Diaphragm movement device, scanning movement method thereof and exposure device

Abstract

The invention provides a diaphragm movement device, a scanning movement method thereof and an exposure device, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, the device comprises a movement assembly and a mass balance assembly which are connected, the movement assembly comprises a first guide rail, a first sliding block, a second sliding block, a first driving piece and a second driving piece, the mass balance assembly comprises a first guide rail, a third sliding block, a fourth sliding block, a first driving piece and a second driving piece, the first driving piece and the third driving piece are electrically connected into the first control circuit, and the second driving piece and the fourth driving piece are electrically connected into the second control circuit. The device is simple in structure, the third sliding block and the fourth sliding block can synchronously and reversely move without delay along with the movement of the first sliding block and the second sliding block, compared with the prior art, the design of the device reduces the requirement for a complex control algorithm, the response speed is higher, and counter-force balance can be achieved more timely.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to an aperture motion device and a scanning motion method thereof, and an exposure device. Background Art

[0002] In today's era, the level of science and technology is rising at an astonishing speed. With the rapid development of communication technology, computer technology and sensor technology, the semiconductor industry has ushered in a booming development situation, and the chip manufacturing process is also continuously evolving and innovating. As a key equipment in the chip manufacturing process, the production accuracy and efficiency of the exposure device directly affect the overall progress of the semiconductor chip industry.

[0003] The exposure device is a key tool for projecting the design pattern onto the silicon wafer, which determines the final structure of the chip and is the core of semiconductor chip technology. The aperture motion mechanism is a key part of the exposure device, on which a movable aperture piece is provided. A slit window is formed between multiple aperture pieces. The slit window allows the light beam to pass through, and the part outside the window is blocked by the aperture piece and cannot pass light. During the exposure process, the laser beam of the exposure system projects the mask pattern onto the silicon wafer on the workpiece stage through the slit window. The slit window can limit the size of the mask surface illumination field and its center position during the scanning exposure process to prevent the imaging beam from exposing areas outside the exposure field. During scanning exposure, the aperture motion mechanism and the mask stage device perform high-precision and high-acceleration synchronous motion, which will generate a reaction force applied to the frame, causing a large impact on the frame, thereby affecting the accuracy and efficiency of the exposure process.

[0004] In the related art, the motion of the aperture piece is often balanced and compensated by designing a compensation component. The specific process is: the motion acceleration of the aperture piece is obtained in real time through a grating ruler or a sensor and the corresponding acceleration force is calculated, and then the compensation component is controlled to perform reverse acceleration motion to achieve mass balance compensation. However, this method has high requirements for the control algorithm, complex program design, and a certain delay in the calculation and driving process, and cannot achieve real-time synchronous mass balance compensation; at the same time, corresponding motion detection elements need to be configured, the overall structure of the aperture motion mechanism is complex, and the design and manufacturing costs are high. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem solved by the present invention is that the existing aperture motion device cannot perform mass balance compensation in real time.

[0006] To solve the above problems, in a first aspect, the present invention provides an aperture motion device, comprising a motion component and a mass balance component connected to each other;

[0007] The motion components include:

[0008] A first guide rail extending along a first direction;

[0009] A motion unit comprises a first slider and a second slider slidably arranged on the first guide rail, the first slider and the second slider are arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the first slider and the second slider are both provided with aperture pieces;

[0010] A first driving member and a second driving member are used to respectively drive the first slider and the second slider to move along the first direction on the first guide rail;

[0011] The mass balance assembly comprises:

[0012] a second guide rail, parallel to the first guide rail and symmetrically arranged with the first guide rail in a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction;

[0013] A mass balancing unit, comprising a third slider and a fourth slider slidably arranged on the second guide rail, wherein the third slider and the fourth slider are spaced apart along the first direction;

[0014] A third driving member and a fourth driving member, used for respectively driving the third slider and the fourth slider to move along the first direction on the second guide rail;

[0015] The first driving member and the third driving member are electrically connected to a first control circuit, and the first control circuit is used to control the first driving member and the third driving member to synchronously generate driving forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction; the second driving member and the fourth driving member are electrically connected to a second control circuit, and the second control circuit is used to control the third driving member and the fourth driving member to synchronously generate driving forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

[0016] Optionally, the first driving member, the second driving member, the third driving member and the fourth driving member have the same structure, and all include a stator coil and a mover magnet group, and the magnetic field generated by the stator coil and the magnetic field generated by the mover magnet group cooperate to generate a force that drives the mover magnet group to move;

[0017] A first cover plate is connected to the first guide rail, and a second cover plate is connected to the second guide rail;

[0018] The stator coil of the first driving member is arranged on the first cover plate, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the first slider; the stator coil of the second driving member is arranged on the first cover plate, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the second slider; the stator coil of the third driving member is arranged on the second cover plate, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the third slider; the stator coil of the fourth driving member is arranged on the second cover plate, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the fourth slider.

