Bench equipment for electron beam inspection equipment

Abstract

A platform device is disclosed, comprising: an object support configured to support an object; a positioning device configured to position the object support; a first connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the first connection arrangement comprising at least one damping connection member; and a second connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the second connection arrangement comprising at least one substantially rigid connection member.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to EP application 18212802.5 filed on December 14, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present specification relates to a stage positioning apparatus for an electron beam inspection apparatus configured to inspect a sample such as a semiconductor device. Background Art

[0004] In semiconductor processes, defects are inevitably generated. Such defects may affect device performance or even cause failures. Device yield may be affected as a result, leading to increased costs. In order to control the yield of semiconductor processes, defect monitoring is important. One tool used for defect monitoring is the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), which uses one or more electron beams to scan a target portion of a sample.

[0005] Objects such as wafers or substrates inspected by inspection equipment such as SEMs are subject to positioning errors, particularly dynamic (eg vibration) positioning errors and thermal positioning errors. It is desirable to mitigate one, preferably both, of these positioning error contributions. Summary of the invention

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, a bench apparatus is provided, comprising: an object support configured to support an object; a positioning device configured to position the object support; a first connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the first connection arrangement comprising at least one damping connection member; and a second connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the second connection arrangement comprising at least one substantially rigid connection member.

[0007] Other aspects of the present invention include a particle beam apparatus, an electron beam apparatus, an electron beam inspection apparatus, a lithography apparatus, a measurement apparatus or a vacuum apparatus having a gantry apparatus of the first aspect, wherein in the case of a vacuum apparatus, the vacuum apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber and at least a portion of the gantry apparatus is arranged in the vacuum chamber.

[0008] Other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Based on the teachings contained herein, additional embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1A and Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an electron beam inspection tool according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2A and Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of an electron optical system that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3 A possible control architecture for an EBI system is schematically depicted;

[0013] Figure 4 A stage apparatus including a block and a substrate support as currently used on inspection apparatus is schematically depicted in (a) front view and (b) plan view;

[0014] Figure 5 A stage apparatus including a block and a substrate support according to one embodiment of the present invention is schematically depicted in (a) front view and (b) plan view; and

[0015] Figure 6 Shown in more detail Figure 5 A substrate support and its connection arrangement for connection to a block are depicted in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0017] Detailed illustrative embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for the purpose of describing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in a variety of alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0018] Therefore, although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, their embodiments are shown in the drawings by way of example and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention encompass all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the scope of the present invention. Throughout the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

[0019] As used herein, the term "wafer" generally refers to a substrate formed of a semiconductor or non-semiconductor material. Examples of such semiconductor or non-semiconductor materials include, but are not limited to, single crystal silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphide. Such substrates can typically be found and / or processed in a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

[0020] The term "substrate" may be a wafer (as above) or a glass substrate, and the term "patterning device" may be a "reticle", which may also be referred to as a "mask".

[0021] In the present invention, "axial" means "in the direction of the optical axis of a device, guide post or device such as a lens", and "radial" means "in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis". Usually, the optical axis starts from the cathode and ends at the sample. In all figures, the optical axis always refers to the z-axis.

[0022] The term crossover refers to the point where the electron beam is focused.

[0023] The term virtual source means that the electron beam emitted from the cathode can be traced back to a "virtual" source.

[0024] The inspection tool according to the present invention relates to a charged particle source, in particular to an electron beam source that can be applied to a SEM, an electron beam inspection tool or an EBDW. In the art, an electron beam source may also be referred to as an electron gun.

[0025] With respect to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that these figures are not drawn to scale. Specifically, the proportions of some elements in the figures may be greatly exaggerated to emphasize the characteristics of the elements. It should also be noted that these figures are not drawn to the same scale. The same reference numerals have been used to indicate elements that may be similarly configured and are shown in more than one figure.

[0026] In the drawings, the relative size of each component and each component may be exaggerated for clarity. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar components or entities, and only the differences with respect to various embodiments are described.

