Holding mechanism and exposure apparatus

Abstract

To provide a holding mechanism capable of appropriately sucking various workpieces, and an exposure apparatus.SOLUTION: A holding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a suction part, an elastic seal member and a clamp mechanism. The suction part has a suction surface which vacuum-sucks a workpiece. The elastic seal member is arranged around the suction surface such that at least a part of the member is hidden by the workpiece in a plan view where the suction surface is seen from above. The clamp mechanism has a clamp which presses the workpiece such that the workpiece contacts the elastic seal member, and drives the clamp to press the workpiece in sucking the workpiece by the suction part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding mechanism for holding a workpiece and an exposure apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for clamping a workpiece to a stage that vacuum-sucks the workpiece. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a workpiece fixing device that includes a clamp unit that fixes the workpiece to a mounting table with a number of suction holes. This device is provided with a width-direction clamp unit and a front-rear-direction clamp unit that surround the mounting table. The workpiece is sucked into the mounting table through each suction hole, and the workpiece is pressed against the mounting table by a bent rod provided in each clamp unit (see paragraphs

[0032] ,

[0035] ,

[0047] , Figures 4 and 8, etc. of the specification of Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-210432 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even when clamping a workpiece in this way, if there is a gap between the suction stage and the workpiece, the pressure that suctions the workpiece will not decrease, and it may not be possible to properly suction the workpiece. For example, depending on the size, thickness, unevenness of the workpiece's surface, or the warping or undulation of the workpiece itself, gaps may easily form between the suction stage and the workpiece, making it difficult to suction the workpiece. For this reason, there is a demand for technology that can properly suction a variety of workpieces.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a holding mechanism and an exposure apparatus that are capable of properly adsorbing a variety of workpieces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a holding mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention includes a suction portion, an elastic seal member, and a clamp mechanism. The suction portion has a suction surface that vacuum-sucks a workpiece. The elastic seal member is disposed around the suction surface so that at least a portion of the elastic seal member is hidden by the workpiece in a plan view of the suction surface from above. The clamping mechanism has a clamp that holds the workpiece so that the workpiece contacts the elastic seal member, and drives the clamp to hold the workpiece when the suction portion sucks the workpiece.

[0007] In this holding mechanism, an elastic seal member is provided around the suction surface that vacuum-sucks the workpiece. This elastic seal member is configured so that at least a portion of the seal member is hidden by the workpiece when the suction surface is viewed from above. When the workpiece is suctioned, the clamp of the clamping mechanism presses the workpiece so that it contacts the elastic seal member. This prevents gaps from occurring that would hinder vacuum suction of the workpiece, making it possible to properly vacuum-suck a variety of workpieces.

[0008] The clamp may hold the workpiece at a position where the workpiece and the elastic seal member overlap in the plan view.

[0009] The planar shapes of the workpiece and the elastic seal member may be rectangular, and in this case, the clamp may press the workpiece along at least one of four outer edges of the workpiece.

[0010] The clamping mechanism may release the clamp from holding the workpiece before the suction portion has completed suctioning the workpiece and before a processing process is performed on the workpiece.

[0011] The clamping mechanism is a mechanism that opens and closes the clamp to hold down the workpiece, and the operation of opening the clamp may be performed in at least two separate steps.

[0012] The operation of opening the clamp may include a first opening operation that moves the clamp to a first position away from the workpiece, and a second opening operation that moves the clamp to a second position farther away than the first position.

[0013] The clamping mechanism may perform the first opening operation before the suction portion has completed suction of the workpiece and processing is performed on the workpiece, and may perform the second opening operation after the processing is performed.

[0014] The clamping mechanism may perform the first opening operation based on a signal indicating that the suction portion has completed suction of the workpiece, or a signal indicating that the processing of the workpiece has begun.

[0015] The processing may be an exposure process in which the workpiece is exposed to light by an exposure unit that exposes a pattern onto the workpiece. In this case, the clamping mechanism may perform the second opening operation when the workpiece moves away from an exposure position of the exposure unit after the exposure process has been performed on the workpiece.

[0016] The distance between the clamp and the workpiece at the first position may be 1 mm or less.

[0017] The clamping mechanism may perform the act of closing the clamp in one go.

[0018] The suction portion may have a peripheral edge portion that surrounds the suction surface and is formed lower than the suction surface, and in this case, the elastic seal member may be disposed on the peripheral edge portion.

[0019] The suction portion may include a base having a recess for supplying a vacuum and a plurality of protrusions formed within the recess, and an suction plate having a plurality of through holes and attached to the recess to form the suction surface.

[0020] An exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an exposure unit and a workpiece stage. The exposure unit exposes a pattern onto a workpiece. The work stage has an adsorption section having an adsorption surface that vacuum-adsorbs the workpiece, an elastic sealing member arranged around the adsorption surface so as to overlap the workpiece, and a clamp that holds the workpiece so that it contacts the elastic sealing member, and a clamping mechanism that drives the clamp to hold the workpiece when the adsorption section adsorbs the workpiece.

[0021] The exposure unit may include a light emitting unit that emits exposure light, a mask stage that holds a mask on which the pattern is formed on the optical path of the exposure light, and a projection optical system that projects the exposure light that has passed through the mask onto the workpiece. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to properly pick up various workpieces. Note that the effects described here are not necessarily limited to those described herein, and may be any of the effects described in this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an exposure apparatus equipped with a workpiece stage according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a work stage excluding a clamping mechanism. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a clamping mechanism. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the clamping mechanism shown in FIG. 3 clamps a workpiece W. FIG. [Figure 5]4 is a flowchart showing an example of an exposure sequence by the exposure apparatus. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing an example of the operation of the clamp mechanism in an exposure sequence. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a seal unit including an elastic seal member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] [Configuration of exposure equipment] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an exposure apparatus equipped with a workpiece stage according to one embodiment of the present invention. The exposure apparatus 100 is an apparatus that exposes a flat workpiece W. The exposure apparatus 100 has an exposure unit 10 and a workpiece stage 20. The exposure unit 10 has a light irradiation unit 11, a mask M, a mask stage 12, and a projection optical system 13.

[0026] The workpiece W is, for example, a printed circuit board. Hereinafter, the surface of the workpiece W that is exposed will be referred to as the exposed surface of the workpiece W, and the surface opposite the exposed surface will be referred to as the back surface of the workpiece W. The workpiece W that is carried into the exposure apparatus 100 has a photosensitive material such as photoresist applied to its exposed surface. There are no particular limitations on the thickness of the workpiece W, but a thin workpiece W, for example, 0.2 mm, may also be used.

[0027] The light irradiation unit 11 emits exposure light. The light irradiation unit 11 has a lamp 15, a mirror 16, and a lamp house 17. The lamp 15 is an exposure light source that emits exposure light including ultraviolet rays. The mirror 16 reflects the exposure light emitted from the lamp 15 in a predetermined emission direction. The lamp house 17 is a case that houses the lamp 15 and the mirror 16. Here, a case will be described in which the light source of the light irradiation unit 11 is the lamp 15, but an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a laser light source, or the like may also be used as the light source. The wavelength and band of the exposure light are also not limited. In this embodiment, the light irradiation unit 11 corresponds to a light emission unit that emits exposure light.

[0028] A pattern such as a circuit pattern to be exposed (transferred) onto the workpiece W is formed on the mask M. The mask stage 12 holds the mask on which the pattern is formed on the optical path of the exposure light. The projection optical system 13 projects the exposure light that has passed through the mask M onto the flat workpiece W. For example, the projection optical system 13 is configured as a reduction optical system that reduces the pattern of the mask M and forms an image on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0029] In the exposure apparatus 100, the light irradiation unit 11, mask M, mask stage 12, and projection optical system 13 constitute an exposure unit 10 that exposes a pattern onto the workpiece W. The workpiece stage 20 serves as a stage that holds the workpiece W at the exposure position in the exposure unit 10. Note that, in this embodiment, a case where the exposure unit 10 includes the projection optical system 13 will be described, but the present invention is also applicable to cases where the projection optical system 13 is not provided. In this embodiment, the exposure process by the exposure unit 10 is an example of a processing process for the workpiece W.

[0030] The workpiece stage 20 is a holding mechanism that holds a flat workpiece W by vacuum suction. The workpiece stage 20 has a suction section 21, an elastic seal member 22, and a clamping mechanism 40. The suction section 21 has a suction surface 24 that vacuum-sucks the workpiece W. The workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 20 with its back side facing the suction surface 24.

[0031] A plurality of vacuum suction holes 25 are provided on the suction surface 24. Each vacuum suction hole 25 is connected to a pipe L for evacuation. For example, when vacuum suction of the workpiece W is performed, the pipe L is connected to a vacuum pump. When the vacuum suction of the workpiece W is to be released, a gas (air, etc.) for breaking the vacuum atmosphere is supplied to the pipe L.

