Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090109413 | Maintenance method, exposure method and apparatus, and device manufacturing method - A maintenance method for performing maintenance of an exposure apparatus including a liquid immersion space-forming member which forms a liquid-immersion area by supplying liquid in a space between an optical member and a substrate; a liquid supply mechanism which supplies the liquid to the liquid-immersion space; a substrate stage which moves the substrate; and a measuring stage on which a reference mark is formed. To clean the liquid-immersion space-forming member, a cleaning liquid is supplied to a space between the measuring stage and the liquid-immersion space-forming member. The exposure apparatus is provided with various types of cleaning mechanisms for cleaning the liquid-immersion space-forming member. The liquid-immersion exposure can be performed while efficiently performing maintenance of the exposure apparatus. | 04-30-2009 |
20110007290 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - Positional information of each of wafer stages during exposure and during alignment is measured directly under a projection optical system and directly under a primary alignment system, respectively, by a plurality of encoder heads, Z heads and the like, which a measurement bar placed below surface plates has, using gratings placed on the lower surfaces of fine movement stages. Consequently, high-precision measurement of the positional information of the wafer stages can be performed. | 01-13-2011 |
20110007291 | Exposure Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - Positional information of each of wafer stages during exposure and during alignment is measured directly under a projection optical system and directly under a primary alignment system, respectively, by a plurality of encoder heads, Z heads and the like, which a measurement bar placed below surface plates has, using gratings placed on the lower surfaces of fine movement stages. Since a main frame that supports the projection optical system and the measurement bar are separated, deformation of the measurement bar caused by inner stress (including thermal stress) and transmission of vibration or the like from the main frame to the measurement bar, and the like do not occur, which is different from the case where the main frame and the measurement bar are integrated. Consequently, high-precision measurement of the positional information of the wafer stages can be performed. | 01-13-2011 |
20110007295 | MOVABLE BODY APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A stage device is equipped with a fine movement stage on which a wafer is mounted, a coarse movement stage formed into a frame shape that encloses the periphery of the fine movement stage, which supports the fine movement stage such that the fine movement stage is relatively movable and which is movable along an XY plane, a planar motor that drives the coarse movement stage in a predetermined range within the XY plane, and an actuator that drives the fine movement stage with respect to the coarse movement stage. Therefore, the size, in a direction perpendicular to the XY plane (height direction), of a movable body made up of the fine movement stage and the coarse movement stage can be reduced, compared with a wafer stage having a coarse/fine movement configuration in which the fine movement stage is mounted on the coarse movement stage. | 01-13-2011 |
20110007325 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - When a liquid immersion area (liquid) formed on a wafer stage is moved onto another wafer stage, a fine movement stage position measuring system measures positional information of the wafer stage, interferometers of a coarse movement stage position measuring system measure positional information of the another wafer stage, and different interferometers measure positional information of the wafer stage. Based on these measurement results, the wafer stage and the another wafer stage are made to be in proximity to each other and are driven while the scrum state is maintained, and thereby the liquid immersion area (liquid) formed on the wafer stage can be moved onto the another wafer stage. | 01-13-2011 |
20110008717 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - Positional information of wafer stages is measured by a plurality of encoder heads, Z heads and the like that a measurement bar placed below surface has, using gratings placed on the lower surface of fine movement stages. Consequently, high-precision measurement of the positional information of the wafer stages can be performed. Further, since a guide surface of the wafer stages is formed by the two guide surface forming members placed side by side via a predetermined clearance, each guide surface forming member is easier to handle and also maintenance of the vicinity of the guide surface forming member is easier to perform, compared with the case where the guide surface forming members are integrated. | 01-13-2011 |
20110008734 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - At a measurement bar on which a first measurement head group that measures positional information of a fine movement stage that holds a wafer is arranged, various types of measurement instruments, e.g. an aerial image measuring instrument and the like, used in measurement related exposure such as the optical properties of a projection optical system are arranged. The measurement is performed using the various types of measurement instruments and the exposure conditions such as the optical properties of the projection optical system are adjusted based on the result of the measurement, as needed, and thereby the exposure processing can appropriately be performed on the wafer. | 01-13-2011 |
20110075120 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A wafer stage is driven, based on positional information of a wafer stage measured using a measuring system and tilt information of the wafer stage. This allows the wafer stage to be driven with high precision, with the influence on the wafer stage when the wafer stage is tilted being reduced. | 03-31-2011 |
20110085150 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A wafer is loaded on a wafer stage and unloaded from a wafer stage, using a chuck member which holds the wafer from above in a non-contact manner. Accordingly, members and the like to load/unload the wafer on/from the wafer stage do not have to be provided, which can keep the stage from increasing in size and weight. Further, by using the chuck member which holds the wafer from above in a non-contact manner, a thin, flexible wafer can be loaded onto the wafer stage as well as unloaded from the wafer stage without any problems. | 04-14-2011 |
20110086315 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A first driving section and a second driving section apply a drive farce in an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, a Z-axis direction, and a θx direction, respectively, with respect to one end and the other end of a fine movement stage whose one end and the other end in the Y-axis direction are each supported, so that the fine movement stage is relatively movable with respect to a coarse movement stage within an XY plane. Accordingly, by the first and the second driving sections making drive forces in directions opposite to each other in a θx direction apply simultaneously to one end and the other end of the fine movement stage (refer to the black arrow in the drawing), the fine movement stage (and the wafer held by the stage) can be deformed to a concave shape or a convex shape within a YZ plane. | 04-14-2011 |
20110102762 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An exposure apparatus is equipped with a wafer stage which holds a wafer and to which one ends of flat tubes having flexibility that transmit the power usage for exposure between the wafer stage and a predetermined external device are connected and which is movable along an XY plane, and a tube carrier which is placed on one side of the wafer stage in an X-axis direction, to which the other ends of the flat tubes are connected, and which moves along the XY plane according to movement of the wafer stage and also moves to the other side in the X-axis direction when the wafer stage moves to the one side in the X-axis direction. Accordingly, the wafer stage hardly receives the drag (tensile force) from the flat tubes and outward protrusion of the flat tubes in the X-axis direction can be restrained. | 05-05-2011 |
20110200944 | MANUFACTURING METHOD OF EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A manufacturing method of an exposure apparatus includes adjusting a positioning device that determines a positional relation at the time of docking between a body and a stage module such that a positional relation between an absolute reference surface of a metrology frame of the body and a stage position reference surface of the stage module becomes a desired relation. Accordingly, after that, only by docking the body and the stage module with each other via the positioning device, the positional relation between the absolute reference surface of the body and the stage position reference surface of the stage module becomes a desired relation. | 08-18-2011 |
20130057837 | EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, DEVICE-MANUFACTURING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - An exposure apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of exposure defects is provided. The exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with exposure light via a liquid. The exposure apparatus includes an optical member having an emission surface from which exposure light is emitted; a substrate holding apparatus including a first holding portion that releasably holds the lower surface of the substrate, a first surface that defines an aperture in which the substrate can be disposed and that is disposed around the upper surface of the substrate in a state where the substrate is held on the first holding portion, and a first space portion that is in communication with a gap between the upper surface of the substrate and the first surface; a drive apparatus that moves the substrate holding apparatus in a state where an immersion space is formed with the liquid between the optical member and at least one of the upper surface of the substrate and the first surface; a suction port through which fluid in the first space portion is suctioned; and a control apparatus that sets a suction force of the suction port in at least a part of a first period in which exposure of the substrate is executed so as to be smaller than a suction force of the suction port in a second period in which exposure of the substrate is not executed. | 03-07-2013 |