Data processing device, data processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

A data processing device (4) comprises: a position-dependent data collection unit (41) that, with regard to a drive device (5) that drives a stage (110) within a movable surface (MP) of two or more dimensions, collects position-dependent data pertaining to the stage (110) for a plurality of positions of the stage (110) within a movable surface (MP); and a distribution data generation unit (42) that generates distribution data of the position-dependent data over at least a partial region of the movable surface (MP). The position-dependent data collection unit (41) collects position-dependent data from when the stage (110) stops at the plurality of positions within the movable surface (MP). The position-dependent data is a positional deviation between an actual stop position and a target position (ST) when the stage (110) stops at a plurality of target positions (ST) within the movable surface (MP).

Description

Data processing device, data processing method, and storage medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a data processing device in a drive device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for diagnosing abnormalities occurring in a drive mechanism by repeatedly performing a predetermined initial operation on a moving part of a device to be diagnosed. In each initial operation, the moving element is moved back and forth from a predetermined initial position, and the deviation between the initial position and the return position is recorded over time as data for abnormality diagnosis.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-284929

[0004] In a driving device that drives a movable part or a driven object, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, an abnormality may occur at a specific position within the movable range of the driven object. The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, which diagnoses an abnormality based on the reciprocating movement to and from a predetermined initial position, may be able to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality, but it is difficult to identify the location where the abnormality has occurred.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a data processing device and the like that can make apparent differences depending on the position within the movable range of a driven object.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a data processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a driving device that drives a driven object within a movable area of ​​two or more dimensions, and includes a position-dependent data collection unit that collects position-dependent data related to the driven object for multiple positions of the driven object within the movable area, and a distribution data generation unit that generates distribution data of the position-dependent data across at least a portion of the movable area.

[0007] According to this aspect, distribution data of the position-dependent data is generated based on the position-dependent data collected at multiple positions within the movable range of the driven object, thereby making the differences depending on the position of the driven object apparent.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a data processing method, which includes, in a drive device that drives a driven object within a movable area of ​​two or more dimensions, collecting position-dependent data related to the driven object for a plurality of positions of the driven object within the movable area, and generating distribution data of the position-dependent data across at least a portion of the movable area.

[0009] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a storage medium storing a data processing program for causing a computer to execute the following operations in a drive device that drives a driven object within a movable area of ​​two or more dimensions: collecting position-dependent data related to the driven object for a plurality of positions within the movable area; and generating distribution data of the position-dependent data across at least a portion of the movable area.

[0010] Any combination of the above components, or any conversion of these expressions into methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also encompassed within the present disclosure.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to make apparent the difference depending on the position within the movable range of the driven object.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stage device to which a fluid actuator is applied; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air actuator; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a control device for an air actuator; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a stage device to which an electromagnetic actuator is applied; FIG. 5 is a schematic functional block diagram of a data processing device; FIG. 6 shows an example of collection of position-dependent data representing stopping stability; FIG. 7 is a schematic functional block diagram of a data processing device; FIG. 8 shows an example of distribution data displayed in three-dimensional space.

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a detailed description will be given of a mode for carrying out the present disclosure (hereinafter also referred to as an embodiment). In the description and / or drawings, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, etc. are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. The scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are set for convenience to simplify the description and should not be interpreted as limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiment is an example and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Not all features and their combinations presented in the embodiment are necessarily essential to the present disclosure. For convenience, the embodiment is presented broken down into components for each function and / or functional group that realizes the embodiment. However, one component in the embodiment may actually be realized by a combination of multiple separate components, or multiple components in the embodiment may actually be realized by a single integrated component.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stage device 100 to which a fluid actuator is applied as a first embodiment of a drive device according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, an air actuator that uses air as a working fluid to drive a stage 110 as a driven object is exemplified as the fluid actuator. The stage device 100 includes a base 102, a vibration isolation table 104, a vibration isolation device 106, the stage 110, one X-axis air actuator 120, and two Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Y-axis air actuators 130). The base 102 is supported by the vibration isolation table 104. The stage device 100 is formed in an H-shape in top view with the X-axis air actuator 120 as the upper axis and the two Y-axis air actuators 130A and 130B as the lower axis. The vibration isolation device 106 suppresses the propagation of vibrations from the floor on which the stage device 100 is placed to the base 102.