[0019] Optionally, the first control circuit and the second control circuit have the same structure, and both include a controller, an inverting amplifier, a first motor driver, and a second motor driver; the controller is used to generate two identical control signals, wherein one control signal controls the action of the first motor driver, and the other control signal controls the action of the second motor driver after being converted into an inverting control signal by the inverting amplifier;

[0020] The first motor driver of the first control circuit is electrically connected to the stator coil of the first drive component, and the second motor driver is electrically connected to the stator coil of the third drive component; the first motor driver of the second control circuit is electrically connected to the stator coil of the second drive component, and the second motor driver is electrically connected to the stator coil of the fourth drive component.

[0021] Optionally, the first guide rail and the second guide rail are both air-floating guide rails, and the first slider, the second slider, the third slider and the fourth slider are all air-floating sliders.

[0022] Optionally, the first guide rail includes a first air-floating plate and a second air-floating plate connected vertically, the first cover plate is connected to the first air-floating plate and is arranged in parallel and spaced relation to the second air-floating plate, and the first slider and the second slider are both arranged between the first cover plate and the second air-floating plate;

[0023] The second guide rail includes a third air floating plate and a fourth air floating plate connected vertically, the second cover plate is connected to the third air floating plate and is arranged parallel to and spaced from the fourth air floating plate, and the third slider and the fourth slider are both arranged between the second cover plate and the fourth air floating plate.

[0024] Optionally, a first groove is provided on a side of the first slider and the second slider facing the first cover plate, and the movable magnet group of the first driving member and the movable magnet group of the second driving member are respectively embedded in the corresponding first groove;

[0025] The third slider and the fourth slider are both provided with a second groove on one side facing the second cover plate, and the movable magnet group of the third driving member and the movable magnet group of the fourth driving member are respectively embedded in the corresponding second grooves.

[0026] Optionally, the mass of the third slider is greater than the sum of the masses of the first slider and the aperture plate, and the mass of the fourth slider is greater than the sum of the masses of the second slider and the aperture plate.

[0027] Optionally, the first guide rail is fixedly connected to the second guide rail, and a flexible hinge is provided at both ends of the first guide rail along the first direction and at both ends of the second guide rail along the first direction, and the motion component and the mass balance component are connected to the external frame through the flexible hinge.

[0028] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an exposure device, comprising the aperture movement device described in any one of the above items.

[0029] In a third aspect, the present invention further provides a scanning motion method applied to the aperture motion device described in any one of the above items, the method comprising the following steps:

[0030] The first slider is located at the first end of the first guide rail, the second slider is located on the first guide rail and the distance between the second slider and the first slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing, the third slider is located at the second end of the second guide rail, the fourth slider is located on the second guide rail and the distance between the fourth slider and the third slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing, and the scanning movement starts;

[0031] The second control circuit controls the second slider to accelerate along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the first guide rail, and the fourth slider synchronously accelerates along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the second guide rail. After a first preset time interval, the first control circuit controls the first slider to accelerate along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the first guide rail, and the third slider synchronously accelerates along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the second guide rail.

[0032] The second slider moves to the second end of the first guide rail and stops moving, the fourth slider moves to the first end of the second guide rail and stops moving, the first slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the second slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving, and the third slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the fourth slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving;

[0033] After the second preset time interval, the first control circuit controls the first slider to accelerate along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the first guide rail, and the third slider synchronously accelerates along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the second guide rail. After the first preset time interval, the second control circuit controls the second slider to accelerate along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the first guide rail, and the fourth slider synchronously accelerates along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the second guide rail.

[0034] The first slider moves to the first end of the first guide rail and stops moving, the third slider moves to the second end of the second guide rail and stops moving, the second slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the first slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving, and the fourth slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the third slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving;

[0035] Repeat the above steps until the scanning motion is completed.

