Drive unit, shock absorbing unit

Abstract

To provide a driving device capable of reducing adverse effects on a vacuum environment when an object to be driven collides.SOLUTION: A stage device includes a drive target driven in a vacuum environment within a vacuum chamber 108, shock absorbing member 310 that absorbs the shock caused by the collision with the drive target, a housing member 320 housing the shock absorbing member 310 in a manner that isolates it from the vacuum environment within the vacuum chamber 108. The housing member 320 includes a main body 321 that accommodates the shock absorbing member 310 inside, a cushioning member 322 provided on the surface on which the drive target collides and applies an impact, a bellows structure bellows 323 provided between the main body 321 and the cushioning member 322, and an extraction portion 324 capable of extracting the shock absorbing member 310 to the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for driving an object to be driven in a vacuum environment. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a driving device that moves a table or stage on which an object to be processed is placed to a desired position as a driving target when the object is processed. Patent Document 1 discloses a device that drives a stage in X-axis and Y-axis directions that are perpendicular to each other by a linear motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-57558 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the above-mentioned stage drive device is applied to an apparatus that performs fine processing or treatment in a vacuum environment, such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, not only is precise positioning of the stage required, but also the stage moving within the vacuum chamber must not adversely affect the vacuum environment. For example, if the moving stage collides with another part due to a malfunction or the like, and the fine particles scattered cause contamination of the vacuum environment, it will be necessary to immediately stop the apparatus, discard all semiconductor wafers being processed, and reset the vacuum environment of the vacuum chamber, which requires time and effort, resulting in a significant economic loss.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a drive device that can reduce adverse effects on the vacuum environment when an object to be driven collides with the drive device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a driving device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a driven object that is driven in a vacuum environment, a shock absorbing member that absorbs shock caused by a collision with the driven object, and a housing member that houses the shock absorbing member in a manner that isolates it from the vacuum environment.

[0007] According to this aspect, the shock absorbing member that absorbs the shock when the driven object collides is isolated from the vacuum environment by the housing member, thereby preventing contamination of the vacuum environment by fine particles and the like that are scattered from the shock absorbing member when absorbing the shock.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a shock absorbing device comprising a shock absorbing member for absorbing shock caused by a collision with a driven object driven in a vacuum environment, and a housing member for housing the shock absorbing member in a manner to isolate the shock absorbing member from the vacuum environment.

[0009] Any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also effective as aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the driving device of the present invention, adverse effects on the vacuum environment when an object to be driven collides can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first configuration example of a stage device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air actuator. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a servo valve. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a second configuration example of the stage device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a Y-axis guide and a Y-axis slider of a stage device in a second configuration example. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the stage device taken along a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. FIG. [Figure 7]7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a third configuration example of the stage device. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an impact absorbing device. [Figure 10] 1A to 1C are diagrams showing a first examined example of an impact absorbing member. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a second examined example of the impact absorbing member. [Figure 12] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a third examined example of the impact absorbing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description and drawings, the same or equivalent components, members, and processes are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. The scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are set for convenience in order to facilitate the description, and are not to be interpreted as being limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. All features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first configuration example of a stage device 100 according to an embodiment of the driving device of the present invention. The stage device 100 mainly includes a base plate 102, a vibration isolation table 104, a vibration isolation device 106, a table 20 on which a processing object such as a semiconductor wafer is placed, one X-axis air actuator 120 extending along the X-axis, and two Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B extending along the Y-axis (hereinafter collectively referred to as Y-axis air actuator 130). The base plate 102 is supported by the vibration isolation table 104. The X-axis air actuator 120 and the Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B form an H-shape when viewed from above. The vibration isolation device 106 absorbs forces caused by the movements of the X-axis air actuator 120 and the Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B and vibrations from the floor, and suppresses vibrations of the base plate 102.

[0014] The X-axis air actuator 120 and the Y-axis air actuator 130 are fluid actuators that use air, which is a gas, as the working fluid to drive the table 20, which is the driving target, along the X-axis and Y-axis, respectively. The X-axis air actuator 120 has a guide (square shaft) 122, a slider 124, and a servo valve 126 (not shown). Similarly, the Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B have a guide 132, a slider 134, and a servo valve 136, respectively. Both ends of the X-axis guide 122 are supported by the sliders 134 of the Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B, respectively. The slider 124 moves in the X-axis direction along the guide 122. The X-axis air actuator 120 moves in the Y-axis direction along the guide 132 in conjunction with the movement of the slider 134. In this way, the stage device 100 moves the table 20 together with the slider 124 within the XY plane. The table 20, the X-axis air actuator 120, and the Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B are placed in a vacuum environment surrounded by a vacuum chamber 108 whose inside is a vacuum.

[0015] Here, a vacuum refers to a state of space filled with gas at a pressure lower than normal atmospheric pressure. Depending on the pressure range, a vacuum can be classified as low vacuum (100 kPa to 100 Pa), medium vacuum (100 Pa to 0.1 Pa), high vacuum (0.1 Pa to 10 -5 Pa), ultra-high vacuum (10 -5 The stage device 100 of this embodiment may be used in any of the above vacuum environments. However, since the impact absorbing device described below can effectively prevent contamination of the vacuum environment, this embodiment is particularly suitable for a stage device 100 that operates in a vacuum environment of a low pressure range where a higher degree of cleanliness is required for the vacuum chamber 108.

[0016] The X-axis air actuator 120 constitutes a first drive unit including an X-axis guide 122 as a first guide extending in the X-axis direction as a first direction, and an X-axis slider 124 as a first slider that can move along the X-axis guide 122 by air pressure. Similarly, the Y-axis air actuator 130 constitutes a second drive unit including a Y-axis guide 132 as a second guide extending in the Y-axis direction as a second direction intersecting with the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis slider 134 as a second slider that can move along the Y-axis guide 132 by air pressure. In the above configuration, the table 20 as a driven object is installed on the X-axis slider 124 as the first slider of the first drive unit, and the X-axis air actuator 120 as the first drive unit is installed on the Y-axis slider 134 as the second slider of the second drive unit. In the illustrated example, the X-axis direction as the first direction and the Y-axis direction as the second direction are perpendicular to each other, but the crossing angle between the two axes can be designed arbitrarily. The servo valves 126 and 136 constitute a drive pressure generating section that supplies air at a pressure commanded by the controller 200 (FIG. 2) to the sliders 124 and 134.

