Transportation system, exposure apparatus, and transportation method

Abstract

To make it possible to transport an article on an article placement member with the article maintained high in the degree of flatness.SOLUTION: A transport system is provided with a wafer stage WST capable of holding a mounted wafer W and capable of moving along a XY plane, a chuck unit 153 which holds the wafer in a non-contact state from the upper side and can vertically move above a predetermined position, and, when the wafer stage WST is positioned at the predetermined position, a plurality of vertically movable pins 140 capable of supporting the wafer held by the chuck unit 153 from below on the wafer stage WST. Then, a Z-position detection system 146 measures the flatness of the wafer W, and based on the measurement result, the chuck unit 153 holding (supporting) the wafer W and the vertically movable pin 140 are independently driven.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying system, an exposure apparatus, a conveying method, an exposure method, a device manufacturing method, and a suction apparatus, and in particular to a conveying system for conveying a plate-shaped object, an exposure apparatus equipped with the conveying system, a conveying method for conveying a plate-shaped object onto a moving body, an exposure method using the conveying method, a device manufacturing method using the exposure apparatus or exposure method, and a suction apparatus for sucking up a plate-shaped object. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, the lithography process for manufacturing electronic devices (microdevices) such as semiconductor elements (integrated circuits, etc.) and liquid crystal display elements has primarily used step-and-repeat projection exposure equipment (known as a stepper) or step-and-scan projection exposure equipment (known as a scanning stepper, also called a scanner).

[0003] Substrates such as wafers or glass plates to be exposed using this type of exposure equipment are gradually becoming larger (for example, every 10 years in the case of wafers). Currently, 300 mm wafers with a diameter of 300 mm are mainstream, but the era of 450 mm wafers with a diameter of 450 mm is fast approaching. With the shift to 450 mm wafers, the number of dies (chips) that can be obtained from one wafer will be more than double that of the current 300 mm wafers, which will contribute to cost reduction.

[0004] However, since the thickness of a wafer does not increase in proportion to its size, a 450 mm wafer has weaker strength and rigidity than a 300 mm wafer. Therefore, for example, when it comes to wafer transportation, it was thought that if the same means and methods as those currently used for 300 mm wafers were adopted, there would be a risk that the wafer would be distorted and would have a negative effect on exposure accuracy. As a result, a wafer transportation method that can be used even with a 450 mm wafer has been proposed, in which a transportation member equipped with a Bernoulli chuck or the like sucks the wafer from above in a non-contact manner to maintain flatness (flatness) and transport it to a wafer holder (holding device) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] However, when the method of transporting the wafer onto the wafer stage (wafer holder) employs non-contact suction from above using the above-mentioned transport member, there is a risk of an unacceptable level of positional deviation (rotational deviation) of the wafer in the horizontal plane, which is difficult to correct based on measurement results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0297562 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a method for eliminating the inconvenience caused by the non-contact suction from above by the wafer transport member described above, it is possible to support the wafer from below with a support member (for example, a vertically movable pin on a wafer stage) while sucking the wafer from above in a non-contact manner with a suction member such as a Bernoulli chuck. However, as a result of experiments conducted by the inventors, it was found that when the wafer is loaded onto the wafer stage by non-contact suction from above and supported from below, an unacceptable level of distortion may occur even for a 300 mm wafer due to the difference in drive speed between the suction member and the support member during loading.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport system for transporting a plate-shaped object to an object mounting member provided with an object mounting section, the transport system comprising: a suction member having an opposing section facing the object and forming a gas flow between the opposing section and the object to generate a suction force on the object; a measuring device for obtaining information regarding the shape of the object being sucked by the suction member; a driving device for moving the suction member relatively in a vertical direction toward or away from the object mounting section; and a control device for controlling at least one of the suction member and the driving device using the information obtained by the measuring device so that the object is placed on the object mounting section in a predetermined shape.

[0009] This makes it possible to transport the object onto the object placement member while maintaining a high degree of flatness.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus for forming a pattern on an object, comprising: a transport system as described above; and a pattern generating device for exposing the object transported by the transport system onto the object mounting member with an energy beam to form the pattern.

[0011] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method including exposing an object using the above-described exposure apparatus, and developing the object that has been exposed.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport method for transporting a plate-shaped object to an object mounting member, the transport method including: sucking the object from above above the object mounting member in a non-contact manner using a suction member; moving the suction member relative to the object mounting section in a vertical direction using a driving device; obtaining information regarding the vertical position of each of multiple points on the object sucked by the suction member; and using the obtained information to control at least one of the suction member and the driving device so that the object is placed on the object mounting section in a predetermined shape.

[0013] This makes it possible to transport the object onto the object placement member while maintaining a high degree of flatness.

[0014] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure method including: transporting a plate-shaped object onto the object mounting member by the above-mentioned transport method; and exposing the object held on the object mounting member after transport to an energy beam to form a pattern on the object.

[0015] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device manufacturing method including: exposing an object by the above-described exposure method; and developing the exposed object.

[0016] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first suction device for sucking up a plate-shaped object, the first suction device having a suction member having an opposing portion facing the object and spraying gas from the opposing portion to generate a suction force on the object, and a measuring device for obtaining information regarding the shape of the object being sucked by the suction member.

[0017] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a second suction device that applies suction force to a plate-shaped object without contact, comprising a base member, a plurality of suction sections provided on the base member, each of which generates a gas flow around the object to generate a suction force on the object, and an adjustment device that deforms the object, and which sucks the object with the force generated by the gas flow generated by the plurality of suction sections, while deforming the object with the adjustment device.

[0018] This makes it possible to suck in an object using the suction force generated by the gas flow generated by multiple suction sections, while using the adjustment device to deform the object, for example, so as to ensure a desired level of flatness. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2A is a diagram (plan view) of the wafer stage in FIG. 1 as viewed from the +Z direction, and FIG. 2B is a diagram (front view) of the wafer stage as viewed from the -Y direction. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of an interferometer, an alignment meter, a multi-point AF system, and the like provided in the exposure apparatus, with respect to the projection optical system. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram (front view) of the loading unit and the wafer stage in FIG. 1 as viewed from the -Y direction. [Diagram 5] 5 is a view of the chuck unit in FIG. 4 as seen from the -Z direction. [Figure 6] 2 is a block diagram showing the input / output relationship of a main controller that constitutes the central part of a control system of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(A) is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the wafer loading operation, FIG. 7(B) is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the wafer loading operation, FIG. 7(C) is a diagram (part 3) for explaining the wafer loading operation, and FIG. 7(D) is a diagram (part 4) for explaining the wafer loading operation. [Figure 8] Figure 8(A) is a diagram (part 5) for explaining the wafer loading operation, Figure 8(B) is a diagram (part 6) for explaining the wafer loading operation, Figure 8(C) is a diagram (part 7) for explaining the wafer loading operation, and Figure 8(D) is a diagram (part 8) for explaining the wafer loading operation. [Figure 9] FIG. 9(A) is a diagram (part 9) for explaining the wafer loading operation, and FIG. 9(B) is a diagram (part 10) for explaining the wafer loading operation. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram for explaining an example (modification) of the configuration of a wafer flatness detection system and a chuck unit position detection system. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation immediately before placing the wafer on the wafer stage, among the wafer carry-in operations. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0021] 1 shows a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. This exposure apparatus 100 is a step-and-scan type projection exposure apparatus, a so-called scanner. As will be described later, in this embodiment, a projection optical system PL is provided, and in the following description, the direction parallel to the optical axis AX of this projection optical system PL is defined as the Z-axis direction, the direction in which a reticle and a wafer are relatively scanned in a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis direction is defined as the Y-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the Z-axis and Y-axis is defined as the X-axis direction, and the directions of rotation (tilt) around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as the θx, θy, and θz directions, respectively.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 1, the exposure apparatus 100 includes an exposure unit 200 disposed in an exposure station disposed near the +Y end on the base plate 12, a measurement unit 300 disposed in a measurement station at a predetermined distance away from the exposure unit 200 on the -Y side, a stage device 50 including a wafer stage WST and a measurement stage MST that move two-dimensionally in the XY plane independently on the base plate 12, a carry-in unit 121 constituting a transfer system 120 (see Fig. 6) that transfers the wafer W together with an unillustrated carry-out unit and a wafer support member 125 described later, and a control system for these components. Here, the base plate 12 is supported on the floor surface almost horizontally (parallel to the XY plane) by a vibration isolation device (not shown). The base plate 12 is made of a member having a flat plate-like outer shape. In addition, a coil unit including a plurality of coils 17 arranged in a matrix with the XY two-dimensional directions as row and column directions, which constitutes a stator of a planar motor (described later), is housed inside the base plate 12. The coil unit includes a plurality of coils 17 arranged in a matrix with the XY two-dimensional directions as row and column directions. 1, a wafer stage WST is located in the exposure station, and a wafer W is held on the wafer stage WST (more specifically, a wafer table WTB, which will be described later). Also, a measurement stage MST is located in the vicinity of the exposure station.

[0023] The exposure section 200 includes an illumination system 10, a reticle stage RST, a projection unit PU, a local immersion device 8, and the like.

[0024] Illumination system 10 includes a light source, an illuminance uniforming optical system including an optical integrator and the like, and an illumination optical system having a reticle blind and the like (none of which are shown), as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0025890. Illumination system 10 illuminates a slit-shaped illumination area IAR on reticle R, which is set (limited) by a reticle blind (also called a masking system), with illumination light (exposure light) IL with approximately uniform illuminance. Here, as an example of the illumination light IL, ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193 nm) is used.

[0025] A reticle R, on whose pattern surface (the lower surface in FIG. 1) a circuit pattern or the like is formed, is fixed onto the reticle stage RST, for example, by vacuum suction. The reticle stage RST can be minutely driven within the XY plane by a reticle stage drive system 11 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6) including, for example, a linear motor or a planar motor, and can also be driven at a predetermined scanning speed in the scanning direction (the Y-axis direction, which is the left-right direction within the paper in FIG. 1).

