the movable stage in a direction orthogonal to the plane of motion.

15. A stage apparatus comprising:

a first movable stage that moves along a plane of motion;

a second movable stage that moves along the plane of motion; and

a position-detection apparatus that detects positions of the first movable stage and the second movable stage with a beam,

the stage apparatus further comprising;

an optical separation system that divides the beam into a first beam and a second beam such that height positions in a direction orthogonal to the plane of motion are the same;

a first optical system that is provided at the first movable stage, changes the height position of the first beam having been incident, and emits the first beam; and

a second optical system that is provided at the second movable stage, changes the height position of the second beam having been incident, and emits the second beam.

16. The stage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the height position of the first beam emitted from the first optical system differs from the height position of the second beam emitted from the second optical system.

20. The stage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

a plurality of the first optical systems and a plurality of the second optical systems are provided, and

the position-detection apparatus detects an amount of tilting of the first movable stage and an amount of tilting of the second stage.

17. A stage apparatus comprising:

a first movable stage that moves along a plane of motion;

a second movable stage that moves along the plane of motion; and

a position-detection apparatus that detects positions of the first movable stage and the second movable stage,

the stage apparatus further comprising;

a first optical system that is provided on the first movable stage;

a second optical system that is provided on the second movable stage; and

a reflecting member that reflects a first beam from the first optical system and a second beam from the second optical system.

18. The stage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the reflecting member comprises a first reflecting surface having an angle causing the first reflecting surface to intersect the plane of motion and a second reflecting surface having an angle causing the second reflecting surface to intersect the first reflecting surface.

19. The stage apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are integrally formed.

23. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern onto a substrate via liquid supplied to the substrate, the exposure apparatus comprising:

a first substrate table that has a support surface, the support surface supporting the substrate;

a first stage main body that is provided below the first substrate table and has at least one side surface positioned towards an inner side from a side surface of the first substrate table;

a first optical member that is provided on the at least one side surface of the first stage main body and that upon which a beam is incident and from which the beam is emitted in a direction intersecting the support surface; and

a first position-detection apparatus that detects a position of the substrate in the direction intersecting the support surface in conjunction with the first optical member.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a first driving apparatus that drives the first stage main body and has a first mover and a first stator, the first mover provided on the first stage main body, the first stator operating in conjunction with the first mover.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the stage main body has an aperture and the mover is provided in the aperture.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

a second substrate table that has a support surface;

a second stage main body that is provided below the second substrate table and has at least one side surface positioned towards an inner side from a side surface of the second substrate table;

a second optical member that is provided on the at least one side surface of the second stage main body and that upon which a beam is incident and from which the beam is emitted in a direction intersecting the support surface; and

a second position-detection apparatus that detects a position in the direction intersecting the support surface in conjunction with the second optical member.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising a second driving apparatus that drives the second stage main body and has a second mover and a second stator, the second mover provided on the second stage main body, the second stator operating in conjunction with the second mover.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising a control apparatus that controls the first driving apparatus and the second driving apparatus to cause the first stage main body and the second stage main body to be close to each other.

29. The exposure apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the control apparatus causes the first stage main body and the second stage main body to be close to each other after exposure of the pattern onto the substrate ends.