[0036] The aperture motion device and scanning motion method and exposure device of the present invention control the first driving member and the third driving member to generate driving forces of equal magnitude and opposite directions, so that the force applied to the device by the movement of the first slider and the force applied to the device by the movement of the third slider are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, and the two forces can offset each other; by connecting the first driving member and the third driving member to the first control circuit at the same time, the first driving member and the third driving member can be synchronized in real time, and when the first slider moves, the third slider can achieve synchronous reverse movement without delay. Correspondingly, when the second slider moves, the fourth slider can achieve synchronous reverse movement without delay, and the force applied to the device by the movement of the second slider and the force applied to the device by the movement of the fourth slider can offset each other. In this way, the mass balance component can compensate for the mass balance of the motion component and eliminate the vibration of the frame; compared with the prior art, the design of the aperture motion device of the present invention reduces the need for complex control algorithms, has a simple overall structure, has a faster response speed, can achieve counterforce balance more timely, improves the response speed and stability of the system operation, and has a low design and manufacturing cost, and is easier to implement and maintain. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an aperture motion device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic top view of the middle aperture motion device;

[0039] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the split structure of the middle aperture motion device Figure 1 ;

[0040] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the split structure of the middle aperture motion device Figure 2 ;

[0041] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the split structure of the middle aperture motion device Figure 3 ;

[0042] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a scanning motion method of an aperture motion device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Description of reference numerals:

[0044] 11-first guide rail; 111-first air-floating plate; 112-second air-floating plate; 12-first slider; 13-second slider; 14-aperture plate; 15-first cover plate; 21-second guide rail; 211-third air-floating plate; 212-fourth air-floating plate; 22-third slider; 23-fourth slider; 24-second cover plate; 311-first groove; 312-second groove; 32-connecting plate; 33-flexible hinge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0046] It should be noted that in the present invention, descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. The directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0047] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0048] The aperture motion device in the prior art has the problems of complex program design, inability to perform mass balance compensation in real time, and complex overall structure.

[0049] To solve the above technical problems, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 The embodiment of the present invention provides an aperture motion device, including a motion component and a mass balance component, wherein the motion component and the mass balance component are connected. The aperture motion device can be applied to an exposure device, wherein the motion component is used to adjust the size of the slit window, and the mass balance component is used to eliminate the oscillation impact force generated during the motion of the motion component.

[0050] Specifically, the motion component can be fixed on the frame of the exposure device, and the periodic high-acceleration scanning movement of the motion component will generate a large impact reaction force on the frame, thereby affecting the vibration stability of the illumination system of the exposure device and affecting the accuracy and efficiency of the exposure process. The aperture motion device of the present invention directly connects the mass balance component to the motion component, so that the force generated by the mass balance component can be directly transmitted to the motion component, and the force generated by the motion of the motion component is offset. That is to say, the force of the motion of the motion component and the mass balance component is offset before being transmitted to the frame. Compared with setting the mass balance component on the frame, the transmission path of the force is simpler and more direct, which is conducive to reducing or even eliminating the impact force directly borne by the frame, reducing mechanical wear, and ensuring production accuracy.

[0051] The motion assembly includes a first guide rail 11, a motion unit, a first driving member (not shown) and a second driving member (not shown). The first guide rail 11 is extended along a first direction; the motion unit includes a first slider 12 and a second slider 13 slidably arranged on the first guide rail 11, the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 are spaced along the first direction, and aperture pieces 14 are arranged on the first slider 12 and the second slider 13; the first driving member and the second driving member are used to respectively drive the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 to move along the first direction on the first guide rail 11. A slit window can be formed between the two aperture pieces 14, and the first driving member and the second driving member respectively drive the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 to move, so that the two aperture pieces 14 can move in the same direction, towards each other or in opposite directions, thereby adjusting the size of the slit window, and the laser beam of the exposure system can project the mask pattern onto the silicon wafer on the workpiece table through the slit window to realize exposure production.

[0052] The mass balance assembly includes a second guide rail 21, a mass balance unit, a third driving member (not shown) and a fourth driving member (not shown). The second guide rail 21 is parallel to the first guide rail 11 and is symmetrically arranged in the second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; the mass balance unit includes a third slider 22 and a fourth slider 23 slidably arranged on the second guide rail 21, and the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 are arranged at intervals along the first direction; the third driving member and the fourth driving member are used to drive the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 to move along the first direction on the second guide rail 21 respectively. In this way, the third driving member and the fourth driving member can drive the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 to move respectively. By arranging the second guide rail 21 in parallel with the first guide rail 11, the motion unit and the mass balance unit both move in the first direction, which is conducive to the mass balance unit outputting a reaction force opposite to the force of the motion unit acting on the frame, so as to achieve mass balance compensation of the motion unit and reduce frame vibration.