[0032] The elastic seal member 22 is a seal member (vacuum seal) made of an elastic body. The elastic seal member 22 is arranged around the suction surface 24 so that at least a portion of the elastic seal member 22 is hidden by the workpiece W in a plan view of the suction surface 24 seen from above. In other words, the elastic seal member 22 is arranged at a position around the suction surface 24 below the workpiece W and is configured to contact the back surface of the workpiece W. By providing the elastic seal member 22, gaps are less likely to occur on the back surface side of the workpiece W, making it possible to suppress leakage of the vacuum atmosphere. The specific configurations of the workpiece stage 20 and the elastic seal member 22 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2 etc.

[0033] The clamping mechanism 40 has a clamp 41 that presses the workpiece W so that the workpiece W contacts the elastic seal member 22, and when the suction unit 21 suctions the workpiece W, the clamp 41 is driven to press the workpiece W. This makes it less likely that a gap will occur between the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22 when the workpiece W is suctioned, making it possible to properly vacuum-suck the workpiece W. Therefore, the clamping mechanism 40 functions as a vacuum suction assisting mechanism that assists the vacuum suction by the suction unit 21.

[0034] The workpiece stage 20 is also provided with a suction sensor 23 for detecting the completion of vacuum suction of the workpiece W. The suction sensor 23 is, for example, a pressure sensor that detects the vacuum pressure, and is attached to the pipe L that performs the vacuum suction. The configuration of the suction sensor 23 is not limited, and it may be possible to determine whether or not vacuum suction has been completed by, for example, a distance measuring sensor that detects the flatness of the workpiece W.

[0035] In this embodiment, the workpiece stage 20 is connected to a moving mechanism (not shown) and moves between a transfer position and an exposure position for the workpiece W. At the transfer position, the workpiece W is transferred between the workpiece handler 60 (described later) and the workpiece stage 20. At the exposure position, the workpiece W is placed directly below the projection optical system 13. As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism that moves the workpiece stage 20 along a rail, or a mechanism that holds and moves the workpiece stage 20 by an arm or the like is used. The configuration of the moving mechanism is not limited to this.

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which the workpiece stage 20 moves back and forth between a transfer position and an exposure position, and the workpiece W is loaded and unloaded at the same transfer position. For example, the left side of FIG. 1 shows the state in which the workpiece stage 20 has moved to the transfer position, and the right side shows the state in which the workpiece stage 20 has moved to the exposure position. Note that the transfer position for loading (loading position) and the transfer position for unloading (unloading position) may be different. In this case, the workpiece W is transported in one direction in the order of the loading position, exposure position, and unloading position.

[0037] The workpiece handler 60 is a transport mechanism that loads and unloads the workpiece W onto and from the workpiece stage 20. In the example shown in Fig. 1, one workpiece handler 60 loads and unloads the workpiece W to and from the workpiece stage 20 that has moved to the transfer position. Note that if the load-in position and the unload-out position are different, a load-in workpiece handler 60 and a unload-out workpiece handler 60 may be provided, respectively.

[0038] The workpiece handler 60 has a plurality of suction pads 61. The suction pads 61 are pads that hold objects that they come into contact with by vacuum suction. The workpiece handler 60 holds the workpiece W by bringing the plurality of suction pads 61 into contact with the exposed surface of the workpiece W and suctioning the workpiece W. The workpiece handler 60 also releases the workpiece W by releasing the suction by the suction pads 61.

[0039] In the example shown in FIG. 1, a workpiece handler 60 is placed above the workpiece stage 20, which has been moved to the transfer position, with multiple suction pads 61 facing downward. The workpiece handler 60 is also configured to be movable in the vertical direction. For example, when the workpiece stage 20 is moved to the transfer position, the workpiece handler 60 descends to transfer the workpiece W. The configuration of the workpiece handler 60 is not limited, and any mechanism capable of loading and unloading the workpiece W may be used.

[0040] The exposure apparatus 100 including the workpiece stage 20, the movement mechanism of the workpiece stage 20, and the workpiece handler 60 are controlled by a control device (not shown). Dedicated control units may be provided for controlling each part.

[0041] [Work Stage Configuration] In this embodiment, the case where the planar shape of the workpiece W is rectangular will be mainly described. Therefore, the workpiece stage 20 is configured to vacuum-suck the rectangular workpiece W. Here, the planar shape of the workpiece W being rectangular means that the general shape of the planar shape of the workpiece W is rectangular. Therefore, the four sides that form the outer edge of the workpiece W may include portions cut inward (notches) or portions protruding outward.

[0042] There are no limitations on the planar shape of the workpiece W. For example, even if the planar shape of the workpiece W is a shape other than a rectangle (such as a circle or a polygon), the present invention can be applied by configuring each part of the workpiece stage 20 (such as the suction part 21, the elastic seal member 22, and the clamp mechanism 40) to match the planar shape of the workpiece W.

[0043] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the workpiece stage 20 excluding the clamping mechanism 40. 2A and 2B are schematic exploded perspective views and cross-sectional views of the portion of the workpiece stage 20 excluding the clamping mechanism 40 (the suction portion 21 and the elastic sealing member 22). Hereinafter, the side of the workpiece stage 20 where the workpiece W is held (the side where the exposure light is irradiated) will be referred to as the upper side of the workpiece stage, and the opposite side will be referred to as the lower side.

[0044] [Configuration of the suction part] As shown in FIG. 2A, the suction unit 21 has a base 26 and a suction plate 27 attached to the base 26. Of these, a suction surface 24 is formed on the surface of the suction plate 27. The suction surface 24 is a flat area on which the workpiece W is held by vacuum suction, and is provided on the upper side of the workpiece stage 20. While the workpiece W is being vacuum suctioned, it is held so that it adheres to the suction surface 24. The suction unit 21 also has an attachment portion 28 for attaching the elastic seal member 22.

[0045] The base 26 is a metal block that serves as the foundation of the adsorption unit 21. The planar shape of the base 26 when viewed from above is rectangular (approximately square in this case). The base 26 is typically made of an aluminum block whose surface has been electrolessly nickel-plated, but it may also be anodized or have ceramics welded onto it. The material of the base 26 may also be metal such as iron or copper.

[0046] A recess 29 is formed in the center of the upper surface of base 26, and multiple protrusions 30 are formed within recess 29 for placing suction plate 27 thereon. Additionally, multiple vacuum introduction paths 31 are provided in recess 29 to introduce vacuum from a vacuum system (piping L) attached to base 26 to recess 29. Vacuum or air supplied to piping L is introduced from these vacuum introduction paths 31 to recess 29. In this way, base 26 has recess 29 for supplying vacuum and multiple protrusions 30 formed within recess 29.

[0047] The upper surface of base 26 is finished to a highly flat surface. Here, the upper surface refers to the surface formed by the upper surfaces of protrusions 30 and the upper outer peripheral surface of base 26 (the surface surrounding the edge of recess 29). In other words, the upper surfaces of protrusions 30 and the outer peripheral surface of base 26 are at the same height, and the flatness is about 10 μm. The upper surface of base 26 is the surface on which suction plate 27 is placed.

[0048] The suction plate 27 is a thin plate-like member that is large enough to completely cover the recess 29 of the base 26 and is made of a material with a certain degree of flexibility so that it can fit the upper surface of the base 26. For example, a stainless steel plate with a thickness of 0.3 mm is used as the suction plate 27. Note that the thickness and material of the suction plate 27 are not limited to these, and may be selected appropriately depending on, for example, the size of the recess 29. As shown in FIG. 2A , the suction plate 27 has an adsorption surface 24 and a plurality of vacuum suction holes 25.

[0049] The suction surface 24 is a flat surface on which the workpiece W is held during vacuum suction. The suction surface 24 is formed as a surface with high flatness in order to hold the workpiece W flat. Therefore, the suction plate 27 can be said to be a highly flat suction plate in which the suction surface 24 is formed with high flatness. The suction plate 27 is attached to the recess 29 of the base 26 with the suction surface 24 facing upward. For example, through holes for passing screws are provided in the four corners of the suction plate 27, and the suction plate 27 is fixed to the base 26 with the screws. Note that other fixing hardware may be used instead of screws.

[0050] The plurality of vacuum suction holes 25 are through-holes formed in the suction surface 24. Each vacuum suction hole 25 is provided over the entire area that overlaps with the recessed portion 29 of the base 26 in a plan view seen from above. Here, the vacuum suction holes 25, each having a predetermined diameter, are provided at regular intervals in a grid pattern. The positions of the vacuum suction holes 25 are set so as not to coincide with the positions of the protrusions 30 of the base 26. When the suction plate 27 is attached to the base 26 and a vacuum is supplied to the base 26, the vacuum is introduced into the recessed portion 29 of the base 26 as described above, and the vacuum is also supplied to the vacuum suction holes 25 of the suction plate 27 that cover the recessed portion 29. This makes it possible to vacuum-suck the workpiece W.

[0051] In the exposure apparatus 100, a plurality of suction plates 27 are prepared according to the size and shape of the workpiece W or the positions of the notches and through holes provided in the workpiece W. The number, diameter, shape and arrangement of the vacuum suction holes 25 provided in each suction plate 27, the area in which the vacuum suction holes 25 are provided, and the like are set according to the workpiece W.

