Actuator, stage device, exposure device, and inspection device

Abstract

The present application provides an actuator capable of inhibiting deformation of a guide. The actuator (10) includes a slider (20) that moves within a movable region extending in a movement direction, i.e., an X direction; a guide (12) that extends in the X direction and guides the slider (20), and that includes a surrounding structure in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction, the surrounding structure surrounding an outer periphery of the slider (20) and including an opening (40) in which at least a portion thereof is open; an air cushion (30) that supplies compressed air between the slider (20) and the guide (12); a slider connecting member (44) that penetrates the opening (40) and connects the slider (20) inside the surrounding structure and a stage (200) outside the surrounding structure; and a guide connecting member (45) that connects edge portions of the opening (40) to each other and is disposed at a position that does not contact the slider connecting member (44) when the slider (20) moves within the movable region.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-028320, filed on February 25, 2022. The entire contents of that Japanese application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to an actuator, a worktable device, an exposure device, and an inspection device. Background Technology

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a pneumatic actuator for use in a vacuum environment, which includes a slider driven by gas pressure along a predetermined direction of movement and a guide extending along the direction of movement to guide the slider. The slider is lifted from the guide and can move smoothly by means of an air bearing formed by compressed air supplied through an air cushion between the outer periphery of the slider and the inner periphery of the guide.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6893170

[0005] In the pneumatic actuator of Patent Document 1, the guide does not surround the entire outer circumference (full circumference) of the slider; it has an opening at the center of its top surface. Here, compressed air supplied via an air cushion between the outer circumference of the slider and the inner circumference of the guide applies pressure from the inside to push the guide open. As a result, the relatively low-rigidity opening may be pushed open. In particular, because the pressure applied to the outer circumference of the guide in a vacuum environment is low, a large pressure difference is created between this pressure and the high pressure applied to the inner circumference of the guide, potentially causing significant deformation of the guide at the opening. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention was made in view of the following situation, and its object is to provide an actuator or the like that is capable of suppressing deformation of a guide member.

[0007] To address the aforementioned issues, an actuator according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a slider that moves within a movable region extending in a predetermined direction of movement; a guide that extends in the direction of movement and guides the slider, and has a surrounding structure on a cross-section perpendicular to the direction of movement, the surrounding structure surrounding the outer periphery of the slider and including an opening formed by at least a portion of it being open; a fluid supply section that supplies fluid between the slider and the guide; a slider connecting member that passes through the opening and connects the slider within the surrounding structure to a driven body outside the surrounding structure; and a guide connecting member that connects the edges of the openings to each other and is disposed at a position where the slider does not contact the slider connecting member when it moves within the movable region.

[0008] In this embodiment, rigidity is improved by connecting the edges of the openings of the guide members to each other via guide member connecting members, thus suppressing deformation of the guide members due to the pressure of the fluid supplied by the fluid supply unit between the slider and the guide member. Furthermore, the guide member connecting members are positioned so as not to contact the slider connecting members when the slider moves within the movable area, thus not hindering the normal operation of the slider.

[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention is a worktable device. This device controls the position of a workpiece and includes: a stage for holding the workpiece; and the aforementioned actuator for displacing the stage.

[0010] Another embodiment of the present invention is a worktable device. This device includes: a slider that moves within a movable region extending in a predetermined direction of movement; a guide that extends in the direction of movement and guides the slider, and has a surrounding structure on a cross-section perpendicular to the direction of movement, the surrounding structure surrounding the outer periphery of the slider and including an opening at least a portion thereof; a gas supply section that supplies gas between the slider and the guide; a gas discharge section that discharges the gas supplied by the gas supply section from between the outer periphery of the slider and the inner periphery of the surrounding structure; a slider connecting member that passes through the opening and connects the slider within the surrounding structure to a driven body outside the surrounding structure; a guide connecting member that connects the edges of the openings to each other and is positioned so as not to contact the slider connecting member when the slider moves within the movable region; and a vacuum chamber that houses the slider, guide, gas supply section, gas discharge section, slider connecting member, and guide connecting member in a vacuum state.

