Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, flat panel display manufacturing method, and device manufacturing method

Abstract

To improve the positioning accuracy of a fine-adjustment stage.SOLUTION: A stage device comprises: a moving body having a first support surface for supporting an object; a support having first and second elastically deformable support members for connecting and supporting the moving body from below; a support device having a second support surface for supporting the support; and a drive unit that moves the moving body so as to change an angle formed between the first and second support surfaces. The support is elastically deformed such that along with the change of the angle by the drive unit, the first support member for supporting one side with a narrow gap between the first and second support surfaces contracts while the second support member for supporting the other side having a large gap between the first and second support surfaces expands, and supports the moving body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stage apparatus, an exposure apparatus, a method for manufacturing a flat panel display, and a method for manufacturing a device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a scanning exposure apparatus, as substrates to be exposed become larger and drawing patterns become finer, there is a demand for improved stage positioning accuracy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-249555 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a movable body having a first support surface that supports an object; a support section having a predetermined thickness and capable of elastically deforming to support the movable body; a support device having a second support surface that supports the support section; and a drive section that moves the movable body so that the angle between the first support surface and the second support surface is changed, wherein the support section supports the movable body by elastically deforming as the angle is changed by the drive section so that the predetermined thickness is thinner on one side where the distance between the first support surface and the second support surface is narrower and the predetermined thickness is thicker on the other side where the distance between the first support surface and the second support surface is wider.

[0005] According to a second aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a movable body having a first support surface for supporting an object; a support section having elastically deformable first and second support members for supporting the movable body from below; a support device having a second support surface for supporting the support section; and a drive section for moving the movable body so that the angle between the first support surface and the second support surface is changed, wherein the support section supports the movable body by elastically deforming such that, as the angle is changed by the drive section, the first support member supporting one side where the gap between the first support surface and the second support surface is narrow contracts and the second support member supporting the other side where the gap between the first support surface and the second support surface is wide expands.

[0006] According to a third aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a movable body having a first supporting surface for supporting an object; a support section for supporting the movable body by applying an upward force in the direction of gravity to a second supporting surface different from the first supporting surface; and a drive section for moving the movable body so that the movable body changes from a first state to a second state in which the inclination angle of the first supporting surface is changed, wherein the support section supports the movable body with different forces at different first and second positions on the second supporting surface in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity for the movable body in the second state.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a movable body having a first support surface for supporting an object; a support device having a second support surface for supporting the movable body; and a support section arranged between the movable body and the support device in the direction of gravity, supporting the movable body, the support section being thin on one side where the distance between the first support surface and the second support surface is narrow, and being thick on the other side where the distance between the first support surface and the second support surface is wide.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a moving body on which an object is placed, a support part supporting the moving body from below, and a drive part driving the moving body and changing the attitude of the moving body from a first state to a second state, wherein the support part includes an elastic member that is elastically deformable in response to a load from the moving body to the support part, and the elastic member changes the height distribution of the elastic member in response to the change in attitude of the moving body caused by the drive part.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a movable body on which an object is placed, a support part supporting the movable body from below, and a drive part driving the movable body and changing the attitude of the movable body from a first state to a second state, wherein the support part includes an elastic member that is elastically deformable in response to a load from the movable body to the support part, and the elastic member changes the height in the direction of gravity of the elastic member at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity to different heights in response to the change in attitude of the movable body caused by the drive part.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a stage device comprising: a movable body on which an object is placed, a support part supporting the movable body from below, and a drive part driving the movable body and changing the attitude of the movable body from a first state to a second state, wherein the support part includes an elastic member that is elastically deformable in response to a load from the movable body to the support part, and the elastic member changes the ratio of the height of the elastic member in the direction of gravity at a first position and a second position that are different from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity to a different magnitude between the first state and the second state.

[0011] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided an exposure apparatus comprising: any one of the stage devices described above; and a pattern forming device that forms a predetermined pattern on the object by an energy beam.

[0012] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a flat panel display, the method including: exposing the object using the above-described exposure apparatus; and developing the object that has been exposed.

[0013] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a device manufacturing method including: exposing the object using the above-mentioned exposure apparatus; and developing the object that has been exposed.

[0014] The configurations of the embodiments described below may be appropriately improved, and at least a part of them may be replaced with other components. Furthermore, components that are not particularly limited in terms of their location may be located in any location that can achieve their function, not limited to the location disclosed in the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a view that shows roughly the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of a fine movement stage that the exposure apparatus of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3(A) is a plan view of the substrate stage device, and FIG. 3(B) is a plan view of the substrate stage device excluding the fine movement stage. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the substrate stage device excluding the fine movement stage and the Y coarse movement stage. [Diagram 5] 5(A) and 5(B) are diagrams for explaining the vibration isolation performance of a gas spring. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the transmission of disturbance to the fine movement stage. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate stage device related to Modification 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7(B) is a diagram showing a fine movement stage related to Modification 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a view that shows roughly the configuration of a substrate stage apparatus related to Modification 2 of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate stage device related to modified example 3-1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 9(B) is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of a substrate stage device related to modified example 3-2 of the first embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a view that shows roughly the configuration of a substrate stage apparatus related to the fourth modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a view that shows roughly the configuration of a substrate stage apparatus related to the fifth modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a view that shows roughly the configuration of a substrate stage apparatus related to the sixth modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a view that shows roughly the configuration of a substrate stage apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a view showing the arrangement of a substrate stage device related to a modified example of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram that shows roughly the configuration of an exposure apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows roughly the configuration of a fine movement stage 50A according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3(A) is a plan view of substrate stage device 20A, and FIG. 3(B) is a plan view of substrate stage device 20A excluding fine movement stage 50A. FIG. 4(A) is a plan view of substrate stage device 20A excluding fine movement stage 50A and Y coarse movement stage 30.

[0018] The exposure apparatus 10A is a step-and-scan projection exposure apparatus, a so-called scanner, in which a rectangular (square) glass substrate P (hereinafter simply referred to as substrate P) used in, for example, a liquid crystal display device (flat panel display) is used as an exposure object.

[0019] The exposure apparatus 10A includes an illumination system 12, a mask stage 14 that holds a mask M on which a pattern such as a circuit pattern is formed, a projection optical system 16, a substrate stage device 20A that holds a substrate P on whose surface (the surface facing the +Z side in FIG. 1) a resist (sensitizer) is applied, and a control system for these devices. In the following description, the direction in which the mask M and the substrate P are scanned relative to the projection optical system 16 during exposure is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the X-axis in a horizontal plane is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the directions of rotation (tilt) around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as the θx, θy, and θz directions, respectively. In addition, the positions in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are defined as the X position, Y position, and Z position, respectively.

[0020] The illumination system 12 is configured similarly to the illumination system disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,729,331. The illumination system 12 irradiates the mask M with light emitted from a light source (for example, a mercury lamp) (not shown) as exposure illumination light (illumination light) IL via a reflector, a dichroic mirror, a shutter, a wavelength selection filter, various lenses, and the like (not shown). As the illumination light IL, for example, light such as i-line (wavelength 365 nm), g-line (wavelength 436 nm), or h-line (wavelength 405 nm) (or a composite light of the above-mentioned i-line, g-line, and h-line) is used.

[0021] The mask stage 14 holds a light-transmitting mask M. The mask stage 14 drives the mask M in the X-axis direction (scanning direction) relative to the illumination system 12 (illumination light IL) at a predetermined long stroke via a drive system (not shown) including, for example, a linear motor, and also drives it slightly in the Y-axis direction and the θz direction. Position information of the mask M in the horizontal plane is obtained by a mask stage position measurement system (not shown) including, for example, a laser interferometer or an encoder.

[0022] The projection optical system 16 is disposed below the mask stage 14. The projection optical system 16 is a so-called multi-lens type projection optical system having a configuration similar to that of the projection optical system disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 6,552,775, and includes, for example, a plurality of double-telecentric optical systems that form an erect image.