[0017] Position sensor 140 measures the position of table 20 in the X-axis direction. Position sensor 142 measures the position of table 20 in the Y-axis direction. By differentiating the measured positions in the X-axis and Y-axis directions with respect to time, the velocities in the X-axis and Y-axis directions can be obtained. By differentiating the velocities in the X-axis and Y-axis directions with respect to time, the accelerations in the X-axis and Y-axis directions can be obtained.

[0018] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air actuator, specifically, a vertical cross-section of X-axis guide 122 at the center in the Y-axis direction.

[0019] A hydrostatic bearing is formed between the guide 122 and the slider 124, and the slider 124 floats from the guide 122 and can move in the X-axis direction without contact due to air pressure constantly supplied between the outer circumferential surface of the guide 122 and the inner circumferential surface of the slider 124. Specifically, air pads 170 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the slider 124 (or the outer circumferential surface of the guide 122) eject compressed gas supplied from an air supply system (not shown) into the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the guide 122 and the inner circumferential surface of the slider 124. As shown in the figure, the air pads 170 are provided at positions sandwiching a servo chamber 150 provided at the center of the slider 124 in the X-axis direction from both sides, and suppress the rotation of the slider 124 around the Y-axis direction. Although not shown in the figure, the table 20 is fixed to the surface on the +Z side of the slider 124 and moves along the X-axis together with the slider 124.

[0020] An air pad 170 is provided so as to surround the servo chamber 150 of the slider 124, and exhaust grooves 172, 174, and 176 for differential exhaust are formed so as to further surround the air pad 170 from both sides (left and right sides in FIG. 2). The exhaust groove 172 is open to the atmosphere. The exhaust groove 172 may be connected to an exhaust pump (not shown). The exhaust grooves 174 and 176 are connected to exhaust pumps (not shown) for setting the pressure in the exhaust grooves to a low vacuum pressure level and a medium vacuum pressure level, respectively, and exhaust the compressed gas supplied from the air pad 170 and the servo chamber 150 to the outside. By preventing the compressed gas from leaking out from the gap between the guide 122 and the slider 124, the stage device 100 can be used even in a vacuum environment.

[0021] A servo chamber 150, which is an internal space, is provided in the slider 124. The servo chamber 150 is divided into a positive side servo chamber 152 and a negative side servo chamber 154 by a pressure receiving plate 123 fixed to the guide 122.

[0022] The X-axis air actuator 120 includes a positive side servo valve 126P and a negative side servo valve 126N arranged on the positive side and negative side of the X-axis, respectively. The slider 124 is driven by the positive side servo valve 126P and the negative side servo valve 126N. The positive side servo valve 126P and the negative side servo valve 126N control the supply and exhaust amounts of the positive side servo chamber 152 and the negative side servo chamber 154 depending on the position of a spool, which will be described later. The positive side servo valve 126P communicates with the positive side servo chamber 152 via a positive side pipe 128P. The negative side servo valve 126N communicates with the negative side servo chamber 154 via a negative side pipe 128N.

[0023] X-axis air actuator 120 controls positive side servo valve 126P and negative side servo valve 126N to generate a pressure difference between positive side servo chamber 152 and negative side servo chamber 154. The speed and acceleration of slider 124 relative to guide 122 are controlled by this pressure difference.

[0024] The positive side servo valve 126P and the negative side servo valve 126N are connected to a pump 146 as an air supply source via a positive side air supply pipe 144P and a negative side air supply pipe 144N, respectively. In addition, the positive side servo valve 126P and the negative side servo valve 126N exhaust air to the outside of the vacuum chamber 108 via a positive side air exhaust pipe 148P and a negative side air exhaust pipe 148N, respectively.

[0025] Air from pump 146 is supplied to positive side servo chamber 152 via positive side air supply pipe 144P, positive side servo valve 126P, and positive side piping 128P. That is, positive side air supply pipe 144P, positive side servo valve 126P, and positive side piping 128P form a positive side air supply flow path. Similarly, air from pump 146 is supplied to negative side servo chamber 154 via negative side air supply pipe 144N, negative side servo valve 126N, and negative side piping 128N. That is, negative side air supply pipe 144N, negative side servo valve 126N, and negative side piping 128N form a negative side air supply flow path.

[0026] The air in the positive side servo chamber 152 is discharged to the outside via the positive side piping 128P, the positive side servo valve 126P, and the positive side air exhaust pipe 148P. That is, the positive side piping 128P, the positive side servo valve 126P, and the positive side air exhaust pipe 148P form a positive side air exhaust flow path. Similarly, the air in the negative side servo chamber 154 is discharged to the outside via the negative side piping 128N, the negative side servo valve 126N, and the negative side air exhaust pipe 148N. That is, the negative side piping 128N, the negative side servo valve 126N, and the negative side air exhaust pipe 148N form a negative side air exhaust flow path.

[0027] The stage device 100 includes a controller 200 that controls the positive servo valve 126P and the negative servo valve 126N. Although the above description has been given taking the X-axis air actuator 120 as an example, the Y-axis air actuator 130 can be configured in a similar manner. The controller 200 controls the positive servo valves and negative servo valves of all of the air actuators 120, 130A, and 130B.

[0028] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the servo valve. Since the positive side servo valve 126P and the negative side servo valve 126N have the same configuration, they will be collectively referred to as servo valve 126. Furthermore, the terms "positive side" and "negative side" and the symbols "N" and "P" will be omitted with respect to the configuration of each part of the servo valve 126.

[0029] The servo valve 126 includes a body 160, a spool 162 disposed within the body 160, a motor 164, and a position sensor 166. The servo valve 126 is a three-way valve including three ports 168A, 168B, and 168C. ​​The servo valve 126 switches the connection destination of the port 168C between the port 168A and the port 168B according to the position of the spool 162. The spool 162 is disposed in a flow passage extending along the Z-axis inside the body 160, and is movable along the Z-axis. The position of the spool 162 changes according to the drive amount of the motor 164. The position sensor 166 measures the position of the spool 162.

[0030] Two ports 168A, 168B aligned along the Z axis are provided on one side surface of main body 160. Port 168A on the +Z side is connected to air exhaust pipe 148, and port 168B on the -Z side is connected to air supply pipe 144. Port 168A may be connected to air supply pipe 144, and port 168B may be connected to air exhaust pipe 148. Port 168C provided on the other side surface of main body 160 is connected to piping 128.