[0027] Therefore, although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, their embodiments are shown in the drawings by way of example and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the exemplary embodiments of the present invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 1A and Figure 1BA top view and a cross-sectional view of an electron beam (e-beam) inspection (EBI) system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention are schematically depicted. The embodiment as shown includes a housing 110, a pair of loading ports 120 used as an interface to receive an object to be inspected and output the inspected object. The embodiment as shown also includes an object transfer system 130, referred to as an equipment front end module of the EFEM, and the equipment front end module EFEM is configured to carry and / or transport objects to and from the loading port. In the embodiment as shown, the EFEM includes a handling robot 140 configured to transport objects between the loading port and a loading lock 150 of the EBI system 100. The loading lock 150 is an interface between the atmospheric conditions occurring outside the housing 110 and in the EFEM and the vacuum conditions occurring in the vacuum chamber 160 of the EBI system 100. In the embodiment as shown, the vacuum chamber 160 includes an electron optical system 170, which is configured to project an electron beam onto an object to be inspected (e.g., a semiconductor substrate or wafer). The EBI system 100 also includes a positioning device 180 configured to displace the object 190 relative to the electron beam generated by the electron optical system 170. In one embodiment, the positioning device 180 is at least partially disposed within the vacuum chamber 160.

[0029] In one embodiment, the positioning apparatus may include a cascaded arrangement of multiple positioners, such as an XY stage for positioning the object in a substantially horizontal plane and a Z stage for positioning the object in a vertical direction.

[0030] In one embodiment, the positioning device may include a combination of a coarse locator configured to provide a coarse positioning of the object over a relatively large distance and a fine locator configured to provide a fine positioning of the object over a relatively small distance.

[0031] In one embodiment, the positioning device 180 also includes an object stage for holding the object during the inspection process performed by the EBI system 100. In such an embodiment, the object 190 can be clamped on the object stage by means of a clamp, such as an electrostatic clamp or a vacuum clamp. Such a clamp can be integrated into the object stage.

[0032] According to the present invention, the positioning device 180 includes a first positioner for positioning the object stage and a second positioner for positioning the first positioner and the object stage.

[0033] In one embodiment, the vacuum chamber 160 includes an electromagnetic shield 1001 to shield against external electromagnetic influences. Such an electromagnetic shield 1001 may also be referred to as an EMI (electromagnetic interference) shield.

[0034] In one embodiment, electromagnetic shield 1001 is configured to shield detectors of inspection tool 100 from external influences.

[0035] Figure 2A One embodiment of an electron optical system 200 that may be applied to an electron beam inspection tool or system according to the present invention is schematically depicted. The electron optical system 200 comprises an electron beam source, referred to as an electron gun 210, and an imaging system 240.

[0036] The electron gun 210 includes an electron source 212, a suppressor 214, an anode 216, an aperture set 218 and a buncher 220. The electron source 212 can be a Schottky emitter. More specifically, the electron source 212 includes a ceramic substrate, two electrodes, a tungsten wire and a tungsten needle. The two electrodes are fixed in parallel on the ceramic substrate, and the other sides of the two electrodes are respectively connected to the two ends of the tungsten wire. Tungsten is slightly bent to form a tip for placing the tungsten needle. Then, ZrO2 is coated on the surface of the tungsten needle and heated to 1300°C to melt and cover the tungsten needle, but not the tip of the tungsten needle. The molten ZrO2 can reduce the work function of tungsten and reduce the energy barrier of emitting electrons, and thus the electron beam 202 is effectively emitted. Then, by applying negative electricity to the suppressor 214, the electron beam 202 is suppressed. Therefore, the electron beam with a large divergence angle is suppressed as the primary electron beam 202, and thus the brightness of the electron beam 202 is enhanced. The electron beam 202 can be extracted by the positive charge of the anode 216, and then the Coulomb force of the electron beam 202 can be controlled by using an adjustable aperture 218 with different aperture sizes to eliminate the unwanted electron beam outside the aperture. To focus the electron beam 202, a buncher 220 is applied to the electron beam 202, which also provides amplification. Figure 2A The buncher 220 shown in FIG. 2 may be, for example, an electrostatic lens capable of converging the electron beam 202. On the other hand, the buncher 220 may also be a magnetic lens.