[0023] In exposure apparatus 10A, when mask M located within a predetermined illumination area is illuminated by illumination light IL from illumination system 12, a projected image (partial pattern image) of the pattern of mask M within the illumination area is formed in an exposure area on substrate P via projection optical system 16 by the illumination light that has passed through mask M. Then, mask M moves relative to the illumination area (illumination light IL) in the scanning direction, and substrate P moves relative to the exposure area (illumination light IL) in the scanning direction, whereby scanning exposure of one shot area on substrate P is performed, and the pattern formed on mask M (the entire pattern corresponding to the scanning range of mask M) is transferred to the shot area. Here, the illumination area on mask M and the exposure area (area irradiated with illumination light) on substrate P are optically conjugate with each other via projection optical system 16.

[0024] (Substrate stage device 20A) Substrate stage device 20A is a device for controlling the position of substrate P with respect to projection optical system 16 (illumination light IL) with high precision, and drives substrate P over a predetermined long stroke in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, as well as finely driving it in six degrees of freedom. The configuration of the substrate stage device used in exposure apparatus 10A is not particularly limited, but in this first embodiment, as one example, substrate stage device 20A with a so-called coarse and fine movement configuration is used, which includes a gantry-type two-dimensional coarse movement stage and a fine movement stage that is finely driven relative to the two-dimensional coarse movement stage, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0057140 and the like.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, substrate stage device 20A comprises a pair of columns 18, a base plate 19, a fine movement stage 50A, a pair of base frames 70, a Y coarse movement stage 30, an X coarse movement stage 40, a substrate driving system for driving each of the elements that make up substrate stage device 20A, and a measurement system for measuring positional information of each of the above-mentioned elements.

[0026] Each of the pair of columns 18 is made up of a member extending in the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 3(A) etc.), and both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported from below by a vibration isolation device 17 installed on a floor (floor surface) F (see FIG. 1). The pair of columns 18 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction. The pair of columns 18 on the vibration isolation device 17 are separated from the pair of base frames 70 and installed on the floor (floor surface) F.

[0027] The surface plate 19 is made of a member extending in the X-axis direction (see FIG. 3(A) etc.), and both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported from below by a pair of columns 18. The top surface of the surface plate 19 (the surface on the +Z side) is finished to an extremely high degree of flatness. The top surface of the surface plate 19 functions as a support surface that supports the support mechanism 53A.

[0028] 2, fine movement stage 50A includes a holding device 55A that holds substrate P, and a support mechanism 53A that supports holding device 55A. Fine movement stage 50A is supported in a non-contact manner by a base 19, details of which will be described later.

[0029] The holding device 55A includes a substrate holder 51A and a substrate stage 52A.

[0030] Substrate P is placed on the upper surface of substrate holder 51A. The upper surface of substrate holder 51A functions as a support surface that supports substrate P. The dimensions of the upper surface of substrate holder 51A in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are set to be approximately the same as those of substrate P (actually somewhat shorter). The upper surface (the surface on the +Z side) of substrate holder 51A is finished to an extremely high degree of flatness. Substrate P is placed on the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and held by vacuum suction to substrate holder 51A, whereby almost the entire surface (entire surface) is corrected to be flat along the upper surface of substrate holder 51A, which is finished to an extremely high degree of flatness.

[0031] The substrate stage 52A supports the substrate holder 51 A. Some elements (for example, movers) of voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, and 61Z, which will be described later, are attached to the substrate stage 52A.

[0032] 2, the support mechanism 53A is disposed between the holding device 55A and the base plate 19, and is fixed to the substrate stage 52A. The support mechanism 53A applies an upward force in the direction of gravity to the lower surface of the substrate stage 52A, and supports the holding device 55A. The support mechanism 53A is supported by the base plate 19 in a non-contact manner.

[0033] In the first embodiment, the support mechanism 53A includes a so-called gas spring 531, which is a rubber outer frame filled with high-pressure gas. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas spring 531 has a predetermined thickness, and an upper end is connected to the substrate stage 52A via a connection part 522, and a lower end is connected to a support part 533 arranged above the surface plate 19 in a non-contact manner. A gas bearing (hereinafter referred to as a base pad) 56 with a bearing surface facing the -Z side is attached to the lower surface of the support part 533. Note that the base pad 56 is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 3(B) and FIG. 4. As a result, the substrate stage 52A is supported in a non-contact manner on the surface plate 19 via the support mechanism 53A. Note that, although the number of base pads 56 is described as three in the present embodiment, the number is not limited to three, and may be one or more.

[0034] Gas spring 531 may be, for example, a bellows-type gas spring as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or a diaphragm-type gas spring. A gas valve is connected to gas spring 531, and the internal pressure is changed in response to changes in the load, etc. This makes it possible for the upward force in the direction of gravity generated by gas spring 531 to balance with the weight of the system including holding device 55A (downward force in the direction of gravity).

[0035] In the first embodiment, support mechanism 53A generates an upward force in the direction of gravity by changing the internal pressure of gas spring 531, that is, by changing the volume of air in the gas spring, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, a compression spring may be used instead of gas spring 531 as long as it is configured to elastically deform in response to a change in the attitude of holding device 55A. Also, the compression spring may be composed of one piece or multiple pieces.

[0036] The gas spring 531 has degrees of freedom of movement in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, the θx direction, the θy direction, and the θz direction. That is, the gas spring 531 is deformed with a change in the angle between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the base plate 19 (a change in the attitude of the holding device 55A relative to the upper surface of the base plate 19), that is, with the oscillation (tilt) of the holding device 55A in the θx and θy directions. For example, when the holding device 55A is rotated from a predetermined state by a predetermined angle in the θx direction (when it is rotated around the X axis), one side (for example, the +Y side) of the gas spring 531 contracts and the other side (for example, the -Y side) expands, so that the gas spring 531 is deformed according to the change in the attitude of the holding device 55A. Here, since the fine movement stage 50A does not have a mechanical center of rotation, the fine movement stage 50A oscillates (tilts) around the center of gravity G. The angle between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is the intersection angle between a plane extending from the upper surface of substrate holder 51A toward surface plate 19 and a plane including the upper surface of surface plate 19.

[0037] Here, the deformation of gas spring 531 in response to a change in the angle between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 (a change in the attitude of holding device 55A relative to the upper surface of surface plate 19) will be described in more detail.

[0038] The gas spring 531 elastically deforms to support the holding device 55A in accordance with a change in the angle between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the surface plate 19, so that the thickness (thickness in the direction of gravity) on one side where the distance between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the surface plate 19 is narrow is thin, and the thickness on the other side where the distance between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the surface plate 19 is wide is thick. That is, the gas spring 531 changes the height in the direction of gravity at different positions (the position where the distance between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the surface plate 19 is narrow and the position where the distance is wide) in the direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity in response to the change in the posture of the holding device 55A. This can also be said to mean that the gas spring 531 changes the distribution of its height in response to the change in the posture of the holding device 55A. The angle between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the surface plate 19 includes 0 degrees, at which the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A is parallel to the upper surface of the surface plate 19.

[0039] Since the height of gas spring 531 changes depending on whether the distance between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is narrow or wide, the restoring force of gas spring 531 differs. Therefore, gas spring 531 supports holding device 55A with different forces depending on whether the distance between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is narrow or wide, depending on whether the angle between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is narrow or wide.

[0040] Further, when the holding device 55A changes from a predetermined state to another state, the gas spring 531 changes the ratio of the heights of the gas spring 531 in the direction of gravity at positions different from each other in the direction orthogonal to the direction of gravity to different magnitudes between the predetermined state and the other state. More specifically, for example, when the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A is parallel to the upper surface of the surface plate 19, and the heights of the gas spring 531 in the direction of gravity at positions different from each other in the direction orthogonal to the direction of gravity are L1 and L2 (L1 = L2), respectively, the ratio of the heights in the direction of gravity (for example, L1 / L2) is 1. Here, when the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A rotates by a predetermined angle in the θx direction, the gas spring 531 deforms, and the heights of the gas spring 531 in the direction of gravity at the different positions become, for example, L1´ (<L1) and L2´ (>L2), respectively, and the ratio of the heights in the direction of gravity (L1´ / L2´) becomes less than 1. Thus, the gas spring 531 changes the ratio of its height in the direction of gravity in response to the change in the posture of the holding device 55A with respect to the surface plate 19. Note that the ratio of the heights in the direction of gravity has been described with reference to the state where the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A is parallel to the upper surface of the surface plate 19, but it is not limited thereto.