[0031] The measurement result of the position sensor 166 is supplied to the amplifier unit AU of the controller 200. The controller 200 detects the position of the spool 162 based on the measurement result acquired by the amplifier unit AU, and controls the motor 164 based on the position. When the controller 200 drives the motor 164 to control the position of the spool 162, air supplied from the pump 146 is supplied to the servo chamber 150 through the servo valve 126, or air in the servo chamber 150 is exhausted to the outside through the servo valve 126. In FIG. 3, the servo valve 126 is arranged so that the spool 162 moves along the Z axis, but the arrangement direction of the servo valve 126 is not limited to this.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a second configuration example of the stage device 100. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the Y-axis guide 16 and the Y-axis slider 18 of the stage device 100 of Fig. 4. For convenience of explanation, as shown in the figure, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is defined in which the direction in which the X-axis guide 12 (described later) extends is the X-axis direction, the direction in which the Y-axis guide 16 (described later) extends that is perpendicular to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to both is the Z-axis direction. The stage device 100 is called a stack-type XY stage, and positions the object to be driven in the X-axis direction (first direction) and the Y-axis direction (second direction perpendicular to the first direction).

[0033] The stage device 100 is a stack type stage device. The stage device 100 includes an X-axis guide 12 (first guide), an X-axis slider 14 (first slider), a Y-axis guide 16 (second guide), a Y-axis slider 18 (second slider), and a table 20 as a driven object. The X-axis guide 12 and the X-axis slider 14 are upper axis guide and upper axis slider, respectively, and the Y-axis guide 16 and the Y-axis slider 18 are lower axis guide and lower axis slider, respectively. In other words, the Y-axis guide 16 and the Y-axis slider 18 are disposed below the X-axis guide 12 and the X-axis slider 14.

[0034] The X-axis guide 12 is an elongated member that is long in the X-axis direction. Although not particularly limited, the X-axis guide 12 has a concave cross section perpendicular to the X-axis direction. Although not particularly limited, the X-axis slider 14 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is housed inside the X-axis guide 12. The X-axis slider 14 moves in the X-axis direction while being guided by the X-axis guide 12. For example, the X-axis slider 14 forms an air slide together with the X-axis guide 12, and floats relative to the X-axis guide 12 by compressed gas supplied between them, and moves along the X-axis guide 12 in a state of not contacting the X-axis guide 12.

[0035] The Y-axis slider 18 supports the X-axis guide 12 from below. The Y-axis slider 18 moves in the Y-axis direction while being guided by the Y-axis guide 16. Therefore, the X-axis guide 12 supported by the Y-axis slider 18, and therefore the X-axis slider 14, move in the Y-axis direction as the Y-axis slider 18 moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0036] Table 20 is fixed to X-axis slider 14. An object to be processed or processed, such as a semiconductor wafer, is placed on table 20. By moving X-axis slider 14 in the X-axis direction and moving Y-axis slider 18 in the Y-axis direction, table 20 as the object to be driven can be moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions and positioned in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0037] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of stage device 100 taken along a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. Fig. 6 shows a cross section taken along a plane passing through connecting portion 35 of Y-axis slider 18. Table 20 is not shown in Fig. 6.

[0038] The Y-axis guide 16 is a box-shaped member with an opening at the center in the X-axis direction of the top surface. The Y-axis guide 16 includes a bottom wall 22, a first side wall 24, a second side wall 26, a first top wall 28, and a second top wall 30.

[0039] The bottom wall 22 is a plate member having a rectangular shape in a plan view. The first side wall 24 and the second side wall 26 are standing walls that are long in the Y-axis direction. The first side wall 24 stands on one end (the left end in FIG. 6) of the bottom wall 22 in the X-axis direction, and the second side wall 26 stands on the other end (the right end in FIG. 6). The first side wall 24 and the second side wall 26 face each other in the X-axis direction.

[0040] The first upper wall 28 and the second upper wall 30 are rectangular plate members that are long in the Y-axis direction in a plan view. The first upper wall 28 and the second upper wall 30 are fixed to the upper ends of the first side wall 24 and the second side wall 26 so as to extend from the upper ends of the first side wall 24 and the second side wall 26 toward each other.

[0041] The Y-axis slider 18 is housed inside the Y-axis guide 16. The Y-axis slider 18 includes a first slider portion 32 and a second slider portion 34 spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction, and two connecting portions 35 connecting the first slider portion 32 and the second slider portion 34. The number of connecting portions 35 is not particularly limited.

[0042] In the following, the two slider sections 32, 34 will be described with the side closer to the center of the Y-axis slider 18 in the X-axis direction (i.e., the connecting section 35 side) as the inner side of the two slider sections 32, 34, and the side farther away (i.e., the opposite side from the connecting section 35) as the outer side of the two slider sections 32, 34.

[0043] The first slider portion 32 includes a rectangular parallelepiped first main body portion 66 and a first support leg portion 68 fixed to the upper surface of the first main body portion 66. The outer portion of the first main body portion 66 in the X-axis direction (the left side portion in FIG. 6 ) is stored in a space surrounded by the bottom wall 22, the first side wall 24, and the first upper wall 28.

[0044] The bottom surface 66a, the outer side surface 66b, and the top surface 66c of the first main body portion 66 facing the bottom wall 22, the first side wall 24, and the first top wall 28 are provided with the bottom air pads 36, the side air pads 38, and the top air pads 40. The air pads (restraint members) 36-40 eject compressed gas supplied from an air supply system (not shown) into the gap between the first main body portion 66 and the Y-axis guide 16. This forms a high-pressure gas layer in the gap, causing the air pads 36-40 and the first main body portion 66 to float from the Y-axis guide 16. The air pads 36-40 may be provided on the opposing surface of the Y-axis guide 16 facing the first main body portion 66, instead of the outer circumferential surface of the first main body portion 66. In any case, the first main body portion 66 is restrained from moving up and down and outward in the X-axis direction with respect to the Y-axis guide 16 by the compressed gas ejected from the air pads 36-40.

[0045] An outer side surface 66b of the first main body portion 66 is formed with a first air servo chamber 42 for driving the first slider portion 32 as described below.