[0053] In this embodiment, the first driving member and the third driving member are electrically connected to a first control circuit (not shown in the figure), and the first control circuit is used to control the first driving member and the third driving member to synchronously generate driving forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction; the second driving member and the fourth driving member are electrically connected to a second control circuit (not shown in the figure), and the second control circuit is used to control the third driving member and the fourth driving member to synchronously generate driving forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

[0054] It should be noted that the first slider 12, the second slider 13, the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 are driven to move by different driving members, and the movement of each slider is controlled by the corresponding driving member. By electrically connecting the first driving member and the third driving member to the same control circuit, the first driving member and the third driving member can always work synchronously, so that the first slider 12 and the third slider 22 always move synchronously; by controlling the first driving member and the third driving member to generate driving forces of equal magnitude and opposite directions, the force applied to the device by the movement of the first slider 12 and the force applied to the device by the movement of the third slider 22 are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, and the two forces can offset each other. Similarly, the second slider 13 and the fourth slider 23 always move synchronously, and the force applied to the device by the movement of the second slider 13 and the force applied to the device by the movement of the fourth slider 23 can offset each other. In this way, the mass balance component can compensate for the mass balance of the motion component, thereby reducing or even eliminating the frame vibration, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of the exposure process.

[0055] The aperture motion device of the embodiment of the present invention can control the actions of the first driving member and the third driving member at the same time through the first control circuit, so that when the first slider 12 moves, the third slider 22 can achieve synchronous movement without delay; correspondingly, the actions of the second driving member and the fourth driving member are controlled at the same time through the second control circuit, so that when the second slider 13 moves, the fourth slider 23 can achieve synchronous movement without delay. Compared with the method of obtaining the motion acceleration of the aperture piece 14 in real time, calculating the acceleration force, and controlling the compensation component to reversely accelerate to achieve mass balance compensation in the prior art, the design of the aperture motion device of the present invention reduces the need for complex control algorithms, has a simple overall structure, has a faster response speed, can achieve reaction force balance more timely, improves the response speed and stability of the system, and has a low design and manufacturing cost, and is easier to implement and maintain.

[0056] Optionally, the first driving member, the second driving member, the third driving member and the fourth driving member have the same structure and all include a stator coil and a movable magnet group. The magnetic field generated by the stator coil and the magnetic field generated by the movable magnet group cooperate to generate a force that drives the movable magnet group to move; a first cover plate 15 is connected to the first guide rail 11, and a second cover plate 24 is connected to the second guide rail 21; the stator coil of the first driving member is arranged on the first cover plate 15, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the first slider 12; the stator coil of the second driving member is arranged on the first cover plate 15, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the second slider 13; the stator coil of the third driving member is arranged on the second cover plate 24, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the third slider 22; the stator coil of the fourth driving member is arranged on the second cover plate 24, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the fourth slider 23.

[0057] Taking the first driving member and the first slider 12 as an example, the first slider 12 is slidably connected to the first guide rail 11 to limit the direction of movement of the first slider 12; the first driving member includes a stator coil and a movable magnet group, the stator coil is fixed on the first cover plate 15, and the movable magnet group is arranged on the first slider 12 and can slide with the first slider 12. The excitation magnetic field generated when the stator coil is energized and the magnetic field generated by the movable magnet group can interact to generate a driving force, thereby pushing the first slider 12 to slide along the first guide rail 11. The working principles of the second driving member, the third driving member and the fourth driving member are similar to those of the first driving member, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] It should be noted that the first drive member, the second drive member, the third drive member and the fourth drive member have the same structure, that is, the number of turns, inductance, resistance and other parameters of the stator coils of each drive member are the same, and the area, magnetic field strength and other parameters of the mover magnet group are the same. Under the same drive circuit, the interaction force generated between each stator coil and the corresponding mover magnet group is equal.

[0059] In order to realize the synchronous reverse movement of the first slider 12 and the third slider 22, the first control circuit may include a controller, an inverting amplifier, a first motor driver and a second motor driver; the controller is used to generate two identical control signals, one of which controls the action of the first motor driver, and the other is converted into an inverting control signal by the inverting amplifier to control the action of the second motor driver; the first motor driver of the first control circuit is electrically connected to the stator coil of the first driving member, and the second motor driver is electrically connected to the stator coil of the third driving member. Specifically, the controller is used to generate a control signal; the inverting amplifier is used to output the input control signal in reverse; the motor driver is used to control the current, voltage and other parameters applied to the stator coil, thereby controlling the magnitude and direction of the driving force. By setting an inverting amplifier, the control signal and the reverse control signal have the same shape and frequency but opposite polarity. The control signal controls the current through the first motor driver to flow through the stator coil of the first driving member in a preset direction and magnitude to drive the first slider 12 to move in the positive direction or negative direction of the first direction. The reverse control signal controls the current through the second motor driver to flow through the stator coil of the third driving member in a direction opposite to the preset direction to drive the third slider 22 to move in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the first slider 12, thereby making the directions of the driving forces generated by the first driving member and the third driving member opposite; because the first driving member and the third driving member have the same structure, and the control signal and the reverse control signal have the same shape and frequency, the magnitude of the driving forces generated by the first driving member and the third driving member is equal. In this way, the forces generated by the movement of the first slider 12 and the third slider 22 can offset each other.