[0026] Position information (including rotation information in the θz direction) of the reticle stage RST in the XY plane is constantly detected, for example, by a reticle laser interferometer (hereinafter referred to as "reticle interferometer") 13 via a moving mirror 15 (actually, a Y moving mirror (or a retroreflector) having a reflecting surface perpendicular to the Y axis direction and an X moving mirror having a reflecting surface perpendicular to the X axis direction are provided) fixed to the reticle stage RST, with a resolution of, for example, about 0.25 nm. The measurement value of the reticle interferometer 13 is sent to a main controller 20 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6). The main controller 20 drives the reticle stage RST via a reticle stage drive system 11 (see FIG. 6) based on the position information of the reticle stage RST. Note that in this embodiment, the position information of the reticle stage RST in the XY plane may be detected using an encoder instead of the above-mentioned reticle interferometer.

[0027] The projection unit PU is disposed below the reticle stage RST in FIG. 1. The projection unit PU is supported by a main frame BD disposed horizontally above a base plate 12, via a flange portion FLG provided on the outer periphery thereof. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the main frame BD is made of a plate member having a hexagonal shape in plan view (a shape like a rectangle with two corners cut off) whose dimension in the Y-axis direction is larger than that in the X-axis direction, and is supported on the floor surface by a support member (not shown) that includes a vibration isolation device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a frame FL having a rectangular frame shape in plan view is disposed so as to surround the main frame BD. The frame FL is supported on the floor surface at the same height as the main frame BD by a support member different from the support member that supports the main frame BD. A pair of (left-right symmetrical) extension portions 159 having an L-shape in XZ cross section are provided protruding downward from the vicinity of the -Y side end of a pair of long sides separated in the X-axis direction of the frame FL (approximately the same Y position as the loading position LP described later) (see FIG. 4).

[0028] The projection unit PU includes a lens barrel 40 and a projection optical system PL held in the lens barrel 40. For example, a refractive optical system consisting of a plurality of optical elements (lens elements) arranged along an optical axis AX parallel to the Z axis is used as the projection optical system PL. The projection optical system PL is, for example, double-telecentric and has a predetermined projection magnification (for example, 1 / 4, 1 / 5, or 1 / 8). For this reason, when an illumination area IAR on the reticle R is illuminated by illumination light IL from the illumination system 10, a reduced image (a reduced image of a part of the circuit pattern) of the reticle R in the illumination area IAR is formed through the projection optical system PL (projection unit PU) by the illumination light IL that has passed through the reticle R, whose first surface (object surface) and pattern surface of the projection optical system PL are arranged so as to substantially coincide with each other, in an area (hereinafter also referred to as an exposure area) IA that is conjugate with the illumination area IAR on the wafer W, whose surface is coated with a resist (sensitizer), and that is arranged on the second surface (image surface) side of the projection optical system PL. Then, by synchronously driving the reticle stage RST and the wafer stage WST (more precisely, the fine movement stage WFS, described later, which holds the wafer W), the reticle R is moved in the scanning direction (Y-axis direction) relative to the illumination area IAR (illumination light IL), and the wafer W is moved in the scanning direction (Y-axis direction) relative to the exposure area IA (illumination light IL), whereby scanning exposure of one shot area (divided area) on the wafer W is performed, and the pattern of the reticle R is transferred to that shot area. That is, in this embodiment, the pattern of the reticle R is generated on the wafer W by the illumination system 10 and the projection optical system PL, and the pattern is formed on the wafer W by exposing a sensitive layer (resist layer) on the wafer W to the illumination light IL.

[0029] The local immersion device 8 is provided so that the exposure apparatus 100 performs exposure by the immersion method. The local immersion device 8 includes a liquid supply device 5, a liquid recovery device 6 (neither of which is shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6), a nozzle unit 32, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle unit 32 is suspended and supported by a main frame BD that supports the projection unit PU and the like via a support member (not shown) so as to surround the periphery of the lower end of a lens barrel 40 that holds the optical element that is closest to the image plane (wafer W side), here a lens (hereinafter also referred to as the "tip lens") 191 that constitutes the projection optical system PL. The nozzle unit 32 includes a supply port and a recovery port for the liquid Lq, a lower surface on which the wafer W is disposed opposite and on which the recovery port is provided, and a supply flow path and a recovery flow path that are respectively connected to a liquid supply pipe 31A and a liquid recovery pipe 31B (neither of which is shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 3). The liquid supply pipe 31A is connected to one end of a supply pipe (not shown), the other end of which is connected to the liquid supply device 5 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6), and the liquid recovery pipe 31B is connected to the other end of a recovery pipe (not shown), the other end of which is connected to the liquid recovery device 6 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6). In this embodiment, the main controller 20 controls the liquid supply device 5 (see FIG. 6) to supply liquid between the tip lens 191 and the wafer W via the liquid supply pipe 31A and the nozzle unit 32, and controls the liquid recovery device 6 (see FIG. 6) to recover liquid from between the tip lens 191 and the wafer W via the nozzle unit 32 and the liquid recovery pipe 31B. At this time, the main controller 20 controls the liquid supply device 5 and the liquid recovery device 6 so that the amount of liquid supplied and the amount of liquid recovered are always equal. Therefore, a constant amount of liquid Lq (see FIG. 1) is always replaced and held between the tip lens 191 and the wafer W. In this embodiment, pure water that transmits ArF excimer laser light (light with a wavelength of 193 nm) is used as the liquid Lq. The refractive index n of pure water with respect to ArF excimer laser light is approximately 1.44, and in the pure water, the wavelength of the illumination light IL is shortened to 193 nm x 1 / n = approximately 134 nm. In FIG. 3, the immersion region formed by the liquid Lq is indicated by the reference symbol 36.

[0030] Furthermore, when the measurement stage MST is positioned below the projection unit PU, it is also possible to fill the space between the measurement table MTB and the tip lens 191, which will be described later, with liquid Lq in the same manner as above.

[0031] Here, although the explanation is out of order, an explanation will be given of stage device 50. As shown in Fig. 1, stage device 50 is equipped with a wafer stage WST and measurement stage MST that are arranged on a base plate 12, and an interferometer system 70 (see Fig. 6) including Y interferometers 16, 19 that measure position information of these stages WST, MST.

[0032] As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2(B), the wafer stage WST has a coarse movement stage WCS and a fine movement stage WFS that is supported in a non-contact state by the coarse movement stage WCS and is movable relative to the coarse movement stage WCS. Here, the wafer stage WST (coarse movement stage WCS) is driven by a coarse movement stage drive system 51A (see Figure 6) in the X-axis and Y-axis directions at a predetermined stroke and is finely driven in the θz direction. In addition, the fine movement stage WFS is driven by a fine movement stage drive system 52A (see Figure 6) in six degrees of freedom directions (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θx, θy, and θz directions) relative to the coarse movement stage WCS.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2(B), the coarse movement stage WCS includes a coarse movement slider section 91 having a rectangular plate shape whose length in the X-axis direction is slightly longer than its length in the Y-axis direction in a plan view (seen from the +Z direction), a pair of side walls 92a, 92b having a rectangular plate shape whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction and which are fixed to the upper surfaces of one end and the other end of the coarse movement slider section 91 in a state parallel to the YZ plane, and a pair of stators 93a, 93b fixed to the center of the Y-axis direction of the upper surfaces of the side walls 92a, 92b facing inward. The side walls 92a, 92b may have substantially the same length in the Y-axis direction as the stators 93a, 93b. In other words, the side walls 92a, 92b may be provided only in the center of the Y-axis direction of the upper surfaces of one end and the other end of the coarse movement slider section 91 in the longitudinal direction.

[0034] On the bottom surface of the coarse movement stage WCS, i.e., the bottom surface of the coarse movement slider portion 91, a magnet unit is provided corresponding to the coil unit arranged inside the base plate 12, which is composed of a plurality of permanent magnets 18 arranged in a matrix shape with the XY two-dimensional directions as row and column directions, as shown in Fig. 2(B). The magnet unit, together with the coil unit of the base plate 12, constitutes a coarse movement stage drive system 51A (see Fig. 6) composed of a planar motor of an electromagnetic force (Lorentz force) drive system disclosed in, for example, the specification of U.S. Patent No. 5,196,745. The magnitude and direction of the current supplied to each coil 17 (see Fig. 1) constituting the coil unit is controlled by the main controller 20.

[0035] A plurality of air bearings 94 are fixed around the magnet unit on the bottom surface of the coarse movement slider portion 91. The coarse movement stage WCS is supported in a levitated manner above the base plate 12 via a predetermined gap (clearance, gap), for example a gap of about several μm, by the plurality of air bearings 94, and is driven in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and θz direction by the coarse movement stage drive system 51A.

[0036] Incidentally, the coarse movement stage drive system 51A is not limited to a planar motor of an electromagnetic force (Lorentz force) drive system, but may be, for example, a planar motor of a variable magnetic resistance drive system. In addition, the coarse movement stage drive system 51A may be configured with a magnetic levitation type planar motor, and the coarse movement stage WCS may be driven in six degrees of freedom by the planar motor. In this case, it is not necessary to provide an air bearing on the bottom surface of the coarse movement slider portion 91.

[0037] Each of the pair of stator parts 93a, 93b is made of, for example, a rectangular plate-like member, and contains coil units CUa, CUb each of which is made up of a plurality of coils. The magnitude and direction of the current supplied to each of the coils constituting coil units CUa, CUb are controlled by main control device 20.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2(B), the fine movement stage WFS comprises a main body 81 consisting of a low columnar member having an octagonal shape in a planar view, a pair of mover sections 82a, 82b fixed respectively to one end and the other end of the main body 81 in the X-axis direction, and a wafer table WTB consisting of a plate-like member having a rectangular shape in a planar view and fixed integrally to the upper surface of the main body 81.

[0039] Main body portion 81 is desirably formed from a material that has the same or approximately the same coefficient of thermal expansion as wafer table WTB, and this material desirably has a low coefficient of thermal expansion.