[0011] Another embodiment of the present invention is an exposure apparatus. This apparatus includes the aforementioned stage device, which controls the position of an object to be exposed, held by a stage.

[0012] Another embodiment of the present invention is an inspection device. This device includes the aforementioned worktable device, which controls the position of the object to be inspected, held by a platform.

[0013] Furthermore, any combination of the above-mentioned constituent elements or any embodiment that converts the expression of the present invention into methods, apparatus, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., is also valid as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] According to the present invention, deformation of the guide element in the actuator can be suppressed. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic three-dimensional diagram representing the actuator.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane perpendicular to the direction of slider movement (X direction).

[0017] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the ZX plane including the opening.

[0018] Figure 4 This represents a variation of the guide connecting component.

[0019] Figure 5 This represents a structural example of a guide connecting component.

[0020] In the diagram: 10-Actuator, 12-Guide, 13-Piston block, 17A-Supply and exhaust system, 17B-Supply and exhaust system, 20-Slider, 28-Pneumatic servo chamber, 30-Air cushion, 32-Exhaust groove, 34-Exhaust groove, 36-Exhaust groove, 40-Opening, 41-First end plate, 42-Second end plate, 43-Top surface, 44-Slider connecting component, 45-Guide connecting component, 200-Platform, 441-First slider connecting component, 442-Second slider connecting component, 451-First end guide connecting component, 452-Second end guide connecting component, 453-Stress relief part, 454-Resistance imparting part. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and drawings, the same or equivalent constituent elements, components, and processes are labeled with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In the drawings, for ease of explanation, scales or shapes of various parts are appropriately provided, which are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. All features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view schematically illustrating a workbench apparatus or actuator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The actuator 10 is a pneumatic actuator used in a vacuum environment such as a vacuum chamber, comprising a slider 20 driven or displaced along a predetermined movement direction based on gas pressure, and a guide member 12 extending along this movement direction and guiding the slider 20. Hereinafter, the movement direction of the slider 20 and the extension direction of the guide member 12 will also be referred to as the X direction. Furthermore, two directions orthogonal to and mutually orthogonal to the X direction will also be referred to as the Y direction and the Z direction. Typically, the X direction and the Y direction are mutually orthogonal in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is the vertical direction.

[0023] The slider 20 is approximately cuboid in shape and elongates in the direction of movement. The guide 12 has an internal space that accommodates the approximately cuboid shape of the slider 20 in a manner that allows the slider 20 to move. The length of this internal space in the X direction is greater than the length of the slider 20 in the X direction, so that the slider 20 can move along the direction of movement within the internal space of the guide 12. Here, the difference between the length of the internal space of the guide 12 in the X direction and the length of the slider 20 in the X direction is the maximum value of the width of the movable region of the slider 20. The two ends of the guide 12 in the X direction are closed by a first end plate 41 and a second end plate 42, and the distance between their inner circumferential surfaces is the length of the internal space of the guide 12 in the X direction.