[0015] The X-axis air actuator 120 and the Y-axis air actuator 130 are fluid actuators that use air as the working fluid to drive the stage 110, which is the driven object, along the X-axis and Y-axis. A processing object (not shown), such as a semiconductor wafer, is placed on the stage 110. The X-axis air actuator 120 has a guide 122 (square shaft), a slider 124, a servo valve 126 (not shown), and a pipe 128 (not shown). Similarly, the Y-axis air actuator 130 has a guide 132, a slider 134, a servo valve 136, and a pipe 138. The stage 110 is mounted on the slider 124. Both ends of the guide 122 are supported by the slider 134 of the Y-axis air actuator 130.

[0016] The sliders 124, 134 constitute a drive unit that drives the stage 110, which is the driven object, along the X-axis and Y-axis. The servo valves 126, 136 constitute a working fluid supply unit that supplies air to the sliders 124, 134 based on an intake / exhaust volume (a manipulated variable that is the output of the control device), which is the amount of air movement calculated by a control device (not shown). The pipes 128, 138 allow air to circulate between the drive unit and the working fluid supply unit. The position sensor 140 detects the position of the stage 110 in the X-axis direction, and the position sensor 142 detects the position of the stage 110 in the Y-axis direction.

[0017] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air actuator. The X-axis air actuator 120 includes a guide 122, a slider 124, a servo valve 126 (spool valve), and piping 128. Pressurized air is supplied between the outer circumferential surface of the guide 122 and the inner circumferential surface of the slider 124, forming a hydrostatic bearing. The slider 124, which is lifted from the guide 122 by the pressurized air, can move smoothly in the X-axis direction without contacting the guide 122. A servo chamber 150, which is an internal space, is provided in the slider 124. The servo chamber 150 is divided into a positive chamber 152 and a negative chamber 154 by a pressure-receiving plate 123 formed integrally with the guide 122.

[0018] The slider 124 is driven by a servo valve 126. The servo valve 126 controls the intake and exhaust volume of the control port depending on the position of the spool. Each axis of the air actuator 120, 130 includes a pair of servo valves 126P, 126N, one located on the positive side and the other on the negative side. The control port of the positive-side servo valve 126P is connected to the positive-side chamber 152 via the positive-side piping 128P. The control port of the negative-side servo valve 126N is connected to the negative-side chamber 154 via the negative-side piping 128N. The position of the slider 124 relative to the guide 122 (pressure plate 123) is controlled by the pressure difference generated between the positive-side chamber 152 and the negative-side chamber 154 depending on the spool positions of the servo valves 126P, 126N. While the X-axis air actuator 120 has been mainly described above, the Y-axis air actuator 130 can also be configured similarly to the X-axis air actuator 120.

[0019] 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a control device 300 for the air actuators 120, 130. The control device 300 is responsible for drive control of the stage 110, which is the driven object of the air actuators 120, 130. The control device 300 controls any manipulated variable for the air actuators 120, 130 to control any controlled variable of the stage 110. As long as drive control of the stage 110 by the control device 300 and / or the air actuators 120, 130 can be achieved, any combination of the controlled variable for the stage 110 and the manipulated variable for the air actuators 120, 130 is possible. In the example of this embodiment, the position of the stage 110 is used as the controlled variable, and the intake / exhaust volume u of the servo valves 126, 136 is used as the manipulated variable.

[0020] Because piping resonance and other mechanical resonances cannot be ignored for the air actuators 120, 130 and / or stage 110 as the control targets of the control device 300, the order of the control model is high, at least three, and strictly speaking, it is at least a fifth-order control system. However, due to the trade-off between the higher order due to high-order differential elements and the deterioration of control responsiveness, it is difficult to realize a fifth-order control system in an actual control device 300, and most control devices 300 in practical use remain as third-order control systems as shown in FIG. 3.

