MICROACTUATOR, OPTICAL DEVICE AND EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20110187810A1
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: OWA, Soichi, SUZUKI, Junji
• Granted Patent: US 8,570,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/248
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/042 Micromirrors, not used as optical switches
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/053 Translation according to an axis perpendicular to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/058 Rotation out of a plane parallel to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0051 For defining the movement, i.e. structures that guide or limit the movement of an element mechanical arrangements for preventing or damping vibration or shock H01H3/60
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70291 Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70825 Mounting of individual elements, e.g. mounts, holders or supports workpiece or mask holders G03F7/707
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods

Abstract

A pair of support members each having a spring section in a part thereof support a mirror element, and a pair of drive mechanisms arranged respectively corresponding to a pair of the support members transform the spring sections of the corresponding support members, thereby changing a distance between each of support points at which the support members support the mirror element and a base. Accordingly, the mirror element can be translated by driving all of the drive mechanisms, or the mirror element can be inclined with respect to the base by driving some of the drive mechanisms.

Claims

1. A microactuator that drives a driven body, the microactuator comprising:

a support member having a pair of elastic sections, a coupling section that couples the elastic sections, and a connecting section that connects the coupling section and the driven body; and

a pair of drive mechanisms that are arranged respectively corresponding to a pair of the elastic sections, wherein

each of a pair of the drive mechanisms changes an attitude of the driven body by transforming its corresponding elastic section.

2. An optical device, comprising:

an optical element; and

the microactuator according to claim 1 that drives the optical element serving as the driven body.

3. The optical device according to claim 2, wherein

a plurality of the optical elements and a plurality of the microactuators are provided.

4. The optical device according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the optical elements are placed in an array shape.

5. The optical device according to claim 2, wherein the optical element is a mirror element having a reflection surface.

6. The optical device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a controller that drives and controls one, or two or more of the drive mechanisms.

7. The optical device according to claim 6, wherein

the optical element is a mirror element having a reflection surface, and

the controller switches a state of each of the reflection surfaces between a first ON state where the reflection surface is positioned on a first plane that is parallel to a predetermined reference plane and is a first predetermined distance away from the reference plane, a second ON state where the reflection surface is positioned on a second plane that is parallel to the reference plane and is a second predetermined distance away from the reference plane, and an OFF state where the reflection surface is inclined with respect to the reference plane, the second predetermined distance being different from the first predetermined distance.

8. An exposure apparatus that exposes an object, the apparatus comprising:

the optical device according to claim 7 that generates a predetermined pattern by being irradiated with an illumination light, wherein

a phase of the illumination light via an optical element in the first ON state and a phase of the illumination light via an optical element in the second ON state shift from each other by a half wavelength.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a movable body that moves holding the object, wherein the controller controls each of the drive mechanisms in synchronization with movement of the movable body in a predetermined direction.

10. A device manufacturing method including a lithography process, wherein

in the lithography process, exposure is performed using the exposure apparatus according to claim 8.

11. An exposure apparatus that exposes an object using an illumination light, the apparatus comprising:

the optical device according to claim 6 that is placed on an optical path of the illumination light, wherein the object is exposed using the illumination light via the optical device.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the optical device generates a predetermined pattern by being irradiated with the illumination light.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a movable body that moves holding the object, wherein the controller controls each of the drive mechanisms in synchronization with movement of the movable body in a predetermined direction.

14. A device manufacturing method including a lithography process, wherein

in the lithography process, exposure is performed using the exposure apparatus according to claim 11.

15. A microactuator that drives a driven body, the microactuator comprising:

a support member which supports the driven body, and a part of which has an elastic force in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined plane and in a torsion direction with respect to the predetermined plane; and

a pair of drive mechanisms that are arranged on both sides with the support member in between, and can each make a force in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined plane act on the driven body.

16. An optical device, comprising:

an optical element; and

the microactuator according to claim 15 that drives the optical element serving as the driven body.

17. The optical device according to claim 16, wherein a plurality of the optical elements and a plurality of the microactuators are provided.

18. The optical device according to claim 17, wherein a plurality of the optical elements are placed in an array shape.

19. The optical device according to claim 16, wherein the optical element is a mirror element having a reflection surface.

20. The optical device according to claim 16, further comprising:

a controller that drives and controls one, or two or more of the drive mechanisms.

21. The optical device according to claim 20, wherein the optical element is a mirror element having a reflection surface, and

the controller switches a state of each of the reflection surfaces between a first ON state where the reflection surface is positioned on a first plane that is parallel to a predetermined reference plane and is a first predetermined distance away from the reference plane, a second ON state where the reflection surface is positioned on a second plane that is parallel to the reference plane and is a second predetermined distance away from the reference plane, and an OFF state where the reflection surface is inclined with respect to the reference plane, the second predetermined distance being different from the first predetermined distance.

