Exposure apparatus

• US 8,184,261 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aichi, Shintaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whitesell Gordon, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US12/236,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/72, 356399-401
• US Class Current: 355/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7075 Handling workpieces outside exposure position, e.g. SMIF box
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70875 Temperature, e.g. temperature control of masks or workpieces via control of stage temperature

Abstract

An exposure apparatus includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between the alignment station and the exposure station. A first blowing unit blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the alignment station, and a second blowing unit blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the exposure station. The directions in which the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit blow the gases are substantially perpendicular to a direction along which the alignment station and the exposure station are arranged.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus which includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between said alignment station and said exposure station, the apparatus comprising:

a first blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the alignment station; and

a second blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the exposure station,

wherein directions in which said first blowing unit and said second blowing unit blow the gases are substantially perpendicular to a direction along which the alignment station and the exposure station are arranged.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first temperature sensor which measures a temperature of the gas blown from said first blowing unit;

a second temperature sensor which measures a temperature of the gas blown from said second blowing unit;

a first temperature adjusting unit which supplies, to said first blowing unit, the gas that is temperature-adjusted in accordance with a temperature measurement result sent from said first temperature sensor; and

a second temperature adjusting unit which supplies, to said second blowing unit, the gas that is temperature-adjusted in accordance with a temperature measurement result sent from said second temperature sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the directions in which said first blowing unit and said second blowing unit blow the gases are a substantially horizontal direction.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the directions in which said first blowing unit and said second blowing unit blow the gases are a substantially vertical direction.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an air curtain unit which forms an air curtain between said alignment station and said exposure station.

6. An exposure apparatus which includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between said alignment station and said exposure station, the apparatus comprising:

a first blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the alignment station;

a second blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the exposure station; and

an air curtain unit which forms an air curtain between the alignment station and the exposure station.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said air curtain unit includes a third blowing unit which is arranged between said alignment station and said exposure station and blows gas so as to form an air curtain to partition said alignment station and said exposure station.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said third blowing unit ejects gas substantially vertically downward to form a downflow.

9. An exposure apparatus which includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between said alignment station and said exposure station, the apparatus comprising:

an air curtain unit which forms an air curtain between said alignment station and said exposure station.

10. An exposure apparatus which includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between the alignment station and the exposure station, the apparatus comprising:

first interferometers which measure a position of a stage, of the two stages, which is within a measurement processing area of the alignment station, with respect to two directions;

second interferometers which measure a position of a stage, of the two stages, which is within an exposure processing area of the exposure station, with respect to two directions, wherein the second interferometers are different from the first interferometers;

a first blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the measurement processing area of the alignment station;

a second blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the exposure processing area of the exposure station;

a first temperature sensor which measures a temperature of the gas blown from the first blowing unit;

a second temperature sensor which measures a temperature of the gas blown from the second blowing unit;

a first temperature adjusting unit which supplies, to the first blowing unit, the gas that is temperature-adjusted in accordance with a temperature measurement result sent from the first temperature sensor; and

a second temperature adjusting unit which supplies, to the second blowing unit, the gas that is temperature-adjusted in accordance with a temperature measurement result sent from the second temperature sensor,

wherein directions in which the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit blow the gases are substantially perpendicular to a direction along which the alignment station and the exposure station are arranged.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the measurement processing area includes an area within which the stage moves for alignment measurement processing, and the exposure processing area includes an area within which the stage moves for exposure processing.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the directions in which the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit blow the gases are a substantially horizontal direction.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the directions in which the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit blow the gases are a substantially vertical direction.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an air curtain unit which forms an air curtain between the alignment station and the exposure station.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a temperature in the measurement processing area and a temperature in the exposure processing area are independently adjusted.

16. An exposure apparatus which includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between the alignment station and the exposure station, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a first blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the alignment station;

(b) a second blowing unit which blows temperature-adjusted gas toward the exposure station; and

(c) an air curtain unit which forms an air curtain between the alignment station and the exposure station, wherein the air curtain unit includes;

(i) a blower which blows gas so as to form an air curtain to partition the alignment station and the exposure station;

(ii) a temperature sensor unit which measures a temperature of the gas blown from the blower; and

(iii) a temperature adjusting unit which supplies, to the blower, the gas that is temperature-adjusted in accordance with a temperature measurement result sent from the temperature sensor.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the air curtain unit further includes a suction unit which draws gas by suction.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the blowing unit ejects gas substantially vertically downward to form a downflow.

19. An exposure apparatus which includes an alignment station where an alignment measurement process is executed, an exposure station where an exposure process is executed, and two stages which can be swapped between the alignment station and the exposure station, the apparatus comprising:

an air curtain unit which forms an air curtain between the alignment station and the exposure station, wherein the air curtain unit includes a temperature sensor unit which measures a temperature of gas for the air curtain and which produces a temperature measurement result; and

a temperature adjusting unit which adjusts the temperature of the gas in accordance with the temperature measurement result sent from the temperature sensor.