[0041] By deforming the gas spring 531 in this way, the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A can move freely in the Z-axis direction and the θx and θy directions.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate stage 52A has an airtight structure that is hollow and has ribs inside for reducing weight and increasing rigidity. In the first embodiment, the inside of the substrate stage 52A and the inside of the gas spring 531 are connected by a hollow connecting portion 522, whereby the substrate stage 52A functions as a tank of the gas spring 531. Thereby, the spring constant of the gas spring 531 can be reduced, and the vibration damping performance of the support mechanism 53A can be improved.

[0043] FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B) are diagrams for explaining the vibration damping performance of the gas spring. In FIG. 5(A), k represents the spring constant, c represents the damping coefficient, and m represents the mass. Also, Z0 represents the displacement of the floor, and Z represents the displacement of the mass.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 5(A), when a mass is mounted on a spring, it responds without delay to disturbances entering from the surface on which the spring is placed in frequency bands lower than the natural frequency of the spring, amplifies vibrations (vibration transmissibility is greater than 0) in frequency bands near the natural frequency, and attenuates vibrations (vibration transmissibility is less than 0) in frequency bands higher than the natural frequency, as shown in Fig. 5(B). The smaller the spring constant, the larger the vibration isolation area and the better the vibration isolation rate.

[0045] In the first embodiment, since substrate stage 52A functions as a tank for gas spring 531, the spring constant of gas spring 531 can be made small. Since the weight of fine movement stage 50A is supported by gas spring 531, which has a small spring constant, support mechanism 53A has high vibration isolation performance. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, disturbances (see arrow A1) transmitted to fine movement stage 50A from other units in exposure apparatus 10A and disturbances (see arrow A2) transmitted to fine movement stage 50A from outside exposure apparatus 10A can be effectively attenuated. This makes it possible to improve the controllability of fine movement stage 50A.

[0046] In addition, since gas is constantly supplied to gas spring 531 through a gas valve, the airtightness of substrate stage 52A does not need to be strict. For example, substrate stage 52A may be made from casting, and a lid 521 may be placed on the cast hole to seal it, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0047] Returning to Fig. 1, X coarse movement stage 40 is located below (-Z side) fine movement stage 50A, and is placed on a pair of base frames 70 via a pair of linear guide devices 71. As shown in Fig. 4, X coarse movement stage 40 is made of a plate-like member that is rectangular in plan view, and has an opening formed in its center. A pair of linear guide devices 41 is provided at both ends of X coarse movement stage 40 in the X-axis direction.

[0048] The Y coarse movement stage 30 is disposed above (on the +Z side of) the X coarse movement stage 40 and below the fine movement stage 50A (between the fine movement stage 50A and the X coarse movement stage 40). As shown in Fig. 3(B), the Y coarse movement stage 30 is made of a plate-like member that is rectangular in plan view and has an opening formed in its center. The Y coarse movement stage 30 is placed on the X coarse movement stage 40 via a pair of linear guide devices 41 that the X coarse movement stage 40 has, and is movable relative to the X coarse movement stage 40 in the Y-axis direction, but moves integrally with the X coarse movement stage 40 in the X-axis direction.

[0049] The substrate driving system includes a first driving system for finely driving the fine movement stage 50A in six degrees of freedom (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θx, θy, and θz directions) relative to the base plate 19, a second driving system for driving the X coarse movement stage 40 on the base frame 70 with a long stroke in the X-axis direction, and a third driving system for driving the Y coarse movement stage 30 on the X coarse movement stage 40 with a long stroke in the Y-axis direction. The type of actuator constituting the second driving system and the third driving system is not particularly limited, but as an example, a linear motor or a ball screw driving device can be used. The driving force for driving the X coarse movement stage 40 and the Y coarse movement stage 30 by the second driving system and the third driving system is applied to the fine movement stage 50A via a voice coil motor constituting the first driving system described later. The fine movement stage 50A is moved in the X-axis direction by the driving force that moves the X coarse movement stage 40 in the X-axis direction by the second driving system. Furthermore, fine movement stage 50A is moved in the Y-axis direction by a driving force that moves Y coarse movement stage 30 in the Y-axis direction by the third drive system.

[0050] The type of actuator constituting the first drive system is not particularly limited, but for example, FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of voice coil motors as thrust application devices that generate thrust in each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions.

[0051] The multiple voice coil motors include an X voice coil motor 61X (see FIG. 3A) that minutely drives the holding device 55A in the X-axis direction, a Y voice coil motor 61Y (see FIGS. 2 and 3A) that minutely drives the holding device 55A in the Y-axis direction, and multiple Z voice coil motors 61Z (see FIG. 2) that minutely drive the holding device 55A in three degrees of freedom directions of θx, θy, and the Z-axis directions. Each of the voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, 61Z has a stator attached to the Y coarse movement stage 30 and a mover attached to the substrate stage 52A of the holding device 55A.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3A, the X voice coil motors 61X are provided as a pair spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, and the Y voice coil motors 61Y are provided as a pair spaced apart in the X-axis direction. In addition, the X voice coil motors 61X and the Y voice coil motors 61Y are attached to the Y coarse movement stage 30 and the fine movement stage 50A at approximately the position of the center of gravity G of the fine movement stage 50A in the Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 2, so as not to generate a moment with respect to the fine movement stage 50A. As a result, the fine movement stage 50A can translate (horizontally move in the X-axis direction and / or the Y-axis direction) by driving the center of gravity. In addition, as described above, the fine movement stage 50A swings (tilts, rotates) around the center of gravity G. Therefore, the fine movement stage 50A can translate and rotate by driving the center of gravity. If the fine movement stage 50A has a mechanical center of rotation, the center of rotation may not coincide with the center of gravity. As a result, fine movement stage 50A has different reference points for translational movement and rotational movement (the center of gravity G for translational movement and the mechanical center of rotation for rotational movement), which deteriorates the controllability of driving the stage.In contrast, because the translational movement and rotational movement of fine movement stage 50A are performed with the same center of gravity G as the reference, the controllability of driving the stage can be improved.

[0053] The multiple Z voice coil motors 61Z are arranged at locations corresponding to the four corners of the bottom surface of the substrate stage 52A (in FIG. 2, only two of the four Z voice coil motors 61Z are shown, and the other two are omitted). Note that the number of Z voice coil motors 61Z is not limited to four, and may be three, five or more.

[0054] A thrust force is applied (transmitted) in six degrees of freedom directions to fine movement stage 50A (holding device 55A) via each of voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, and 61Z relative to Y coarse movement stage 30. The position and posture of fine movement stage 50A are changed by the thrust forces from each of voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, and 61Z so that a projected image of the pattern on mask M is formed on substrate P.

[0055] The surface of the substrate P, which appears flat, has irregularities at the micro level. The irregularities may prevent the projection image from being formed on the surface of the substrate P. For example, when the second exposure is performed on the substrate P, the substrate P may be deformed by the first exposure, and the deformation may prevent the projection image from being formed on the surface of the substrate P. Therefore, the Z position and tilt angle (the angle between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the base plate 19) of the fine movement stage 50A (holding device 55A) are adjusted by the Z voice coil motor 61Z so that the imaging plane of the projection optical system 16 and the surface of the substrate P coincide (the surface of the substrate P falls within the range of the focal depth of the best imaging plane of the projection optical system 16). Also, although it has been explained that the flatness of the upper surface of the base plate 19 is very high, if the upper surface is deformed, the imaging plane of the projection optical system 16 and the surface of the substrate P do not coincide. In that case, the Z position and tilt angle of the fine movement stage 50A are adjusted by the Z voice coil motor 61Z.

[0056] Detailed configurations of the first to third drive systems are disclosed, for example, in the specification of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018950, and therefore will not be described here. The mover attached to substrate stage 52A and the stator attached to Y coarse movement stage 30 are connected in a non-contact manner, and the generated thrust can be applied to fine movement stage 50A.