[0060] Similarly, the second control circuit may also include a controller, a reverse amplifier, a first motor driver and a second motor driver. The first motor driver of the second control circuit is electrically connected to the stator coil of the second drive member, and the second motor driver is electrically connected to the stator coil of the fourth drive member to achieve synchronous reverse movement of the second slider 13 and the fourth slider 23. The forces generated by the second slider 13 and the fourth slider 23 can offset each other.

[0061] Optionally, the first guide rail 11 and the second guide rail 21 are both air-floating guide rails, and the first slider 12, the second slider 13, the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 are all air-floating sliders. Specifically, taking the first guide rail 11 and the first slider 12 as an example, the first guide rail 11 is in the shape of a long strip as a whole, and is provided with air holes or slits for injecting gas; the side of the first slider 12 corresponding to the first guide rail 11 may be provided with an air cushion cavity corresponding to the air holes or slits of the first guide rail 11. High-pressure gas may be uniformly injected from the air holes or slits on the surface of the first guide rail 11, forming a uniform air film between the first guide rail 11 and the first slider 12, and the air film may support the first slider 12 so that it is suspended on the first guide rail 11. The first slider 12 moves along the first guide rail 11 under the drive of the first driving member, and there is no contact and small resistance between the first slider 12 and the first guide rail 11, which is conducive to the high-speed and high-acceleration movement of the first slider 12, and at the same time, it can reduce the wear of the first slider 12 and the first guide rail 11, and improve the service life of the device.

[0062] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 , further, the first guide rail 11 may include a first air-floating plate 111 and a second air-floating plate 112 connected vertically, the first cover plate 15 is connected to the first air-floating plate 111 and is arranged in parallel with the second air-floating plate 112, and the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 are both arranged between the first cover plate 15 and the second air-floating plate 112. Specifically, the first cover plate 15, the first air-floating plate 111 and the second air-floating plate 112 are connected in a U-shaped structure, and a long groove extending in the first direction is formed between the first cover plate 15 and the second air-floating plate 112, and the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 can move in the long groove along the first direction. Taking the first slider 12 as an example, the first slider 12 can be a plate-like structure, and the first slider 12 and the first air-floating plate 111, and the first slider 12 and the second air-floating plate 112 are all arranged at intervals and can form an air film, and the first guide rail 11 with an L-shaped structure can support the first slider 12 in two directions, avoid friction between the first slider 12 and the first guide rail 11, and improve the movement stability of the first slider 12. The stator coil of the first driving member can be arranged on the side of the first cover plate 15 facing the first slider 12 , the movable magnet group can be arranged on the side of the first slider 12 facing the first cover plate 15 , and the aperture piece 14 can be connected to the side of the first slider 12 away from the first air floating plate 111 .

[0063] The second guide rail 21 may include a third air-floating plate 211 and a fourth air-floating plate 212 connected vertically, the second cover plate 24 is connected to the third air-floating plate 211 and is arranged in parallel and spaced relation to the fourth air-floating plate 212, and the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 are both arranged between the second cover plate 24 and the fourth air-floating plate 212. The mounting structure between the third slider 22, the fourth slider 23 and the second guide rail 21 is similar to that of the first slider 12 and the first guide rail 11, and will not be described in detail herein.

[0064] More preferably, the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 are both provided with a first groove 311 on the side facing the first cover plate 15, and the movable magnet group of the first driving member and the movable magnet group of the second driving member are respectively embedded in the corresponding first groove 311; the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 are both provided with a second groove 312 on the side facing the second cover plate 24, and the movable magnet group of the third driving member and the movable magnet group of the fourth driving member are respectively embedded in the corresponding second groove 312. In this way, it is possible to avoid the movable magnet group protruding from the surface of the correspondingly installed slider, which is conducive to installing the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 in the long groove formed between the first cover plate 15 and the second air floating plate 112, and installing the third slider 22 and the fourth slider 23 in the long groove formed between the second cover plate 24 and the fourth air floating plate 212.

[0065] It should be noted that the movement of each slider is independently controlled by each driving member, that is, the stator coil corresponding to each slider needs to be separately set. In the illustrated embodiment, taking the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 as an example, the stator coil of the first driving member and the stator coil of the second driving member are both arranged on the first cover plate 15, and the two stator coils can be arranged in sequence along the first direction and the length of each is half of the first cover plate 15. In order to avoid the stator coil of the first driving member affecting the moving magnet group on the second slider 13 when energized, the length of the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 along the first direction can be designed to be longer, the groove 31 on the first slider 12 can be set as far away from the second slider 13 as possible, the aperture piece 14 on the first slider 12 can be set as close to the second slider 13 as possible, the groove 31 on the second slider 13 can be set as far away from the first slider 12 as possible, and the aperture piece 14 on the second slider 13 can be set as close to the first slider 12 as possible. In this way, the movement stroke of the aperture piece 14 on the first slider 12 toward the second slider 13 and the movement stroke of the aperture piece 14 on the second slider 13 toward the first slider 12 can be increased as much as possible, which is beneficial to controlling the size of the slit window formed by the two aperture pieces 14, and the first driving member and the second driving member do not interfere with each other.