[0024] As will be described later Figure 2 As shown, the guide 12 has a surrounding structure in a cross-section (YZ plane) perpendicular to the moving direction (X direction). This surrounding structure surrounds the rectangular outer periphery of the slider 20 and includes an opening 40 formed by at least a portion of it being open. Figure 1 In this example, an opening 40 is provided on the top surface 43 or upper surface of the guide 12. The opening 40 is a rectangular hole that extends in the moving direction of the slider 20, ending at the first end plate 41 and the second end plate 42. Therefore, its length in the X direction is equal to the internal space of the guide 12. Figure 2 As shown, its width in the Y direction is set to the size that the slider connecting member 44 can pass through. The slider connecting member 44 passes through the opening 40 in the Z direction and connects the top of the slider 20 inside the enclosure structure of the guide member 12 to the bottom of the worktable or platform 200 outside the enclosure structure of the guide member 12, which is the driven body. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the slider 20 is not limited to a rectangle, and can also adopt any shape such as a trapezoidal polygon, a circle, or an ellipse as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0025] The actuator 10 of this embodiment can be applied, for example, to semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses such as exposure apparatuses, ion implantation apparatuses, heat treatment apparatuses, ashing apparatuses, sputtering apparatuses, dicing apparatuses, inspection apparatuses, and cleaning apparatuses, or to FPD (Flat Panel Display) manufacturing apparatuses. However, in these cases, the stage 200 holds or mounts a semiconductor wafer or similar object to be processed (also referred to as an exposure object in the exposure apparatus and an inspection object in the inspection apparatus). As described later, if the slider 20 is driven along the X direction based on gas pressure, the stage 200, which is connected to the slider 20 via a slider connecting member, moves along the X direction. Therefore, it is possible to precisely control the position of the semiconductor wafer or similar object to be processed mounted on the stage 200 while accurately performing the desired processing on each part. Furthermore, in Figure 1For the sake of simplicity, only the actuator 10 responsible for driving or displacement in the X direction is shown. However, actuators responsible for driving or displacement in other translational directions such as the Y or Z direction can be constructed in the same manner and these actuators can be set together.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane perpendicular to the direction of movement (X direction) of slider 20. Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the ZX plane including the opening 40. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cross-section is selected to show the guide connecting component 45, which will be described later. Figure 2 yes Figure 3 Sectional view II-II, Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Sectional view III-III.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the guide 12 has a surrounding structure that encloses the rectangular periphery of the slider 20. This surrounding structure consists of a base plate 37 opposite to the bottom 22 of the slider 20, a first side plate 38 opposite to the first side 24 of the slider 20, a second side plate 39 opposite to the second side 26 of the slider 20, and top plates 38b and 39b opposite to the top of the slider 20. The top plate of the guide 12 can be divided into two approximately equal parts 38b and 39b by an opening 40 extending or traversing the center of the Y direction along the X direction. Thus, the guide 12 constrains the bottom 22, the first side 24, and the second side 26 of the slider 20 as a whole (three-sided constraint) by the base plate 37, the first side plate 38, and the second side plate 39, and constrains a portion of the top of the slider 20 by the top plates 38b and 39b, which are divided into two by the opening 40.

[0028] The slider 20, constrained from all sides by the surrounding structure of the guide member 12, can be guided by the guide member 12 to move in the X direction. Multiple air cushions 30, serving as fluid or gas supply units, are provided at the bottom 22, first side 24, second side 26, and top of the slider 20, supplying fluid or gas between the outer periphery of the slider 20 and the inner periphery of the surrounding structure of the guide member 12. Specifically, each air cushion 30 sprays high-pressure gas, such as compressed air, supplied by an exhaust system not shown, to form an air bearing, thereby causing the slider 20 to float from the guide member 12. Through a small gap or layer of compressed air or the like formed between the outer periphery of the slider 20 and the inner periphery of the surrounding structure of the guide member 12, the slider 20 can move smoothly in the X direction in a substantially non-contact state with the guide member 12.

[0029] Since the actuator 10 of this embodiment is used in a vacuum environment such as a vacuum chamber, the compressed air ejected by the air pads 30 is not allowed to leak into the vacuum environment through the openings 40, etc. Therefore, differential exhaust grooves 32, 34, and 36 are provided in the slider 20 to surround each air pad 30. Each exhaust groove 32, 34, and 36 constitutes a fluid or gas exhaust section that discharges the fluid or gas supplied by each air pad 30, which serves as a fluid or gas supply section, from the outer periphery of the slider 20 and the inner periphery of the surrounding structure of the guide 12 to the outside of the actuator 10. Each exhaust groove 32, 34, and 36 is a long groove formed along approximately the entire length of the slider 20 in the X direction.