[0052] 2A, circular holes are provided as the vacuum suction holes 25, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and through-holes of various shapes, such as rectangular holes and oval holes, can be provided as the vacuum suction holes 25. Furthermore, the size (diameter, etc.) and arrangement of the vacuum suction holes 25 can be freely set within the surface of a single suction plate 27 depending on the size, softness, degree of warping, etc. of the workpiece W. By configuring the suction plates 27 in this way, it is possible to select an optimal suction plate 27 depending on the type of workpiece W to be machined, and to suction and hold the workpiece W.

[0053] [Configuration of elastic sealing member] The elastic seal member 22 is made of, for example, rubber sponge and is arranged in a ring shape to surround the suction surface 24. Low-resilience elastic materials such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), fluororubber, and urethane are used as materials for the elastic seal member 22. For example, a material is appropriately selected that can be compressed and deformed to an extent that does not impair the flatness of the workpiece W when the workpiece W is vacuum-sucked. The elastic seal member 22 is also sometimes called a flex seal. The elastic seal member 22 may be made entirely of the same material, or may be made partially of different materials.

[0054] The elastic seal member 22 has a lower surface 22a and an upper surface 22b. In this embodiment, the elastic seal member 22 is attached to a base 26. Specifically, the elastic seal member 22 is attached so that its lower surface 22a contacts the upper surface of the base 26 and surrounds the attraction plate 27. In other words, an annular region on the upper surface of the base 26 that surrounds the attraction plate 27 becomes an attachment portion 28 to which the lower surface 22a of the elastic seal member 22 is attached.

[0055] 2B, the position of the attachment portion 28 is lower than the adsorption surface 24 due to the thickness of the adsorption plate 27. In this manner, the attachment portion 28 surrounds the adsorption surface 24 and is formed lower than the adsorption surface 24. In this embodiment, the attachment portion 28 corresponds to the peripheral edge portion.

[0056] Furthermore, the elastic seal member 22 is configured so that the upper surface 22b protrudes higher than the suction surface 24 when the lower surface 22a is attached to the attachment portion 28. This protrusion from the suction surface 24 facilitates contact between the upper surface 22b of the elastic seal member 22 and the back surface of the workpiece W. Furthermore, when the vacuum suction of the workpiece W is complete, the elastic seal member 22 is crushed and compressed by the workpiece W that is attracted to the suction surface 24, and functions as a leak suppression mechanism that suppresses vacuum leaks.

[0057] The planar shape of the elastic seal member 22 is configured so that the area where the elastic seal member 22 and the workpiece W come into contact is a closed annular area. In other words, the elastic seal member 22 is configured so that the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22 can come into contact over the entire circumference. In this embodiment, the planar shape of the elastic seal member 22 is also configured to be rectangular to match the rectangular workpiece W.

[0058] The elastic sealing member 22 is configured so that it is entirely hidden by the workpiece W in a plan view of the suction surface 24 seen from above. In this case, for example, the shape of the outer periphery of the elastic sealing member 22 may be set to be the same shape and size as the outer periphery of the workpiece W, or may be set so that it fits inside the outer periphery of the workpiece W. Furthermore, the elastic sealing member 22 may be configured so that it is partially hidden by the workpiece W in a plan view of the suction surface 24 seen from above. In this case, for example, the elastic sealing member 22 is configured so that the outer periphery of the workpiece W fits between the inner and outer peripheries of the elastic sealing member 22. Alternatively, the shape of the elastic sealing member 22 may be set as appropriate within a range that allows the workpiece W to be properly vacuum-sucked.

[0059] In this configuration in which the elastic sealing member 22 is attached to the mounting portion 28 of the base 26, the suction surface 24 is located higher than the surface (the upper surface of the base 26) to which the elastic sealing member 22 is attached. This allows the thickness of the suction plate 27 to cancel out the thickness of the elastic sealing member 22 during compression. Therefore, there is no need to provide an extra step or the like on the upper surface of the base 26 to cancel out the thickness of the elastic sealing member 22 during compression. This simplifies the configuration of the base 26 and reduces manufacturing costs. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the mounting portion 28 is located at the same height as the surface of the base 26 that supports the suction plate 27. However, the height position of the mounting portion 28 may be set arbitrarily as long as it is lower than the suction surface 24. For example, the mounting portion 28 may be formed in a groove shape that is lower than the surface that supports the suction plate 27. Alternatively, the height position of the mounting portion 28 may be set higher than the surface that supports the suction plate 27 but lower than the suction surface 24. In addition, the height position of the attachment portion 28 may be set according to the characteristics of the elastic seal member 22, such as its thickness and crushability, so that the thickness of the elastic seal member 22 can be appropriately canceled out.

[0060] [Configuration of clamping mechanism] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the clamping mechanism 40. Fig. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an enlarged portion of the clamping mechanism 40, and Fig. 3B is a schematic plan view of the entire workpiece stage 20 including the clamping mechanism 40, viewed from above. Figs. 3A and 3B show a state in which no workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 20 and the clamping mechanism 40 is open. In Fig. 3B, the outline of the workpiece W is schematically shown by a dotted line.

[0061] The clamping mechanism 40 has clamps 41 that hold down the workpiece W and a drive unit 45 that drives the clamps 41. The clamping mechanism 40 is provided with a plurality of clamps 41, each with its own drive unit 45. Below, a unit made up of one clamp 41 and the drive unit 45 that drives that clamp 41 will be referred to as a clamp unit 50. Therefore, the clamping mechanism 40 is made up of a plurality of clamp units 50. Furthermore, the drive unit 45 of each clamp unit 50 is controlled by, for example, a control device that controls the operation of the entire exposure apparatus 100.

[0062] 3B, in this embodiment, clamp units 50a to 50f are provided to surround the suction section 21 (base 26) along each side of the rectangular workpiece W. Clamp units 50a and 50b are arranged adjacent to each other on the upper side of base 26 in the drawing, clamp units 50c and 50d are arranged adjacent to each other on the lower side of the base in the drawing, and clamp units 50e and 50f are arranged on the left and right sides of base 26 in the drawing.

[0063] Clamp units 50a and 50b (clamp units 50c and d) hold down the upper side (lower side) of the workpiece W. In this way, multiple clamp units 50 may be provided on one side of the workpiece W. Clamp units 50e and 50f individually hold down the left and right sides of the workpiece W. Clamp units 50a and 50b (clamp units 50c and d) may be configured as a single clamp unit 50. Furthermore, in each clamp unit 50, a drive unit 45 is provided on each end of the clamp 41. The planar shape of the clamp 41 and the position of the drive unit 45 differ between clamp units 50a to 50d and clamp units 50e and 50f, but the basic configuration is the same.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 3A, clamp 41 has clamp body 42 and contact portion 43. Clamp body 42 is a plate-shaped structural member extending in one direction. Contact portion 43 is provided on one end edge along the longitudinal direction of clamp body 42. Clamp body 42 is fixed to a rotating member 48 of drive unit 45 (described later) on the side opposite contact portion 43. In this way, clamp 41 has a cantilever structure as a whole.

[0065] The clamp body 42 is made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel. Alternatively, the clamp body 42 may be made of a combination of a metal material and a resin material. For example, by using a resin material at the connection point with the contact portion 43, the contact portion 43 can be easily fixed. Also, as shown in FIG. 3A, the thickness of the connection portion with the rotating member 48 may be increased, or the base portion of the cantilever where stress concentrates when holding the workpiece W may be reinforced. Other than this, the structure and material of the clamp body 42 are not limited.

[0066] The contact portion 43 is the portion of the clamp 41 that comes into contact with the workpiece W. An elastic material such as rubber is used for the contact portion 43. This makes it possible to avoid situations where excessive force is concentrated and the workpiece W is damaged. The contact portion 43 is also configured so that its thickness decreases toward the tip that comes into contact with the workpiece W. This makes it easier for the contact portion 43 to elastically deform when holding the workpiece W, making it possible to disperse the concentration of force on the workpiece W. Other than this, the structure and material of the contact portion 43 are not limited.

[0067] The drive unit 45 is a mechanism that mechanically moves the clamp 41 so as to press down on the workpiece W. For example, one or more drive units 45 (typically, two drive units 45) are provided in one clamp unit 50. As shown in FIG. 3A, the drive unit 45 has a base unit 46, a shaft unit 47, and a rotating member 48. The drive unit 45 also has a drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the rotating member 48.

[0068] The pedestal 46 is a member that supports the shaft 47 and the rotating member 48, and is fixed around the main body (base 26) of the work stage 20. The pedestal 46 is fixed to the base 26 by screws or the like. Alternatively, the pedestal 46 may be formed integrally with the base 26. A through hole into which the shaft 47 is fitted is also formed in the pedestal 46.

[0069] The shaft portion 47 supports the rotating member 48 so as to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis O. The shaft portion 47 is, for example, a columnar member (typically a cylindrical member) that passes through both the base portion 46 and the rotating member 48. Alternatively, for example, a columnar member that is fixed to one of the rotating member 48 and the base portion 46 and configured to pass through the other may be used as the shaft portion 47. Furthermore, a bearing such as a ball bearing may be used to configure the shaft portion 47.