[0066] Optionally, the mass of the third slider 22 is greater than the sum of the masses of the first slider 12 and the aperture piece 14, and the mass of the fourth slider 23 is greater than the sum of the masses of the second slider 13 and the aperture piece 14. Specifically, taking the first slider 12 and the third slider 22 as an example, since the driving force applied by the first driving member to the first slider 12 and the driving force applied by the third driving member to the third slider 22 are equal in magnitude, during the synchronous movement of the first slider 12 and the third slider 22, it can be obtained that: m1a1+m3a3=0. Wherein, m1 is the sum of the masses of the first slider 12 and the aperture piece 14, a1 is the movement acceleration of the first slider 12, m3 is the mass of the third slider 22, and a3 is the movement acceleration of the third slider 22. Integrating both sides of the equation, it can be obtained that: m1h1+m3h3=0. Wherein, h1 is the movement distance of the first slider 12, and h3 is the movement distance of the third slider 22. It can be further known that the movement distance of the first slider 12 and the third slider 22 is inversely proportional to the mass. By setting the mass of the third slider 22 to be greater than the sum of the masses of the first slider 12 and the aperture piece 14, the inertia of the third slider 22 is greater and the sliding distance is shorter, which can more effectively offset the force generated by the movement of the first slider 12; at the same time, increasing the mass of the third slider 22 can reduce the resonant frequency of the system, so that the impact of external disturbances (such as environmental vibration) on the device is reduced. Similarly, by setting the mass of the fourth slider 23 to be greater than the sum of the masses of the second slider 13 and the aperture piece 14, the force generated by the movement of the second slider 13 can be more effectively offset.

[0067] Optionally, the first guide rail 11 is fixedly connected to the second guide rail 21, and a flexible hinge 33 is provided at both ends of the first guide rail 11 and the second guide rail 21 along the first direction, and the motion component and the mass balance component are connected to the external frame through the flexible hinge 33. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first air-floating plate 111 is fixedly connected to the third air-floating plate 211, so that the first guide rail 11 is fixedly connected to the second guide rail 21, that is, the motion component and the mass balance component are connected. The first guide rail 11 is provided with a connecting plate 32 at both ends along the first direction, and the connecting plate 32 is connected to both the first guide rail 11 and the second guide rail 21 to serve as the connection basis of the flexible hinge 33, and at the same time, the two ends of the long groove formed between the first cover plate 15 and the second air-floating plate 112 and the two ends of the long groove formed between the second cover plate 24 and the fourth air-floating plate 212 can be closed to prevent the slider moving in the long groove from escaping from the two ends of the long groove. The motion component and the mass balance component are connected to the frame of the exposure device through four flexible hinges 33. The flexible hinges 33 can eliminate the torque generated by the center of gravity offset of the motion component and the mass balance component during the movement of each slider, and attenuate the vibration transmitted from the motion component and the mass balance component to the frame, thereby avoiding affecting the accuracy and efficiency of the exposure process.

[0068] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an exposure device, comprising the aperture motion device of the above embodiment, wherein the two aperture blades 14 of the aperture motion device and the mask stage of the exposure device perform synchronous scanning motion to realize exposure production. Since the exposure device adopts all the technical solutions of the above embodiment, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiment, which will not be described one by one here.

[0069] Third, see Figure 6 The embodiment of the present invention further provides a scanning motion method of the aperture motion device applied to the above embodiment, the method comprising the following steps:

[0070] S1: The first slider 12 is located at the first end of the first guide rail 11, the second slider 13 is located on the first guide rail 11 and the distance between the second slider 13 and the first slider 12 is the minimum aperture plate 14 spacing, the third slider 22 is located at the second end of the second guide rail 21, the fourth slider 23 is located on the second guide rail 21 and the distance between the second slider 23 and the third slider 22 is the minimum aperture plate 14 spacing, and the scanning movement starts.

