Exposure Apparatus, Producing Method of Exposure Apparatus, and Producing Method of Microdevice

• US 20080030702A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kawamura, Shuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70791 Large workpieces, e.g. glass substrates for flat panel displays or solar panels
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70833 Mounting of optical systems, e.g. mounting of illumination system, projection system or stage systems on base-plate or ground
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70975 Assembly, maintenance, transport or storage of apparatus

Abstract

An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern formed on a mask (M) onto a photosensitive substrate (P) through a projection optical system (PL), comprising an upper pedestal (26) on which at least one of the projection optical system (PL) and a mask stage (MST) which is to hold the mask (M) is mounted, and a plurality of lower pedestals (6a) which supports the upper pedestal (26) and which has a longitudinal direction in a predetermined direction.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system, comprising

an upper pedestal on which at least one of the projection optical system and a mask stage which is to hold the mask is mounted, and

a plurality of lower pedestals which are separatable from the upper pedestal and which has a longitudinal direction in a predetermined direction.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of intermediate pedestals which connect the upper pedestal and the lower pedestals to each other and which have a longitudinal direction in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper pedestal has a longitudinal direction in the predetermined direction and is connected such that the upper pedestal intersects with the longitudinal direction of the plurality of intermediate pedestals.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper pedestal is connected to at least two of the plurality of intermediate pedestals.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of intermediate pedestals are connected to at least two of the plurality of lower pedestals.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein connections between the upper pedestal, the lower pedestals and the intermediate pedestals are provided with position-adjusting correcting members.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein connections between the upper pedestal, the lower pedestals and the intermediate pedestals respectively have pushing reference surfaces.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a substrate stage which holds the photosensitive substrate is mounted on the lower pedestal.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower pedestal is supported by at least four support members.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a width of a space surrounded by the upper pedestal and the plurality of lower pedestals exceeds 500 mm.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the photosensitive substrate exceeds 500 mm.

29. A producing method of a microdevice, comprising

an exposing step for exposing a predetermined pattern onto a photosensitive substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1, and

a developing step for developing the photosensitive substrate exposed in the exposing step.

31. The producing method of the microdevice according to claim 29, wherein a plurality of flat panel display devices are formed on the photosensitive substrate.

11. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern onto a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system, comprising

a first pedestal provided with at least a portion of an exposure body including the projection optical system, and

a second pedestal which can separate from the first pedestal which supports the first pedestal by a pair of support portions each extending in a first direction as a longitudinal direction, the pair of support being disposed separately in a second direction intersecting with the first direction with the projection optical system interposed therebetween.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first pedestal is provided with at least the projection optical system of the exposure body.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the exposure body includes a mask stage which is to hold a mask, and the first pedestal is provided with at least one of the mask stage and the projection optical system.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the projection optical system and the photosensitive substrate relatively move in a scanning direction, the pattern is exposed onto the photosensitive substrate, and the first direction is substantially parallel to the scanning direction.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second direction is a longitudinal direction of the first pedestal.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second pedestal is separatable from the pair of support portions, a longitudinal direction of the second pedestal is the second direction, and the second pedestal includes a lower pedestal on which a substrate stage which is to hold the photosensitive substrate is mounted.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the second pedestal supports the pair of support portions by means of a pair of the lower pedestals which are separated in the first direction from each other.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second pedestal is separatable from the pair of support portions, a longitudinal direction of the second pedestal is the second direction, and the second pedestal includes a plurality of lower pedestals which are separated from each other in the first direction.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second pedestal includes a surface plate disposed on the lower pedestal such that a longitudinal direction of the surface plate matches with the first direction, and a substrate stage which is to hold the photosensitive substrate is mounted on the surface plate.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second pedestal defines a space where the projection optical system is disposed, by means of the pair of support portions.

22. A producing method of an exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern onto a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system, comprising

disposing a lower pedestal on which a substrate stage which is to hold the photosensitive substrate is mounted,

disposing a plurality of intermediate pedestals on the disposed lower pedestal, and

disposing an upper pedestal on the plurality of disposed intermediate pedestals, the upper pedestal on which at least a portion of an exposure body including the projection optical system is mounted.

23. The producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of intermediate pedestals are disposed on the lower pedestal such that longitudinal directions of the plurality of intermediate pedestals match with a first direction, and the intermediate pedestals are separated from each other in a second direction which intersects with the first direction with the projection optical system interposed therebetween.

24. The producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the upper pedestal is disposed on the plurality of intermediate pedestals such that a longitudinal direction of the upper pedestal matches with the second direction.

25. The producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein a longitudinal direction of the lower pedestal matches with the second direction, and a plurality of the lower pedestals are disposed separately from each other in the first direction.

26. The producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the substrate stage is mounted on a surface plate which is disposed on the lower pedestal such that a longitudinal direction of the surface plate matches with the first direction.

27. The producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the upper pedestal is provided with at least one of the projection optical system and a mask stage which is to hold the mask among the exposure body.

28. The producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein an outer diameter of the photosensitive substrate exceeds 500 mm.

30. A producing method of a microdevice, comprising

an exposing step for exposing a predetermined pattern onto a photosensitive substrate using an exposure apparatus produced by the producing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 22, and

a developing step for developing the photosensitive substrate exposed in the exposing step.