[0037] like Figure 2B The imaging system 240 shown includes a blanker 248, an aperture set 242, a detector 244, four deflector sets 250, 252, 254 and 256, a coil pair 262, a yoke 260, a filter 246 and an electrode 270. The electrode 270 is used to delay and deflect the electron beam 202, and also has an electrostatic lens function due to the combination of the upper pole piece and the sample 300. In addition, the coil 262 and the yoke 260 are configured to a magnetic objective lens.

[0038] The electron beam 202 as described above is generated by heating the electron needle and applying an electric field to the anode 216, so that in order to stabilize the electron beam 202, it is necessary to have a long time to heat the electron needle. For the user end, this is certainly time-consuming and inconvenient. Therefore, the blanker 248 is applied to the converged electron beam 202 to temporarily deflect the electron beam 202 away from the sample instead of turning it off.

[0039] Deflectors 250 and 256 are applied to scan the electron beam 202 to a large field of view, and deflectors 252 and 254 are used to scan the electron beam 202 to a small field of view. All deflectors 250, 252, 254 and 256 can control the scanning direction of the electron beam 202. Deflectors 250, 252, 254 and 256 can be electrostatic deflectors or magnetic deflectors. The opening of the yoke 260 faces the sample 300 so that the magnetic field is immersed in the sample 300. On the other hand, the electrode 270 is placed below the opening of the yoke 260, and therefore the sample 300 will not be damaged. In order to correct the chromatic aberration of the electron beam 202, the delay device, the sample 300 and the upper pole piece form a lens to eliminate the chromatic aberration of the electron beam 202.

[0040] Furthermore, when the electron beam 202 strikes the sample 300, secondary electrons will be emitted from the surface of the sample 300. Next, the secondary electrons are directed to the detector 244 by the filter 246.

[0041] Figure 3 A possible control architecture of the EBI system 3000 is schematically depicted. Figure 1A and 1B As shown, the EBI system includes a load port 120, an object transport system 130, a load / lock 150, an electron optical system 170, and a positioning device 180, which includes, for example, a z-stage 302 and an xy stage 305. As shown, these various components of the EBI system can be equipped with corresponding controllers, namely, an object transport system controller 310 connected to the object transport system 130, a load / lock controller 315, a stage controller 320, a detector controller 320 (for controlling the detector 244), and an electron optical controller 325. These controllers can be communicatively connected to a system controller computer 335 and an image processing computer 340, for example, via a communication bus 345. In the embodiment shown, the system controller computer 335 and the image processing computer 340 can be connected to a workstation 350.

[0042] The load port 120 loads the object 190 (e.g., a wafer) to the object transfer system 130, and the object transfer system controller 310 controls the object transfer system 130 to transfer the object 190 to the load / lock 150. The load / lock controller 315 controls the load / lock 150 to the chamber 160 so that the object 190 to be inspected can be fixed on the fixture 355 (e.g., an electrostatic fixture, also known as an electronic chuck). The positioning device (e.g., the z-stage 302 and the xy-stage 305) enables the object 190 to move under the control of the stage controller 330. In one embodiment, the height of the z-stage 302 can be adjusted, for example, using a piezoelectric component (such as a piezoelectric actuator). The electron optical controller 325 can control all conditions of the electron optical system 170, and the detector controller 320 can receive an electrical signal from the electron optical system (detector 244) and convert it into an image signal. The system controller computer 335 is operable to send commands to the corresponding controller. After receiving the image signal, the image processing computer 340 may process the image signal to identify defects.

[0043] In the lithography apparatus, metrology apparatus and inspection apparatus as described above, an object (such as a substrate or wafer on which a structure has been exposed using a patterned beam, or a mask (or mask) for patterning a beam in the lithography apparatus) is accurately positioned using a stage device. Such a stage device may include a short-stroke stage for positioning an object support and also include a long-stroke stage for positioning the short-stroke stage and the object support, wherein the connection arrangement disclosed herein is configured to connect the object support at least partially to the short-stroke stage. The short-stroke stage is sometimes referred to as a block or a mirror block (because it may include one or more mirrors on its surface to achieve interferometric position measurement (IFM)).

