Exposure apparatus

• US 8,421,994 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shibazaki, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitesell Gordon, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US12/234,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/69, 385/25, 385/52
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70883 of optical system
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/709 Vibration, e.g. vibration detection, compensation, suppression or isolation
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70991 Connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure stations, particular arrangement of exposure apparatus and pre-exposure and/or post-exposure apparatus; Shared apparatus, e.g. having shared radiation source, shared mask or workpiece stage, shared base-plate; Utilities, e.g. cable, pipe or wireless arrangements for data, power, fluids or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/005 with inductive power transfer for charging H02J7/025

Abstract

Electric power is generated by using a generator equipped with: a coil unit that is arranged on a barrel platform and incorporates coils; and a magnet unit that has a magnet section arranged on a protruding section of a column separated from the barrel platform in terms of vibration and generates an electromotive force in a non-contact state with the coils, and a motor that drives the magnet section, and thus a wiring that supplies electric power to the barrel platform does not have to be used. Accordingly, vibration that has been propagated to the barrel platform through the wiring can be precluded.

Claims

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

a first member on which a member subject to transmission/reception of an electric signal is arranged;

a second member that is separated from the first member in terms of vibration, the first member and the second member being placed in the exposure apparatus facing each other via a first gap;

a signal transmitting device that includes a first section that is mounted on the first member and transmits and/or receives an electromagnetic wave, and a second section that is mounted on the second member so as to correspond to the first section and receives and/or transmits the electromagnetic wave from/to the first section, the first section and the second section respectively include optical fibers that are placed facing each other via a second gap that is substantially the same as or smaller than the first gap; and

a drive system that drives the second section at least in a vertical direction so that relative positions of the optical fiber of the first section and the optical fiber of the second section within a facing plane are maintained.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the drive system includes a measurement system that measures the relative positions.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first section and the second section are connected via a flexure mechanism whose stiffness in the vertical direction is lower than that in other directions.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an optical system through which the energy beam goes when forming the pattern, wherein the optical system is held by the first member.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the member subject to transmission/reception of the electric signal includes a member pertaining to the optical system.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the member subject to transmission/reception of the electric signal includes at least one of a sensor and an actuator.