EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20100304307A1
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: AOKI, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,395,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/319
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/709 Vibration, e.g. vibration detection, compensation, suppression or isolation

Abstract

While one ends of ropes are respectively tied to a −Y side leg section and a +Y side leg section of a frame caster, the other ends of the ropes hang down in a −Z direction via a plurality of pulleys fixed to the upper sections of frames that are each separated from an apparatus main body, and a weight having a weight corresponding to a half the weight to be reduced is tied to each of the other ends. In this case, even if the apparatus main body oscillates in vertical or lateral directions (normal directions of the pulleys) owing to the action of a vibration isolation table, the position of the weight only vertically moves by rotation of the pulleys, and the reduced amount of the apparatus weight does not vary. Further, since any coil springs are not used, sympathetic vibration with the apparatus main body and the vibration isolation table does not occur, which allows the attenuation characteristics of the vibration isolation table to be improved. Therefore, the exposure apparatus can be increased in size without inducing the cost rise.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes an object with an energy beam and forms a pattern on the object, the apparatus comprising:

an exposure apparatus main body that performs exposure of the object; and

a weight reduction device, a part of which is connected to a supported section that includes at least a part of the exposure apparatus main body, and which generates a lifting force to lift the supported section upward by making use of an empty weight of a heavy load, and reduces a weight acting on a supporting section that supports the supported section from below.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the weight reduction device reduces the weight acting on the supporting section while maintaining contact between the supported section and the supporting section.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the lifting force to lift the supported section upward is less than or equal to around a weight of the supported section.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the supporting section restrains displacement of the supported section within a horizontal plane.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the weight reduction device includes the heavy load that has a weight corresponding to the weight to be reduced, and at least one long connecting member that has one end and the other end respectively connected to the heavy load and the supported section and has a mid portion on which a predetermined tensile force is given such that the weight of the heavy load serves as the lifting force.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the other end of the at least one connecting member is connected to the supported section via a vibration isolation member.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the at least one connecting member has a mid portion in a longitudinal direction that is wrapped around an intermediate support member placed separately from the exposure apparatus main body.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the intermediate support member has one or a plurality of pulleys, and

the at least one connecting member has the mid portion that is wrapped around the pulleys.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the supporting section is arranged at a part of the exposure apparatus main body, and

the at least one connecting member has the other end that is connected to the supported section, and the mid portion that is wrapped around an intermediate support member arranged at the part of the exposure apparatus main body where the supporting section is arranged.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the intermediate support member has one or a plurality of pulleys, and

the at least one connecting member has the mid portion that is wrapped around the pulleys.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the at least one connecting member is made up of any one of a wire formed by twisted steel wires, a chain and a belt formed by a synthetic resin material.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the weight reduction device has the heavy load that has a weight corresponding to the weight to be reduced, and a lever mechanism that has one end serving as a point of effort and the other end serving as a point of load that are respectively connected to the heavy load and the supported section, and enlarges the weight of the heavy load in accordance with a lever ratio.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the lever mechanism is a two-stage lever mechanism.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the lever mechanism has the one end connected to the heavy load via a connecting member.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the connecting member has one end connected to the lever mechanism and the other end connected to the heavy load via a pulley.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the connecting member is made up of any one of a wire formed by twisted steel wires, a chain and a belt formed by a synthetic resin material.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the supporting section includes a vibration isolation device that supports the supported section from below.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the supported section is supported at a plurality of support points by the supporting section, and

a plurality of the weight reduction devices are provided so as to correspond to the number of the plurality of support points, and a part of each of the plurality of the weight reduction devices is connected to the supported section at each of a plurality of positions that correspond to the plurality of support points.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

each of the plurality of support points is a hinged joint support point.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the supported section includes an optical surface plate on which an optical member is mounted.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein

the optical member includes a projection system.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the projection system includes a plurality of optical systems placed in a predetermined positional relation.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the supported section includes a metrology frame on which an optical system to project the energy beam on the object is mounted.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the heavy load is a part of the exposure apparatus main body.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the object is a substrate with a size not less than 500 mm.

26. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing an object using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and

developing the object that has been exposed.

27. A flat-panel display manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing a substrate for a flat-panel display using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and

developing the substrate that has been exposed.