[0044] Throughout the description, the term positioning device will be used and may be understood to describe any such component, or any other equivalent stage component for positioning a substrate support (e.g., as part of a wafer stage for positioning a wafer). The positioning device supports a substrate support, which is sometimes referred to as a substrate stage / wafer stage, a chuck, or more specifically, when the substrate is electrostatically held / clamped to the substrate support, an electronic chuck. Throughout the description, the term substrate support will be used and may be understood to describe any such component, or any other equivalent stage component for supporting a substrate. In addition, the term stage apparatus will be used to describe the combination of at least the positioning device and the substrate support with the connection arrangement connecting them together, and any other components that may form part of the stage apparatus (e.g., motors, measuring devices, clamping components, etc.). The stage apparatus may be a reticle stage apparatus or a wafer stage apparatus.

[0045] The gantry apparatus may include a positioning device for accurately positioning the substrate support in three orthogonal linear axes and three orthogonal rotational axes. For example, the substrate may be clamped to the substrate support using electrostatic forces, but other holding / clamping methods may also be used. The positioning device supports the substrate support, for example by rigidly mounting the substrate support on the positioning device. The positioning device (e.g., a mirror block) may be provided with a mirror as part of an interferometer system, which is used to at least partially determine the position of the substrate relative to other parts of the inspection apparatus.

[0046] However, a disadvantage of such a gantry apparatus is that the substrate support may deform, for example, due to heating during inspection (e.g. due to inspection beam radiation or gantry actuator thermal load). The deformation of the substrate support may be transferred to the positioning device, thereby deforming it, resulting in thermal errors. For example, deformation of the substrate support may affect the accuracy of interferometric measurements performed using mirrors on the positioning device, which in turn affects the accuracy of positioning the substrate relative to the radiation beam (e.g., electron beam). In addition, thermal errors may be caused by differences in the thermal expansion coefficients between the substrate support and the positioning device (e.g., short-stroke and / or fine positioning gantry). When the gantry apparatus forms part of an inspection device or a metrology device (such as a SEM device), such thermal errors may lead to image drifts in time and position of up to about 200 nm or more (depending on the application), which may be two orders of magnitude higher than the required accuracy (e.g., image drift should be maintained below 10 nm).

[0047] Another important factor for inaccurate stage positioning comes from dynamic errors. For example, dynamic errors may be caused by system vibrations, such as system vibrations caused by the positioning of the stage equipment. Due to the high-speed positioning of the stage equipment and the high accelerations therefrom, the substrate support vibrates during the positioning action (for example, during the inspection, measurement or patterning process). In particular, vertical (high-frequency) vibration modes can be excited by this action, which is generally undamped and cannot be measured. In terms of the inspection device or the measurement device, such dynamic errors may lead to local XY image offset errors of up to about 5nm or more; these errors should be maintained, for example, below 1nm.

[0048] It has been observed that the connection between the positioning device and the substrate support has a strong influence on the positioning accuracy. Figure 4 (a) and Figure 4(b) shows a front view and a plan view of a typical stage device 470, respectively. It shows a substrate support 472 mounted on a positioning device 474. For example, the stage device may include a wafer stage device for an inspection device, the substrate support 472 including an electronic chuck and the positioning device 474 including a mirror block. The substrate support 472 is connected to the positioning device 474 by rigid mechanical connections 476, which are three such rigid mechanical connections 476 in this example to allow high acceleration without deformation and hysteresis. However, these rigid mechanical connections 476 mean that the above-mentioned thermal deformations and dynamic vibrations tend to be transmitted directly from the substrate support 472 to the positioning device 474 and / or from the positioning device 474 to the substrate support 472.

