Chamber, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

• US 7,078,706 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Nikita
• Assistant Examiner(s): Souw, Bernard E.
• Application Number:
  US10/859,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20050011581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.3, 250/440.11, 250/441.11, 250/442.11, 250/306, 250/307, 2504921-4922, 250/491.1, 378/20, 378/34
• US Class Current: 250/440.11
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2300/62 low pressure, e.g. elements operating under vacuum conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 29/025 Hydrostatic or aerostatic this type of bearing for rotary parts F16C32/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 32/0603 supported by a gas cushion, e.g. an air cushion
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/748 flowing to or from the sealing gap, e.g. vacuum seals with differential exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70841 Constructional issues related to vacuum environment, e.g. load-lock chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70975 Assembly, maintenance, transport or storage of apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed is a chamber having a static-pressure bearing disposed therein, the chamber including an inside pressure gauge for detecting an inside pressure of said chamber, and a pressure controller for decreasing the inside pressure of the chamber on the basis of the detection made through the inside pressure gauge. This arrangement effectively prevents unwanted increase of the chamber inside pressure and avoids local breakage of the chamber.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to a pattern, said apparatus comprising:

a chamber in which a vacuum ambience is to be formed;

a stage disposed in said chamber and configured to hold the substrate and to move;

a static-pressure bearing disposed in said chamber and configured to guide movement of said stage;

a supply-system piping configured to supply a gas to said static-pressure bearing from an outside of said chamber;

an exhaust-system piping configured to discharge a gas, supplied to said static-pressure bearing from said supply-system piping, to an outside of said chamber to prevent the gas from leaking into said chamber; and

A check valve configured to allow a gas to flow from an inside of said chamber to an outside of said chamber.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is configured to expose the substrate to one of an X-ray beam, EUV light and an electron beam.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said static-pressure bearing is configured to be supplied with one of a nitrogen gas, a helium gas and an inactive gas.

4. A method of manufacturing a device, said method comprising steps of:

exposing a substrate to a pattern using an exposure apparatus as defined in claim 1;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate to manufacture the device.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check valve is configured to open when pressure of an ambience inside said chamber is higher than pressure of an ambience outside said chamber.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check valve is configured to open when pressure of an ambience inside said chamber is higher than pressure of an ambience outside said chamber by a predetermined amount.