STAGE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, DRIVING METHOD, EXPOSING METHOD, AND DEVICE FABRICATING METHOD

• US 20110096306A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: YOSHIMOTO, Hiromitsu
• Application Number:
  US12/887,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20110096306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/30
• 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 7/70775 Position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position

Abstract

A stage apparatus includes a guide member that extends in first directions, that moves in second directions, which are substantially orthogonal to the first directions; two second moving bodies, which are provided along the guide member such that they are independently moveable in the first directions, that move in the second directions together with the guide member by the movement of the first moving body; and a holding member that holds an object and is supported by the two second moving bodies such that it is capable of moving within a two dimensional plane that includes at least the first directions and the second directions.

Claims

1. A stage apparatus, comprising:

a first moving body, which comprises a guide member that extends in first directions, that moves in second directions, which are substantially orthogonal to the first directions;

two second moving bodies, which are provided along the guide member such that they are independently moveable in the first directions, that move in the second directions together with the guide member by the movement of the first moving body; and

a holding member that holds an object and is supported by the two second moving bodies such that it is capable of moving within a two dimensional plane that includes at least the first directions and the second directions.

2. A stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the holding member has a measurement surface that can be measured from a surface on the reverse side of a holding surface whereto the object is held and comprises a measuring apparatus that measures the measurement surface from the reverse side of the holding surface and obtains information related to the position of the holding member.

3. A stage apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

at least part of the holding member is a solid part wherethrough light can travel and the holding member has the measurement surface, which is disposed on the holding surface side and opposing the solid part;

a grating, whose directions of periodicity are parallel to at least one of the directions selected from the group consisting of the first directions and the second directions, is disposed on the measurement surface; and

the measuring apparatus radiates a measurement beam from the reverse side to the measurement surface, receives the returning beam of the measurement beam from the grating, and measures the position of the holding member within the two dimensional plane.

4. A stage apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the measuring apparatus measures information related to the position of the holding member at a processing position at which a prescribed process is performed on the object.

5. A stage apparatus according to claim 1 comprising:

a drive apparatus, which is provided between the pair of second moving bodies and the holding member, that drives the holding member with respect to the pair of second moving bodies in six degrees of freedom.

6. A stage apparatus according to any one claim of claim 1, comprising:

first and second stage units, each of which has the first moving body and the second moving bodies;

wherein,

the first and second stage units each support a separate holding member and are each capable of moving independently.

7. A stage apparatus according to claim 6, comprising:

a first measuring apparatus that measures information related to the position of the holding member, which is supported by the first stage unit, from the reverse side of the holding surface of the object on the holding member; and

a second measuring apparatus that measures information related to the position of the holding member, which is supported by the second stage unit, from the reverse side of the holding surface of the object on the holding member at a position other than that of the first measuring apparatus.

8. A stage apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the first measuring apparatus measures information related to the position of the object at a first processing position at which a first process is performed on the object;

and

the second measuring apparatus measures information related to the position of the object at a second processing position at which a second process is performed prior to the first process.

9. A stage apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the holding member comprises a control apparatus that performs control such that the holding member is exchanged between the first stage unit and the second stage unit.

10. A stage apparatus according to claim 9, comprising:

a support apparatus, which supports the holding member between the first processing position and the second processing position.

11. A stage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

when the holding member is transferred between the support apparatus and the second moving bodies, the control apparatus moves the pair of second moving bodies in opposite directions on the guide member.

12. An exposure apparatus, which exposes with an energy beam an object held by a stage apparatus, wherein

a stage apparatus according to claim 1 serves as the stage apparatus.

13. An exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the exchange of the object is performed integrally with the holding member.

14. An exposure apparatus according to claim 12 further comprising:

an optical member, which has an emergent surface wherefrom the energy beam emerges; and

a liquid immersion apparatus, which comprises a liquid immersion member that supplies a liquid to a space between the optical member and the holding member held by the second moving bodies.

15. A device fabricating method, comprising:

a process that exposes an object using an exposure apparatus according to claim 12; and

a process that develops the exposed object.

16. A driving method that moves a holding member, which holds an object, within a two-dimensional plane that includes first directions and second directions orthogonal to the first directions, comprising:

moving the first moving body, which comprises a guide member that extends in the first directions, in the second directions;

moving two second moving bodies, which are provided such that they move independently in the first directions along the guide member, in the second directions together with the guide member by the movement of the first moving body; and

supporting the holding member, which holds the object, by the two second moving bodies, synchronously moves the two second moving bodies along the guide member, and moves the holding member in the first directions.

17. A driving method according to claim 16, comprising:

providing first and second stage units, each of which has the first moving body and the second moving bodies; and

independently driving one of the holding members, which is supported by the first stage unit, and the other of the holding members, which is supported by the second stage unit, within a two-dimensional plane.

18. A driving method according to claim 16, comprising:

measuring information related to the position of the holding member from the reverse side of a holding surface of the object on the holding member.

19. An exposing method that drives a stage, which holds an object, and exposes the object with an energy beam, comprising:

driving the stage using a driving method according to claim 16.

20. A device fabricating method, comprising:

exposing an object using an exposing method according to claim 19; and

developing the exposed object.