[0049] Figure 5 (a) and Figure 5 (b) shows a front view and a plan view, respectively, of a gantry apparatus 570 that solves the heat and vibration problems caused. Again, the gantry apparatus 570 includes a substrate support 572 mounted on a positioning device 574, which are substantially similar to the substrate support 472 and the positioning device 474. However, the gantry apparatus 570 has a connection arrangement that has at least one damping connection. More specifically, in this embodiment, the connection arrangement includes connections 580, 582 between the substrate support 572 and the positioning device 574, which have been optimized to mitigate heat and vibration effects. Figure 6 (a) shows a cross section of the same arrangement (without the positioning means shown) in improved detail.

[0050] The connectors 580, 582 include a rigid mechanical connector 580. The figure shows a single rigid mechanical connector 580. However, in another embodiment, multiple rigid connectors (or also referred to herein as rigid connectors) are also possible. In the case of providing multiple rigid connectors, the damping connector 582 helps to suppress vibration.

[0051] In the example shown, the (single) rigid mechanical connector 580 may be located at the center of the substrate support 572. More specifically, the rigid mechanical connector 580 may be located at the geometric center or the center of gravity. It is understood that in the case where there is only a single rigid connector, the location of the rigid connector becomes the thermal deformation center of the substrate support 572, where the thermal displacement of the substrate support 572 at the single rigid connector is substantially zero and the substrate support 572 expands or contracts around the single rigid connector due to thermal deformation.

[0052] The connectors 580, 582 also include a damping connector 582, the interface of which has a damping material 584 to provide a damped connection. The damping material can be any suitable material, such as, for example, a suitable plastic or rubber material. In the specific example shown, there are four (e.g., evenly spaced) damping connectors 582. However, the number of damping connectors and their arrangement on the substrate support 572 can vary. Figure 6 (b) shows a detail of one of the damping connectors 582 having damping material 584.

[0053] The damping material 584 is used to dampen vibrations of the substrate support 572 to mitigate their transmission to and effect on the positioning device 574. More specifically, the damping connector 582 is such that at the vibration frequency (typically between 100-5000 Hz), the damping material includes a loss factor and / or damping ratio that dampens the (e.g., vertical) vibration mode. Additionally, the damping material should have a low stiffness, i.e., a low Young's modulus at low frequencies (e.g., less than 10 Hz or less than 1 Hz). This ensures that the connector is low frequency compliant to allow the substrate support 572 to deform without deforming the positioning device 574. This decouples thermal deformation of the substrate support 572 from the positioning device 574 (avoiding over-constraint).

[0054] Thus, selecting a suitable damping material should include identifying a material that has a high loss factor at higher frequencies (e.g., at about 100 Hz or at about 1000 Hz or higher) and also has a low Young's modulus at low frequencies (e.g., less than 1 Hz or 10 Hz). For example, the damping material can have a loss factor greater than 0.2, greater than 1, greater than 1.2, or in the range of 1.4 (at least in a specific frequency range, where the specific frequency range is in another frequency range between 100 Hz and 10 kHz, for example, equal to or about 1100 Hz or higher). The damping material can also include a Young's modulus of less than 1 GPa, less than 0.1 GPa, or more preferably less than 0.01 GPa at frequencies on the order of 0.1 Hz, 1 Hz, and / or 10 Hz (e.g., at 1 Hz).

[0055] Further embodiments can be described in the following clauses:

[0056] 1. A bench device, comprising:

[0057] an object support configured to support an object;

[0058] a positioning device configured to position the object support;

[0059] a first connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the first connection arrangement comprising at least one damping connection; and

[0060] A second connection arrangement is configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the second connection arrangement comprising at least one substantially rigid connection member.

[0061] 2. A stand apparatus according to clause 1, wherein the second connection arrangement comprises only one substantially rigid connection member.

[0062] 3. A stand apparatus according to clause 2, wherein only the one substantially rigid connection is located at the geometric centre or centre of gravity of the object support.

[0063] 4. A stand apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the at least one damping connection comprises a plurality of damping connections.

[0064] 5. The stand apparatus of clause 4, wherein the plurality of damping connections comprises three or four damping connections.

[0065] 6. A table apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the at least one damping connection is configured to at least dampen vibrations of the object support.