[0040] Here, although not shown in FIG. 2(B), the main body 81 is provided with a plurality of (for example, three) vertical movement pins 140 (see FIG. 4) that are inserted into through holes (not shown) formed in the wafer table WTB (and the wafer holder (not shown) and can move up and down. An exhaust port (not shown) for vacuum exhaust is formed on the upper surface of each of the three vertical movement pins 140. In addition, the lower end surfaces of each of the three vertical movement pins 140 are fixed to the upper surface of the pedestal member 141. The three vertical movement pins 140 are each arranged at the apex of an equilateral triangle in a plan view of the upper surface of the pedestal member 141. The exhaust port formed in each of the three vertical movement pins 140 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via an exhaust pipe line formed inside the vertical movement pins 140 (and the pedestal member 141) and a vacuum exhaust pipe (not shown). The pedestal member 141 is connected to a drive unit 142 via a shaft 143 fixed to the center of the lower surface. That is, the three vertical movement pins 140 are driven vertically by the drive device 142 integrally with the base member 141. In this embodiment, the base member 141, the three vertical movement pins 140, and the shaft 143 constitute a wafer center support member (hereinafter, abbreviated as center support member) 150 capable of supporting a part of the central region of the lower surface of the wafer from below. Here, the displacement of the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) from the reference position in the Z-axis direction is detected by a displacement sensor 145 (not shown in FIG. 4, see FIG. 6) such as an encoder system provided in the drive device 142. The main control device 20 drives the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) vertically via the drive device 142 based on the measurement value of the displacement sensor 145.

[0041] 2(B), the pair of mover parts 82a, 82b have housings with a rectangular frame shape in YZ cross section that are fixed to one end face and the other end face in the X-axis direction of the main body part 81. For convenience, these housings will be referred to as housings 82a, 82b below using the same reference numerals as the mover parts 82a, 82b.

[0042] The housing 82a has an opening that is elongated in the Y-axis direction and has a rectangular YZ cross section, with both the Y-axis dimension (length) and the Z-axis dimension (height) being somewhat longer than the stator portion 93a. The -X side end of the stator portion 93a of the coarse movement stage WCS is inserted into the opening of the housing 82a without contact. Magnet units MUa1 and MUa2 are provided inside the top wall portion 82a1 and bottom wall portion 82a2 of the housing 82a.

[0043] The mover section 82b is symmetrical to the mover section 82a but is configured similarly. The +X side end of the stator section 93b of the coarse motion stage WCS is inserted without contact into the hollow section of the housing (mover section) 82b. Magnet units MUb1 and MUb2, which are configured similarly to the magnet units MUa1 and MUa2, are provided inside the top wall section 82b1 and bottom wall section 82b2 of the housing 82b.

[0044] The above-mentioned coil units CUa and CUb are respectively housed inside the stator portions 93a and 93b so as to face the magnet units MUa1, MUa2 and MUb1, MUb2, respectively.

[0045] The configurations of the magnet units MUa1, MUa2, MUb1, MUb2, and the coil units CUa, CUb are disclosed in detail in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0073652 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0073653.

[0046] In this embodiment, a fine movement stage drive system 52A (see FIG. 6) is configured that includes a pair of magnet units MUa1, MUa2 possessed by the aforementioned mover portion 82a, and a coil unit CUa possessed by the stator portion 93a, and a pair of magnet units MUb1, MUb2 possessed by the mover portion 82b, and a coil unit CUb possessed by the stator portion 93b, and that levitates and supports the fine movement stage WFS in a non-contact state relative to the coarse movement stage WCS, and drives it in a non-contact manner in six degrees of freedom, similar to the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0073652 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0073653.

[0047] In addition, when a magnetic levitation type planar motor is used as the coarse movement stage drive system 51A (see FIG. 6), the planar motor can finely drive the fine movement stage WFS together with the coarse movement stage WCS in each of the Z-axis, θx, and θy directions, so the fine movement stage drive system 52A may be configured to drive the fine movement stage WFS in each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and θz directions, i.e., in the three degrees of freedom directions in the XY plane. In addition, for example, a pair of electromagnets may be provided on each of a pair of side wall portions 92a, 92b of the coarse movement stage WCS, facing the oblique sides of the octagon of the fine movement stage WFS, and a magnetic member may be provided on the fine movement stage WFS facing each electromagnet. In this way, the fine movement stage WFS can be driven in the XY plane by the magnetic force of the electromagnets, so that a pair of Y-axis linear motors may be configured by the mover portions 82a, 82b and the stator portions 93a, 93b.

[0048] The wafer W is fixed to the center of the upper surface of the wafer table WTB by vacuum suction or the like via a wafer holder provided in a wafer holding portion such as a pin chuck (not shown). The wafer holder may be formed integrally with the wafer table WTB, but in this embodiment, the wafer holder and the wafer table WTB are configured separately, and the wafer holder is fixed in a recess of the wafer table WTB by, for example, vacuum suction or the like. Also, on the upper surface of the wafer table WTB, as shown in FIG. 2(A), a plate (liquid-repellent plate) 28 is provided, which has a surface (liquid-repellent surface) that is almost flush with the surface of the wafer placed on the wafer holder and that has been treated to be liquid-repellent against the liquid Lq, and has a rectangular outer shape (contour) and a circular opening formed in the center that is slightly larger than the wafer holder (wafer placement area). The plate 28 is made of a material with a low thermal expansion coefficient, such as glass or ceramics (for example, Zerodur (product name), Al2O3, or TiC, etc., by Schott Corporation), and its surface is treated to be liquid-repellent against the liquid Lq. Specifically, the liquid-repellent film is formed of, for example, a fluororesin material, a fluororesin material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon (registered trademark)), an acrylic resin material, a silicon resin material, etc. Plate 28 is fixed to the upper surface of wafer table WTB so that the entire surface (or a part) of plate 28 is flush with the surface of wafer W.

[0049] A measurement plate 30 is provided near the end of plate 28 on the +Y side. A first reference mark FM is provided on this measurement plate 30 in the center located on center line CL of wafer table WTB, and a pair of second reference marks RM for reticle alignment are provided on either side of first reference mark FM.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 2(A), a plurality of (for example, three) reflecting mirrors 86 are provided on the wafer table WTB in the vicinity of the wafer holder. The three reflecting mirrors 86 are arranged at a position close to the -Y side of the wafer holder (a position where the notch of the wafer W faces on the center line CL, i.e., a position at the 6 o'clock direction with respect to the center of the wafer W in a plan view), and at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock directions with respect to the center of the wafer W in a plan view, symmetrically with respect to the center line CL. Note that in Fig. 2(A), the reflecting mirror 86 is shown outside the circular opening of the wafer plate for convenience of illustration, but in reality, it is arranged at the boundary between the wafer holder and the circular opening of the plate 28, and in the gap between the plate 28 and the wafer W. A porous body is provided below these reflecting mirrors 86, and the liquid Lq remaining on the wafer table WTB that has not been completely recovered by the liquid recovery device 6 is recovered through the porous body.

[0051] The -Y end face and the -X end face of wafer table WTB are mirror-finished, respectively, to form reflecting surfaces 17a and 17b shown in FIG. 2(A).

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3, the measurement stage MST is equipped with a stage main body 60 and a measurement table MTB mounted on the stage main body 60.

[0053] Although not shown, a magnet unit made of multiple permanent magnets is provided on the bottom surface of the stage main body 60, which, together with the coil unit (coil 17) of the base board 12, constitutes a measurement stage drive system 51B (see FIG. 6) made of a planar motor driven by an electromagnetic force (Lorentz force). A plurality of air bearings (not shown) are fixed around the magnet unit on the bottom surface of the stage main body 60. The measurement stage MST is supported by the above-mentioned air bearings in a levitated manner above the base board 12 via a predetermined gap (gap, clearance), for example, a gap of about several μm, and is driven in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the measurement stage drive system 51B. The measurement stage MST may have a structure having a coarse movement stage driven in three degrees of freedom in the XY plane and a fine movement stage driven with the remaining three degrees of freedom (or six degrees of freedom) relative to the coarse movement stage. When the measurement stage drive system 51B is configured with a magnetic levitation type planar motor, for example, the measurement stage may be a single stage movable in six degrees of freedom.

[0054] The measurement table MTB is made of a member having a rectangular shape in a plan view. Various measurement members are provided on the measurement table MTB. As the measurement members, for example, an illuminance unevenness sensor 88 having a pinhole-shaped light receiving portion that receives the illumination light IL on the image plane of the projection optical system PL, an aerial image measuring instrument 96 that measures the light intensity of the aerial image (projected image) of the pattern projected by the projection optical system PL, and a wavefront aberration measuring instrument 89 are adopted. As the illuminance unevenness sensor, for example, one having a configuration similar to that disclosed in the specification of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002 / 0041377 can be used. As the wavefront aberration measuring instrument, for example, one having a configuration similar to that disclosed in the specification of WO 03 / 065428 (corresponding U.S. Patent No. 7,230,682) can be used. In addition to the above sensors, an illuminance monitor having a light receiving section of a predetermined area that receives illumination light IL on the image plane of projection optical system PL, as disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2002 / 0061469, for example, may be used.

[0055] Incidentally, in this embodiment, the surface of the measurement table MTB (which may include the above-mentioned measurement members) is also covered with a liquid-repellent film (water-repellent film).

[0056] Measurement table MTB has a +Y side surface and a -X side surface each subjected to mirror finishing, and reflective surfaces 95a, 95b similar to those of wafer table WTB described above are formed.

[0057] Next, an interferometer system 70 that measures position information of the wafer stage WST and the measurement stage MST will be described.

[0058] Interferometer system 70 (see FIG. 6) includes a plurality of interferometers that measure position information of wafer stage WST (wafer table WTB) or measurement stage MST (measurement table MTB), specifically, two Y interferometers 16, 19 and four X interferometers 136, 137, 138, 139, etc. In this embodiment, with some exceptions, multi-axis interferometers having a plurality of measurement axes are used as each of the above interferometers.

[0059] 1 and 3, Y interferometer 16 irradiates measurement beams B41 and B42 onto reflecting surface 17a of wafer table WTB along measurement axes in the Y-axis direction at the same distances -X and +X from a straight line (hereinafter referred to as reference axis) LV (see FIG. 3) parallel to the Y-axis passing through the projection center (optical axis AX, see FIG. 1) of projection optical system PL, and receives the respective reflected beams. Y interferometer 16 also irradiates measurement beam B3 toward reflecting surface 17a along a measurement axis parallel to the Y-axis (for example, the measurement axis on reference axis LV) with a predetermined interval in the Z-axis direction between measurement beams B41 and B42, and receives measurement beam B3 reflected by reflecting surface 17a.