[0046] The second slider portion 34 includes a rectangular parallelepiped second main body portion 70 and a second support leg portion 72 fixed to the upper surface of the second main body portion 70. The outer portion of the second main body portion 70 in the X-axis direction (the right side portion in FIG. 6 ) is stored in a space surrounded by the bottom wall 22, the second side wall 26, and the second upper wall 30.

[0047] The bottom surface 70a, outer side surface 70b, and top surface 70c of the second main body portion 70 facing the bottom wall 22, the second side wall 26, and the second top wall 30 are provided with a lower surface air pad 46, a side surface air pad 48, and an upper surface air pad 50. The air pads (restraint members) 46-50 eject compressed gas supplied from an air supply system (not shown) into the gap between the second main body portion 70 and the Y-axis guide 16. This forms a high-pressure gas layer in the gap, causing the air pads 46-50 and the second main body portion 70 to float from the Y-axis guide 16. The air pads 46-50 may be provided on the opposing surface of the Y-axis guide 16 facing the second main body portion 70, instead of the outer circumferential surface of the second main body portion 70. In any case, the second main body portion 70 is restrained from moving up and down and outward in the X-axis direction with respect to the Y-axis guide 16 by the compressed gas ejected from the air pads 46-50.

[0048] A second air servo chamber 52 for driving the second slider portion 34 as described below is formed on the outer side surface 70b of the second main body portion 70.

[0049] Exhaust grooves 54, 56, and 58 for differential exhaust are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the first main body portion 66 of the first slider portion 32 so as to surround the air pads 36-40 and the first air servo chamber 42. The exhaust groove 54 is open to the atmosphere. The exhaust groove 54 may be connected to an exhaust pump (not shown). The exhaust grooves 56 and 58 are connected to exhaust pumps (not shown) for setting the pressure in the exhaust grooves to a low vacuum pressure level and a medium vacuum pressure level, respectively, and exhaust the compressed gas supplied from the air pads 36-40 of the first main body portion 66 and the first air servo chamber 42 to the outside.

[0050] Exhaust grooves 60, 62, and 64 for differential exhaust are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the second main body portion 70 of the second slider section 34 so as to surround the air pads 46-50 and the second air servo chamber 52. The exhaust grooves 60, 62, and 64 are configured in the same manner as the exhaust grooves 54, 56, and 58 of the first main body portion 66. By preventing compressed gas from leaking out from the gap between the Y-axis guide 16 and the Y-axis slider 18, the stage device 100 can be used even in a vacuum environment.

[0051] The first support leg 68 is placed on and fixed to a portion 66d of an upper surface 66c of the first main body 66 that protrudes more inward in the X-axis direction (right side in FIG. 6) than the first upper wall 28. The second support leg 72 is placed on and fixed to a portion 70d of an upper surface 70c of the second main body 70 that protrudes more inward in the X-axis direction (left side in FIG. 6) than the second upper wall 30. The first support leg 68 and the second support leg 72 support the X-axis guide 12.

[0052] The movable range R of the center of gravity G of the X-axis slider 14, which moves as the X-axis slider 14 moves, falls between the center in the X-axis direction of the first support leg 68 that supports the X-axis guide 12 and the center in the X-axis direction of the second support leg 72. In other words, the X-axis guide 12 is supported at two support positions, the center in the X-axis direction of the first support leg 68 and the center in the X-axis direction of the second support leg 72, and the movable range R of the center of gravity G of the X-axis slider 14 falls between these two support positions.

[0053] The lower air pad 36, the upper air pad 40, and the first support leg 68 are arranged in the X-axis direction such that the center of the lower air pad 36 is located between the center of the upper air pad 40 and the center of the first support leg 68 (in other words, the support position that supports the X-axis guide 12, or further in other words the position where the load of the X-axis guide 12 is applied). More specifically, the lower air pad 36, the upper air pad 40, and the first support leg 68 are arranged in the order of the center in the X-axis direction of the first support leg 68, the center in the X-axis direction of the lower air pad 36, and the center in the X-axis direction of the upper air pad 40, from the inside to the outside in the X-axis direction.

[0054] The lower air pad 46, the upper air pad 50, and the second support leg 72 are arranged in the X-axis direction such that the center of the lower air pad 46 is located between the center of the upper air pad 50 and the center of the second support leg 72 (in other words, the support position that supports the X-axis guide 12, or further in other words the position where the load of the X-axis guide 12 is applied). More specifically, the lower air pad 46, the upper air pad 50, and the second support leg 72 are arranged in the order of the center in the X-axis direction of the second support leg 72, the center in the X-axis direction of the lower air pad 46, and the center in the X-axis direction of the upper air pad 50, from the inside to the outside in the X-axis direction.

[0055] Although not particularly limited, in the illustrated example, the connecting portion 35 is a rod member extending in the X-axis direction and has a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the X-axis direction. The sum of the cross-sectional areas perpendicular to the X-axis direction of the two connecting portions 35 is smaller than the cross-sectional areas perpendicular to the X-axis direction of the first main body portion 66 and the second main body portion 70. This allows the Y-axis slider 18 to be lighter than when the Y-axis slider 18 is formed as one large slider portion, i.e., when the Y-axis slider 18 is formed as one large rectangular parallelepiped member.

[0056] The connecting portion 35 connects the first slider portion 32 and the second slider portion 34 so that the distance between them in the X-axis direction does not change. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion 35 has end faces 35a, 35b in the X-axis direction directly connected to the inner end faces 66e, 70e of the main body portions 66, 70. Note that the connecting portion 35 may be connected to the inner end faces 66e, 70e of the main body portions 66, 70 via, for example, an elastic hinge so that the main body portions 66, 70 can be slightly displaced in the Z-axis direction relative to the connecting portion 35.

[0057] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 6. The principle by which Y-axis slider 18 moves relative to Y-axis guide 16 will be described with reference to Figure 7. Stage device 100 further includes a first partition 74 and a second partition 76. Figure 7 exaggerates the gaps between Y-axis guide 16 and slider portions 32, 34 and between partitions 74, 76 and air servo chambers 42, 52. In reality, these gaps are on the order of several microns, for example.

[0058] The first partition 74 is fixed to the Y-axis guide 16 and divides the first air servo chamber 42 into two air servo chambers 42a and 42b in the Y-axis direction. The two air servo chambers 42a and 42b are connected to air supply systems 80a and 80b, respectively, for allowing compressed gas to flow in and out. The air supply systems 80a and 80b include servo valves 82a and 82b and compressed gas supply sources 84a and 84b, respectively.