[0057] In this way, in the first embodiment, fine movement stage 50A is mechanically separated (not mechanically connected) from X coarse movement stage 40 and Y coarse movement stage 30, so that it is possible to suppress transmission of disturbances from coarse movement stages 30, 40 to fine movement stage 50A (arrow A3 in FIG. 6). Furthermore, a pair of base frames 70 supporting X coarse movement stage 40 are arranged on floor (above floor) F at a distance from vibration isolation device 17 supporting fine movement stage 50A, so that it is possible to suppress transmission of disturbances generated in coarse movement stages 30, 40 to fine movement stage 50A via base frames 70 and vibration isolation device 17.

[0058] Returning to FIG. 2, a Y-moving mirror (bar mirror) 58Y having a reflective surface perpendicular to the Y-axis is fixed to the side surface on the -Y side of the substrate stage 52A via a mirror base 57Y. Also, as shown in FIG. 3(A), an X-moving mirror 58X having a reflective surface perpendicular to the X-axis is fixed to the side surface on the +X side of the substrate stage 52A via a mirror base 57X. Position information in the XY plane of the fine movement stage 50A is constantly detected with a resolution of, for example, about 0.5 to 1 nm by a laser interferometer system (hereinafter referred to as a substrate interferometer system) 91 (see FIG. 2) using the X-moving mirror 58X and the Y-moving mirror 58Y. Note that in reality, the substrate interferometer system 91 includes a plurality of X laser interferometers corresponding to the X-moving mirror 58X and a plurality of Y laser interferometers corresponding to the Y-moving mirror 58Y, but FIG. 2 shows only the Y laser interferometer as a representative example. The plurality of laser interferometers are each fixed to the apparatus body. It should be noted that the position information of fine movement stage 50A may be detected not by a laser interferometer but by, for example, a one or more dimensional encoder.

[0059] Furthermore, position information regarding the θx, θy, and Z-axis directions of fine movement stage 50A is obtained by a sensor (Z sensor) (not shown) fixed to the lower surface of substrate stage 52A, for example, by using a target fixed to support portion 533. The configuration of the position measurement system of fine movement stage 50A is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018950, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] As described above in detail, substrate stage device 20A according to the first embodiment comprises holding device 55A having a support surface (upper surface of substrate holder 51A) that supports substrate P, elastically deformable support mechanism 53A having a predetermined thickness and supporting holding device 55A, base plate 19 having a support surface (upper surface of base plate 19) that supports support mechanism 53A, and Z voice coil motor 61Z that moves holding device 55A so that the angle formed by the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of base plate 19 is changed. Support mechanism 53A supports holding device 55A by elastically deforming so that one side where the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of base plate 19 is narrow is thinner and the other side where the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of base plate 19 is wider is thicker in accordance with the change in angle by Z voice coil motor 61Z.

[0061] As described above, fine movement stage 50A does not have a mechanical center of rotation, and therefore fine movement stage 50A oscillates (tilts) around center of gravity G. Therefore, since the position of the center of rotation of fine movement stage 50A coincides with the position of center of gravity G, which serves as the reference for translational movement, fine movement stage 50A has high controllability and the positioning accuracy of fine movement stage 50A is improved.

[0062] Also, according to this first embodiment, the substrate stage device 20A is equipped with a holding device 55A having a support surface (upper surface of the substrate holder 51A) that supports the substrate P, a support mechanism 53A that applies an upward force in the direction of gravity to the lower surface of the substrate stage 52A and supports the holding device 55A, and a Z voice coil motor 61Z that moves the holding device 55A so that the holding device 55A is in a first state (for example, a state in which the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A is parallel to the upper surface of the base plate 19) to a second state in which the inclination angle of the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A is changed. The support mechanism 53A supports the holding device 55A with different forces at different positions on the lower surface of the substrate stage 52A in relation to the direction intersecting with the direction of gravity, with respect to the holding device 55A in the second state. This improves the positioning accuracy of the fine movement stage 50A in the same manner as above.

[0063] Furthermore, according to this first embodiment, substrate stage device 20A comprises holding device 55A having a support surface (upper surface of substrate holder 51A) that supports substrate P, surface plate 19 having a support surface that supports holding device 55A, and a support plate that is disposed between holding device 55A and surface plate 19 in the direction of gravity, supports holding device 55A, and supports the upper surface of substrate holder 51A. and support mechanism 53A which is thin on one side where the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is narrow, and which is thick on the other side where the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is wide. This improves the positioning accuracy of fine movement stage 50A, as in the above.

[0064] Also, according to this first embodiment, substrate stage device 20A comprises holding device 55A on which substrate P is placed, support mechanism 53A that supports holding device 55A from below, and Z voice coil motor 61Z that drives holding device 55A and changes the attitude of holding device 55A from a first state (for example, a state not tilted in the θx direction) to a second state (a state rotated a predetermined angle in the θx direction). Support mechanism 53A includes gas springs 531 that are elastically deformable in response to a load from holding device 55A to support mechanism 53A, and gas springs 531 change the height distribution of gas springs 531 in response to the change in attitude of holding device 55A by Z voice coil motor 61Z. This improves the positioning accuracy of fine movement stage 50A in the same manner as above. Note that the height distribution may be a thickness distribution or may be an elastic force distribution.

[0065] Also, according to this first embodiment, substrate stage device 20A includes holding device 55A on which substrate P is placed, support mechanism 53A that supports holding device 55A from below, and Z voice coil motor 61Z that drives holding device 55A and changes the attitude of holding device 55A from a first state (for example, a state not tilted in the θx direction) to a second state (a state rotated by a predetermined angle in the θx direction). Support mechanism 53A includes gas spring 531 that is elastically deformable against a load from holding device 55A to support mechanism 53A, and gas spring 531 changes the height in the gravity direction of gas spring 531 at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the gravity direction to different heights in response to the attitude change of holding device 55A by Z voice coil motor 61Z. This improves the positioning accuracy of fine movement stage 50A in the same manner as above. Note that the height in the gravity direction may be a thickness in the gravity direction or an elastic force in the gravity direction.

[0066] Further, according to the first embodiment, the present invention includes a holding device 55A on which the substrate P is placed, a support mechanism 53A that supports the holding device 55A from below, and a Z voice coil motor 61Z that drives the holding device 55A and changes the attitude of the holding device 55A from a first state (for example, a state not tilted in the θx direction) to a second state (a state rotated by a predetermined angle in the θx direction). The support mechanism 53A includes a gas spring 531 that is elastically deformable in response to a load from the holding device 55A to the support mechanism 53A, and the gas spring 531 changes the ratio of the heights of the gas spring 531 in the direction of gravity at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity to different magnitudes between the first state and the second state. This improves the positioning accuracy of the fine movement stage 50A in the same manner as above. The height ratio may be the ratio of thicknesses in the direction of gravity or the ratio of elastic forces in the direction of gravity.

[0067] In addition, in this first embodiment, the support mechanism 53A is connected to the holding device 55A. Since the holding device 55A and the support mechanism 53A are connected and integrated, when the holding device 55A is moved, the support mechanism 53A is also moved. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a configuration for moving the support mechanism 53A separately from the configuration for moving the holding device 55A. The holding device 55A is moved via a voice coil motor in which the stator and the mover are connected in a non-contact manner. The holding device 55A and the coarse movement stages 30, 40 are configured without mechanical connection, and it is possible to suppress the transmission of disturbances from the coarse movement stages 30, 40 to the fine movement stage 50A.

[0068] Moreover, in this first embodiment, substrate stage device 20A has Y coarse movement stage 30 and X coarse movement stage 40 which move holding device 55A supported by support mechanism 53A relatively to base plate 19, and voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, 61Z which include a stator provided on Y coarse movement stage 30 and a mover provided on holding device 55A and move holding device 55A relatively to Y coarse movement stage 30 and X coarse movement stage 40 via the mover and stator arranged in a non-contact manner. This makes it possible to move substrate P to a desired position and to match the imaging plane of projection optical system 16 and the surface of substrate P.

[0069] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, 61Z transmit driving forces for moving the holding device 55A relative to the base 19 by the Y coarse movement stage 30 and the X coarse movement stage 40 to the holding device 55A via the mover and the stator. Since the fine movement stage 50A, the Y coarse movement stage 30, and the X coarse movement stage 40 can be connected in a non-contact manner by the stator and the mover, it is possible to suppress transmission of vibrations of the Y coarse movement stage 30 and the X coarse movement stage 40 to the fine movement stage 50A.