[0060] Y interferometer 19 irradiates two measurement beams B21, B22 onto reflecting surface 95a of measurement table MTB, for example along the measurement axis in the Y axis direction at the same distance -X side and +X side from reference axis LV, and receives each of the reflected light.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 3, X interferometer 136 irradiates reflection surface 17b of wafer table WTB with measurement beams B51, B52 along two measurement axes that are spaced the same distance apart with respect to a straight line (reference axis) LH in the X-axis direction that passes through the optical axis of projection optical system PL, and receives each of the reflected light beams.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 3, X interferometer 137 irradiates measurement beam B6 onto reflecting surface 17b of wafer table WTB along a straight line LA that is parallel to the X axis and passes through the detection center of a primary alignment system AL1 described later, and receives the reflected light.

[0063] X interferometer 138 irradiates measurement beam B7 onto reflecting surface 17b of wafer table WTB along a straight line LUL that is parallel to the X axis and passes through loading position LP where the wafer is loaded, and receives the reflected light.

[0064] X interferometer 139 irradiates reflecting surface 95b with a measurement beam parallel to the X axis, and receives the reflected light.

[0065] The measurement values ​​(position information measurement results) of each interferometer of interferometer system 70 are supplied to main controller 20 (see FIG. 6). Main controller 20 determines position information relating to the Y axis direction, θx direction, and θz direction of wafer table WTB based on the measurement value of Y interferometer 16. Main controller 20 also determines position information relating to the X axis direction of wafer table WTB based on the output of any one of X interferometers 136, 137, and 138. Note that main controller 20 may also determine position information relating to the θz direction of wafer table WTB based on the measurement value of X interferometer 136.

[0066] Furthermore, main controller 20 determines positional information regarding the X-axis, Y-axis, and θz directions of measurement table MTB (measurement stage MST) based on the measurement values ​​of Y interferometer 19 and X interferometer 139.

[0067] In addition, interferometer system 70 is provided with a pair of Z interferometers that irradiate a pair of measurement beams parallel to the Y axis separated in the Z axis direction onto a pair of fixed mirrors via a pair of upper and lower reflecting surfaces of a movable mirror fixed to the -Y side of coarse motion stage WCS, and receive return light from the pair of fixed mirrors via the above-mentioned reflecting surfaces, and are disposed at the same distance from reference axis LV on the -X side and +X side. Based on the measurement values ​​of this Z interferometer system, main controller 20 determines position information of wafer stage WST in at least three degrees of freedom directions including the Z axis, θy, and θz directions.

[0068] An example of a detailed configuration of interferometer system 70 and a detailed measurement method are disclosed in detail in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0106722.

[0069] In this embodiment, an interferometer system is used to measure information relating to the positions of the wafer stage WST and the measurement stage MST, but other means may be used as well. For example, it is also possible to use an encoder system such as that described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0297562.

[0070] Returning to FIG. 1, the measurement section 300 includes an alignment device 99 attached to the lower surface of the main frame BD, and other measurement systems.

[0071] The alignment device 99 includes five alignment systems AL1, AL21 to AL24 shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, the primary alignment system AL1 is disposed with its detection center located at a position passing through the center of the projection unit PU (the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL, which also coincides with the center of the exposure area IA described above in this embodiment) and on the reference axis LV, a predetermined distance away from the optical axis AX on the -Y side. On one side and the other side of the primary alignment system AL1 in the X-axis direction, secondary alignment systems AL21, AL22 and AL23, AL24 are provided, respectively, with their detection centers disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the reference axis LV. That is, the detection centers of the five alignment systems AL1, AL21 to AL24 are disposed along the X-axis direction. Note that in FIG. 1, the alignment device 99 includes the five alignment systems AL1, AL21 to AL24 and a holding device that holds them.

[0072] Each of the five alignment systems AL1, AL21 to AL24 is, for example, an FIA (Field Image Alignment) system that irradiates a target mark with a broadband detection light beam that does not expose the resist on the wafer, captures the image of the target mark formed on the light receiving surface by the reflected light from the target mark and the image of an index (index pattern on an index plate provided in each alignment system) (not shown) using an image pickup device (CCD, etc.), and outputs the image pickup signal. The image pickup signals from the five alignment systems AL1, AL21 to AL24 are supplied to the main control device 20 (see FIG. 6). The detailed configuration of the alignment device 99 is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0233234.

[0073] Loading unit 121 (see FIG. 1), which constitutes part of transfer system 120, is used to hold an unexposed wafer above loading position LP and load it onto wafer table WTB prior to loading the wafer onto wafer table WTB. An unloading unit (not shown) is used to unload the exposed wafer from wafer table WTB.

[0074] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the loading unit 121 is composed of a circular plate-like member in a planar view (when viewed from above), and includes a chuck unit 153 that sucks the wafer W from above in a non-contact manner, multiple components such as a pair of Z voice coil motors 144 that drive the chuck unit 153 in the vertical direction, multiple components such as a pair of weight cancellation devices 131 that support the weight of the chuck unit 153, and a pair of wafer support members 125 that support the wafer W sucked by the chuck unit 153 from below.

[0075] 4, the chuck unit 153 includes, for example, a plate member (plate) 44 having a circular shape in a plan view and a predetermined thickness, and a plurality of chuck members 124 embedded in a predetermined arrangement on the lower surface of the plate member 44. Here, the plate member 44 is provided with piping and the like therein, and serves as a cool plate for regulating the temperature of the wafer to the predetermined temperature by flowing a liquid regulated to a predetermined temperature in the piping. However, the plate member 44 does not necessarily have to serve as a cool plate.

[0076] 5, which is a plan view of the chuck unit 153 as viewed from the -Z direction, the plate member 44 is configured by integrating two members, a disk-shaped first member 44A and a concentric annular second member 44B disposed outside the disk-shaped first member 44A. However, the two members do not necessarily have to be disposed concentrically. In addition, the plate member does not necessarily have to be configured by two members.

[0077] The chuck members 124 are arranged on the lower surface of the first member 44A at a central point (center point) and at a plurality of equally spaced (for example, 19) points on two imaginary concentric circles centered on the central point. More specifically, the chuck members 124 are arranged at six points spaced at a central angle of 60 degrees on the inner imaginary circle, and the chuck members 124 are arranged at twelve points spaced at a central angle of 30 degrees on the outer imaginary circle, including six points on lines connecting the central point and each of the six points. The lower surfaces of the plurality of chuck members 124, a total of 19, are embedded in the lower surface of the plate member 44 in a state where they are flush with the lower surface of the plate member 44 (see FIG. 4). The arrangement of the chuck members is not limited to this, and they do not necessarily need to be arranged at equal intervals.

[0078] Each chuck member 124 is a so-called Bernoulli chuck. As is well known, the Bernoulli chuck is a chuck that uses the Bernoulli effect to locally increase the flow rate of a jetted fluid (e.g., air) and sucks (holds without contact) an object. Here, the Bernoulli effect means that the pressure of the fluid decreases as the flow rate increases, and in the Bernoulli chuck, the suction state (holding / floating state) is determined by the weight of the object to be sucked (held, fixed) and the flow rate of the fluid jetted from the chuck. In other words, when the size of the object is known, the size of the gap between the chuck and the object to be held during suction is determined according to the flow rate of the fluid jetted from the chuck. In this embodiment, the chuck member 124 is used to jet gas from its gas flow holes (e.g., nozzles or jetting ports) to generate a gas flow (gas flow) around the wafer W and suck the wafer W. The strength of the suction force (i.e., the flow rate of the ejected gas, etc.) can be adjusted as appropriate, and the wafer W can be sucked and held by the chuck member 124, thereby restricting movement in the Z-axis direction and the θx and θy directions.

[0079] At least one of the flow speed, flow rate, and direction of gas ejected from each of the multiple (19) chuck members 124 is controlled by the main controller 20 via the adjustment device 115 (see FIG. 6). This allows the suction force of each chuck member 124 to be set to an arbitrary value individually. The multiple (19) chuck members 124 may be configured so that the suction force can be set for each predetermined group. The main controller 20 may also control the temperature of the gas.

[0080] 5, the first member 44A has a plurality of narrow (elongated) through holes 152 surrounding each of the plurality of chuck members 124. Specifically, some of the through holes 152 are arranged to form each side of a hexagon surrounding each of the seven chuck members 124 except for the twelve chuck members 124 located on the outer periphery. The remaining through holes 152, together with some of the through holes 152, are arranged to surround the central half of the twelve chuck members 124 located on the outer periphery. When the wafer W is sucked by the chuck members 124 as described later, a fluid (e.g., air) ejected from the chuck members 124 toward the wafer W is discharged to the outside (above the chuck unit 153) through the through holes 152.

[0081] Near the inner periphery of the second member 44B, a plurality of (e.g., 12) through holes 154 are formed on the outside of each of the 12 chuck members 124 located on the outer periphery of the first member 44A. A porous bearing 156 made of a ceramic porous body is provided in each through hole 154. Each of the plurality of (e.g., 12) porous bearings 156 is connected to a gas supply device 48 (see FIG. 6) made of, for example, a compressor, via a pipe (not shown). When the chuck unit 153 sucks the wafer W, which will be described later, gas (e.g., pressurized air) supplied from the gas supply device 48 is blown downward (toward the wafer W) from each porous bearing 156, preventing the wafer W from contacting the chuck unit 153. The pressure, flow rate, etc. of the gas supplied to each porous bearing 156 are controlled by the main controller 20 (see FIG. 6). If there is no risk of contact with the wafer W, the porous bearing 156 does not need to be provided in the chuck unit 153.