[0059] The second partition 76 is fixed to the Y-axis guide 16 and divides the second air servo chamber 52 into two air servo chambers 52a and 52b in the Y-axis direction. The two air servo chambers 52a and 52b are connected to air supply systems 86a and 86b, respectively, for allowing compressed gas to flow in and out. The air supply systems 86a and 86b include servo valves 88a and 88b and compressed gas supply sources 90a and 90b, respectively.

[0060] When compressed gas is supplied to the air pads 36-40, 46-50, the Y-axis slider 18 floats slightly relative to the Y-axis guide 16 as described above. In this state, for example, when compressed gas is supplied to the air servo chambers 42a, 52a and compressed gas is discharged from the air servo chambers 42b, 52b, the partitions 74, 76 act as pistons, and the slider portions 32, 34 and therefore the Y-axis slider 18 move downward in the figure. In this way, by controlling the supply and discharge of compressed gas, the Y-axis slider 18 can be moved to any position relative to the Y-axis guide 16.

[0061] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a third configuration example of the stage device 100. FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 6. In this configuration example, the Y-axis slider 18 does not include an air servo chamber. Instead, the stage device 100 includes a linear motor 92. That is, the Y-axis slider 18 is driven by the linear motor 92, not by an air servo. The linear motor 92 includes a magnet 94 fixed to the Y-axis slider 18 and a plurality of electromagnets 96 fixed to the Y-axis guide 16 so as to be aligned in the Y-axis direction. In this example, the magnet 94 is fixed to the connecting portion 35, but is not limited thereto, and the magnet 94 may be fixed to at least one of the first slider portion 32 and the second slider portion 34, for example.

[0062] Next, a shock absorbing device 300 used in the stage device 100 shown in the three configuration examples above will be described. The shock absorbing device 300 absorbs shock during a collision caused by malfunction of the table 20, which is the driven object of the stage device 100, and the structure that is driven in the X-axis or Y-axis direction integrally with the table 20. In the stage device 100 of this embodiment, which drives the driven object by levitating it with compressed gas in a low-pressure vacuum environment, once the driven object reaches a high speed it cannot be easily stopped, so a shock absorbing device 300 is provided to absorb shock due to an unexpected collision that may occur in such a case.

[0063] In the first configuration example of FIG. 1, the table 20 and the X-axis slider 124 move together in the X-axis direction, and there is a risk of them colliding with the Y-axis slider 134 at both ends of the X-axis guide 122 that constitutes the movement path. Therefore, a shock absorbing device 300 is provided on the surface 301 of the Y-axis slider 134 with which the table 20 or the X-axis slider 124 may collide, thereby absorbing the shock caused by the accidental collision. Also, in the first configuration example of FIG. 1, the table 20, the X-axis slider 124, the X-axis guide 122, and the Y-axis slider 134 move together in the Y-axis direction, and there is a risk of the Y-axis slider 134 colliding with both ends of the Y-axis guide 132 that constitutes the movement path. Therefore, a shock absorbing device 300 is provided on the surfaces 302 at both ends of the Y-axis guide 132 with which the Y-axis slider 134 may collide, thereby absorbing the shock caused by the accidental collision. Incidentally, the shock absorbing device 300 may be provided on the end faces of the table 20, the X-axis slider 124, and the Y-axis slider 134 on the side that is hit, instead of on the surfaces 301, 302 on the side that is hit.

[0064] In the second and third configuration examples of Figs. 4 to 8, as shown in Figs. 4, 6, and 8, the table 20 and the X-axis slider 14 move together in the X-axis direction, and there is a risk that the X-axis slider 14 will collide with the inner walls 13 at both ends of the X-axis guide 12 that constitute the movement path. Therefore, a shock absorbing device 300 is provided on the inner wall 13 of the X-axis guide 12 with which the X-axis slider 14 may collide, thereby absorbing the shock caused by the accidental collision. Also, in the second and third configuration examples, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 7, the table 20, the X-axis slider 14, the X-axis guide 12, and the Y-axis slider 18 move together in the Y-axis direction, and there is a risk that the Y-axis slider 18 will collide with the inner walls 17 at both ends of the Y-axis guide 16 that constitute the movement path. Therefore, a shock absorbing device 300 is provided on the inner wall 17 of the Y-axis guide 16 with which the Y-axis slider 18 may collide, thereby absorbing the shock caused by the accidental collision. Incidentally, the shock absorbing device 300 may be provided on the end faces of the X-axis slider 14 and the Y-axis slider 18 on the colliding side, instead of on the inner walls 13 and 17 on the collided side.

[0065] FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration of the shock absorbing device 300. The shock absorbing device 300 includes a shock absorbing member 310 that absorbs shock caused by a collision with a driven object, and a housing member 320 that houses the shock absorbing member 310 in a manner that isolates it from the external vacuum environment. The shock absorbing member 310 can be made of various shock absorbing materials or shock absorbing devices that absorb shock, and specific examples will be described later. The housing member 320 is an airtight member that blocks the flow of gas between the inside where the shock absorbing member 310 is housed and the outside, which is a vacuum environment. The housing member 320 includes a main body 321 that houses the shock absorbing member 310, a shock absorbing member 322 that is provided on the surface that the driven object collides with and applies shock to, a bellows 323 with a bellows structure that is provided between the main body 321 and the shock absorbing member 322, and an extraction part 324 that can extract the shock absorbing member 310 to the outside. The cushioning member 322 is provided on the end face of the storage member 320 on the side where an impact is applied (the left side in FIG. 9), and the removal portion 324 is provided on the end face of the storage member 320 opposite the side where an impact is applied (the right side in FIG. 9), and the bellows 323 and the main body 321 are provided side by side between both end faces in the direction in which the impact is applied (the left-right direction in FIG. 9).

[0066] The shock applied when the driven object collides with the housing member 320 is primarily mitigated by the buffer member 322 and the bellows 323. That is, small shocks can be absorbed by the elastic deformation of the buffer member 322 made of an elastic material such as rubber and the contraction of the bellows 323. Large shocks that cannot be absorbed by the buffer member 322 and the bellows 323 are absorbed by the shock absorbing member 310 housed inside the main body 321. When a large shock is applied to the shock absorbing member 310, deformation or damage occurs, and at that time, contaminating elements such as fine particles may be scattered from the shock absorbing member 310 or the inner wall of the main body 321 of the housing member 320 that comes into contact with it. However, the housing member 320, which is an airtight member, keeps these contaminating elements inside, so that the vacuum chamber 108 can prevent contamination of the external vacuum environment.