[0071] S2: the second control circuit controls the second slider 13 to accelerate along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the first guide rail 11, and the fourth slider 23 synchronously accelerates along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the second guide rail 21. After the first preset time interval, the first control circuit controls the first slider 12 to accelerate along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the first guide rail 11, and the third slider 22 synchronously accelerates along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the second guide rail 21;

[0072] S3: the second slider 13 moves to the second end of the first guide rail 11 and stops, the fourth slider 23 moves to the first end of the second guide rail 21 and stops, the first slider 12 moves to the distance between it and the second slider 13 and stops when it is equal to the minimum aperture plate 14 spacing, and the third slider 22 moves to the distance between it and the fourth slider 23 and stops when it is equal to the minimum aperture plate 14 spacing;

[0073] S4: after the second preset time interval, the first control circuit controls the first slider 12 to accelerate along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the first guide rail 11, and the third slider 22 synchronously accelerates along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the second guide rail 21; after the first preset time interval, the second control circuit controls the second slider 13 to accelerate along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the first guide rail 11, and the fourth slider 23 synchronously accelerates along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the second guide rail 21;

[0074] S5: the first slider 12 moves to the first end of the first guide rail 11 and stops, the third slider 22 moves to the second end of the second guide rail 21 and stops, the second slider 13 moves to the distance between it and the first slider 12 equals the minimum aperture plate 14 spacing and stops, and the fourth slider 23 moves to the distance between it and the third slider 22 equals the minimum aperture plate 14 spacing and stops;

[0075] S6: Repeat the above steps until the scanning movement is completed.

[0076] Specifically, the first end of the first guide rail 11 and the first end of the second guide rail 21 are located on the same side of the aperture motion device, and the direction from the first end to the second end of the first guide rail 11 is defined as the positive direction of the first direction, and the direction from the second end to the first end of the first guide rail 11 is defined as the negative direction of the first direction. The first slider 12 is located on the negative direction side of the second slider 13, and the third slider 22 is located on the positive direction side of the fourth slider 23. The minimum aperture spacing can be the spacing between the first slider 12 and the second slider 13 when the first slider 12 is located at the first end of the first guide rail 11 and the second slider 13 moves to the limit position of its own stroke along the negative direction; and the stroke of the second slider 13 is limited by the relative position of the corresponding stator coil and the movable magnet group, and the minimum aperture spacing can be preset by designing the position of the stator coil and the movable magnet group. The first preset time interval can be designed according to the size of the slit window required in the actual exposure production. The first slider 12 and the second slider 13 perform acceleration motion successively. By adjusting the first preset time interval, the distance between the two aperture pieces 14 during the scanning process can be controlled, and then the size of the slit window can be adjusted. The second preset time interval is a preparation time interval for cooperating with the mask stage to perform related operations. During the scanning movement, the third slider 22 always moves in the opposite direction synchronously with the first slider 12 to offset the force generated by the movement of the first slider 12, and the fourth slider 23 always moves in the opposite direction synchronously with the second slider 13 to offset the force generated by the movement of the second slider 13, thereby reducing the vibration of the frame and ensuring exposure production. The above steps S1-S5 are a movement cycle of the aperture plate 14 performing a scanning movement. By repeating steps S1-S5, the movable aperture device performs a periodic scanning movement to realize the exposure production of the exposure device.

[0077] Although the present invention is disclosed as above, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and these changes and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An aperture motion device, characterized in that: including connected motion components and mass balancing components; The motion components include: A first guide rail (11) extending along a first direction; A motion unit, comprising a first slider (12) and a second slider (13) slidably arranged on the first guide rail (11), the first slider (12) and the second slider (13) being arranged at intervals along the first direction, and both the first slider (12) and the second slider (13) being provided with aperture pieces (14); A first driving member and a second driving member, used to respectively drive the first sliding block (12) and the second sliding block (13) to move along the first direction on the first guide rail (11); The mass balance component comprises: a second guide rail (21), parallel to the first guide rail (11) and symmetrically arranged with the first guide rail (11) in a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction; A mass balancing unit, comprising a third slider (22) and a fourth slider (23) slidably arranged on the second guide rail (21), wherein the third slider (22) and the fourth slider (23) are arranged at intervals along the first direction; a third driving member and a fourth driving member, used to respectively drive the third slider (22) and the fourth slider (23) to move along the first direction on the second guide rail (21); The first driving member and the third driving member are electrically connected to a first control circuit, and the first control circuit is used to control the first driving member and the third driving member to synchronously generate driving forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction; the second driving member and the fourth driving member are electrically connected to a second control circuit, and the second control circuit is used to control the third driving member and the fourth driving member to synchronously generate driving forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

2. The aperture movement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first driving member, the second driving member, the third driving member and the fourth driving member have the same structure, and all include a stator coil and a mover magnet group. The magnetic field generated by the stator coil and the magnetic field generated by the mover magnet group cooperate to generate a force that drives the mover magnet group to move. The first guide rail (11) is connected to a first cover plate (15), and the second guide rail (21) is connected to a second cover plate (24); The stator coil of the first driving member is arranged on the first cover plate (15), and the movable magnet group is arranged on the first slider (12); the stator coil of the second driving member is arranged on the first cover plate (15), and the movable magnet group is arranged on the second slider (13); the stator coil of the third driving member is arranged on the second cover plate (24), and the movable magnet group is arranged on the third slider (22); the stator coil of the fourth driving member is arranged on the second cover plate (24), and the movable magnet group is arranged on the fourth slider (23).

