ALIGNING APPARATUS, ALIGNING METHOD, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20090123853A1
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Arai, Dai
• Application Number:
  US11/630,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20090123853A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/749.600
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70758 Drive means, e.g. actuators, motors for long- or short-stroke modules or fine or coarse driving
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/709 Vibration, e.g. vibration detection, compensation, suppression or isolation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/682 Mask-wafer alignment in general G03F7/70, G03F9/70

Abstract

An aligning apparatus and the like are provided which can improve stage alignment accuracy during stage acceleration and suppress the generation of internal vibration of the stage to improve throughput. An aligning apparatus including a table part (43) with an aligning target object (W) placed thereon and movable at least in a uniaxial direction, a driving part that applies a driving force (F) to the table part (43) in the uniaxial direction, and a position measuring part (48) that measures a position in the uniaxial direction of the table part, wherein the table part (43) comprises actuators (96, 97), provided at one or more among somewhere between two points, one being a point of application of force (91) at which the driving force (F) is applied and the other being an aligning target point (92) upon which the aligning target object W is placed, somewhere between two points, one being a point to be measured (93) by the position measuring part and the other being the aligning target point (92), and somewhere between two points, one being the point of application of force (91) and the other being the measured point (93), to maintain relative positions between the respective two points substantially constant.

Claims

1. An aligning apparatus including a table part with an aligning target object placed thereon and movable at least in a uniaxial direction, a driving part that applies a driving force to the table part in the uniaxial direction, and a position measuring part that measures a position in the uniaxial direction of the table part, wherein

the table part comprises actuators, provided in one or more among somewhere between two points, one being a point of application of force at which the driving force is applied and the other being an aligning target point upon which the aligning target object is placed, somewhere between two points, one being a point to be measured by the position measuring part and the other being the aligning target point, and somewhere between two points, one being the point of application of force and the other being the measured point, to maintain relative positions between the respective two points substantially constant.

2. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the table part comprises an actuator that maintains a relative position between two points, one being a predetermined member in the table part and the other being the point of application of force, substantially constant.

3. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuators are driven upon acceleration and/or deceleration of the table part.

4. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuators provide a change in rigidity between the two points, respectively.

5. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuators exert a predetermined force between the two points, respectively.

6. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuators themselves construct at least one of the respective distances between the two points.

7. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuators are piezoelectric actuators.

12. An exposure apparatus, including a mask stage that holds a mask and a substrate stage that holds a substrate, that exposes a pattern formed on the mask onto the substrate,

wherein the aligning apparatus according to claim 1 is used for at least either of the mask stage and the substrate stage.

13. An exposure apparatus that forms a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

wherein the aligning apparatus according to claim 1 is used for aligning the substrate.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the exposure apparatus is a scanning type exposure apparatus for irradiating exposure light to the substrate while moving the substrate, and the exposure light is irradiated to the substrate during at least either acceleration or deceleration of the substrate.

18. A device manufacturing method including a lithography process, wherein the exposure apparatus according to claim 12 is used in the lithography process.

20. The aligning apparatus according to claim 18 further comprising an actuator that exerts a predetermined force between the point of application of force and the aligning target point depending on the driving force generated by the drive unit.

8. An aligning method that places an aligning target object on a table part movable at least in a uniaxial direction and measuring a position in the uniaxial direction of the table part while applying a driving force to the table part in the uniaxial direction to move the aligning target object to a predetermined position,

wherein upon acceleration and/or deceleration of the table part,

one or more relative positions between two points, one being a point of application of force of the table part at which the driving force is applied and the other being an aligning target point upon which the aligning target object is placed, between two points, one being a point in the table part to be measured by a position measuring part and the other being the aligning target point, and between two points, one being the point of application of force and the other being the measured point, are maintained substantially constant.

9. The aligning method according to claim 8, wherein the relative position between two points, one being a predetermined member in the table part and the other being the point of application of force, is maintained substantially constant concurrently.

10. The aligning method according to claim 8, wherein rigidity between the two points is changed.

11. The aligning method according to claim 8, wherein a predetermine force is exerted between the two points.

15. An exposure method that aligns a mask placed on a mask stage and a substrate placed on a substrate stage to each other to expose a pattern formed on the mask onto the substrate,

wherein the aligning method according to claim 8 is used as at least either of an aligning method for the mask and an aligning method for the substrate.

16. An exposure method that forms a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

wherein the aligning method according to claim 8 is used for aligning the substrate.

17. The exposure method according to claim 15,

wherein the exposure method is a scanning type exposure method for irradiating exposure light to the substrate while moving the substrate, and the exposure light is irradiated to the substrate during at least either acceleration or deceleration of the substrate.

19. An aligning apparatus including a table part that places an object thereon and a drive unit that moves the table part,

wherein the relative position between a point of application of force of the table part at which a driving force of the drive unit is applied and an aligning target point in the object is maintained substantially constant.

21. An exposure apparatus that forms a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

wherein the aligning apparatus according to claim 19 is used for aligning the substrate.

25. A device manufacturing method including a lithography process, wherein the exposure apparatus according to claim 21 is used in the lithography process.

22. An aligning method for placing an object on a table part and moving the table part by means of a drive unit,

wherein the relative position between a point of application of force of the table part at which a driving force of the drive unit is applied and an aligning target point in the object is maintained substantially constant.

23. The aligning method according to claim 22, wherein a predetermined force is exerted between the point of application of force and the aligning target point in addition to the driving force depending on the driving force generated by the drive unit.

24. An exposure method that forms a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

wherein the aligning method according to claim 22 is used for aligning the substrate.