[0030] Each exhaust chute 32, located on both sides of all air cushions 30, is open to the atmosphere. An exhaust pump can be installed between each exhaust chute 32 and the atmosphere. Exhaust chute 34 and 36 are positioned adjacent to or close to the opening 40 to reliably prevent compressed air from leaking into the vacuum environment through the opening 40. Exhaust chute 34 is connected to a low-vacuum exhaust pump that generates a low vacuum pressure (100 kPa to 100 Pa), and exhaust chute 36, which is closer to the opening 40, is connected to a medium-vacuum exhaust pump that generates a higher vacuum level (low pressure level) than exhaust chute 34, such as a medium vacuum (100 Pa to 0.1 Pa).

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, a pneumatic servo chamber 28 serving as a differential pressure drive space is provided on the side of the slider 20 (first side 24 and / or second side 26) at a position opposite to the inner periphery of the first side plate 38 and / or second side plate 39 of the guide member 12. Hereinafter, the pneumatic servo chamber 28 provided on the first side 24 of the slider 20 will also be referred to as pneumatic servo chamber 281, and the pneumatic servo chamber 28 provided on the second side 26 of the slider 20 will also be referred to as pneumatic servo chamber 282, and when there is no need to distinguish between the two, they will be collectively referred to as pneumatic servo chamber 28. The first side plate 38 of the guide member 12 has a piston block 131 extending into the pneumatic servo chamber 281 as a partition, and the second side plate 39 of the guide member 12 has a piston block 132 extending into the pneumatic servo chamber 282 as a partition. Hereinafter, piston blocks 131 and 132 will be collectively referred to as piston block 13.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, each piston block 13 inserted into each pneumatic servo chamber 28 along the Y direction divides each pneumatic servo chamber 28 in the X direction into a first servo chamber 28A as a first pressure chamber and a second servo chamber 28B as a second pressure chamber. Figure 3As shown in the schematic diagram, a supply and exhaust system 17A and 17B, serving as a differential pressure drive unit, is provided to supply or discharge pressure control fluids or gases such as compressed air to or from each of the servo chambers 28A and 28B. The supply and exhaust systems 17A and 17B each include a compressed gas supply source 18A and 18B for supplying compressed gas, and servo valves 16A and 16B for controlling the pressure of the compressed gas to supply or discharge it to or from the servo chambers 28A and 28B. Based on the pressure difference between the pressure in the first servo chamber 28A controlled by the supply and exhaust system 17A and the pressure in the second servo chamber 28B controlled by the supply and exhaust system 17B, the slider 20 is driven along the movement direction.

[0033] Here, the range in the X direction of the pneumatic servo chamber 28 defines the movable area of ​​the slider 20 in the direction of movement (X direction). Since the piston block 13 (guide 12), which moves relative to the slider 20 in the X direction within the pneumatic servo chamber 28 (slider 20), itself has a length in the X direction, the actual distance the slider 20 can move in the X direction, i.e., the width (maximum value) of the movable area, is the difference between the length of the pneumatic servo chamber 28 in the X direction and the length of the piston block 13 in the X direction. In other words, the length of the pneumatic servo chamber 28, which serves as the differential pressure drive space, in the X direction is greater than the width of the movable area of ​​the slider 20 than the length of the piston block 13 in the X direction.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the slider connecting member 44, which penetrates the opening 40 of the top surface 43 of the guide member 12 along the Z direction and connects the top of the slider 20 to the bottom of the platform 200, has a first slider connecting member 441 and a second slider connecting member 442 spaced apart in the X direction by a width of the movable area of ​​the slider 20 and / or a length in the X direction of the pneumatic servo chamber 28. Hereinafter, the first slider connecting member 441 and the second slider connecting member 442 will be collectively referred to as slider connecting member 44. Figure 2 As shown, the width of each slider connecting component 44 in the Y direction is smaller than the width of the opening 40 of the guide 12 in the Y direction. Each slider connecting component 44 can be integrally connected with the slider 20 and the platform 200 along the X direction within the opening 40 extending in the X direction. Figure 3 Move in the left and right directions.