[0070] The rotation axis O of the shaft portion 47 is set, for example, in the direction in which the clamp 41 extends. The rotation axes O of the drive portions 45 provided in one clamp unit 50 are configured to coincide with each other. In FIG. 3A, the rotation axis O is a direction that passes through the center of the shaft portion 47 and is perpendicular to the paper surface. In FIG. 3B, the rotation axis O for each clamp unit 50 is set in a direction along each side of the base 26.

[0071] Rotating member 48 is connected to clamp 41 and rotates around rotation axis O to drive clamp 41. The operation of rotating rotating member 48 is performed by a drive mechanism. Rotating member 48 is configured to rotate within a preset angular range.

[0072] In FIG. 3A, when rotating member 48 rotates clockwise (right), clamp 41 moves away from suction surface 24 and elastic seal member 22. This is an opening operation of clamp 41. Conversely, when rotating member 48 rotates counterclockwise (left), clamp 41 moves closer to suction surface 24 and elastic seal member 22. This is a closing operation of clamp 41. In this way, clamp mechanism 40 is a mechanism that opens and closes clamp 41 to hold workpiece W.

[0073] The state shown in Figure 3A is the state in which the rotating member 48 has been rotated clockwise to its maximum angle, i.e., the state in which the clamps 41 are fully open. When the workpiece stage 20 is viewed from above in this state (Figure 3B), the area enclosed by the clamps 41 of each clamp unit 50 is larger than the workpiece W. In other words, when the clamps 41 are fully open, the workpiece W can be loaded and unloaded. Hereinafter, the position of the clamps 41 when they are fully open will be referred to as the initial position.

[0074] A maximum angle may also be set for the closing operation that closes the clamp 41. The maximum angle for the closing operation is set so that the clamp 41 can hold the workpiece W at least until the workpiece W is held flat along the suction surface 24. For example, the maximum angle for the closing operation is set to an angle at which the tip of the contact portion 43 of the clamp 41 is at the same height as the suction surface 24 and the upper surface of the base 26.

[0075] The drive mechanism that drives the clamps 41 is arranged along the side or back of the base 26, and rotates the rotary member 48 to open and close the clamps 41. The force with which the clamps 41 close and press the workpiece W is, for example, about 100 N per clamp unit 50. Of course, the force with which the workpiece W is pressed is not limited, and may be set appropriately depending on the characteristics (thickness and material) of the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22, etc.

[0076] The drive mechanism is configured by combining, for example, an air cylinder and a link mechanism. In this configuration, the piston movement of the air cylinder is converted into movement that rotates the rotating member 48 via the link mechanism. This type of drive mechanism can be configured compactly along the side or back of the work stage 20 (base 26), for example. Furthermore, air cylinders do not generate heat like, for example, electric power sources, and deformation of the base 26, etc. due to heat can be avoided.

[0077] Note that an electric motor, linear actuator, or the like may be used as the power source. Furthermore, a gear mechanism or the like may be used in addition to a link mechanism as the mechanism for rotating the rotating member 48. In addition, the specific configuration of the drive mechanism is not limited, and any drive mechanism that achieves the desired clamping operation may be used.

[0078] [Clamping workpiece W] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the clamping mechanism 40 shown in Fig. 3 has clamped the workpiece W. The cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 4A and the plan view shown in Fig. 4B show the state in which the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 20 and the clamping mechanism 40 is closed to clamp the workpiece W. Note that in Fig. 4B, as in Fig. 3B, only the outline of the workpiece W is shown by dotted lines. In reality, because the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece W, the elastic sealing member 22 and other components below the workpiece W are not visible. Also, in Fig. 4A, the cross-sectional shape of the elastic sealing member 22 before the workpiece W is clamped is shown by dotted lines.

[0079] Consider closing clamp 41, which is in its initial position, with workpiece W placed on workpiece stage 20. When closing clamp 41, rotating member 48 rotates so that clamp 41 comes into contact with workpiece W. For example, in FIG. 4A, rotating member 48 rotates counterclockwise. In this case, contact portion 43 of clamp 41 first comes into contact with the exposed surface of workpiece W and then presses workpiece W downward. Then, workpiece W, pressed by clamp 41, comes into contact with elastic seal member 22.

[0080] As a result, even if the workpiece W is warped and the back surface of the workpiece W is not in contact with the elastic sealing member 22, closing the clamp 41 presses the workpiece W against the elastic sealing member 22. In this way, the clamp 41 holds the workpiece W so that the workpiece W comes into contact with the elastic sealing member 22. Note that if the workpiece W and the elastic sealing member 22 were in contact before the clamp 41 was closed, closing the clamp 41 will bring the workpiece W and the elastic sealing member 22 into closer contact.

[0081] The clamp mechanism 40 closes the clamp 41 to hold the workpiece W when the suction portion 21 suctions the workpiece W. For example, a closing operation to close the clamp 41 is performed within the period from when the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 20 until suction of the workpiece W is completed. The closing operation may be performed before suction of the workpiece W begins, or after suction of the workpiece W begins. The closing operation may also be performed simultaneously with the timing at which suction of the workpiece W begins.

[0082] Here, the timing at which suction of the workpiece W begins is, for example, the timing at which vacuuming through the pipe L begins. Also, if vacuuming is being performed continuously, the timing at which suction begins is the timing at which the workpiece W is placed on the suction surface 24. Also, the timing at which suction of the workpiece W is completed is, for example, the timing at which the vacuuming pressure drops below a predetermined threshold. In other words, suction of the workpiece W is considered to be completed when the vacuum suction pressure of the workpiece W has dropped sufficiently.

[0083] In this way, by closing the clamp 41 when adsorbing the workpiece W, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a gap (vacuum leak) between the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22, for example, during evacuation. In other words, the closing action of the clamp 41 functions to assist contact between the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22. This makes it possible to reduce the evacuation pressure in a short time, thereby shortening the time required for vacuum adsorption. Furthermore, even if the workpiece W is warped or wavy, pressing it down with the clamp 41 makes it possible to reliably bring it into contact with the elastic seal member 22, enabling proper vacuum adsorption.

[0084] Furthermore, when the clamp 41 is closed, a downward pressing force acts on the workpiece W from the tip (contact portion 43) of the clamp 41. This not only brings the workpiece W into contact with the elastic seal member 22, but also applies a force that crushes the elastic seal member 22. As a result, it becomes possible to actively crush the elastic seal member 22, improving sealing performance. This makes it possible, for example, to improve the ultimate vacuum level during vacuum suction and shorten the time required to reach the required vacuum level (pressure below a predetermined threshold value).

[0085] When vacuuming is performed with the clamp 41 closed, the elastic seal member 22 is crushed by the force of the clamp 41 pressing against the workpiece W and the force acting on the workpiece W due to the negative pressure. For example, when vacuum suction is complete, the force acting on the workpiece W due to the negative pressure is sufficiently large, and the elastic seal member 22 can remain crushed even when the clamp 41 is opened.

[0086] In this embodiment, the clamp 41 is configured to hold the workpiece W at a position where the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22 overlap in a plan view of the suction surface 24 seen from above. That is, the clamp mechanism 40 clamps the workpiece W on the elastic seal member 22. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B , the length of the cantilever portion of the clamp body 42 and the like are set so that the tip (contact portion 43) of the clamp 41 contacts the workpiece W at a position opposite the elastic seal member 22.

[0087] For example, if the clamp 41 presses the workpiece W on the outside or inside of the elastic seal member 22, a downward force will be applied to the workpiece W with the elastic seal member 22 as the fulcrum, which could result in deformation or damage to the workpiece W. In contrast, by pressing on the elastic seal member 22, it is possible to make the force that the clamp 41 applies to the workpiece W and the force that the elastic seal member 22 applies to the workpiece W as it tries to return from its crushed state cancel each other out. This makes it possible to sufficiently avoid deformation or damage to the workpiece W.

[0088] 4B, in this embodiment, the clamp 41 is configured to hold the workpiece W along the four outer edges of the rectangular workpiece W. For example, if the rectangular workpiece W is warped, the height position of the outer edge may shift significantly, making it difficult for the workpiece W to come into contact with the elastic sealing member 22. Even in such a case, clamping all the edges makes it possible to sufficiently suppress leakage during vacuum suction.

[0089] The clamp 41 may be configured to hold the workpiece W along at least one of the four outer edges of the workpiece W. For example, if a side of the workpiece W that is prone to warping is known, it may be configured to hold only that side.

[0090] Furthermore, when pressing the workpiece W along each side of the workpiece W, it is not necessary to clamp the workpiece W at a position overlapping the elastic sealing member 22. For example, the workpiece W may be pressed along at least one of the four sides at a position overlapping the elastic sealing member 22. For example, if the sides of the workpiece W that are prone to breakage or deformation are known, it is also possible to configure the workpiece W to be pressed at a position overlapping the elastic sealing member 22 along those sides.

[0091] Here, a configuration for comparison with the workpiece stage 20 will be described. For example, a stage for vacuum-adsorbing the workpiece W may be configured such that a vacuum seal such as the elastic seal member 22 is not provided between the adsorption surface and the workpiece W, and the workpiece W is directly clamped to the adsorption surface for vacuum adsorption. In this case, depending on the characteristics of the workpiece W (for example, the thickness, material, surface irregularities, warpage, waviness, etc. of the workpiece W), a gap may occur between the adsorption surface and the workpiece W even when the workpiece W is clamped.