[0066] 7. A stage apparatus according to clause 6, wherein the at least one damping connection is configured to damp at least at least one vertical vibration mode of interest of the object support.

[0067] 8. A stand apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the at least one damping connection comprises a damping material.

[0068] 9. A stand apparatus according to clause 8, wherein the damping material comprises rubber.

[0069] 10. A table apparatus according to clause 8 or 9, wherein the damping material has a high loss factor at frequencies above 100 Hz.

[0070] 11. A table apparatus according to any of clauses 8 to 10, wherein the damping material has a loss factor greater than 0.2 at least in a specific frequency range, wherein the specific frequency range is in another frequency range between 100 Hz and 10 kHz.

[0071] 12. A table apparatus according to any of clauses 8 to 10, wherein the damping material has a loss factor greater than 1 at least in a specific frequency range, wherein the specific frequency range is within another frequency range between 100 Hz and 10 kHz.

[0072] 13. A table apparatus according to any of clauses 8 to 10, wherein the damping material has a loss factor greater than 1.2 at least in a specific frequency range, wherein the specific frequency range is within another frequency range between 100 Hz and 10 kHz.

[0073] 14. A table apparatus according to any of clauses 8 to 13, wherein the damping material has a low stiffness at frequencies below 1 Hz or below 10 Hz.

[0074] 15. A bench apparatus according to clause 14, wherein the damping material has a Young's modulus below 1 GPa at frequencies below 1 Hz or below 10 Hz.

[0075] 16. A bench apparatus according to clause 14, wherein the damping material has a Young's modulus below 0.1 GPa at frequencies below 1 Hz or below 10 Hz.

[0076] 17. A bench apparatus according to clause 14, wherein the damping material has a Young's modulus below 0.01 GPa at a frequency below 1 Hz or below 10 Hz.

[0077] 18. A stage apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the object support comprises an electrostatic clamp and / or a vacuum clamp.

[0078] 19. A stage apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the positioning device includes a short-stroke stage for positioning an object support, and includes a long-stroke stage for positioning the short-stroke stage and the object support, and wherein the first connection arrangement and the second connection arrangement are configured to at least partially connect the object support to the short-stroke stage.

[0079] 20. A stage apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the object is a substrate or a patterning device.

[0080] 21. Stage apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with a positioning error of less than 1000 nm.

[0081] 22. A stage apparatus according to any of clauses 1 to 20, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with a positioning error of less than 100 nm or less than 10 nm.

[0082] 23. A stage apparatus according to any of clauses 1 to 20, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with a positioning error of less than 1 nm or less than 0.1 nm.

[0083] 24. A metrology apparatus comprising a stage apparatus for holding and positioning an object according to any one of the preceding clauses.

[0084] 25. A metrology apparatus according to clause 24, comprising a scanning electron microscopy apparatus operable to image one or more features on an object held by the object support.

[0085] 26. A lithographic apparatus comprising a stage apparatus for holding and positioning an object according to any of clauses 1 to 24.

[0086] 27. An apparatus comprising a stage apparatus for holding and positioning an object according to any one of clauses 1 to 23,

[0087] The equipment includes particle beam equipment, electron beam equipment, electron beam detection equipment, photolithography equipment, and measurement equipment.

[0088] 28. An apparatus comprising a stage apparatus for holding and positioning an object according to clauses 1 to 23,

[0089] The device is a vacuum device including a vacuum chamber, and at least a portion of the stage device is arranged in the vacuum chamber.

[0090] In summary, the combination of a damped connection and a rigid central connection results in a rigid horizontal connection of the substrate support to the positioning device, thereby: allowing high accelerations without deformation and hysteresis; damping of the (e.g. vertical) substrate support vibration modes of interest; making the system more accurate with respect to the positioning device after stabilization and thermal decoupling of the substrate support. By adding damping, the (servo) control of the entire gantry apparatus becomes simpler, making the system more robust and accurate; additionally, the (servo) control is less sensitive to dynamic changes. The positioning device can be configured, for example, to control the position of the object support with a positioning error of less than 0.1 nm, 1 nm, 10 nm, 100 nm or 1000 nm.