[0070] Furthermore, when the holding device 55A and the support mechanism 53A are mechanically separated and the support mechanism 53A is pulled by the Y coarse movement stage 30, there is a possibility that vibrations of the Y coarse movement stage 30 will be transmitted to the support mechanism 53A. Since a target for the Z sensor is provided on the support portion 533 of the support mechanism 53A, for example, if vibrations are transmitted to the support mechanism 53A, the measurement of the Z sensor will be affected. Therefore, the influence of vibration transmission to the support mechanism 53A must be taken into consideration, and in a fine movement stage in which the substrate stage 52A and the support mechanism 53A are mechanically separated, it is difficult to simulate the movement of the fine movement stage in response to control.

[0071] On the other hand, in fine movement stage 50A of the first embodiment, holding device 55A and support mechanism 53A are connected and integrated, and vibrations of Y coarse movement stage 30 are not transmitted to support mechanism 53A. Therefore, vibrations of Y coarse movement stage 30 do not affect the measurement of the Z sensor, so that in fine movement stage 50A, it is easy to simulate the movement of the fine movement stage in response to control.

[0072] Furthermore, if the fine movement stage has a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate stage in the θx and θy directions, for example, it is necessary to reduce the rigidity of the fine movement stage (specifically, to make the central part thin and place the rotation mechanism as high up as possible) in order to align the center of rotation with the center of gravity of the fine movement stage. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, since there is no need to provide a rotation mechanism, the rigidity of the substrate stage can be increased and the flatness of the substrate holder can be improved. Furthermore, by increasing the rigidity of the substrate stage, the positioning accuracy of the substrate stage can also be improved.

[0073] Furthermore, since the weight of the fine movement stage 50A is supported (cancelled) by the support mechanism 53A, it is possible to reduce the thrust of the Z voice coil motor 61Z required to drive the substrate stage 52A in the Z axis direction, the θx direction, and the θy direction. This allows the amount of heat generated by the Z voice coil motor 61Z to be reduced, so that temperature fluctuations due to heat generated by the Z voice coil motor 61Z can be reduced. Temperature fluctuations affect position measurement, but according to the first embodiment, temperature fluctuations are reduced, so the accuracy of position measurement can be improved.

[0074] Moreover, in the first embodiment, the support mechanism 53A is a gas spring 531 filled with gas. Since the only component of the support mechanism 53A is the gas spring 531, the fine movement stage 50A can be easily and inexpensively made low-profile. Furthermore, since the support mechanism 53A is small, the fine movement stage 50A can be made lighter, and further, since the rigidity of the gas spring 531 is small, the substrate stage 52A can be tilt-driven with a small thrust, so the amount of heat generated by the voice coil motors 61X, 61Y, and 61Z can be reduced. This makes it possible to suppress deterioration in performance of the exposure apparatus 10A due to heat.

[0075] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, substrate stage 52A is hollow, and the inside of substrate stage 52A communicates with the inside of gas spring 531. As a result, substrate stage 52A functions as a tank for gas spring 531, so that the spring constant of gas spring 531 can be reduced and the vibration isolation performance of gas spring 531 can be improved.

[0076] Furthermore, because the spring constant of gas spring 531 is small, when driving substrate stage 52A in the Z-axis direction, the θx direction, and the θz direction, only a small thrust is required to counter the restoring force of the spring, and the thrust of the voice coil motor for driving in the Z-axis direction, the θx direction, and the θy direction can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of heat generated by the voice coil motor, thereby reducing the impact of heat on exposure apparatus 10A.

[0077] In addition, in the first embodiment, some elements (e.g., stators) of the voice coil motors 61X, 61Y that apply thrust in at least one of the X-axis and Y-axis directions to the holding device 55A are provided on the Y coarse movement stage 30 at a position that approximately coincides with the center of gravity G of the fine movement stage 50A including the holding device 55A and the support mechanism 53A in the Z-axis direction. As a result, in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, the position of the thrust generating point of the voice coil motors 61X, 61Y in the Z-axis direction and the center of gravity G of the fine movement stage 50A approximately coincide with each other. Therefore, in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, the fine movement stage 50A can be driven without interfering with the movements in other directions. That is, when the fine movement stage 50A is driven in the X-axis direction, the fine movement stage 50A can be driven in the X-axis direction without interfering with the movements in the θy direction, for example. When the fine movement stage 50A is driven in the Y-axis direction, the fine movement stage 50A can be driven in the Y-axis direction without interfering with the movements in the θx direction, for example.

[0078] In the Z-axis direction, Z voice coil motor 61Z generates thrust while maintaining balance of the moments, thereby driving fine movement stage 50A without interfering with other axes. In the θz direction, by applying a moment in that direction to fine movement stage 50A, fine movement stage 50A moves around center of gravity G so as to be most stable. In the θx and θy directions, the movement of gas spring 531 is not restricted, so by applying a moment in that direction to substrate stage 52A, substrate stage 52A moves around center of gravity G so as to be most stable. In this way, since there is no interference between the axes, the positioning accuracy of fine movement stage 50A can be improved.

[0079] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, Z voice coil motor 61Z rotates fine movement stage 50A around center of gravity G. This allows the translational movement and rotational movement of fine movement stage 50A to be performed with reference to the same center of gravity G, thereby improving the controllability of driving the stage.

[0080] (Variation 1) FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate stage device 20B related to Modification 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7(B) is a diagram showing a fine movement stage 50B related to Modification 1.

[0081] 7(B), fine movement stage 50B according to the first modification includes leaf spring 501. One end of leaf spring 501 is connected to a lower end of connection member 523 extending in the direction of gravity (Z-axis direction) from the lower surface of substrate stage 52A, and the other end is connected to support portion 533. Leaf spring 501 is installed so that its thickness direction is parallel to a direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the upper surface of base plate 19 (the movement reference surface of fine movement stage 50B). The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description will be omitted.

[0082] The fine movement stage 50B according to the first modification of the first embodiment includes a leaf spring 501, one end of which is connected to the substrate stage 52A and the other end of which is connected to the support portion 533, and which is installed so that the thickness direction is parallel to the Z-axis direction. The leaf spring 501 thus installed has high rigidity in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and low rigidity in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the leaf spring 501 does not impede the driving of the fine movement stage 50B in the θx direction and the θy direction. On the other hand, the leaf spring 501 improves the followability of the support mechanism 53A to the substrate stage 52A, and can increase the natural frequency of the lower part of the gas spring 531. Therefore, even if the support mechanism 53A vibrates due to disturbance, the force (excitation force) transmitted to the exposure apparatus 10A via the base plate 19 is small because of the small amplitude, and the performance of the exposure apparatus 10A as a whole is improved.

[0083] (Variation 2) In the first embodiment and its first modification, the substrate stage 52A functions as a tank for the gas spring 531, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0084] Figure 8 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of substrate stage device 20C according to modified example 2 of the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, in modified example 2, the inside of gas spring 531 of support mechanism 53B and the inside of substrate stage 52B of holding device 55B are not in communication, and only gas spring 531 functions as a tank. As the other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0085] When substrate stage 52B is not used as a tank for gas spring 531, the spring constant of gas spring 531 becomes larger compared to when substrate stage 52B is used as a tank, but fine movement stage 50C can be configured more easily. Also, because the tank is smaller, the amount of gas supplied in response to internal pressure fluctuations in gas spring 531 can be reduced.

[0086] In the second modification, the upper end of gas spring 531 is connected to substrate stage 52B via connection part 522, but connection part 522 may be omitted and gas spring 531 may be directly connected to substrate stage 52B. This is not limited to the second modification of the first embodiment, but is similar to the other embodiments and their modifications.

[0087] (Variation 3-1) 9(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of substrate stage device 20D1 pertaining to modified example 3-1. In substrate stage device 20D1 pertaining to modified example 3-1, support mechanism 53D1 is equipped with damping mechanism 54A in addition to gas spring 531. Damping mechanism 54A generates a damping force in a direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the movement reference plane (XY plane).