[0092] Furthermore, a stage for vacuum-adsorbing the workpiece W may be configured such that a vacuum seal such as an elastic seal member 22 is provided between the adsorption surface and the workpiece W, thereby vacuum-adsorbing the workpiece W without clamping it. Even when a vacuum seal is provided in this manner, the workpiece W and the vacuum seal may not necessarily be in close contact with each other depending on the characteristics of the workpiece W, such as warpage. In other words, a gap may occur between the workpiece W and the vacuum seal.

[0093] The gap between the stage-side component and the workpiece W may be eliminated by the workpiece W sticking to the suction surface during the vacuuming process. However, the existence of such a gap may increase the time required to reach the degree of vacuum necessary for vacuum suction of the workpiece W. Furthermore, if the gap is not eliminated, the necessary degree of vacuum may not be achieved, and it may not be possible to complete vacuum suction of the workpiece W.

[0094] The workpiece stage 20 according to this embodiment is provided with an suction section 21 that vacuum-sucks the workpiece W, as well as an elastic seal member 22 and a clamp mechanism 40. The elastic seal member 22 can be in close contact with the workpiece W along the back surface of the workpiece W. This makes it less likely that gaps will occur compared to when the workpiece W is placed directly on the suction surface 24, for example. Furthermore, the clamp 41 of the clamp mechanism 40 presses the workpiece W so that it contacts the elastic seal member 22. This prevents gaps from occurring between the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22 and makes it possible to close the space where evacuation is performed.

[0095] Furthermore, the operation of pressing the workpiece W with the clamp 41 is performed when the workpiece W is adsorbed by the adsorption unit 21. This makes it possible to perform vacuuming with the workpiece W and the elastic sealing member 22 in sufficient contact with each other, and it becomes possible to sufficiently shorten the time required to reach the degree of vacuum required for vacuum adsorption of the workpiece W. In other words, it becomes possible to shorten the takt time required for vacuum adsorption. Furthermore, by ensuring sufficient contact between the workpiece W and the elastic sealing member 22, the occurrence of gaps is sufficiently suppressed, and it becomes possible to reliably adsorb the workpiece W by vacuum adsorption.

[0096] In this way, when the workpiece W is adsorbed, the clamping mechanism 40 brings the workpiece W into contact with the elastic sealing member 22, thereby preventing the occurrence of gaps that hinder vacuum adsorption. This makes it possible to properly adsorb various workpieces W with different thicknesses, materials, surface irregularities, warping, waviness, etc.

[0097] Hereinafter, the position of clamp 41 when clamp 41 is closed and clamping workpiece W will be referred to as the clamp position. The clamp position is the position of clamp 41 when, for example, a force applied to clamp 41 from a drive mechanism (a force acting in the direction to close clamp 41) and a reaction force that clamp 41 receives from workpiece W (a force acting in the direction to open clamp 41) are balanced. The clamp position is determined according to, for example, the thickness of workpiece W, the degree of vacuum of vacuum suction, etc.

[0098] [Clamp opening operation] In this embodiment, the clamping mechanism 40 performs the operation of opening the clamp 41 in at least two separate steps. Here, the operation of opening the clamp 41 (opening operation of the clamp 41) is, for example, the operation of opening the clamp 41 from the clamped position to the initial position. Therefore, the drive unit 45 of the clamping mechanism 40 is configured to be able to open the clamp 41 in stages from the clamped position to the initial position. This makes it possible to release the clamp on the workpiece W even if there is not enough space to open the clamp 41 to the initial position.

[0099] Specifically, the operation of opening the clamp 41 is performed in two stages. That is, the operation of opening the clamp 41 includes a first opening operation that moves the clamp 41 to a first position away from the workpiece W, and a second opening operation that moves the clamp 41 to a second position further away than the first position. Here, the second position is the initial position where the clamp 41 is fully opened. The first position is an intermediate position set midway when the clamp 41 opens to the initial position. For example, in the workpiece stage 20 shown on the right side of FIG. 1, the clamp 41 is opened to the intermediate position.

[0100] Clamp mechanism 40 is configured to be able to maintain clamp 41 in an intermediate position. For example, when opening clamp 41 from the clamped position, clamp 41 is first opened from the clamped position to the intermediate position (first opening operation), and then clamp 41 is opened from the intermediate position to the initial position (second opening operation).

[0101] An example of a drive mechanism that opens clamp 41 in two stages is a mechanism using two air cylinders. This mechanism includes a main cylinder that opens and closes clamp 41 between the clamped position and the initial position, and a sub-cylinder that interrupts the piston movement of the main cylinder midway. For example, when performing a first opening operation, the sub-cylinder stops the extension and retraction of the main cylinder midway so that clamp 41 stops at an intermediate position. When performing a second opening operation, the interruption by the sub-cylinder is released, and the main cylinder is allowed to extend and retract all the way to open clamp 41 to the initial position. This makes it possible to realize a drive mechanism that is capable of two-stage opening operations and generates almost no heat.

[0102] Furthermore, when a motor is used as the drive mechanism, two-stage opening can be achieved by controlling the rotation of the motor. In this case, by electrically controlling the motor, it is also possible to easily perform, for example, multi-stage opening.

[0103] In this embodiment, after the vacuum suction of the workpiece W is completed, the clamp 41 is opened to the intermediate position and the workpiece W is exposed by the exposure apparatus 100. Below, an exposure sequence including the workpiece W loading process, exposure process, and unloading process will be specifically described.

[0104] [Exposure device operation] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an exposure sequence by exposure apparatus 100. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of clamp mechanism 40 in the exposure sequence. The processing shown in Figure 5 is processing that is executed by exposure apparatus 100, workpiece handler 60, and movement mechanism described with reference to Figure 1, for example.

[0105] Here, the workpiece handler 60 that loads and unloads the workpiece W will be referred to as the load-in workpiece handler 60 and the unload-out workpiece handler 60. The positions (transfer positions) of the workpiece stage 20 when loading and unloading the workpiece W will be referred to as the load-in position and the unload-out position. The same workpiece handler 60 may be used as the load-in workpiece handler 60 and the unload-out workpiece handler 60, or different workpiece handlers 60 may be used. Furthermore, when the workpiece stage 20 moves back and forth as shown in FIG. 1, the load-in position and the unload-out position are the same position, but when the workpiece stage 20 moves in one direction, the load-in position and the unload-out position are different positions.

[0106] At the start of the exposure sequence, the workpiece W is held by suction on the exposure surface side by the load-in workpiece handler 60. The workpiece stage 20 has also moved to a transfer position (load-in position) where the workpiece W is loaded from the load-in workpiece handler 60. No workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 20, and the clamp 41 has opened to its initial position so that the workpiece W can be loaded.

[0107] First, a process is performed to move the loading workpiece handler 60 to a position above the loading position (step 101). For example, the loading workpiece handler 60 picks up the workpiece W that has completed the pre-processing of the exposure process, and moves from the position where the workpiece W is picked up to a position above the loading position. Next, a process is performed to lower the loading workpiece handler 60 (step 102). For example, the loading workpiece handler 60 is lowered until at least a portion of the workpiece W contacts the suction surface 24 of the workpiece stage 20 or the elastic seal member 22, and the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 20.

[0108] Next, the workpiece stage 20 starts suctioning the workpiece W, and the process of releasing the suction of the workpiece W by the carry-in workpiece handler 60 is executed (step 103). This is the operation of transferring the workpiece W from the carry-in workpiece handler 60 to the workpiece stage 20.

[0109] In step 103, the clamp 41, which was in the initial position, is closed to start suction of the workpiece W. At this time, the clamp mechanism 40 performs the operation of closing the clamp 41 in one go. In other words, the clamp 41 performs the operation of contacting the workpiece W and pressing the workpiece W against the elastic seal member 22 in one go.

[0110] 6A shows the state before the workpiece W placed on the workpiece stage 20 is clamped. Here, the workpiece W is warped, and the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22 are not in contact. In other words, there is a gap between the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22. In this state, even if a vacuum is drawn in the recess 29 of the suction portion 21, air is sucked in through the gap, and it is not possible to increase the degree of vacuum (reduce the pressure).

[0111] 6B shows the state after the workpiece W placed on the workpiece stage 20 has been clamped. Here, the workpiece W is pressed downward by the clamp 41, causing the workpiece W to come into contact with the elastic sealing member 22, eliminating the gap shown in FIG. 6A. In this state, even if a vacuum is drawn in the recess 29 of the suction portion 21, there is no vacuum leakage from the gap, so the degree of vacuum can be easily increased, and the workpiece W can be properly vacuum-sucked.

[0112] In step 103, a closing operation (step 103A) is performed to close the clamp 41 of the clamp mechanism 40 described above, an operation (step 103B) is performed to start suction of the workpiece W by the suction section 21, and an operation (step 103C) is performed to release the suction of the workpiece W by the loading workpiece handler 60.