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, the guide connecting member 45 is a columnar or rod-shaped component that connects the edges of the opening 40 of the guide 12 to each other along the Y direction. Here, the Y direction connecting the edges of the opening 40 of the guide connecting member 45 is orthogonal to the Z direction connecting the slider 20 and the platform 200 of the slider connecting member 44. Furthermore, the Y direction connecting the edges of the opening 40 of the guide connecting member 45 and the Z direction connecting the slider 20 and the platform 200 of the slider connecting member 44 are orthogonal to the movement direction (i.e., the X direction) of the slider 20.

[0036] like Figure 3 As shown, the guide connecting member 45 is positioned so that it does not contact the first slider connecting member 441 and the second slider connecting member 442 when the slider 20 moves within the movable area. Specifically, the guide connecting member 45 is positioned within the movable area of ​​the slider 20 and / or within the X-direction of the pneumatic servo chamber 28, and overlaps with the piston block 13 in the X-direction. Furthermore, the guide connecting member 45 is positioned between the first slider connecting member 441 and the second slider connecting member 442 in the X-direction.

[0037] If the slider 20 moves within its movable area, the guide connecting member 45 moves relative to the first slider connecting member 441 and the second slider connecting member 442 in the X direction. However, since the first slider connecting member 441 and the second slider connecting member 442 are located outside the movable area of ​​the slider 20 and / or outside the range of the pneumatic servo chamber 28 in the X direction, the guide connecting member 45 will not contact either the first slider connecting member 441 or the second slider connecting member 442. That is, the guide connecting member 45 will not obstruct the normal drive of the slider 20.

[0038] According to this embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the rigidity is improved by connecting the edges of the openings 40 of the guide 12 to each other via the guide connecting member 45, thus suppressing deformation of the guide 12 due to the pressure of the compressed air supplied by the plurality of air pads 30 between the outer periphery of the slider 20 and the inner periphery of the guide 12. Figure 1 As shown, the two ends of the opening 40 fixed to the first end plate 41 and the second end plate 42 in the X direction are not easily deformed, while the central part is easily pressed open by the pressure of the compressed air in the air cushion 30. In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, by providing a guide connecting member 45 at the center of the opening 40 in the X direction, which is particularly prone to deformation, deformation of the guide 12 can be effectively suppressed.

[0039] In addition, to suppress deformation near both ends of the opening 40 in the X direction, a guide connecting member 45 can be provided in addition to the guide connecting member 45 at the center of the opening 40. Figure 4The first end guide connecting member 451 and the second end guide connecting member 452 shown may be provided instead of the guide connecting member 45 at the center of the opening 40. Figure 4 The first end guide connecting member 451 and the second end guide connecting member 452 are shown. If the guide connecting member 45 at the center of the opening 40 is not provided, a single slider connecting member 44 can be provided instead of the first slider connecting member 441 and the second slider connecting member 442 to connect the slider 20 and the stage 200. Since the first end guide connecting member 451 and the second end guide connecting member 452 are located further outward in the X direction than the two ends of the movable area of ​​the slider 20, the slider 20 will not come into contact with the slider connecting member 44 even if it moves within the movable area.

[0040] Figure 5 This shows a structural example of the guide connecting component 45. Figure 5 In example (A), the guide connecting member 45 includes a stress-relieving part 453 that mitigates stress through deformation. The stress-relieving part 453 releases stress through deformation to prevent the opening 40 from being pressed open by the stress when the guide connecting member 45 is installed in the opening 40 of the guide 12. Figure 5 As shown in (A), the stress relief part 453 may be composed of a flexible part or elastic deformation part that is narrower than other parts and can be bent, or it may be composed of a mechanical part such as a hinge that allows opening and closing or bending.