[0088] In modification 3-1, damping mechanism 54A includes throttle 541 formed in substrate stage 52C of holding device 55C, and pressure loss element 542. When gas spring 531 deforms, gas flows between the inside (tank) of substrate stage 52C and the inside of gas spring 531, and a damping effect can be obtained by the pressure loss of the gas passing through throttle 541. This makes it possible to further attenuate disturbances transmitted to fine movement stage 50D1.

[0089] The pressure loss element 542 is, for example, a filter, and is disposed in series with the throttle 541 as shown in Fig. 9(A). The pressure loss element 542 damps piping resonance caused by the throttle 541. The pressure loss element 542 may be omitted. The other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The aperture 541 is formed on the underside of the substrate stage 52C, and the pressure loss element 542 is provided inside the substrate stage 52C (inside the tank), so that the disturbances transmitted to the fine movement stage 50D1 can be further attenuated without increasing the size of the support mechanism 53D1, i.e., without increasing the size of the fine movement stage 50D1.

[0091] (Variation 3-2) 9(B) is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of substrate stage device 20D2 related to modified example 3-2 of the first embodiment. In substrate stage device 20D2 related to modified example 3-2, support mechanism 53D2 is equipped with damper mechanism 54B as a damping mechanism in addition to gas spring 531. This makes it possible to further dampen disturbances transmitted to fine movement stage 50D2. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and so detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0092] Damper mechanism 54B can be installed inside a tank formed by gas spring 531 and substrate stage 52A, and therefore can better attenuate disturbances transmitted to fine movement stage 50D2 without increasing the size of support mechanism 53D2, i.e., without increasing the size of fine movement stage 50D2.

[0093] (Variation 4) Figure 10 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of substrate stage device 20E related to Modification 4 of the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, substrate stage device 20E related to Modification 4 is equipped with a fine movement stage support mechanism 80A that supports fine movement stage 50E.

[0094] Fine movement stage support mechanism 80A includes a table portion 83 and gas bearings 81 and 82. Table portion 83 is inserted into an opening (see FIG. 3(B)) formed in Y coarse movement stage 30. Table portion 83 is mechanically connected to Y coarse movement stage 30 via a plurality of connection devices 90 (also referred to as flexure devices), and as table portion 83 is pulled by Y coarse movement stage 30, fine movement stage support mechanism 80A moves integrally with Y coarse movement stage 30 along the XY plane.

[0095] A gas bearing 82 with its bearing surface facing the -Z side is attached to the underside (-Z side surface) of table portion 83. As a result, fine movement stage support mechanism 80A is placed in a non-contact state via gas bearing 82 on base plate 19, the upper surface of which has been finished to an extremely high degree of flatness. A gas bearing 81 (called a sealing pad) with its bearing surface facing the +Z side is attached to the upper surface (+Z side surface) of table portion 83.

[0096] Furthermore, in the fourth modification, the lower surface of support portion 533 that supports gas spring 531 is finished to an extremely high degree of flatness, and functions as a guide surface for sealing pad 81 described above of fine movement stage support mechanism 80A.

[0097] In the fourth modification, gas spring 531 of support mechanism 53E is directly connected to substrate stage 52A, and the inside of substrate stage 52A communicates with the inside of gas spring 531. The other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description will be omitted.

[0098] Even when fine movement stage 50E of Modification 4 is employed, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Note that in Modification 4, similar to Modification 1, substrate stage 52A and support portion 533 may be connected by a leaf spring. This allows the same effects as those of Modification 1 to be obtained. Also, in Modification 4, similar to Modification 2, the inside of substrate stage 52A and the inside of gas spring 531 do not need to be in communication. Also, in Modification 4, similar to Modifications 3-1 and 3-2, support mechanism 53E may include, in addition to gas spring 531, damping mechanism 54A or damper mechanism 54B.

[0099] (Variation 5) 11 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of substrate stage device 20F according to modified example 5 of the first embodiment. In modified example 5, the upper surface (the surface on the +Z side) of table portion 83 of fine movement stage support mechanism 80B functions as a guide surface for fine movement stage 50F, and a gas bearing 85 with a bearing surface facing the -Z side is attached between table portion 83 and support portion 533 of support mechanism 53F. As the other configurations are the same as in modified example 4, detailed explanations will be omitted. Even when fine movement stage 50F of modified example 5 is adopted, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0100] (Variation 6) Although the support mechanisms 53A, 53B, 53D1, 53D2, 53E, and 53F in the first embodiment and its modifications 1 to 5 described above include the gas spring 531, the support mechanisms may have other configurations.

[0101] Figure 12 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of a substrate stage device 20G according to Modification 6 of the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, support mechanism 53G of fine movement stage 50G according to Modification 6 comprises a plurality of coil springs 534, and a damping mechanism 54C.

[0102] The coil springs 534 are arranged at different positions on the lower surface of the substrate stage 52B, one end of each of the coil springs 534 is fixed to the lower surface of the substrate stage 52B, and the other end of each of the coil springs 534 is fixed to the support portion 533. The coil springs 534 are deformed with a change in the attitude of the holding device 55B with respect to the upper surface of the base plate 19, that is, with the swing (tilt) of the holding device 55B in the θx and θy directions. For example, when the holding device 55B rotates from a predetermined state by a predetermined angle in the θx direction (when rotated around the X axis), some of the coil springs 534 (for example, the coil spring 534 provided on the +Y side of the center of the holding device 55B in the Y axis direction) contract, and other coil springs 534 (for example, the coil spring 534 provided on the -Y side of the center of the holding device 55B in the Y axis direction) expand.

[0103] In other words, the multiple coil springs 534 support the holding device 55B by elastically deforming so that, as the angle between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the base plate 19 changes, the height in the direction of gravity of the coil springs 534 located on one side where the gap between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the base plate 19 is narrower becomes lower, and the height in the direction of gravity of the coil springs 534 located on the other side where the gap between the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of the base plate 19 is wider becomes higher.

[0104] Note that the height of coil spring 534 changes depending on whether the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is narrow or wide, and therefore the restoring force of coil spring 534 differs. Therefore, the multiple coil springs 534 arranged at different positions within the lower surface of substrate stage 52B support holding device 55B with different forces depending on whether the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 is narrow or wide, as the angle between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of surface plate 19 changes.

[0105] The damping mechanism 54C generates a damping force in a direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the movement reference plane (XY plane). The other configurations are the same as those in the fourth modification, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0106] Substrate stage device 20G of variant example 6 comprises a holding device 55B having a support surface (upper surface of substrate holder 51A) that supports substrate P, a support mechanism 53G having a plurality of elastically deformable coil springs 534 that support holding device 55B from below, a base plate 19 having a support surface that supports support mechanism 53G, and a Z voice coil motor 61Z that moves holding device 55B so as to change the angle between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of base plate 19, and as the angle is changed by the Z voice coil motor 61Z, the support mechanism 53G supports holding device 55B by elastically deforming so that of the plurality of coil springs 534, the coil spring 534 that supports one side where the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of base plate 19 is narrow contracts and the coil spring 534 that supports the other side where the gap between the upper surface of substrate holder 51A and the upper surface of base plate 19 is wide expands. In this way, even if the coil spring 534 is used instead of the gas spring 531, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0107] When coil spring 534 is used, the spring constant is larger than that of a gas spring, but support mechanism 53G can be easily configured. Also, since a tank is not required, energy consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, disturbances transmitted to fine movement stage 50G can be damped by damping mechanism 54C. As damping mechanism 54C, a damper mechanism using a viscous fluid or a solid damper using a viscoelastic body is preferable.

[0108] Second Embodiment The fine movement stage in the first embodiment can tilt in the θx and θy directions, but the fine movement stage in the second embodiment cannot tilt in the θx and θy directions.

[0109] 13 is a diagram showing roughly the configuration of substrate stage device 20H according to the second embodiment. Substrate stage device 20H comprises a surface plate 19 and a fine movement stage 50H.

[0110] Fine movement stage 50H is disposed on base 19. Fine movement stage 50H includes a holding device 55H including a substrate holder 51H and a substrate stage 52H, a support mechanism 53H, and a gas bearing 58.