[0067] Next, a description will be given of examples of shock absorbing member 310 studied by the present inventors. Fig. 10 shows a first example using elastically deforming member 311 such as rubber as shock absorbing member 310, Fig. 11 shows a second example using plastically deforming member 312 such as metal as shock absorbing member 310, and Fig. 12 shows a third example using fluid damper 313 utilizing fluid resistance such as an oil damper as shock absorbing member 310.

[0068] 10(A), which shows a schematic configuration of a shock absorbing device 300 according to a first examined example, a rubber elastically deforming member 311 serving as a shock absorbing member 310 is housed inside a main body 321 of a housing member 320. A large shock that cannot be fully absorbed by the buffer member 322 or the bellows 323 is absorbed by the elastically deforming member 311 elastically deforming (elastically contracting) inside the housing member 320 in the direction in which the shock is applied (the left-right direction in FIG. 10(A)).

[0069] 10B shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the elastic displacement (stroke) of the elastic deformation member 311 and the shock load absorbed. In a range where the stroke is relatively small, the shock load increases linearly with respect to the stroke, whereas in a range where the stroke is relatively large, the shock load increases nonlinearly with respect to the stroke. When the shock applied to the elastic deformation member 311 is large, the elastic deformation occurs in a nonlinear region, and a large shock load occurs for a small stroke. The shock load that changes sharply with respect to the stroke in this way is applied to each part (surfaces 301, 302, inner walls 13, 17, etc.) of the stage device 100 to which the shock absorbing device 300 is attached, and therefore there is a risk of damaging the stage device 100.

[0070] On the other hand, the rubber elastically deformable member 311 is less likely to generate contaminants such as fine particles inside the housing member 320 when it is elastically deformed. Therefore, there is less risk of contaminants leaking out of the housing member 320, so it is possible to use an inexpensive housing member 320 with lower airtightness compared to the second and third study examples described below. In addition, the rubber elastically deformable member 311 is less likely to break even when it is elastically deformed, so there is no need to provide a removal part 324 (FIG. 9) for replacement.

[0071] The elastic deformation member 311 according to the first study example described above can be adopted to reduce the cost of the stage device 100, since the risk of damaging the stage device 100 is low if the stroke remains in the linear region. For example, if the table 20 is driven at a relatively low speed, the impact upon collision is small and the stroke falls within the linear region, so there is no problem in using the elastic deformation member 311. On the other hand, in an application requiring a compact stage device 100, the width of the linear region is reduced by the miniaturization of the elastic deformation member 311, so that even a short stroke results in elastic deformation in the nonlinear region. In such an application, it is preferable to use the shock absorbing member 310 according to the second or third study example described below.

[0072] In Fig. 11(A) which shows a schematic configuration of an impact absorbing device 300 according to the second study example, a metal plastic deformation member 312 as an impact absorbing member 310 is housed inside a main body 321 of a housing member 320. The plastic deformation member 312 is plasticity It is a cylindrical member that absorbs shock by deformation. A metal columnar insert member 314 is inserted into one end (the left side in FIG. 11(A)) of the cylindrical plastic deformation member 312. The end of the insert member 314 that is not inserted into the plastic deformation member 312 is fixed to the housing member 320 by a screw or the like. In the above configuration, the axis of the cylindrical plastic deformation member 312 and the axis of the columnar insert member 314 coincide with each other and face the direction in which the shock is applied (the left-right direction in FIG. 11(A)).

[0073] A large impact that cannot be absorbed by the buffer member 322 or the bellows 323 is absorbed by the plastic deformation member 312 undergoing plastic deformation inside the housing member 320. Specifically, when the driven object collides with the housing member 320, the impact causes the insertion member 314 to move in a direction approaching the plastic deformation member 312 (to the right in FIG. 11A), and the insertion amount of the insertion member 314 into the plastic deformation member 312 increases. At this time, the force exerted by the insertion member 314 causes the cylindrical plastic deformation member 312 to plastically deform so as to expand in the radial direction, thereby absorbing the impact. In other words, when the plastic deformation member 312 moves relative to the insertion member 314 in the left direction in FIG. 11A inside the housing member 320, it absorbs the impact by plastically deforming so as to turn up at the outer periphery of the insertion member 314.

[0074] FIG. 11B shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the insertion amount (stroke) of the insertion member 314 into the plastic deformation member 312 and the shock load absorbed. Except for a narrow range in the vicinity of the stroke being 0, the shock load is substantially constant even if the stroke changes. This is because the change in stroke is merely a difference in the position where the plastic deformation member 312 expands or turns up, and the amount of shock load absorbed by the plastic deformation does not change significantly. In this way, even if a large shock is applied to the shock absorbing device 300, the plastic deformation member 312, which plastically deforms while sequentially changing its position, distributes the shock load applied to each part of the stage device 100 over time so that it does not become excessive, thereby preventing damage to the stage device 100. This is in contrast to FIG. 10B of the first study example, in which the shock load increases nonlinearly with respect to the stroke.

[0075] The plastic deformation member 312 according to the second study example described above has a low risk of damaging the stage device 100 even when a large impact is applied, and therefore has a wider range of uses than the elastic deformation member 311 according to the first study example, which is limited to low-speed driving applications. Meanwhile, unlike the rubber elastic deformation member 311, the metal plastic deformation member 312 generates contaminant elements such as metal particles inside the housing member 320 when plastically deforming. However, the housing member 320, which is an airtight member, keeps these contaminant elements inside, and therefore can prevent the vacuum chamber 108 from contaminating the external vacuum environment. In this way, a general-purpose shock absorbing device 300 suitable for the stage device 100 used in a vacuum environment can be realized by combining the plastic deformation member 312 with excellent shock absorbing performance and the housing member 320 with excellent airtight performance.

[0076] A contact prevention space 331 is provided around the plastic deformation member 312 inside the main body 321 so that the cylindrical plastic deformation member 312 does not come into contact with the inner wall of the accommodation member 320 when it undergoes plastic deformation such as expanding in the radial direction or turning up. The contact prevention space 331 ensures that the plastic deformation member 312 is not hindered from plastically deforming to absorb the impact, and can reliably absorb the impact, and can prevent damage to the inner wall of the accommodation member 320, etc., caused by contact with the plastically deformed plastic deformation member 312.