[0082] Here, the gas supplied to the chuck member 124 is clean air (e.g., compressed air) whose temperature is at least constant and from which dust, particles, etc. have been removed. That is, the wafer W sucked into the chuck member 124 is kept at a predetermined temperature by the temperature-regulated compressed air. Also, the temperature, cleanliness, etc. of the space in which the wafer stage WST, etc. are arranged can be kept within set ranges.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 4, one end of each of a pair of support plates 151 extending in the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane (XY plane) is connected to both ends in the X-axis direction of the upper surface of the chuck unit 153.

[0084] 4, the Z voice coil motor 144 and the weight cancellation device 131 are fixed to the upper surface of each of the pair of extension parts 159 of the frame FL described above, side by side in the X-axis direction. In this case, the weight cancellation device 131 is disposed inside the Z voice coil motor 144, but this is not necessarily limited to this.

[0085] The other end of each of the pair of support plates 151 is supported from below by a weight canceling device 131 and a Z voice coil motor 144 fixed to the upper surfaces of each of the pair of extension portions 159.

[0086] Each of the pair of Z voice coil motors 144 drives the chuck unit 153 in the vertical direction with a predetermined stroke (a range including a first position where the chuck unit 153 starts to suck the wafer W and a second position where the wafer W sucked by the chuck unit 153 is placed on the wafer holder (wafer table WTB)). Each of the pair of Z voice coil motors 144 is controlled by the main controller 20 (see FIG. 6).

[0087] Each of the pair of weight canceling devices 131 includes a piston member 133a and a cylinder 133b in which the piston member 133a is slidably provided. The pressure of the space inside the cylinder 133b, which is partitioned by the piston of the piston member 133a and the cylinder 133b, is set to a value corresponding to the weight of the chuck unit 153. The upper end of the rod part of the piston member 133a is connected to the lower surface of the support plate 151. Each of the pair of weight canceling devices 131 is a kind of air spring device, and applies an upward force (in the +Z direction) to the support plate 151 via the piston member 133a, so that the pair of weight canceling devices 131 supports all or a part of the weight of the chuck unit 153 (and the support plate 151). The pressure and amount of the pressurized gas supplied inside the cylinder 133b of the weight canceling device 131 are controlled by the main control device 20 (see FIG. 6). Here, the weight-canceling device 131 is provided with a piston member 133a that moves in the vertical direction along a cylinder 133b, and therefore also serves as a guide for the chuck unit 153 when it moves up and down.

[0088] Each of the pair of wafer support members 125 includes a vertical movement rotation drive unit 127 integrally attached to each of a pair of extension parts 159 of the frame FL via a connecting member (not shown), a drive shaft 126 driven in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) and the θz direction by the vertical movement rotation drive unit 127, and a support plate 128 having one end of its upper surface in the longitudinal direction fixed to the lower end surface of the drive shaft 126 and extending in one axial direction in the XY plane. The other end of the support plate 128 in the longitudinal direction is rotated in the θz direction around the drive shaft 126 by the vertical movement rotation drive unit 127 between a first support plate position facing a part of the outer periphery of the chuck unit 153 and a second support plate position not facing the chuck unit 153, and is also driven in the vertical direction by a predetermined stroke. A suction pad 128b is fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 128 near the other end. The suction pad 128b is connected to a vacuum device via piping members (not shown) (the vacuum device and piping members are not shown). When the wafer W is supported from below by the support plate 128 (suction pad 128b), it is vacuum-adsorbed and held by the suction pad 128b. That is, the movement of the wafer W in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and θz direction is restricted by the frictional force between the wafer W and the suction pad 128b. It is also possible to use the frictional force between the wafer W and the wafer support member 125 without providing the suction pad 128b.

[0089] The first support plate positions are set so that the support plate 128 of one wafer support member 125, when in the first support plate position, faces the outer peripheral edge in the 5 o'clock direction as viewed from the center of plate member 44 of chuck unit 153, and the support plate 128 of the other wafer support member 125, when in the first support plate position, faces the outer peripheral edge in the 7 o'clock direction as viewed from the center of plate member 44 of chuck unit 153 (see FIG. 3). A reflecting mirror 128a is fixed to the upper surface of each support plate 128, on the drive shaft 126 side of suction pad 128b.

[0090] When the pair of support plates 128 are each in the first support plate position, a pair of measurement systems 123a, 123b using an epi-illumination method capable of irradiating illumination light from above onto each of reflecting mirrors 128a on each support plate 128 is provided near the pair of wafer support members 125. The pair of measurement systems 123a, 123b are each connected to the main frame BD via a support member (not shown).

[0091] Each of the pair of measurement systems 123a, 123b is an image processing type edge position detection system that detects position information of the edge portion of the wafer W, and includes an illumination light source, a plurality of light path bending members such as reflecting mirrors, lenses, etc., and an imaging element such as a CCD.

[0092] The carry-in unit 121 is further provided with another reflecting mirror 34 at a position of a predetermined height facing the outer peripheral edge in the 6 o'clock direction as viewed from the center of the plate member 44 of the chuck unit 153 (a position that can face the notch of the wafer W when the wafer W is sucked into the chuck unit 153) (see FIG. 3). A measuring system 123c (see FIG. 6) of an epi-illumination type that can irradiate illumination light from above is provided to the reflecting mirror 34. The measuring system 123c has a similar configuration to the measuring systems 123a and 123b.

[0093] When the edges of the wafer W are detected by the three measurement systems 123a to 123c, the imaging signals are sent to a signal processing system 116 (see FIG. 6).

[0094] The carry-in unit 121 further includes a wafer flatness detection system 147 (see FIG. 6) and a plurality of chuck unit position detection systems 148 (see FIGS. 4 and 6).

[0095] The wafer flatness detection system 147 is composed of a plurality of Z position detection systems 146 (see FIG. 4) arranged at a plurality of locations on the main frame BD, for example, three locations above the periphery of the wafer W and one location above the center of the wafer W, for detecting the Z-axis direction positions (Z positions) of the surface of the wafer W. In this embodiment, a triangulation type position detection system, which is a type of optical displacement meter, is used as the Z position detection system 146, which receives the reflected light of a measurement beam irradiated on an object and detects the position of the object (Z position in this embodiment). In this embodiment, each Z position detection system 146 irradiates a measurement beam on the upper surface of the wafer W through the aforementioned through hole 152 (see FIG. 5) and receives the reflected light through another through hole 152.

[0096] The measurement values ​​of the multiple Z position detection systems 146 constituting the wafer flatness detection system 147 are sent to the main controller 20 (see FIG. 6). The main controller 20 detects the Z positions of multiple points on the top surface of the wafer W based on the measurement values ​​of the multiple Z position detection systems 146, and obtains the flatness of the wafer W from the detection results.

[0097] A plurality of (e.g., three) chuck unit position detection systems 148 are fixed to the main frame BD. Each of the chuck unit position detection systems 148 uses a triangulation type position detection system similar to the Z position detection system 146. The three chuck unit position detection systems 148 detect the Z positions of multiple points on the upper surface of the chuck unit 153, and the detection results are sent to the main controller 20 (see FIG. 6).

[0098] Although not shown in Fig. 1, a pair of reticle alignment detection systems 14 (see Fig. 6) of a TTR (Through The Reticle) type using an exposure wavelength for simultaneously observing a pair of reticle alignment marks on the reticle R and corresponding images of a pair of second reference marks RM on measurement plate 30 on wafer table WTB via projection optical system PL are disposed above reticle R. Detection signals of this pair of reticle alignment detection systems 14 are supplied to main controller 20.

[0099] In addition, in the exposure apparatus 100, a multi-point focal position detection system 54 (see FIG. 6) (hereinafter referred to as a multi-point AF system) is provided near the projection optical system PL, which is composed of an irradiation system that irradiates a plurality of measurement beams onto the surface of the wafer W via the liquid Lq in the immersion area 36, ​​and a light receiving system that receives each of the reflected beams via the liquid Lq. As such a multi-point AF system 54, for example, a multi-point focal position detection system disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007-0064212 can be used, in which the irradiation system and light receiving system each include a prism and both have the tip lens of the projection optical system PL as their components.

[0100] 6 shows a block diagram showing the input / output relationship of main controller 20, which constitutes the control system of exposure apparatus 100 and controls each component part. Main controller 20 includes a workstation (or a microcomputer) etc., and controls each component part of exposure apparatus 100.

[0101] In exposure apparatus 100 according to this embodiment configured as described above, parallel processing operations are performed using wafer stage WST and measurement stage MST, similar to the exposure apparatus disclosed in, for example, the specification of U.S. Patent No. 8,0544,472, under the control of main controller 20. In exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment, an immersion area 36 is formed on wafer W, which is loaded (carried in) onto wafer stage WST and held by wafer table WTB, as will be described later, using local immersion device 8, and an exposure operation of the wafer is performed with illumination light IL via projection optical system PL and liquid Lq in immersion area 36. This exposure operation is performed by the main controller repeating an inter-shot movement operation in which the wafer stage WST is moved to a scan start position (acceleration start position) for exposure of each shot area on the wafer W, and a scanning exposure operation in which the pattern of the reticle R is transferred to each shot area by a scanning exposure method, based on the results of wafer alignment (EGA) performed in advance by alignment systems AL1, AL21-AL24 of alignment device 99 and the latest baseline of alignment systems AL1, AL21-AL24. Also, during the parallel processing operation described above, an immersion area is held on the measurement stage MST during wafer exchange, and when the wafer stage WST is positioned directly under the projection unit PU due to exchange with the measurement stage, the immersion area on the measurement stage MST is moved onto the wafer stage WST.

[0102] However, in this embodiment, unlike the exposure apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 8,054,472, during parallel processing operations using wafer stage WST and measurement stage MST, position information of wafer stage WST and position information of measurement stage MST are measured using each interferometer of interferometer system 70. In addition, reticle alignment is performed using a pair of reticle alignment detection systems 14 (see FIG. 6) and a measurement plate 30 (see FIG. 2(A)) on wafer stage WST, etc. Furthermore, control of wafer table WTB in the Z-axis direction during exposure is performed in real time using the above-mentioned multi-point AF system 54.