[0111] Support mechanism 53H includes a plurality of (e.g., three) gas springs 531H and a support portion 533. The plurality of gas springs 531H are provided to surround center of gravity G of fine movement stage 50H, and generate a force in the direction of gravity (Z-axis direction) that balances the weight of a system including substrate holder 51H and substrate stage 52H.

[0112] In the second embodiment, the fine movement stage 50H includes a Z voice coil motor 62Z for driving the substrate stage 52H in the Z axis direction. The mover of the Z voice coil motor 62Z is ​​attached, for example, to the lower surface of the substrate stage 52H, and the stator is attached to the upper surface of the support portion 533. The Z voice coil motor 62Z applies a thrust force in the Z axis direction to the substrate stage 52H. The Z voice coil motor 62Z has a Z guide (not shown) that restricts the driving direction of the substrate stage 52H by the Z voice coil motor 62Z to the Z axis direction. This prevents the fine movement stage 50H from tilting in the θx direction and the θy direction. Note that the Z voice coil motor 62Z that applies a thrust force in the Z axis direction to the substrate stage 52H and the Z guide that restricts the driving direction of the substrate stage 52H to the Z axis direction may be provided separately.

[0113] Thus, substrate stage device 20H according to the second embodiment comprises substrate stage 52H that holds and moves substrate P, and support mechanism 53H that is connected to substrate stage 52H and supports substrate stage 52H in a direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to a moving reference surface (upper surface of base plate 19) that serves as a reference when substrate stage 52H moves, without contacting the moving reference surface, and support mechanism 53H includes a plurality of gas springs 531H whose upper ends are connected to substrate stage 52H and whose lower ends are connected to support parts 533 that are arranged above the moving reference surface in a non-contact manner. Thereby, similar to the first embodiment and its modifications 1 to 5, disturbances transmitted from base plate 19 can be attenuated by gas springs 531H.

[0114] In addition, since the weight of holding device 55H is supported by multiple gas springs 531H, Z voice coil motor 62Z can drive holding device 55H in the Z axis direction with a small thrust. This reduces the amount of heat generated by Z voice coil motor 62Z and prevents deterioration of position measurement accuracy due to temperature fluctuations.

[0115] Furthermore, compared to using a ball screw drive device to drive the substrate stage 52H in the Z-axis direction, the use of the Z voice coil motor 62Z can improve the position control accuracy of the fine movement stage 50H.

[0116] (Modification) 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate stage device 20J according to a modified example of the second embodiment. In the modified example, fine movement stage 50H according to the second embodiment is applied to a gantry stage, and further, substrate stage 52H is configured to be tiltable in the θx direction and the θy direction.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 14, substrate stage device 20J is equipped with a pair of X guides 2 (only one is shown in FIG. 14), an X carriage 3, a Y beam guide 4, and a Y carriage 7.

[0118] A pair of X guides 2 extending in the X-axis direction are laid out in parallel with a gap in the Y-axis direction on the upper surface of bed 1, and X carriages 3 are provided so as to be freely movable and engage with each X guide 2. A Y beam guide 4 is suspended and fixed in place above X carriage 3, extending along the Y-axis direction and forming a bridge connecting both carriages 3.

[0119] 14, as shown by dotted lines, multiple gas bearings 5 ​​are arranged between the X carriage 3 and the top surface of the X guide 2, and multiple gas bearings 6 are arranged between the X carriage 3 and the side surface of the X guide 2. The gas bearings 5 ​​and 6 are fixed to the X carriage 3, and the X carriage 3 (and the Y beam guide 4 fixed to the X carriage 3), which is supported in a non-contact manner by the X guide 2, is guided by the X guide 2 and is freely movable in the X axis direction. Note that one of the gas bearings 6 of the X carriage 3 may be omitted.

[0120] A Y carriage 7 is placed on the top of the Y beam guide 4. As shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of gas bearings 8 are arranged between the Y carriage 7 and the upper surface of the Y beam guide 4, and a plurality of gas bearings 9 are arranged between the side surface 7a of the Y carriage 7 and the side surface 4a of the Y beam guide 4. These gas bearings 8, 9 are fixed to the Y carriage 7, and the Y carriage 7 supported in a non-contact manner by the Y beam guide 4 is guided by the Y beam guide 4 and is movable in the Y-axis direction. The upper surface of the Y beam guide 4 is finished to an extremely high degree of flatness. In a modified example of the second embodiment, the upper surface of the Y beam guide 4 serves as the reference surface for movement.

[0121] Substrate stage 52H is placed on the upper surface of Y carriage 7 via a plurality of gas springs 531H serving as support mechanism 53J. The plurality of gas springs 531H are arranged at different positions on the lower surface of substrate stage 52H, with one end of gas spring 531H fixed to the lower surface of substrate stage 52H and the other end of gas spring 531H fixed to the upper surface of Y carriage 7.

[0122] Furthermore, for example, a mover of a Z voice coil motor 61Z is attached to the lower surface of the substrate stage 52H, and a stator of the Z voice coil motor 61Z is attached to the upper surface of the Y carriage .

[0123] Unlike the Z voice coil motor 61Z in the second embodiment, the Z voice coil motor 61Z in the modified example does not have a Z guide that restricts the driving of the substrate stage 52H only in the Z axis direction. Therefore, the substrate stage 52H is able to tilt in the θx and θy directions.

[0124] The gas springs 531H are deformed in accordance with a change in the attitude of the substrate stage 52H relative to the upper surface of the Y beam guide 4, that is, with the oscillation (tilt) of the substrate stage 52H in the θx and θy directions. For example, when the substrate stage 52H rotates from a predetermined state by a predetermined angle in the θx direction (when rotated around the X axis), some gas springs 531H (for example, gas springs 531H provided on the +Y side of the center of the substrate stage 52H in the Y axis direction) contract, and other gas springs 531H (for example, gas springs 531H provided on the -Y side of the center of the substrate stage 52H in the Y axis direction) expand. As a result, the gas springs 531H arranged at different positions on the lower surface of the substrate stage 52H support the substrate stage 52H with different forces.

[0125] Furthermore, fine movement stage 50J according to the modified example includes leaf spring 501. One end of leaf spring 501 is connected to a lower end of connection member 523 extending in the direction of gravity (Z-axis direction) from the lower surface of substrate stage 52H, and the other end is connected to Y-carriage 7. Leaf spring 501 is placed so that its thickness direction is parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0126] Leaf spring 501 installed in this manner has low rigidity in the Z-axis direction and high rigidity in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Therefore, while leaf spring 501 restrains substrate stage 52H in the XY plane, it does not impede driving of substrate stage 52H in the θx and θy directions. Leaf spring 501 can increase the natural frequency of the lower part of gas spring 531, and therefore, similar to Modification 1 of the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the performance of the entire exposure apparatus.

[0127] Substrate stage device 20J according to a modified example of the second embodiment includes a holding device 55H having a support surface that supports a substrate P, a support mechanism 53J that applies an upward force in the direction of gravity to the lower surface of a substrate stage 52H included in the holding device 55H and supports the holding device 55H, and a Z voice coil motor 61Z that moves the holding device 55H so that the moving body is in a first state (for example, a state in which the upper surface of the substrate holder 51A is parallel to the upper surface of the base plate 19) to a second state in which the inclination angle of the support surface (upper surface of the substrate holder 51A) of the holding device 55H is changed. The support mechanism 53J supports the holding device 55H with different forces at different positions on the lower surface of the substrate stage 52H in a direction intersecting with the direction of gravity for the holding device 55H in the second state.

[0128] Since the weight of holding device 55H is supported by multiple gas springs 531H, Z voice coil motor 61Z can drive holding device 55H in the Z axis direction with a small thrust. This reduces the amount of heat generated by Z voice coil motor 61Z and prevents deterioration of position measurement accuracy due to temperature fluctuations.