[0041] The guide connector 45 can also be used Figure 5 Simple columnar or rod-shaped components like those in (B). In this case, it is preferable to use a precision-machined guide connector 45 to prevent excessive load from being applied to the opening 40 of the guide 12 during installation of the guide connector 45. The guide connector 45 can also be... Figure 5 The middle (C) type has a resistance-providing part 454 that provides resistance to the opening deformation of the opening 40. Figure 5In example (C), the resistance-imposing part 454 is formed by a cylindrical cylinder 455 and a cylindrical piston 456 inserted into the cylinder 455. The length of the internal space of the cylinder 455 in the Y direction is greater than the length of the piston 456 in the Y direction, and the space between the end (right end) of the piston 456 and the base (right end) of the cylinder 455 is in a low-pressure state, such as a vacuum state. When the compressed air of the air cushion 30 applies pressure to open the opening 40 (i.e., when pressure is applied to separate the cylinder 455 and the piston 456 from each other in the Y direction), the internal space of the cylinder 455 in the low-pressure state generates resistance, thus effectively preventing the opening 40 from being pressed open. Furthermore, the resistance-generating part 454 is not limited to mechanisms like cylinder 455 and piston 456 that passively generate resistance based on the pressure that causes the opening 40 of guide 12 to open in the Y direction. It can also be composed of actuators such as piezoelectric elements that actively or adaptively impart resistance or force to prevent the opening 40 from expanding or deforming.

[0042] The present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments. These embodiments are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications exist in the combination of these constituent elements or processing procedures, and such modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0043] Furthermore, the functional structures of the devices described in the embodiments can be implemented using hardware resources, software resources, or a combination of both. As hardware resources, processors, ROMs, RAMs, and other LSIs can be used. As software resources, operating systems, application programs, and other programs can be used.

Claims

1. An actuator, characterized in that, have: The slider moves within a movable area extending in a specified direction of movement; A guide extends along the direction of movement and guides the slider, and has a surrounding structure on a cross section perpendicular to the direction of movement, the surrounding structure surrounding the outer periphery of the slider and including an opening formed by at least a portion of it being open; A fluid supply unit supplies fluid between the slider and the guide; A slider connecting component passes through the opening and connects the slider inside the enclosure structure to the driven body outside the enclosure structure; and A guide connecting component is disposed within the movable area, connecting the edges of the opening to each other, and is disposed at a position where the slider does not contact the slider connecting component when the slider moves within the movable area.

2. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slider connecting component includes a first slider connecting component and a second slider connecting component disposed in the moving direction at a distance greater than the width of the movable region. The guide connecting component is disposed between the first slider connecting component and the second slider connecting component.

3. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The guide connecting member includes a first end guide connecting member and a second end guide connecting member disposed at a position further outward in the direction of movement than both ends of the movable region.

4. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The guide connecting component has a stress-relieving part that mitigates stress through deformation.

5. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The guide connecting component has a resistance-giving part that provides resistance to the opening deformation.

6. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The direction in which the slider connecting component connects the slider and the driven body is approximately orthogonal to the direction in which the guide connecting component connects the edge of the opening.

7. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Both ends of the guide are closed.

8. A workbench device for controlling the position of an object to be processed, characterized in that, have: A stage for holding the object being processed; and The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 causes displacement of the stage.

9. An exposure apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes the stage apparatus of claim 8, wherein the stage apparatus controls the position of the exposure object held by the stage.

10. An inspection device, characterized in that, The device includes the worktable apparatus of claim 8, wherein the worktable apparatus controls the position of the inspection object held by the stage.

11. A workbench device, characterized in that, have: The slider moves within a movable area extending in a specified direction of movement; A guide extends along the direction of movement and guides the slider, and has a surrounding structure on a cross section perpendicular to the direction of movement, the surrounding structure surrounding the outer periphery of the slider and including an opening formed by at least a portion of it being open; A gas supply unit supplies gas between the slider and the guide; The gas discharge section discharges the gas supplied by the gas supply section from between the outer periphery of the slider and the inner periphery of the surrounding structure; A slider connecting component passes through the opening and connects the slider inside the enclosure structure to the driven body outside the enclosure structure; A guide connecting component is disposed within the movable area, connecting the edges of the opening to each other, and is disposed at a position where the slider does not contact the slider connecting component when the slider moves within the movable area; and The vacuum chamber houses the slider, the guide, the gas supply unit, the gas discharge unit, the slider connecting component, and the guide connecting component within a vacuum state.

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