[0103] Note that, similar to the exposure apparatus disclosed in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 8,054,472, a multi-point AF system consisting of an irradiation system and a light receiving system may be placed between the alignment device 99 and the projection unit PU, instead of the multi-point AF system 54. Then, while the wafer stage WST is moving during wafer alignment, the Z position of the entire surface of the wafer W may be acquired using the multi-point AF system, and position control in the Z axis direction of the wafer stage WST during exposure may be performed based on the Z position of the entire surface of the wafer W acquired during alignment. In this case, it is necessary to provide a separate measurement device that measures the Z position of the upper surface of the wafer table WTB during wafer alignment and exposure.

[0104] Next, the procedure for loading the wafer W will be described with reference to Fig. 7(A) to Fig. 9(B). In Fig. 7(A) to Fig. 9(B), in order to simplify the drawings and to prevent the drawings from becoming complicated, the main frame BD, the wafer stage WST excluding the vertical movement pins 140, the wafer flatness detection system 147, and the chuck unit position detection system 148 are omitted.

[0105] 7(A), the chuck unit 153 is moved to the vicinity of the upper limit of movement within the stroke range (the limit of movement on the +Z side), i.e., the first position described above, by the pair of Z voice coil motors 144, and is maintained at that position. Also, at this time, the pair of wafer support members 125 have their respective support plates 128 set to the second support plate positions by the main controller 20.

[0106] In this state, first, the wafer W is carried under the chuck unit 153 while being supported from below by the transfer arm 149. Here, the transfer arm 149 carries the wafer W into the loading position LP while the exposure process for the wafer to be exposed immediately before (hereinafter referred to as the previous wafer) is being performed on the wafer stage WST, or while an alignment process or the like is being performed.

[0107] Next, as shown in FIG. 7(B), main controller 20 starts supplying fluid (air) to the multiple chuck members 124, and then slightly raises transfer arm 149 (or slightly lowers chuck unit 153), so that wafer W is sucked into chuck unit 153 (chuck member 124) in a non-contact manner while maintaining a predetermined distance (gap). Note that in FIG. 7(B), for ease of explanation, it is assumed that wafer W is sucked into chuck unit 153 by the flow of blown air indicated by solid dots in the figure (more precisely, by the negative pressure generated by the flow). The same applies to each of FIGS. 7(C) to 9(A). However, the state of the air that is actually blown out is not necessarily limited to these.

[0108] Next, main controller 20 drives (rotates) support plates 128 of a pair of wafer support members 125 via vertical movement rotation drive units 127 so as to be located at the respective first support plate positions. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7(C), suction pads 128b on the upper surfaces of the respective support plates 128 are moved to positions facing the lower surface (rear surface) of wafer W by vertical movement rotation drive units 127 of the pair of wafer support members 125. Also, in a state in which support plates 128 of a pair of wafer support members 125 are located at the respective first support plate positions, reflecting mirrors 128a face predetermined positions on the outer periphery of the rear surface of wafer W. Also, another reflecting mirror 34 faces the notch position of the rear surface of wafer W when wafer W is sucked by chuck unit 153.

[0109] When the suction pads 128b on the upper surfaces of the support plates 128 face the wafer W, the main controller 20 controls the vertical movement rotation drive unit 127 to raise the support plate 128 as shown in Fig. 7(D). When the suction pads 128b on the upper surfaces of the support plates 128 come into contact with the lower surface of the wafer W, the main controller 20 starts vacuum suction by the pair of suction pads 128b, and the lower surface of the wafer W is suction-supported by the respective suction pads 128b. At this time, the movement of the wafer W in the three degrees of freedom directions, Z, θx, and θy, is restricted by suction from above by the chuck unit 153, and the movement of the wafer W in the three degrees of freedom directions, X, Y, and θz, is restricted by suction support from below by the pair of support plates 128, thereby restricting the movement in the six degrees of freedom directions.

[0110] The processing sequence of exposure apparatus 100 is determined so that wafer W waits at loading position LP in this state, that is, in a state where it is suction-held (supported) by chuck unit 153 and the pair of wafer support members 125. In exposure apparatus 100, while wafer W waits at loading position LP, exposure processing (and the alignment processing preceding this) and the like are performed on the previous wafer held on wafer table WTB. Also, at this time, the vacuum suction of wafer W by transfer arm 149 may be stopped.

[0111] Then, while the wafer W is waiting on the loading position LP, as shown in FIG. 8(A), three measurement systems 123a to 123c (measurement system 123c is not shown, see FIG. 6) each detect the edge of the wafer W. The imaging signals of the imaging elements of the three measurement systems 123a to 123c are sent to a signal processing system 116 (see FIG. 6). The signal processing system 116 detects position information of three points on the periphery including the notch of the wafer by a method disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,433, and obtains the positional deviation in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and the rotational (θz rotation) error of the wafer W. Then, the information on the positional deviation and the rotational error is supplied to the main controller 20 (see FIG. 6).

[0112] Around the time when the edge detection of the wafer W starts, the main controller 20 drives the transfer arm 149 downward to separate the transfer arm 149 from the wafer W, and then moves the transfer arm 149 away from the loading position LP.

[0113] When the exposure process of the previous wafer is completed and the previous wafer is unloaded from wafer table WTB by a carry-out device (not shown), main controller 20 moves wafer stage WST via coarse movement stage drive system 51A to a position below chuck unit 153 (loading position LP). Then, as shown in FIG. 8(B), main controller 20 drives center support member 150, which has three vertical movement pins 140, upward via drive device 142. Even at this point, edge detection of wafer W by the three measurement systems 123a-123c continues, and main controller 20 minutely drives wafer stage WST in the same direction by the same amount as the deviation (error) of wafer W, based on the position deviation and rotation error information of wafer W, so that wafer W is mounted at a predetermined position on wafer stage WST.

[0114] Then, when the upper surfaces of the three vertical movement pins 140 come into contact with the lower surface of the wafer W sucked by the chuck unit 153, main controller 20 stops the lifting of center support member 150. As a result, wafer W is attracted and held by the three vertical movement pins 140 with the positional deviation and rotation error corrected.

[0115] Here, the Z position of the wafer W sucked into the chuck unit 153 at the standby position can be known with a certain degree of accuracy. Therefore, the main controller 20 can make the three vertical movement pins 140 come into contact with the lower surface of the wafer W sucked into the chuck unit 153 by driving the center support member 150 a predetermined amount from the reference position based on the measurement result of the displacement sensor 145. However, without being limited thereto, the three vertical movement pins 140 may be set in advance so that they come into contact with the lower surface of the wafer W sucked into the chuck unit 153 at the upper limit movement position of the center support member 150 (the three vertical movement pins 140).

[0116] Thereafter, main controller 20 operates a vacuum pump (not shown) to start vacuum suction of the underside of wafer W by three vertical movement pins 140. Note that suction of wafer W by chuck member 124 continues even in this state. Movement of wafer W in six degrees of freedom is restricted by suction by chuck member 124 and frictional force caused by support from below by three vertical movement pins 140. Therefore, in this state, no problem occurs even if suction and holding of wafer W by support plate 128 of wafer support member 125 is released.

[0117] Therefore, when the wafer W is supported (suction-held) by the three vertical movement pins 140, main controller 20 ends the vacuum suction by the pair of suction pads 128b as shown in Fig. 8(C), and then drives support plates 128 of the pair of wafer support members 125 downward to separate them from the wafer W. Thereafter, each support plate 128 is set to a second support plate position via vertical movement rotation drive unit 127.

[0118] Next, as shown in Fig. 8(D), the main controller 20 drives the chuck unit 153 and the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) sucking and supporting the wafer W downward via the pair of Z voice coil motors 144 and the drive unit 142, respectively. As a result, the chuck unit 153 and the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) start to be driven downward while maintaining the sucked state of the wafer W by the chuck unit 153 (chuck member 124) and the supported state by the three vertical movement pins 140. Here, the drive of the chuck unit 153 is performed by the main controller 20 driving the pair of Z voice coil motors 144 based on the detection results of the multiple chuck unit position detection systems 148.

[0119] The above-mentioned chuck unit 153 and the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) are driven until the lower surface (back surface) of the wafer W abuts against the planar wafer mounting surface 41 of the wafer table WTB (see FIG. 9(A)). Here, the wafer mounting surface 41 is actually a virtual flat surface (area) formed by the upper end surfaces of a large number of pins provided on a pin chuck provided on the wafer table WTB, but in FIG. 9(A) and other figures, the upper surface of the wafer table WTB is taken to be the wafer mounting surface 41.

[0120] Before and during the downward movement of the above-mentioned chuck unit 153 and the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150), main controller 20 measures the flatness of the upper surface of wafer W via wafer flatness detection system 147 (multiple Z position detection systems 146 (see FIG. 4)). Then, based on the measurement result of wafer flatness detection system 147, main controller 20 controls the lowering speed of one of chuck unit 153 and center support member 150, which has better responsiveness (assumed to be center support member 150 in this case), relative to the lowering speed of the other member (assumed to be chuck unit 153 in this case).

[0121] That is, for example, when the wafer flatness detection system 147 detects that the wafer W has been deformed into a downwardly convex shape (a shape in which the inner periphery is recessed compared to the outer periphery), the main controller 20 makes the lowering speed of the center support member 150 slower than the driving speed of the chuck unit 153 via the driving device 142. When the lowering speed of the center support member 150 is made slower than the driving speed of the chuck unit 153, the wafer W is substantially pushed from below at the center of the lower surface by the three vertical movement pins 140. Then, when the flatness of the wafer W reaches a predetermined value, the main controller 20 drives the center support member 150 and the chuck unit 153 further downward at the same speed (synchronized). Here, the flatness of the wafer W "reaches a predetermined value" means, for example, that the wafer W is not completely flat, and the inner periphery is recessed compared to the outer periphery, but the degree of the recession is equal to or less than a predetermined degree.

[0122] Furthermore, for example, when the wafer flatness detection system 147 detects that the wafer W has been deformed into an upwardly convex shape (a shape in which the inner periphery protrudes upward compared to the outer periphery), the main controller 20 makes the lowering speed of the center support member 150 faster than the driving speed of the chuck unit 153 via the driving device 142. When the lowering speed of the center support member 150 is made faster than the driving speed of the chuck unit 153, the wafer W is substantially pulled downward at the center of its lower surface because it is attracted and held by the three vertical movement pins 140. Then, when the flatness of the wafer W reaches the above-mentioned predetermined value, the main controller 20 drives the center support member 150 and the chuck unit 153 further downward at the same speed (synchronized).