3. The aperture movement device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first control circuit and the second control circuit have the same structure, and both include a controller, an inverting amplifier, a first motor driver, and a second motor driver; the controller is used to generate two identical control signals, one of which controls the action of the first motor driver, and the other controls the action of the second motor driver after being converted into an inverting control signal by the inverting amplifier; The first motor driver of the first control circuit is electrically connected to the stator coil of the first driving member, and the second motor driver is electrically connected to the stator coil of the third driving member; The first motor driver of the second control circuit is electrically connected to the stator coil of the second driving member, and the second motor driver is electrically connected to the stator coil of the fourth driving member.

4. The aperture movement device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first guide rail (11) and the second guide rail (21) are both air-floating guide rails, and the first slider (12), the second slider (13), the third slider (22) and the fourth slider (23) are all air-floating sliders.

5. The aperture movement device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first guide rail (11) comprises a first air-floating plate (111) and a second air-floating plate (112) which are vertically connected; the first cover plate (15) is connected to the first air-floating plate (111) and is arranged in parallel and spaced relation to the second air-floating plate (112); the first slider (12) and the second slider (13) are both arranged between the first cover plate (15) and the second air-floating plate (112); The second guide rail (21) comprises a third air-floating plate (211) and a fourth air-floating plate (212) which are vertically connected; the second cover plate (24) is connected to the third air-floating plate (211) and is arranged in parallel and spaced relation to the fourth air-floating plate (212); and the third slider (22) and the fourth slider (23) are both arranged between the second cover plate (24) and the fourth air-floating plate (212).

6. The aperture movement device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A first groove (311) is provided on one side of the first slider (12) and the second slider (13) facing the first cover plate (15), and the movable magnet group of the first driving member and the movable magnet group of the second driving member are respectively embedded in the corresponding first groove (311); The third slider (22) and the fourth slider (23) are both provided with a second groove (312) on one side facing the second cover plate (24), and the movable magnet group of the third driving member and the movable magnet group of the fourth driving member are respectively embedded in the corresponding second groove (312).

7. The aperture movement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mass of the third slider (22) is greater than the sum of the masses of the first slider (12) and the aperture plate (14), and the mass of the fourth slider (23) is greater than the sum of the masses of the second slider (13) and the aperture plate (14).

8. The aperture movement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first guide rail (11) is fixedly connected to the second guide rail (21); both ends of the first guide rail (11) along the first direction and both ends of the second guide rail (21) along the first direction are provided with a flexible hinge (33); the motion component and the mass balance component are connected to the external frame via the flexible hinge (33).

9. An exposure device, characterized in that: Comprising the aperture movement device as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A scanning motion method applied to the aperture motion device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The first slider is located at the first end of the first guide rail, the second slider is located on the first guide rail and the distance between the second slider and the first slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing, the third slider is located at the second end of the second guide rail, the fourth slider is located on the second guide rail and the distance between the fourth slider and the third slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing, and the scanning movement starts; The second control circuit controls the second slider to accelerate along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the first guide rail, and the fourth slider synchronously accelerates along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the second guide rail. After a first preset time interval, the first control circuit controls the first slider to accelerate along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the first guide rail, and the third slider synchronously accelerates along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the second guide rail. The second slider moves to the second end of the first guide rail and stops moving, the fourth slider moves to the first end of the second guide rail and stops moving, the first slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the second slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving, and the third slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the fourth slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving; After the second preset time interval, the first control circuit controls the first slider to accelerate along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the first guide rail, and the third slider synchronously accelerates along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the second guide rail. After the first preset time interval, the second control circuit controls the second slider to accelerate along the negative direction of the first direction toward the first end of the first guide rail, and the fourth slider synchronously accelerates along the positive direction of the first direction toward the second end of the second guide rail. The first slider moves to the first end of the first guide rail and stops moving, the third slider moves to the second end of the second guide rail and stops moving, the second slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the first slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving, and the fourth slider moves to the point where the distance between it and the third slider is the minimum aperture plate spacing and stops moving; Repeat the above steps until the scanning motion is completed.

Images