[0113] These operations are performed approximately simultaneously, but the following description will be given assuming that steps 103A, 103B, and 103C are performed in this order. For example, the workpiece W is placed on the suction surface 24 while the suction unit 21 is being vacuumed. When the clamp 41 is closed at the timing when the workpiece W is placed (step 103A), the gap on the back side of the workpiece W disappears and suction of the workpiece W begins (step 103B). After the workpiece W is placed, vacuuming of the suction pad of the incoming workpiece handler 60 is stopped and suction is released (step 103C). By performing these three operations approximately simultaneously in this way, it is possible to sufficiently shorten the takt time.

[0114] Note that steps 103A, 103B, and 103C may be performed separately with a time interval between them. Furthermore, the order in which each operation is performed is not limited. For example, after the workpiece W is placed, the suction of the loading workpiece handler 60 may be released (step 103C), followed by starting vacuuming of the suction unit 21 (step 103B), and finally performing the closing operation to close the clamp 41 (step 103A). Additionally, steps 103A to 103C may be performed in any order.

[0115] In either case, the clamp 41 is closed when the workpiece W is adsorbed on the workpiece stage 20, which prevents a gap from occurring between the workpiece W and the elastic seal member 22. This makes it possible to complete vacuum adsorption of the workpiece W in a short time.

[0116] After step 103 is executed, a process is executed to raise the load-in workpiece handler 60, which has released the suction (step 104). Here, the load-in workpiece handler 60 is raised and moved from above the load position to a predetermined retreat position.

[0117] Next, it is determined whether or not suction of the workpiece W on the workpiece stage 20 has been completed (step 105). For example, the suction sensor 23 shown in FIG. 1 detects the degree of vacuum in the suction portion 21 (recess 29), and it is determined whether or not the degree of vacuum has reached a predetermined value. If the degree of vacuum has not reached the predetermined value (No in step 105), it is determined that vacuum suction has not been completed, and step 105 is executed again to determine the degree of vacuum again. If the degree of vacuum has reached the predetermined value (Yes in step 105), it is determined that vacuum suction has been completed, and step 106 is executed.

[0118] Once the vacuum suction is complete, the workpiece W remains clamped. In this state, a pressing force is applied from the clamp 41 to the workpiece W. If the clamp 41 continues to press the workpiece W after the vacuum suction is complete, the force may cause the flatness of the workpiece W to decrease.

[0119] For example, the workpiece W is pressed downward more than necessary by the clamp 41. This may cause deformation of the workpiece W, which is normally held flat. For example, in a configuration in which the workpiece W is held down by the upper part of the elastic seal member 22, the workpiece W is likely to sink, which may cause deformation of the workpiece W.

[0120] Furthermore, the suction plate 27 that constitutes the suction surface 24 is a relatively thin member. Therefore, when a force pressing the workpiece W is applied to the suction plate 27, it is conceivable that the suction plate 27 will be deformed. For example, when the clamp 41 presses the workpiece W on the inside of the elastic seal member 22, it is conceivable that both the workpiece W and the suction plate 27 will be deformed.

[0121] Incidentally, once the vacuum suction of the workpiece W is complete, it is possible to sufficiently fix the workpiece W to the workpiece stage 20 without clamping the workpiece W. In other words, even if the clamp 41 is released, the workpiece W is held flat along the suction surface 24. By separating the clamp 41 from the workpiece W in this way, deformation of the workpiece W and the suction surface 24 caused by the clamp 41 is eliminated, and the workpiece W can be held in a highly flat state.

[0122] However, in an apparatus such as the exposure apparatus 100, the lenses of the projection optical system 13 are positioned close to and directly above the workpiece W. It is also possible to provide an alignment camera or the like between the workpiece W and the projection optical system 13 to position the stage (workpiece W) and the optical system. Therefore, when exposing the workpiece W, the space above the workpiece stage 20 is a narrow space with limited spacing from other components. If the clamp 41 were to be fully opened in such a narrow space, the clamp 41 could collide with the lenses of the projection optical system 13 or the alignment camera, potentially damaging the exposure apparatus 100.

[0123] Therefore, in this embodiment, when exposing the workpiece W, the clamp 41 is moved away from the workpiece W to an intermediate position (first opening operation), and after the exposure of the workpiece W is completed and the workpiece stage 20 is moved to the unloading position, the clamp 41 is moved away to the initial position (second opening operation). At this time, the intermediate position is set to a position where the clamp 41 will not collide with other members during exposure.

[0124] In this way, in the clamp mechanism 40, a first opening operation is performed before the exposure process is performed. Furthermore, a second opening operation is performed after the exposure process is performed. The first opening operation keeps the clamp 41 in an open state during exposure of the workpiece W, making it possible to perform exposure with a high degree of flatness of the workpiece W. Furthermore, because the clamp 41 does not open completely during exposure, the clamp 41 will not come into contact with other components and damage the device. This makes it possible to safely achieve high-precision exposure.

[0125] Returning to FIG. 5, in step 106, assuming that vacuum suction of the workpiece W has been completed, a first opening operation is executed to open the clamp 41 to an intermediate position. This can be said to be an operation to open the clamp 41 slightly compared to opening the clamp 41 to the initial position. Thus, in this embodiment, the clamp mechanism 40 executes the first opening operation based on a signal indicating the completion of suction of the workpiece W by the suction unit 21 (for example, a detection signal from the suction sensor 23). This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the clamp 41 is opened before suction of the workpiece W is complete.

[0126] In FIG. 5, the first opening operation is performed when it is determined that the workpiece W has been adsorbed, but the first opening operation may also be performed when a certain amount of time has elapsed since the adsorption of the workpiece W began. The timing for performing the first opening operation may also be immediately before the exposure process. In other words, the first opening operation may be performed after the workpiece stage 20 has moved to the exposure position. In this case, the first opening operation may be performed based on a signal indicating the start of the exposure process for the workpiece W. In either case, the clamp 41 is reliably moved away to the intermediate position during exposure, making it possible to achieve highly accurate exposure.

[0127] 6C shows the state in which the clamp 41 has opened to an intermediate position after vacuum suction of the workpiece W has been completed. As shown in FIG. 6C, even when the clamp 41 is separated from the workpiece W, vacuum suction of the workpiece W has been completed, so the workpiece W is held flat. Note that the state shown in FIG. 6C is the same as the state of the workpiece stage 20 shown on the right side of FIG. 1.

[0128] In this embodiment, the distance between the clamp 41 and the workpiece W at the intermediate position is set to 1 mm or less. Here, the distance between the clamp 41 and the workpiece W is, for example, the distance in the vertical direction (the direction perpendicular to the suction surface 24) from the tip of the contact portion 43 of the clamp 41 to the exposed surface of the workpiece W.

[0129] Even when the separation distance is relatively small, the force acting on the workpiece W from the clamp 41 is eliminated, achieving a high degree of flatness. Furthermore, the amount of change in height from the closed state (clamped position) of the clamp 41 is at most 1 mm. This makes it possible to sufficiently avoid collision between the clamp 41 and a component placed in a narrow space on the workpiece stage 20. Furthermore, the limit distance (e.g., the distance from the chucking surface 24 to the lens) set to prevent collision with the clamp 41 can be relatively short. Therefore, it becomes possible to use, for example, an optical system with a shallow depth of focus that enables high-resolution exposure.

[0130] 5, when step 106 is completed and the clamp 41 is opened to the intermediate position, a process of moving the workpiece stage 20 to the exposure position is executed (step 107). In this case, the workpiece stage 20 is transported by the movement mechanism from the position where the workpiece W is loaded to the exposure position below the projection optical system 13.

[0131] When the workpiece stage 20 moves to the exposure position, the exposure process begins (step 108). In the exposure process, for example, an alignment camera or the like is used to align and focus the workpiece W with the projection optical system 13. Thereafter, the exposure light that has passed through the mask M is irradiated onto the exposure surface of the workpiece W.

[0132] Furthermore, if the size of the workpiece W is large, the above process is carried out multiple times with different exposure ranges. In this case, the workpiece stage 20 and the parts of the exposure apparatus 100 other than the workpiece stage are moved relatively to each other, and the workpiece is moved to multiple exposure ranges. During this time, the clamp 41 is maintained in an open state at an intermediate position.

[0133] Next, it is determined whether exposure of the workpiece W is complete (step 109). For example, if exposure is completed in one go, a signal indicating exposure completion is determined. If multiple exposures are performed, the number of exposures is determined. If it is determined that exposure is not complete (No in step 109), step 109 is executed again to determine again whether exposure is complete. If it is determined that exposure is complete (Yes in step 109), step 111 is executed.

[0134] While the exposure process is being performed in steps 108 and 109, a process is executed in parallel to move the unloading workpiece handler 60, which unloads the workpiece W, to above the unloading position (step 110). The unloading workpiece handler 60 waits above the unloading position in a state where it can hold the workpiece W.

[0135] In step 111, a process is executed to move the workpiece stage 20 to a position for carrying out the workpiece W. In this case, the workpiece stage 20 is transported from the exposure position to the carrying out position by the moving mechanism. Next, a process is executed to lower the carrying out workpiece handler 60 (step 112). The carrying out workpiece handler 60 is lowered to a position where it can pick up and adsorb the workpiece W.