[0123] In this embodiment, the position of the wafer W in the Z direction is detected at a plurality of points on the wafer W, and information on the shape (flatness) of the wafer W is obtained from information on these positions, but other methods may be used. For example, an image of the wafer W may be taken by a camera or the like, and information on the shape (flatness) of the wafer W may be obtained from the obtained image information.

[0124] In this embodiment, from the state in which the wafer W is sucked from above by the chuck unit 153 and supported from below by the vertical movement pins 140, until the wafer W is held by suction on a wafer holder (not shown), the main controller 20 constantly measures the deformation state (flatness) of the wafer W using the wafer flatness detection system 147. For this reason, even if an excessive flatness correction is performed, for example, when the wafer W between the chuck unit 153 and the three vertical movement pins 140 has a downward convex shape and the descent speed of the vertical movement pins 140 is slowed relative to the descent speed of the chuck unit 153 in order to adjust the flatness, resulting in the wafer W having an upward convex shape, the flatness of the wafer W can be adjusted again to a predetermined value by making the descent speed of the vertical movement pins 140 faster relative to the descent speed of the chuck unit 153. However, it is also possible to measure the deformation state (flatness) of the wafer W only during a certain time period from when the wafer W is sucked from above by the chuck unit 153 and supported from below by the vertical movement pins 140 until when the wafer W is adsorbed and held on a wafer holder (not shown) (for example, just before it comes into contact with the wafer mounting surface 41).

[0125] Then, as shown in FIG. 9(A), when the underside of wafer W comes into contact with the upper surface of wafer table WTB (wafer mounting surface 41), main controller 20 stops the flow of high-pressure air from all chuck members 124 via adjustment device 115, releases the suction of wafer W by all chuck units 153, and begins adsorption (suction) of wafer W by a wafer holder (not shown) on wafer table WTB.

[0126] 9(B), main controller 20 raises chuck unit 153 to a predetermined standby position (the first position or a position adjacent thereto) via a pair of Z voice coil motors 144. This completes the loading (carrying in) of wafer W onto wafer table WTB.

[0127] Here, when the chuck unit 153 is driven upward and stopped (or during ascent), the main controller 20 uses the three measurement systems 123a to 123c described above to detect the edge position of the wafer W. In this case, the edge detection of the wafer W is performed by irradiating the three reflecting mirrors 86 on the wafer table WTB with measurement beams from the measurement systems 123a, 123b, and 123c, and receiving the reflected beams from the reflecting mirror 86 with the imaging elements of the measurement systems 123a, 123b, and 123c. The imaging signals of the imaging elements of the three measurement systems 123a to 123c are sent to a signal processing system 116 (see FIG. 6), and information on the positional deviation and rotational error of the wafer W is supplied to the main controller 20. The main controller 20 stores the information on the positional deviation and rotational error in a memory as an offset amount, and controls the position of the wafer table WTB taking the offset amount into consideration during later wafer alignment or exposure. Incidentally, during the aforementioned waiting period, edge detection of the wafer W is performed, and the resulting positional deviation and rotation error are corrected. After the wafer W is supported by the three vertically movable pins 140, the wafer W is then mounted on the wafer table WTB. Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to perform edge detection of the wafer W after it is loaded onto the wafer table WTB.

[0128] As described above, according to the transfer system 120 of this embodiment and the exposure apparatus 100 equipped with the same, when loading the wafer W onto the wafer table WTB, the main controller 20 can independently move up and down the chuck unit 153 which sucks the wafer W from above and the vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) which support the wafer W from below. In other words, when lowering a wafer W which has been deformed, such as warped or distorted, in order to hold it by suction on the wafer stage WST, by controlling the descent speed of the center support member 150 (the three vertical movement pins 140), the wafer W can be loaded onto the wafer stage WST while maintaining its flatness within a desired range.

[0129] In this embodiment, the vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) are configured to be three and move vertically together, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the center support member 150 may be configured so that the three vertical movement pins can move vertically independently of one another, and the three vertical movement pins may be moved vertically individually based on the measurement results of the flatness of the wafer W so that the flatness of the wafer W falls within a desired range. The number of vertical movement pins is not limited to three, and may be less than or more than three.

[0130] Furthermore, in the loading unit 121 constituting part of the transport system 120 according to this embodiment, the weight of the chuck unit 153 is supported by a pair of weight cancelling devices 131, so that the force required to drive the chuck unit 153 in the vertical direction can be reduced, and the size of the pair of Z voice coil motors 144 can be reduced.

[0131] Furthermore, in transfer system 120 according to this embodiment, while wafer W is being loaded onto wafer stage WST, main controller 20 measures the positional and rotational misalignment of wafer W via measurement systems 123a-123c, and based on the measurement results, drives wafer stage WST so as to correct the positional and rotational misalignment of wafer W. Therefore, wafer W can be loaded onto wafer table WTB with good positional repeatability.

[0132] Furthermore, according to exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, exposure is performed using the stepping-and-scan method on wafer W, which is loaded on wafer table WTB with high flatness and good positional repeatability. This makes it possible to perform exposure with good overlay accuracy and no defocus for each of the multiple shot areas on wafer W, and allows the pattern of reticle R to be transferred satisfactorily to the multiple shot areas.

[0133] In the above embodiment, in consideration of the fact that the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) have better responsiveness when driven than the chuck unit 153, when loading the wafer W onto the wafer stage WST, the descending speed of the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) is adjusted, and the driving device 142 is driven so that the flatness of the wafer W falls within a desired range. However, on the other hand, if the chuck unit 153 has better responsiveness when driven than the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150), it is desirable to adjust the descending speed of the chuck unit 153. If the responsiveness when driven of the three vertical movement pins 140 (center support member 150) and the chuck unit 153 are approximately the same, the descending speed of either the center support member 150 or the chuck unit 153, or both, may be adjusted. Furthermore, since it is sufficient to maintain the flatness of the wafer at a predetermined level, the descending speed of either or both of the center support member 150 and the chuck unit 153 may be adjusted regardless of the responsiveness.

[0134] In the above embodiment, the wafer flatness detection system 147 is configured by a plurality of Z position detection systems 146. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wafer flatness detection system may be configured by a detection device capable of irradiating light onto the entire upper surface of the wafer and detecting the surface shape. In addition, as in the above embodiment, even when the wafer flatness detection system is configured by a plurality of Z position detection systems, it is not necessary to use a triangulation type position detection system as the Z position detection system. That is, the wafer flatness detection system only needs to be able to detect the flatness (Z positions at a plurality of points) of the wafer W, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of capacitance sensors 84 may be disposed on the lower surface of the chuck unit 153 instead of the Z position detection system 146 described above. The capacitance sensor 84 may be smaller than the Z position detection system 146, and therefore may be disposed at more than four points, for example, three points on the outer periphery and one point in the center, where the measurement points of the plurality of Z position detection systems 146 are disposed.

[0135] Furthermore, since the chuck unit position detection system is only required to measure the Z position of the chuck unit 153, it is not limited to a triangulation type position detection system, and for example, as shown in Fig. 10, the chuck unit position detection system may be configured using an encoder system consisting of an encoder head 97 and a scale 98. Alternatively, for example, an encoder that measures the displacement amount in the Z axis direction from a reference point of a mover relative to a stator may be provided on at least one of the pair of Z voice coil motors 144, and the chuck unit position detection system may be configured using the encoder. Also, the chuck unit position detection system 148 may be configured using a capacitance sensor.

[0136] In the above embodiment, immediately before the wafer W is loaded onto the wafer table WTB, gas may be ejected from the chuck member 124 toward the wafer W at a faster ejection speed than the ejection speed when the wafer W was sucked up until that point. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 11, the pressure between the wafer W and the chuck member 124 increases, and the outer periphery of the wafer W vibrates (the so-called pneumatic hammer phenomenon occurs). When the wafer W is further lowered in a state where this vibration is occurring, the wafer W is placed on the wafer table WTB in a state where the contact area between the outer periphery of the lower surface and the upper surface of the wafer holder (not shown) is small. In other words, the frictional force between the lower surface of the wafer W and the wafer holder (not shown) is reduced, so that the wafer W is placed on the wafer table WTB in a state where the occurrence of suction distortion is suppressed when the wafer W is suction-held by the wafer holder (not shown).

[0137] In the above embodiment, the chuck unit 153 sucks the wafer W from above, and the three vertical movement pins 140 vacuum-adsorb the wafer W on the back surface of the wafer W, and the chuck unit 153 and the three vertical movement pins 140 are driven downward to place the wafer W on the wafer placement surface 41 of the wafer table WTB, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a transport arm 149 may be used instead of the three vertical movement pins 140. In this case, the transport arm 149 is configured to be movable within a predetermined range not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction. Then, with the back surface of the wafer W vacuum-adsorbed by the transport arm 149, the chuck unit 153 sucks the front surface of the wafer W, and the main controller 20 sets the lowering speeds of the chuck unit 153 and the transport arm 149 to predetermined values, respectively, using the detection result of the wafer flatness detection system 147.

[0138] In order to prevent the transfer arm 149 from interfering with the placement of the wafer W on the wafer placement surface 41, it is preferable to form a groove in the wafer placement surface 41 into which the transfer arm 149 fits so that the wafer W can come into contact with the wafer placement surface 41 with high precision. Then, the transfer arm 149 can be moved horizontally inside this groove to move away from the wafer placement surface 41.