[0077] In addition, the plastically deformable member 312 after plastic deformation loses its shock absorbing ability and must be replaced. For this purpose, an openable and closable removal section 324 is provided at a position facing the end of the plastically deformable member 312 on the side where the insert member 314 is not inserted (the right side in FIG. 11(A)). The replacement work is completed by opening the removal section 324, removing the used plastically deformable member 312 by pulling it out from the insert member 314, and inserting a new plastically deformable member 312 into the existing insert member 314, and then closing the removal section 324. However, the replacement work of the plastically deformable member 312 requires opening the vacuum chamber 108, which requires stopping the device and resetting the vacuum environment after the replacement work. Since unnecessary replacement work leads to a large economic loss, the timing of the replacement work must be carefully determined.

[0078] On the other hand, it is not possible to visually check from the outside whether the plastic deformation member 312 covered by the storage member 320 in the vacuum chamber 108 has been used (plastically deformed). Therefore, a plastic deformation detection unit 332 that detects the plastic deformation of the plastic deformation member 312 inside the storage member 320 is provided in the contact prevention space 331 inside the main body 321. The plastic deformation detection unit 332 is composed of any type of sensor that can directly or indirectly detect the plastic deformation member 312 that has been plastically deformed around the insertion member 314 in a non-contact or contact manner. For example, the plastic deformation detection unit 332 can be composed of one or more optical sensors, electromagnetic sensors, mechanical sensors, thermal sensors, chemical sensors, etc., used alone or in combination.

[0079] The plastic deformation detection unit 332 transmits the detection result to a notification unit 333 (plastic deformation notification unit) outside the vacuum chamber 108 using any wired or wireless communication means. The notification unit 333 notifies the user of the detection result of the plastic deformation detection unit 332. Since the user can know in a timely manner that the plastic deformation member 312 has been plastically deformed (used), the user can replace the plastic deformation member 312 only when necessary.

[0080] 11(A), the cylindrical plastic deformation member 312 is provided on the side (right side) of the housing member 320 where no impact is applied, and the columnar insertion member 314 is provided on the side (left side) of the housing member 320 where impact is applied, but the cylindrical plastic deformation member 312 may be provided on the side (left side) of the housing member 320 where impact is applied, and the columnar insertion member 314 may be provided on the side (right side) of the housing member 320 where no impact is applied. Also, without providing the insertion member 314, impact may be absorbed by plastically deforming the plastic deformation member 312 in a direction intersecting the direction of impact application due to shear stress generated in the plastic deformation member 312 of any long shape such as a cylindrical, columnar, or rod shape.

[0081] In Fig. 12, which shows a schematic configuration of a shock absorbing device 300 according to a third study example, a fluid damper 313 as a shock absorbing member 310 is accommodated inside a main body 321 of a housing member 320. The fluid damper 313 is an oil damper that absorbs shock by utilizing the fluid resistance of oil, and includes a cylinder 315 that is long in the direction in which the shock is applied (left and right direction in Fig. 12) and is filled with oil, a piston 316 that can move in the direction in which the shock is applied inside the cylinder 315, and a piston rod 317 that is long in the direction in which the shock is applied, one end (right end in Fig. 12) of which is fixed to the piston 316 and the other end (left end in Fig. 12) of which is in contact with the inner wall of the housing member 320. The inside of the cylinder 315 is partitioned by the piston 316 into a first chamber 318A on the buffer member 322 side (left side in Fig. 12) and a second chamber 318B on the removal part 324 side (right side in Fig. 12). Furthermore, the oil filled inside the cylinder 315 can flow between the first chamber 318A and the second chamber 318B via various flow path elements 319 provided in the piston 316.

[0082] A large impact that cannot be absorbed by the buffer member 322 or the bellows 323 is absorbed by the contraction of the fluid damper 313. Specifically, when the driven object collides with the housing member 320, the piston rod 317 and the piston 316 move together in the direction of the impact (to the right in FIG. 12). At this time, the piston 316 receives hydraulic resistance from the compressed oil in the second chamber 318B and stops gently. If the piston 316 decelerates rapidly, the large kinetic energy lost therein is instantaneously applied to each part of the stage device 100, which may damage the stage device 100. However, the oil moves from the second chamber 318B to the first chamber 318A via the flow path elements 319 such as an orifice, a valve, and a port provided in the piston 316, which prevents the hydraulic pressure in the second chamber 318B from becoming excessive, and enables the piston 316 to decelerate gently.

[0083] The relationship between the contraction amount (stroke) of the fluid damper 313 and the shock load absorbed can be designed by combining various flow path elements 319, and for example, the relationship shown in Fig. 11(B) of the second study example can be realized. Therefore, as in the second study example, even if a large shock is applied to the shock absorbing device 300, the shock load applied to each part of the stage device 100 is dispersed over time so as not to become excessive, and damage to the stage device 100 can be prevented.

[0084] The fluid damper 313 according to the third study example described above has a low risk of damaging the stage device 100 even when a large impact is applied, and therefore has a wider range of uses than the elastic deformation member 311 according to the first study example, which is limited to low-speed driving applications. On the other hand, the fluid damper 313 may cause oil to leak from the cylinder 315 into the housing member 320. However, the housing member 320, which is an airtight member, keeps oil, which is a contaminant, inside, and therefore can prevent contamination of the external vacuum environment by the vacuum chamber 108. In this way, a general-purpose shock absorbing device 300 suitable for the stage device 100 used in a vacuum environment can be realized by combining the fluid damper 313, which has excellent shock absorbing performance, and the housing member 320, which has excellent airtight performance.

[0085] In addition, an oil storage space 334 is provided around the cylinder 315 inside the main body 321 to store oil leaked from the cylinder 315 and prevent it from flowing out into the vacuum environment. Therefore, if the amount of leaked oil is small, the shock absorbing device 300 may be operated as is. On the other hand, if the amount of leaked oil is large, maintenance work such as cleaning the oil storage space 334 and replacing the fluid damper 313 is required. For this purpose, an openable and closable take-out part 324 is provided at a position facing the end of the fluid damper 313 (the right end part in FIG. 12). Maintenance work is completed by simply opening the take-out part 324, cleaning the oil storage space 334, replacing the fluid damper 313, and then closing the take-out part 324. However, since these maintenance works need to be performed by opening the vacuum chamber 108, they entail stopping the device and resetting the vacuum environment after the replacement work. Since performing unnecessary maintenance work leads to significant economic losses, the timing of performing the maintenance work needs to be carefully determined.