[0136] Next, the unloading workpiece handler 60 starts suctioning the workpiece W, and the workpiece stage 20 releases the suction of the workpiece W (step 113). This is the operation of transferring the workpiece W from the workpiece stage 20 to the unloading workpiece handler 60.

[0137] In step 113, a second opening operation is performed to open the clamp 41, which has been open to the intermediate position, to the initial position as an operation to release the suction of the workpiece W. In this way, the clamp mechanism 40 performs the second opening operation when the workpiece W moves away from the exposure position of the exposure unit 10 (the optical system of the exposure apparatus 100, including the projection optical system 13) after the exposure process on the workpiece W has been performed.

[0138] Since the workpiece W (workpiece stage 20) is away from the exposure position, it is possible to open the clamp 41 to the initial position without colliding with other components. In step 113, the clamp 41 is opened to the initial position after moving to the carry-out position, but the position where the second opening operation is performed does not have to be the carry-out position as long as it does not collide with a lens, alignment camera, etc.

[0139] In step 113, an operation is executed to start suction of the workpiece W by the unloading workpiece handler 60 (step 113A), an operation is executed to release suction of the workpiece W by the suction section 21 (step 113B), and a second opening operation is executed to open the clamp 41 to the initial position (step 113C).

[0140] These operations are performed substantially simultaneously, but here, steps 113A, 113B, and 113C are described as being performed in this order. For example, the suction pad 61 of the unloading workpiece handler 60 comes into contact with the exposed surface of the workpiece W while vacuuming, and suction of the workpiece W begins (step 113A). At the same time, the vacuuming of the suction unit 21 is stopped and air is injected through the piping L (step 113B). At the same time, the clamp 41, which was in the intermediate position, is opened to the initial position (step 113C). This makes it possible to unload the workpiece W from the workpiece stage 20.

[0141] Note that steps 113A, 113B, and 113C may be performed separately with a time interval between them. Furthermore, the order in which each operation is performed is not limited. For example, after the clamp 41 is opened to the initial position (step 113C), the suction of the workpiece stage 20 may be released (step 113B), and finally, the vacuum pumping of the unloading workpiece handler 60 may be started (step 113A). Alternatively, steps 113A to 113C may be performed in any order.

[0142] 6D shows the state in which the suction of the workpiece W has been released and the clamp 41 has been opened to its initial position. Here, the workpiece W is warped, as in FIG. 6A, and a gap is created between the workpiece W and the elastic sealing member 22. Note that, after step 113, there is no need for suction on the workpiece stage 20 side, so the presence of such a gap does not pose a problem.

[0143] 5, it is determined whether or not the suction of the workpiece W in the unloading workpiece handler 60 has been completed (step 114). For example, the degree of vacuum in the vacuum suction is detected by a pressure sensor or the like provided in the unloading workpiece handler 60, and it is determined whether or not the degree of vacuum has reached a predetermined value. If the degree of vacuum has not reached the predetermined value (No in step 114), it is determined that the vacuum suction has not been completed, and step 114 is executed again to determine the degree of vacuum again.

[0144] When the degree of vacuum reaches a predetermined value (Yes in step 114), it is determined that vacuum suction is complete, and a process is executed to raise the unloading workpiece handler 60 (step 115). This causes the workpiece W to be unloaded from the workpiece stage 20. The unloading workpiece handler 60 moves while suction-holding the workpiece W, and transports the workpiece W for the next process. With the process up to this point, one exposure sequence is completed.

[0145] In recent years, with the miniaturization of elements, there has been a demand for patterns with narrower line widths to be formed on the workpiece W during exposure processing. For example, in projection exposure equipment, the lenses that project the patterns are now required to have high resolution. For this reason, lenses with large numerical apertures (NA) are used, but on the other hand, the depth of focus becomes shallower, and higher flatness is required for the workpiece W during exposure.

[0146] On the stage on which the workpiece W is placed, the workpiece W is adsorbed onto a highly flat suction plate, for example, to improve the flatness of the workpiece W. In addition, when adsorbing the workpiece W, the adsorption can be assisted by clamping the workpiece W.

[0147] However, when the workpiece W is clamped to the suction plate, it is conceivable that the workpiece W will be deformed due to the clamping force (for example, about 100 N per side of the workpiece W). In this case, for example, a portion of the workpiece W may float off the suction plate, making it impossible to maintain a high degree of flatness for the workpiece W. In particular, when the workpiece W is thin (for example, about 0.2 mm thick), deformation of the workpiece W due to the clamping becomes significant. It is also conceivable that the suction plate will also be deformed due to the clamping force, making it impossible to maintain a high degree of flatness for the workpiece W.

[0148] One possible solution to this problem of deformation of the workpiece W caused by the clamp is to open the clamp. However, the distance between the stage and the projection lens is short, and an alignment camera or other component may be installed, so opening the clamp could result in the clamp colliding with these components.

[0149] In this embodiment, clamp mechanism 40 is configured so that the operation of opening clamp 41 is performed in two stages. As a result, clamp 41, which was in the clamped position (see FIG. 6B), is first opened to the intermediate position (see FIG. 6C), and then opened to the initial position (see FIG. 6D). The intermediate position is set appropriately so that clamp 41 does not collide with other members.

[0150] This makes it possible to perform the exposure process with the clamp 41 spaced to an intermediate position away from the workpiece W. That is, after the workpiece W is sucked and held by the suction plate 27 (workpiece stage 20), the exposure process can be performed while maintaining a high degree of flatness without applying a fixing force to the workpiece W and the suction plate 27.

[0151] In this way, fine exposure becomes possible by eliminating the influence of the force of the clamp 41 and keeping the workpiece W and the suction plate 27 in a highly flat state during exposure processing. This makes it possible to accurately and safely realize processing such as exposing a high-resolution pattern using a high-resolution lens (high-resolution exposure processing).

[0152] As described above, in the workpiece stage 20 according to this embodiment, the elastic seal member 22 is provided around the suction surface 24 that vacuum-sucks the workpiece W, and when the workpiece W is being sucked, the clamps 41 of the clamping mechanism 40 press the workpiece W so that it comes into contact with the elastic seal member 22. This prevents gaps from occurring that would prevent the workpiece W from being vacuum-sucked, making it possible to properly vacuum-suck a variety of workpieces W.

[0153] Furthermore, in the workpiece stage 20 according to this embodiment, the operation of opening the clamp 41 is performed in two stages. For example, a first opening operation is performed to open the clamp 41 to an intermediate position before the exposure process is performed. This makes it possible to maintain a high level of flatness of the workpiece W during the exposure process while avoiding collisions between the clamp 41 and other components. As a result, it becomes possible to safely achieve high-resolution exposure.

[0154] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other embodiments can be realized.

[0155] 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seal unit including an elastic seal member. The seal unit 35 has an elastic seal member 22 and a plate 36 on which the elastic seal member 22 is placed. An attachment portion 28 is formed on the upper surface of the plate 36, to which the underside of the elastic seal member 22 is attached. The elastic seal member 22 and the plate 36 are fixed using, for example, an adhesive. A groove 37 into which the plate 36 is fitted is formed on the upper side of the base 26. The plate 36 is fixed in the groove 37 by screws or the like. In addition, an O-ring or the like (not shown) may be provided between the plate 36 and the base 26 to prevent vacuum leakage when the suction plate 27 vacuum-sucks the workpiece W.

[0156] In this way, the elastic seal member 22 may be mounted on a plate member 36 to form a unitized seal unit 35, which may be attached to the base 26. This allows the elastic seal member 22 to be easily replaced, for example, by removing the seal unit 35. Although the suction plate 27 and the seal unit 35 are configured as separate members in FIG. 7, the suction plate 27 and the seal unit 35 may be integrally configured, for example, by connecting the seal unit 35 to the outer periphery of the suction plate 27. This allows the suction plate 27 and the elastic seal member 22 to be replaced at the same time, facilitating maintenance of the device.

[0157] In the above embodiment, a clamping mechanism that clamps a rectangular workpiece W along each side has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the clamping mechanism may be configured to clamp the corners of the workpiece W or partially clamp the middle of each side. For example, four clamps may be provided to press the four corners of the rectangular workpiece W. Also, multiple clamps may be arranged at intervals along each side of the workpiece W.

[0158] In the above embodiment, a clamping mechanism that rotates the clamp to open and close has been described. The operation of the clamp is not limited to a rotational operation. For example, the workpiece W may be clamped by a combination of movement in the up and down direction and an in-plane direction perpendicular to the up and down direction. In this case, for example, a mechanism is used in which the clamp is lowered when closing the clamp, and is raised and then moved in the in-plane direction away from the workpiece W when opening the clamp.

[0159] The clamp may also be moved diagonally to hold the workpiece W. In this case, for example, a mechanism is used in which the clamp contacts the workpiece W from diagonally above when closing the clamp, and the clamp retracts diagonally above when opening the clamp. In addition, movements in the up / down direction, in-plane direction, and diagonal direction (shifting operations) may be combined, or a shifting operation may be combined with a rotational operation.