[0139] As another configuration, after the wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm 149 to the chuck unit 153, the wafer W may be placed on the wafer placement surface 41 of the wafer table WTB without using the three vertical movement pins 140. In this case, for example, the descent speed of the chuck unit 153, the flow speed (flow rate) of the fluid ejected from the chuck member 124, and the flow direction of the fluid may be controlled by the main controller 20 using the detection result of the wafer flatness detection system 147, and the suction force of the chuck unit 153 may be set to a predetermined value. In this case, when the back surface of the wafer W is supported by suction using the suction pad 125b of the wafer support member 125, it is preferable to form a notch in the wafer placement surface 41 into which the wafer support member 125 can enter, as in the case of the transfer arm 149 described above, so that the wafer W and the placement surface 41 can come into contact with each other with high precision. Furthermore, when there is no need to restrain the movement of the wafer W in the lateral direction (the direction parallel to the mounting surface), a configuration may be adopted in which the wafer W is held by suction only by the chuck member 124 and the wafer W is mounted on the wafer mounting surface 41 of the wafer table WTB, without providing the wafer support member 125. In this case as well, for example, the detection result of the wafer flatness detection system 147 is used to control the descending speed of the chuck unit 153, the flow velocity (flow rate) of the fluid ejected from the chuck member 124, and the flow direction of the fluid by the main controller 20, and the suction force of the chuck unit 153 can be set to a predetermined value.

[0140] In the above embodiment, as an example, an immersion exposure apparatus is described in which an immersion space including an optical path of illumination light is formed between the projection optical system and the wafer, and the wafer is exposed to the illumination light via the liquid in the projection optical system and the immersion space. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the above embodiment can also be applied to a dry-type exposure apparatus that exposes the wafer W without using liquid (water).

[0141] In the above embodiment and its modified examples (hereinafter referred to as the above embodiment, etc.), the exposure apparatus is described as a scanning type exposure apparatus such as a step-and-scan type, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the above embodiment, etc. may be applied to a stationary exposure apparatus such as a stepper. The above embodiment, etc. can also be applied to a step-and-stitch type reduction projection exposure apparatus that combines shot areas with each other, a proximity type exposure apparatus, or a mirror projection aligner. Furthermore, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 6,590,634, U.S. Patent No. 5,969,441, and U.S. Patent No. 6,208,407, the above embodiment, etc. can also be applied to a multi-stage type exposure apparatus equipped with multiple wafer stages.

[0142] In addition, the projection optical system in the exposure apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment may be either a reduction system or a life-size or enlargement system, the projection optical system PL may be either a refractive system or a reflective system or a catadioptric system, and the projected image may be either an inverted image or an erect image. In addition, the above-mentioned illumination area and exposure area are rectangular in shape, but are not limited to this and may be, for example, an arc, a trapezoid, or a parallelogram.

[0143] The light source of the exposure apparatus according to the above-mentioned embodiment is not limited to the ArF excimer laser, but may be a pulsed laser light source such as a KrF excimer laser (output wavelength 248 nm), an F2 laser (output wavelength 157 nm), an Ar2 laser (output wavelength 126 nm), or a Kr2 laser (output wavelength 146 nm), or an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp emitting an emission line such as a g-line (wavelength 436 nm) or an i-line (wavelength 365 nm). A harmonic generator of a YAG laser may also be used. In addition, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,023,610, a single wavelength laser light in the infrared or visible range oscillated as vacuum ultraviolet light from a DFB semiconductor laser or a fiber laser may be amplified by a fiber amplifier doped with erbium (or both erbium and ytterbium), and the wavelength may be converted to ultraviolet light by a nonlinear optical crystal to produce a harmonic.

[0144] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the illumination light IL of the exposure apparatus is not limited to light having a wavelength of 100 nm or more, and it goes without saying that light having a wavelength of less than 100 nm may be used. For example, the above-mentioned embodiments can be applied to an EUV exposure apparatus that uses EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) light in the soft X-ray region (for example, a wavelength range of 5 to 15 nm). In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be applied to an exposure apparatus that uses a charged particle beam such as an electron beam or an ion beam.

[0145] Furthermore, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 6,611,316, the above embodiments can also be applied to an exposure apparatus in which two reticle patterns are synthesized on a wafer via a projection optical system and one shot area on the wafer is almost simultaneously double exposed by a single scanning exposure.

[0146] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the object on which a pattern is to be formed (the object to be exposed to the energy beam) is not limited to a wafer, but may be other objects such as a glass plate, a ceramic substrate, a film member, or a mask blank.

[0147] The application of the exposure apparatus is not limited to exposure apparatuses for semiconductor manufacturing, but can be widely applied to, for example, exposure apparatuses for liquid crystals that transfer a liquid crystal display element pattern to a rectangular glass plate, and exposure apparatuses for manufacturing organic electroluminescence (EL), thin-film magnetic heads, imaging elements (CCD, etc.), micromachines, DNA chips, etc. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be applied to exposure apparatuses that transfer circuit patterns to glass substrates or silicon wafers to manufacture reticles or masks used in optical exposure apparatuses, EUV exposure apparatuses, X-ray exposure apparatuses, electron beam exposure apparatuses, etc., in addition to microdevices such as semiconductor elements.

[0148] Electronic devices such as semiconductor elements are manufactured through a step of designing the functions and performance of the device, a step of manufacturing a reticle based on this design step, a step of manufacturing a wafer from a silicon material, a lithography step of transferring a pattern of a mask (reticle) onto a wafer using an exposure apparatus (pattern forming apparatus) such as the above-mentioned embodiment and its exposure method, a development step of developing the exposed wafer, an etching step of removing exposed members other than those where resist remains by etching, a resist removal step of removing resist that is no longer needed after etching, a device assembly step (including a dicing step, a bonding step, and a packaging step), an inspection step, etc. In this case, in the lithography step, the above-mentioned exposure method is performed using an exposure apparatus such as the above-mentioned embodiment, and a device pattern is formed on the wafer, so that highly integrated devices can be manufactured with good productivity.

[0149] It should be noted that the disclosures of all publications, international publications, U.S. patent application publications, and U.S. patent specifications relating to exposure apparatuses and the like cited in the above description are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A transport system that transports an object to an object placement member having an object placement section, a suction member that generates a suction force on the object by forming a gas flow between the suction member and the object; a contact member that comes into contact with a portion of the object held in a non-contact manner by the suction member; A shaft portion extending in one axial direction; a rotation drive device that rotates the contact member about the single axis via the shaft portion; Equipped with when a support member that is movable relative to the object placement section in a vertical direction supports the object, the contact member is released from contact with a portion of the object, The object is plate-shaped, A conveying system in which the shaft portion extends along a thickness direction of the object held in a non-contact state by the suction member.

2. The rotation drive device drives the contact member to rotate about the single axis, thereby moving the contact member between a first position facing the bottom surface of the object and a second position not facing the bottom surface of the object. The transport system according to claim 1 .

3. A transport system that transports an object to an object placement member having an object placement section, a suction member that generates a suction force on the object by forming a gas flow between the suction member and the object; a contact member that comes into contact with a portion of the object held in a non-contact manner by the suction member; Equipped with when a support member that is movable relative to the object placement section in a vertical direction supports the object, the contact member is released from contact with a portion of the object, A first reflecting portion provided on the contact member; a measurement system that measures information regarding a position of the object within a predetermined plane that intersects with the vertical direction; Further comprising: A transport system in which, when the contact member is in a first position facing the bottom surface of the object, the measurement light of the measurement system is reflected by the first reflecting section.

4. A transport system that transports an object to an object placement member having an object placement section, a suction member that generates a suction force on the object by forming a gas flow between the suction member and the object; a contact member that comes into contact with a portion of the object held in a non-contact manner by the suction member; Equipped with when a support member that is movable relative to the object placement section in a vertical direction supports the object, the contact member is released from contact with a portion of the object, The object placement member is provided with a second reflecting section that reflects measurement light from a measurement system that measures information relating to the position of the object within a predetermined plane that intersects the vertical direction when the contact member is in a second position not facing the underside of the object.

5. The second reflecting section reflects the measurement light of the measurement system when the object is placed on the object placement section. The transport system according to claim 4 .

6. A transport system that transports an object to an object placement member having an object placement section, a suction member that generates a suction force on the object by forming a gas flow between the suction member and the object; a contact member that comes into contact with a portion of the object held in a non-contact manner by the suction member; Equipped with when a support member that is movable relative to the object placement section in a vertical direction supports the object, the contact member is released from contact with a portion of the object, a measuring device for obtaining information regarding a shape of the object held in a non-contact manner by the suction member; a drive device that moves the suction member and the object placement unit relatively in the up-down direction; a control device that controls at least one of the suction member and the driving device using the information obtained by the measuring device so that the object is placed on the object placement section in a predetermined shape; and Further comprising: The control device uses the information obtained by the measuring device to control at least one of the vertical movement of the suction member and the vertical movement of the support member.

7. A shaft portion extending in one axial direction; a rotation drive device that rotates the contact member about the single axis via the shaft portion; Further comprising The transport system according to any one of claims 3 to 6.

8. The rotation drive device drives the contact member to rotate about the single axis, thereby moving the contact member between a first position facing the bottom surface of the object and a second position not facing the bottom surface of the object. The transport system according to claim 7.

9. The contact member is movable between a first position facing the bottom surface of the object and a second position not facing the bottom surface of the object. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The contact member is movable in the up and down direction. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The support member is capable of placing the object on the object placement section by moving relative to the object placement section in the up-down direction. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The contact member is capable of contacting a lower surface of the object. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The contact member is released from contact with a part of the object after the support member comes into contact with the lower surface of the object. A transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. An exposure apparatus for forming a pattern on a plate-shaped object, A conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 13; a pattern generating device that exposes the plate-shaped object transported to the object placement member by the transport system with an energy beam to form the pattern.

15. A transport method for transporting an object to an object placement member having an object placement section, comprising the steps of: forming a gas flow between the object and the object to generate a suction force for the object and hold the object in a non-contact manner; Bringing a contact member into contact with a portion of the object that is held in a non-contact manner; supporting the object from below with a support member that is movable vertically relative to the object placement unit; releasing the contact between a portion of the object and the contact member when the object is supported by the support member; determining information regarding the shape of the object being held in a non-contact manner; and adjusting a shape of the object using information about the object so that the object is placed on the object placement section in a predetermined shape.

16. When the object is supported by the support member, the contact member is moved away from a portion of the object from a first position facing the portion of the object to a second position not facing the portion of the object. The transport method according to claim 15.

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