[0091] The stage apparatus disclosed herein has application in, for example, a particle beam apparatus, an electron beam apparatus, an electron beam inspection apparatus, a metrology apparatus (including a scatterometer apparatus), a vacuum apparatus, a reticle inspection tool, or a lithography apparatus. In some examples, the object may be a reticle (or mask) rather than a substrate (used to pattern a beam in a lithography apparatus), and the stage apparatus is thus a reticle stage.

[0092] The terms "radiation" and "beam" used in connection with lithographic equipment encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation (e.g., having a wavelength of approximately 365nm, 355nm, 248nm, 193nm, 157nm or 126nm) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation (e.g., having a wavelength in the range of 5nm-20nm), as well as particle beams such as ion beams or electron beams.

[0093] The term "lens," where the context permits, may refer to any one or combination of various types of optical components, including refractive, reflective, magnetic, electromagnetic, and electrostatic optical components.

[0094] The foregoing description of specific embodiments will so fully reveal the overall nature of the invention that others can easily modify and / or adapt various applications such as the specific embodiments by applying knowledge within the art without undue experimentation and without departing from the overall concept of the invention. Therefore, based on the teachings and guidance presented herein, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It should be understood that the words or terms herein are intended to be illustrative by example and not limiting, so that the terms or words of this specification will be interpreted by those skilled in the art based on the teachings and guidance.

[0095] The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A bench device, comprising: an object support configured to support an object; a positioning device configured to position the object support; a first connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the first connection arrangement comprising at least one damping connection; as well as a second connection arrangement configured to connect the object support to the positioning device, the second connection arrangement comprising at least one substantially rigid connection member, The at least one damping connection comprises a damping material having a loss factor greater than 0.2 at least in a specific frequency range, wherein the specific frequency range is in a frequency range between 100 Hz and 10 kHz.

2. A table apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second connection arrangement includes only one substantially rigid connection member.

3. A table apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the only one substantially rigid connection is located at the geometric center or center of gravity of the object support.

4. The table apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one damping connection comprises three or four damping connections.

5. The stage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one damping connection is configured to at least dampen vibrations of the object support. The stage apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the damping material comprises rubber.

7. The table apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the damping material has a loss factor greater than 1 at least in the specific frequency range.

8. The table apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the damping material has a loss factor greater than 1.2 at least in the specific frequency range.

9. The bench apparatus of claim 1, wherein the damping material has a Young's modulus below 1 GPa at frequencies below 10 Hz.

10. The bench apparatus of claim 9, wherein the damping material has a Young's modulus below 0.1 GPa at frequencies below 10 Hz.

11. The bench apparatus of claim 10, wherein the damping material has a Young's modulus below 0.01 GPa at a frequency below 10 Hz.

12. The stage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object support comprises an electrostatic chuck and / or a vacuum chuck.

13. The gantry apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the positioning device comprises a short-stroke stage for positioning the object support, and comprises a long-stroke stage for positioning the short-stroke stage and the object support, and wherein the first connection arrangement and the second connection arrangement are configured to at least partially connect the object support to the short-stroke stage.

14. The stage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object is a substrate or a patterning device.

15. The stage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with a positioning error of less than 1000 nm.

16. The stage apparatus of claim 15, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with the positioning error being less than 100 nm.

17. The stage apparatus of claim 16, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with the positioning error being less than 10 nm.

18. The stage apparatus of claim 17, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with the positioning error being less than 1 nm.

19. The stage apparatus of claim 18, wherein the positioning device is configured to control the position of the object support with the positioning error being less than 0.1 nm.

20. A device comprising a stage device according to claim 1 for holding and positioning an object, The device is a particle beam device, an inspection device, a lithography device, or a measurement device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the apparatus is an electron beam apparatus.

22. A device comprising a stage device according to claim 1 for holding and positioning an object, The device is a vacuum device including a vacuum chamber, and at least a portion of the stage device is arranged in the vacuum chamber.

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