[0086] On the other hand, the amount of oil leaking from the fluid damper 313 covered by the housing member 320 inside the vacuum chamber 108 cannot be visually confirmed from the outside. Therefore, an oil leakage detection unit 335 that detects the amount of oil leaking from the fluid damper 313 inside the housing member 320 is provided in the oil storage space 334 inside the main body 321. The oil leakage detection unit 335 is configured by any type of sensor that can directly or indirectly detect the amount of oil leaking into the oil storage space 334 in a non-contact or contact manner. For example, the oil leakage detection unit 335 can be configured by using one or more optical sensors, electromagnetic sensors, thermal sensors, chemical sensors, etc., alone or in combination.

[0087] The oil leakage detection unit 335 transmits the detection result to an alarm unit 336 (oil leakage alarm unit) outside the vacuum chamber 108 using any wired or wireless communication means. The alarm unit 336 notifies the user of the detection result of the oil leakage detection unit 335. Since the user can know in a timely manner whether or not there is oil leakage from the fluid damper 313 and the amount of leaked oil, maintenance work on the fluid damper 313 can be performed only when necessary.

[0088] In the example of Fig. 12, an oil damper that absorbs shock by hydraulic pressure has been described, but an air damper that absorbs shock by air pressure may also be used. Air dampers are often inferior in shock absorption performance to oil dampers, but on the other hand, air dampers are excellent at preventing contamination of the vacuum environment because they do not generate contaminating elements such as oil. Therefore, air dampers are suitable for cases such as low-speed driving where the expected shock is small, or when using an inexpensive housing member 320 with low airtight performance.

[0089] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. The embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0090] The stage device of this embodiment may be incorporated as a component of equipment or devices used in clean environments such as clean rooms, vacuum chambers, etc. For example, the stage device of this embodiment is suitable for precisely controlling the position of a table on which a semiconductor wafer or the like to be processed is placed in semiconductor manufacturing equipment such as an exposure device, an ion implantation device, a heat treatment device, an etching device, a sputtering device, and an inspection device.

[0091] The functional configuration of each device described in the embodiment can be realized by hardware resources, software resources, or by the cooperation of hardware resources and software resources. A processor, ROM, RAM, and other LSIs can be used as hardware resources. An operating system, an application, and other programs can be used as software resources. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 12 X-axis guide, 14 X-axis slider, 16 Y-axis guide, 18 Y-axis slider, 20 table, 100 stage device, 108 vacuum chamber, 120 X-axis air actuator, 122 X-axis guide, 124 X-axis slider, 130 Y-axis air actuator, 132 Y-axis guide, 134 Y-axis slider, 300 shock absorbing device, 310 shock absorbing member, 311 elastic deformation member, 312 plastic deformation member, 313 fluid damper, 314 insertion member, 320 storage member, 321 main body, 322 cushioning member, 323 bellows, 324 removal portion, 331 contact prevention space, 332 plastic deformation detection portion, 333 notification portion, 334 oil storage space, 335 oil leakage detection portion, 336 notification portion.

Claims

1. A driven object driven in a vacuum environment; a shock absorbing member that absorbs shock caused by a collision with the driven object; a housing member that is placed in the vacuum environment and houses the shock absorbing member therein in a manner that isolates the shock absorbing member from the external vacuum environment; A drive unit comprising:

2. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorbing member includes a plastic deformation member that absorbs shock by plastic deformation.

3. The plastic deformation member is cylindrical, The impact absorbing member further includes an insertion member that is inserted into at least one end of the cylindrical plastic deformation member, When the driven object collides with the housing member, the plastic deformation member, which moves relatively inside the housing member so that the insertion amount of the insertion member increases, absorbs the impact by plastically deforming on the outer periphery of the insertion member. The drive device according to claim 2.

4. 4. The drive unit according to claim 2, wherein the housing member further comprises a contact prevention space for preventing the plastically deformed member from contacting an inner wall of the housing member.

5. The drive device according to claim 2 , further comprising a plastic deformation detector that detects plastic deformation of the plastic deformation member inside the housing member.

6. The drive device according to claim 5 , further comprising a plastic deformation notification unit that notifies a user of a detection result of the plastic deformation detection unit.

7. 2. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing member includes an oil damper that absorbs shock by hydraulic pressure.

8. The drive unit according to claim 7 , wherein the accommodation member further comprises an oil storage space for storing oil leaked from the oil damper and preventing the oil from leaking into the vacuum environment.

9. The drive device according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising an oil leakage detector configured to detect oil leakage from the oil damper inside the housing member.

10. The drive device according to claim 9 , further comprising an oil leakage notification unit that notifies a user of a detection result of the oil leakage detection unit.

11. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the housing member further comprises an outlet portion through which the shock absorbing member can be taken out.

12. The drive device according to claim 11 , wherein the removal portion is provided on a side of the housing member opposite to a side on which the driven object collides.

13. a first driving unit including a first guide extending in a first direction and a first slider on which the driven object is placed, the driven object being movable along the first guide by air pressure; and a second driving unit including a second guide extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second slider on which the first driving unit is placed, the first guide being movable along the second guide by air pressure; The shock absorbing member and the housing member are provided at an end of at least one of the first guide and the second guide. A drive arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. Further comprising a drive unit including a guide extending in one direction and a slider on which the driven object is placed and which can be moved along the guide by a linear motor; The shock absorbing member and the housing member are provided at least at one end of the guide. A drive arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. 15. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing member is an airtight member that blocks a flow of gas between an inside where the shock absorbing member is housed and an outside which is the vacuum environment.

16. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the housing member has a bellows structure.

17. The driving device according to claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum chamber having an interior that is a vacuum and that houses the driven object.

18. a shock absorbing member that absorbs shock caused by a collision with a driven object driven in a vacuum environment; a housing member that is placed in the vacuum environment and houses the shock absorbing member therein in a manner that isolates the shock absorbing member from the external vacuum environment; An impact absorbing device comprising:

Images