22. An exposure apparatus that exposes an object, the apparatus comprising:

the optical device according to claim 21 that generates a predetermined pattern by being irradiated with an illumination light, wherein

a phase of the illumination light via an optical element in the first ON state and a phase of the illumination light via an optical element in the second ON state shift from each other by a half wavelength.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

a movable body that moves holding the object, wherein the controller controls each of the drive mechanisms in synchronization with movement of the movable body in a predetermined direction.

24. A device manufacturing method including a lithography process, wherein

in the lithography process, exposure is performed using the exposure apparatus according to claim 22.

25. An exposure apparatus that exposes an object using an illumination light, the apparatus comprising:

the optical device according to claim 20 that is placed on an optical path of the illumination light, wherein

the object is exposed using the illumination light via the optical device.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the optical device generates a predetermined pattern by being irradiated with the illumination light.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising:

a movable body that moves holding the object, wherein the controller controls each of the drive mechanisms in synchronization with movement of the movable body in a predetermined direction.

28. A device manufacturing method including a lithography process, wherein

in the lithography process, exposure is performed using the exposure apparatus according to claim 25.

29. A microactuator that drives a plurality of mirror elements of an optical device used to expose a substrate in a lithography process, the microactuator comprising:

a plurality of support members that respectively support the plurality of mirror elements of the optical device, each support member having an elastic section in a part thereof; and

a plurality of drive mechanisms respectively corresponding to the plurality of support members, wherein

each of the plurality of drive mechanisms changes a distance between a support point at which the corresponding support member supports the respective mirror element and a predetermined reference plane, by transforming the elastic section of the corresponding support member,

the microactuator controls each drive mechanism to thereby control the distance between the support point at which the corresponding support member supports the respective mirror element and the predetermined reference plane, to thereby switch a state of the respective mirror element between a first ON state where a reflection surface of the respective mirror element is positioned on a first plane that is parallel to a predetermined reference plane and is a first predetermined distance away from the reference plane, a second ON state where the reflection surface of the respective mirror element is positioned on a second plane that is parallel to the reference plane and is a second predetermined distance away from the reference plane, and an OFF state where the reflection surface of the respective mirror element is inclined with respect to the reference plane, the second predetermined distance being different from the first predetermined distance,

when the respective mirror element is in the first ON state, the positioning of the respective mirror element causes illumination light reflected by the respective mirror element to be incident on a projection optical system,

when the respective mirror element is in the second ON state, the positioning of the respective mirror element causes illumination light reflected by the respective mirror element to be incident on the projection optical system and have a phase shift of half wavelength from the illumination light reflected when the respective mirror element is in the first ON state, and

when the respective mirror element is in the OFF state, the positioning of the respective mirror element causes illumination light reflected by the respective mirror element to not be incident on the projection optical system.

30. An apparatus comprising:

a variable shaped mask including a plurality of mirror elements; and

a microactuator that, for each respective mirror element of the variable shaped mask, switches a state of the respective mirror element between a first ON state where the respective mirror element is positioned on a first plane that is parallel to a predetermined reference plane and is a first predetermined distance away from the reference plane, a second ON state where the respective mirror element is positioned on a second plane that is parallel to the reference plane and is a second predetermined distance away from the reference plane, and an OFF state where the respective mirror element is inclined with respect to the reference plane, the second predetermined distance being different from the first predetermined distance.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein

when the respective mirror element is in the first ON state, the positioning of the respective mirror element causes illumination light reflected by the respective mirror element to be incident on a projection optical system,

when the respective mirror element is in the second ON state, the positioning of the respective mirror element causes illumination light reflected by the respective mirror element to be incident on the projection optical system and have a phase shift of half wavelength from the illumination light reflected when the respective mirror element is in the first ON state, and

when the respective mirror element is in the OFF state, the positioning of the respective mirror element causes illumination light reflected by the respective mirror element to not be incident on the projection optical system.

32. An apparatus comprising:

a variable shaped mask including a plurality of mirror elements; and

means, for each respective mirror element of the variable shaped mask, for switching a state of the respective mirror element between a first ON state where the respective mirror element is positioned on a first plane that is parallel to a predetermined reference plane and is a first predetermined distance away from the reference plane, a second ON state where the respective mirror element is positioned on a second plane that is parallel to the reference plane and is a second predetermined distance away from the reference plane, and an OFF state where the respective mirror element is inclined with respect to the reference plane, the second predetermined distance being different from the first predetermined distance.