[0129] In the second embodiment and its modified examples, instead of multiple gas springs 531, a single gas spring 531 may be provided under the center of gravity G of the fine movement stage, as in the first embodiment. Also, in addition to multiple gas springs 531, a damping mechanism such as a damper mechanism may be provided, as in modified example 3 of the first embodiment. Also, instead of multiple gas springs 531, multiple coil springs and a damping mechanism may be used as a support mechanism, as in modified example 6 of the first embodiment. Also, a configuration in which a gas spring and a coil spring are used in combination to support the substrate stage may be used. Furthermore, a damping mechanism may be used in combination.

[0130] In addition, in the first embodiment and its variations 1 to 5, the fine movement stage has one gas spring 531, but this is not limited to the case, and as with the second embodiment and its variations, the fine movement stage may have multiple gas springs.

[0131] Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments and their modified examples, the substrate stage may be magnetically levitated above the support portion 533 without using a gas spring or a coil spring. Note that the substrate stage may be supported on the support portion 533 by using a gas spring or a coil spring in combination with magnetic levitation.

[0132] In the above embodiments, a unity magnification system is used as the projection optical system 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a reduction system or a magnification system may also be used.

[0133] The applications of the exposure apparatus are not limited to exposure apparatus for liquid crystals that transfer liquid crystal display element patterns to rectangular glass plates, but can also be widely applied to, for example, exposure apparatus for manufacturing organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panels, exposure apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors, and exposure apparatus for manufacturing thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, DNA chips, etc. In addition, the exposure apparatus can also be applied to exposure apparatus that transfer circuit patterns to glass substrates or silicon wafers to manufacture masks or reticles used in light exposure apparatuses, EUV exposure apparatuses, X-ray exposure apparatuses, electron beam exposure apparatuses, etc., in addition to microdevices such as semiconductor elements.

[0134] In addition, the substrate to be exposed is not limited to a glass plate, and may be other objects such as a wafer, a ceramic substrate, a film member, or a mask blank. In addition, when the substrate to be exposed is a substrate for a flat panel display, the thickness of the substrate is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a film-like substrate (a flexible sheet-like member). The exposure apparatus of this embodiment is particularly effective when the substrate to be exposed is a substrate having a side length or a diagonal length of 500 mm or more. In addition, when the substrate to be exposed is a flexible sheet-like substrate, the sheet may be formed into a roll.

[0135] Moreover, a liquid crystal display element as a microdevice can be manufactured using the exposure apparatus according to each of the above embodiments. First, a so-called photolithography process is performed in which a pattern image is formed on a photosensitive substrate (such as a glass substrate coated with resist). This photolithography process forms a predetermined pattern including a large number of electrodes on the photosensitive substrate. The exposed substrate then goes through various processes such as a development process, an etching process, and a resist stripping process, thereby forming a predetermined pattern on the substrate. Then, a liquid crystal display element as a microdevice can be obtained through a color filter formation process, a cell assembly process, and a module assembly process.

[0136] It should be noted that the disclosures of all publications, international publications, U.S. patent application publications, and U.S. patent specifications relating to exposure apparatuses and the like cited in the above description are incorporated herein by reference.

[0137] The above-described embodiment is a preferred example of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 10A Exposure equipment 20A~20J Substrate stage device 50A~50J Micromotion stage 51A, 51H PCB holder 52A~52H Substrate stage 53A~53J Support mechanism 61X, 61Y, 61Z Voice coil motor 501 Leaf spring 531,531H Gas spring 533 Support part

Claims

1. A moving body having a first support surface that supports an object; a support portion having a first support member and a second support member that are elastically deformable and connect and support the movable body from below; A support device having a second support surface that supports the support portion; a first drive unit that moves the movable body connected and supported by the support unit relative to the support device; a second drive unit that moves the moving body so that an angle formed between the first support surface and the second support surface is changed; the support portion is not connected to the first driving portion, and in response to the change in the angle by the second driving portion, the first support member supporting one side where the gap between the first support surface and the second support surface is narrow is contracted, and the second support member supporting the other side where the gap between the first support surface and the second support surface is wide is stretched, thereby supporting the moving body by elastic deformation. Stage equipment.

2. a moving body having a first support surface that supports an object and a second support surface that faces the first support surface; a support portion that applies an upward force in the direction of gravity to the second support surface and connects and supports the moving body; a first drive unit that moves the movable body connected to and supported by the support unit within a horizontal plane; a second drive unit that moves the movable body from a first state to a second state in which the inclination angle of the first support surface is changed, the support portion is not connected to the first drive portion, and supports the moving body in the second state with different forces at a first position and a second position that are different from each other on the second support surface in a direction intersecting a gravity direction. Stage equipment.

3. The support portion includes a first support member that supports the movable body at the first position and a second support member that supports the movable body at the second position.

3. The stage apparatus according to claim 2.

4. the first support member and the second support member support the moving body with different elastic forces relative to the moving body; 4. The stage apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The stage apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a support device that supports the support portion from below.

6. A moving body on which an object is placed; A support portion that connects and supports the movable body from below; a first drive unit that moves the movable body connected to and supported by the support unit within a horizontal plane; a second drive unit that drives the moving body and changes the attitude of the moving body from a first state to a second state, The support portion is not connected to the first drive portion, the support portion includes an elastic member that is elastically deformable in response to a load applied to the support portion from the moving body, The elastic member changes a height distribution of the elastic member in response to a change in posture of the movable body caused by the second driving unit.

7. A moving body on which an object is placed; A support portion that connects and supports the movable body from below; a first drive unit that moves the movable body connected to and supported by the support unit within a horizontal plane; a second drive unit that drives the moving body and changes the attitude of the moving body from a first state to a second state, The support portion is not connected to the first drive portion, the support portion includes an elastic member that is elastically deformable in response to a load applied to the support portion from the moving body, A stage device in which the elastic member changes the height of the elastic member in the gravity direction at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the gravity direction to different heights in response to a change in posture of the movable body caused by the second drive unit.

8. A moving body on which an object is placed; A support portion that connects and supports the movable body from below; a first drive unit that moves the movable body connected to and supported by the support unit within a horizontal plane; a second drive unit that drives the moving body and changes the attitude of the moving body from a first state to a second state, The support portion is not connected to the first drive portion, the support portion includes an elastic member that is elastically deformable in response to a load applied to the support portion from the moving body, A stage device in which the elastic member changes a ratio of the height of the elastic member in the direction of gravity at a first position and a second position that are different from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity to a different magnitude between the first state and the second state.

9. The support portion connects and supports the moving body via a connection portion. The stage apparatus according to claim 1 .

10. The first drive portion includes a first member, The moving body includes a second member, the second driving unit moves the moving body relative to the first driving unit via the first member and the second member that are arranged in a non-contact manner with each other; 10. The stage apparatus according to claim 1,

11. The first drive portion includes a first member, The moving body includes a second member, the second driving unit moves the moving body relative to the first driving unit via the first member and the second member that are arranged in a non-contact manner with each other; 6. The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

12. The second driving unit transmits a driving force for causing the first driving unit to move the movable body relative to the support device to the movable body via the first member and the second member. The stage apparatus of claim 11 .

13. The first member is provided at a position substantially coinciding with a center of gravity of a structure formed by the movable body and the support portion.

13. The stage apparatus of claim 12.

14. The second driving unit rotates and moves the structure around the center of gravity as a rotation center.

14. The stage apparatus of claim 13.

15. a leaf spring having one end connected to the moving body and the other end connected to the support portion, the leaf spring being disposed so that the thickness direction is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the reference plane of the moving body; 15. The stage apparatus according to claim 11.

16. The support portion has a damping mechanism that generates a damping force on the moving body in a gravity direction.

16. The stage apparatus according to claim 1.

17. The support portion is a gas spring having a gas filled therein.

17. The stage apparatus according to claim 1.

18. The moving body is hollow, The inside of the moving body and the inside of the gas spring are in communication with each other.

20. The stage apparatus of claim 17.

19. The support portion is a coil spring.

17. The stage apparatus according to claim 1.

20. A stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, a pattern forming device that forms a predetermined pattern on the object by an energy beam; An exposure apparatus comprising:

21. The object is a substrate used in a flat panel display. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20.

22. The substrate has at least one side length or diagonal length of 500 mm or more. The exposure apparatus according to claim 21.

23. Exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 22; and developing the exposed object.

24. Exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 22; and developing the exposed object.

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