[0160] In the above embodiment, a clamp mechanism that performs a two-stage opening operation including a first opening operation and a second opening operation has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the clamp mechanism may be configured to perform an opening operation divided into multiple steps, such as three or four stages. Furthermore, for example, the stage (separation distance) of the opening operation performed before the exposure process may be selected depending on the configuration of the exposure unit. For example, in a clamp mechanism capable of a total of three stages of opening, if the space between the workpiece W and the exposure unit is narrow, it is possible to perform up to one stage of opening before the exposure process, and if the space is wider, it is possible to perform up to two stages of opening before the exposure process.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the clamp mechanism performs a first opening operation to open the clamp to an intermediate position, which is closer to the initial position, before performing the exposure process. However, it is not necessary to move the clamp away from the workpiece W as long as the force acting on the workpiece W from the clamp can be eliminated.

[0162] For example, before performing the exposure process, the force with which the clamp presses the workpiece W may be turned off. For example, if an air cylinder is used as the power source, the pressure in the cylinder may be reduced to prevent the clamp from pressing the workpiece W. Also, if a motor or the like is used, the motor may be controlled to stop rotation, or the power supplied to the motor may be cut.

[0163] In this way, the clamp mechanism may be configured to release the clamp from pressing the workpiece W before the suction portion has completed suctioning the workpiece W and the exposure process is performed on the workpiece W. For example, the action of separating the clamp (first opening action) is an example of an action that releases the action of pressing the workpiece W. In addition, the action of turning off the force with which the clamp presses the workpiece W without separating the clamp is also an action that releases the action of pressing the workpiece W. In this way, by releasing the action of pressing the workpiece W before the exposure process, deformation of the workpiece W caused by the clamp is eliminated, and the exposure process can be performed with a high degree of flatness.

[0164] In the above embodiment, a configuration in which an elastic seal member and a clamping mechanism are provided on the work stage has been described, but a work stage without an elastic seal member may also be used. In this case, the clamping mechanism is configured, for example, to press the workpiece W directly against the suction surface from above. Alternatively, an outer peripheral surface for clamping may be configured around the suction surface, and the workpiece W may be pressed directly against the outer peripheral surface from above. Note that the outer peripheral surface is preferably at the same height as the suction surface, but may also be configured, for example, one step lower than the suction surface.

[0165] Even if no elastic seal member is provided in this way, the workpiece W can be vacuum-sucked onto the suction surface by holding it down with a clamp. Once the vacuum suction of the workpiece W is complete, the workpiece W is held along the suction surface, but the clamp force acting thereon may deform the workpiece W or the suction plate that constitutes the suction surface.

[0166] In order to eliminate such deformation, the clamps are released from pressing the workpiece W before the exposure process is performed. For example, an operation is performed to move the clamps away from the workpiece W (first opening operation), or an operation is performed to turn off the force with which the clamps press the workpiece W. This eliminates deformation of the workpiece W caused by the clamps, even in a workpiece stage that directly presses the workpiece W against an adsorption surface, etc., and allows the exposure process to be performed with a high degree of flatness.

[0167] In the above embodiment, an example in which the workpiece stage according to the present invention is applied to a projection exposure apparatus (mask exposure apparatus) that mainly uses a mask M has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece stage according to the present invention can also be applied to other types of exposure apparatus. For example, the present invention may be applied to a DI (Direct Imaging) exposure apparatus. A DI exposure apparatus is an apparatus that exposes a workpiece W by directly writing a wiring pattern by scanning a laser beam without using a mask. In this case, the exposure unit that exposes the pattern onto the workpiece W is made up of a laser light source, a modulator that modulates the laser beam according to the pattern, a lens for irradiating the laser beam, and the like. By using a workpiece stage equipped with an elastic seal member and a clamping mechanism, it is possible to properly adsorb various workpieces W and then perform exposure processing using the DI exposure apparatus.

[0168] Furthermore, in DI exposure equipment, increasing the resolution of the optical system is necessary to achieve finer exposure patterns. Specifically, the numerical aperture (NA) of the lens that irradiates the laser light must be increased to reduce the drawing spot diameter. However, increasing the numerical aperture can also result in a shallower depth of focus (narrower working distance). For this reason, if the flatness of the workpiece W during exposure processing is low, the desired exposure accuracy may not be achieved.

[0169] In contrast, with the workpiece stage according to the present invention, for example, a first opening operation is performed before the exposure process, and the clamps are released from holding the workpiece W. This makes it possible to perform the exposure process while maintaining high flatness without applying a fixing force to the workpiece W or the suction plate. Furthermore, for example, when the workpiece W moves away from the exposure position of the DI exposure device, a second opening operation is performed to open the clamps to their initial position. This makes it possible to fully avoid situations where the clamps collide with lenses that irradiate laser light, etc. This makes it possible to safely achieve high-resolution exposure using a DI exposure device.

[0170] In the above embodiment, an exposure process for exposing the workpiece W to light has been mainly described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any processing process that is performed while maintaining the flatness of the workpiece W. Examples of such processing processes include a film formation process for forming a thin film of a metal material, semiconductor material, resin material, or the like on the surface of the workpiece W, and an etching process for cutting the surface of the workpiece W. The present invention may also be applied to a work stage used for machining, laser processing, or the like. Other types of processing processes are not limited to this.

[0171] It is also possible to combine at least two of the features of the present technology described above. That is, the various features described in each embodiment may be arbitrarily combined without distinction between the embodiments. Furthermore, the various effects described above are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0172] W…Work 10...Exposure section 12...Mask Stage 13...Projection optical system 20...Work Stage 21...Adsorption part 22...Elastic sealing member 24…Adsorption surface 26...Foundation 27...Adsorption plate 40...Clamping mechanism 41...Clamp 100...Exposure device

Claims

1. a suction unit having a suction surface that vacuum-sucks the workpiece; an elastic seal member disposed around the suction surface so that at least a portion of the elastic seal member is hidden by the workpiece in a plan view of the suction surface from above; a clamp mechanism having a clamp that holds the workpiece so that the workpiece contacts the elastic seal member, and that drives the clamp to hold the workpiece when the suction portion sucks the workpiece; A holding mechanism comprising:

2. 2. The retention mechanism of claim 1, The clamp holds the workpiece at a position where the workpiece and the elastic seal member overlap in the plan view. Retention mechanism.

3. 2. The retention mechanism of claim 1, The planar shape of the workpiece and the planar shape of the elastic seal member are rectangular, The clamp holds the workpiece along at least one of the four outer edges of the workpiece. Retention mechanism.

4. 2. The retention mechanism of claim 1, The clamp mechanism releases the clamp from holding the workpiece before the suction portion completes suction of the workpiece and processing is performed on the workpiece. Retention mechanism.

5. 5. The retention mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: The clamping mechanism is a mechanism that opens and closes the clamp to hold the workpiece, and performs the operation of opening the clamp at least twice. Retention mechanism.

6. 6. The retention mechanism according to claim 5, The operation of opening the clamp includes a first opening operation of moving the clamp to a first position away from the workpiece, and a second opening operation of moving the clamp to a second position farther away than the first position. Retention mechanism.

7. 7. The retention mechanism of claim 6, The clamp mechanism performs the first opening operation before the suction unit has completed suction of the workpiece and a processing process is performed on the workpiece, and performs the second opening operation after the processing process is performed. Retention mechanism.

8. 7. The retention mechanism of claim 6, The clamping mechanism performs the first opening operation based on a signal indicating completion of suction of the workpiece by the suction portion or a signal indicating start of the processing of the workpiece. Retention mechanism.

9. 7. The retention mechanism of claim 6, The processing is an exposure process in which the workpiece is exposed to light by an exposure unit that exposes a pattern onto the workpiece, The clamp mechanism performs the second opening operation when the workpiece is separated from the exposure position of the exposure unit after the exposure process has been performed on the workpiece. Retention mechanism.

10. 7. The retention mechanism of claim 6, The distance between the clamp and the workpiece at the first position is 1 mm or less. Retention mechanism.

11. 6. The retention mechanism according to claim 5, The clamping mechanism performs the clamp closing operation in one step. Retention mechanism.

12. 2. The retention mechanism of claim 1, the suction portion has a peripheral portion that surrounds the suction surface and is formed lower than the suction surface, The elastic sealing member is disposed on the peripheral edge. Retention mechanism.

13. 2. The retention mechanism of claim 1, The suction unit has a base having a recess for supplying a vacuum and a plurality of protrusions formed in the recess, and a suction plate having a plurality of through holes and attached to the recess to form the suction surface. Retention mechanism.

14. an exposure unit that exposes a pattern onto a workpiece; a suction portion having a suction surface that vacuum-sucks the workpiece; an elastic seal member disposed around the suction surface so that at least a portion of the elastic seal member is hidden by the workpiece in a plan view of the suction surface from above; a clamp mechanism having a clamp that holds the workpiece so that the workpiece contacts the elastic seal member, and that drives the clamp to hold the workpiece when the suction portion sucks the workpiece; A work stage with An exposure apparatus comprising:

15. 15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, The exposure section is a light emitting section that emits exposure light; a mask stage that holds the mask on which the pattern is formed on the mask in an optical path of the exposure light; a projection optical system that projects the exposure light that has passed through the mask onto the workpiece; have Exposure equipment.

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