[0021] The at least third-order control device 300 includes an FB control unit 310 that performs FB control based on multiple (preferably, at least three) feedback (FB) gains, and an FF control unit 360 that performs FF control based on multiple (preferably, at least three) feedforward (FF) gains. As will be described in detail later, the manipulated variable u for the air actuators 120, 130 as the output of the control device 300 is calculated based on the outputs of both the FF control unit 360 and the FB control unit 310. The manipulated variable u output from the output unit 302 of the control device 300 is a valve command that determines the intake / exhaust volume of the servo valves 126, 136, and the position (control variable) of the stage 110 is controlled by the resulting differential pressure. The position Pos of the stage 110 detected by the position sensors 140, 142 is ｆｂ The (measured difference value of the controlled variable) is used for feedback control in the feedback control unit 310.

[0022] The FF control unit 360 includes three pairs of differentiators 364, 366, and 368 and proportional compensators 370, 372, and 374 arranged from the input unit 301 to the output unit 302 of the control device 300. The first-stage differentiator 364 outputs a position command Pos as a target value of the control amount (position of the stage 110) input to the input unit 301. ｒｅｆ is differentiated and converted into a velocity. The first stage proportional compensator 370 adds a proportional gain K ｆｆｖ The velocity command for the stage 110 is calculated by multiplying the velocity by a value obtained by the differentiator 364 and the resulting value together with a position compensation amount (described later) calculated by the FB control unit 310. The second-stage differentiator 366 differentiates the velocity from the differentiator 364 and converts it into acceleration. The second-stage proportional compensator 372 then applies a proportional gain K ｆｆａThe acceleration command for the stage 110 is calculated by multiplying the acceleration by a proportional gain K ｆｆｊ and combines this with an acceleration compensation amount (described later) calculated by the FB control unit 310 to calculate a provisional operation amount u'.

[0023] As described above, the FF control unit 360 sets the target value Pos of the control amount (position of the stage 110) of the air actuators 120 and 130. ｒｅｆ Multiple (preferably at least three) FF gains K ｆｆｖ , K. ｆｆａ , K. ｆｆｊ Specifically, the target value Pos ｒｅｆ The first FF gain K is multiplied by the first derivative of ｆｆｖ and the target value Pos ｒｅｆ The second FF gain K is multiplied by the second derivative of ｆｆａ and the target value Pos ｒｅｆ The third FF gain K is multiplied by the third derivative of ｆｆｊ The three FF gains are provided in the FF control section 360.

[0024] The FB control unit 310 is a PDD ２ (Proportional-Differential-2nd Derivative) compensator. Specifically, the FB control unit 310 controls the position (control amount) of the stage 110 with a major loop or outer loop, and controls the speed and acceleration of the stage 110 with a minor loop or inner loop. Of the two minor loops, the outer speed loop is also referred to as a mid-loop, and the inner acceleration loop is simply referred to as an inner loop. The measured position Pos as a measured value of the control amount of the stage 110 ｆｂ is differentiated by a differentiator 330 to obtain the measured velocity of the stage 110, which is further differentiated by a differentiator 332 to obtain the measured acceleration of the stage 110.

[0025] The FB control unit 310 includes four subtractors 312, 314, 316, and 352 arranged in series from the input unit 301 to the output unit 302 of the control device 300. The subtractor 312 calculates a position command Pos as a target value of the control amount (position of the stage 110) input to the input unit 301 of the control device 300. ｒｅｆ and the measured position Pos of the stage 110 as the measured value of the control amount. ｆｂ The subtractor 314 is a velocity deviation calculation unit that calculates a velocity deviation that is the difference between a velocity command obtained based on a calculation described below and the measured velocity of the stage 110 output by the differentiator 330. The subtractor 316 is an acceleration deviation calculation unit that calculates an acceleration deviation that is the difference between an acceleration command obtained based on a calculation described below and the measured acceleration of the stage 110 output by the differentiator 332. The subtractor 352 is a disturbance removal unit that removes disturbances from the provisional operation amount u' obtained based on a calculation described below.

[0026] A position proportional compensator 320 is provided between the subtractor 312 that calculates the position error and the subtractor 314 that calculates the velocity error as a position compensation element that compensates for the position of the stage 110. The position proportional compensator 320 applies a proportional gain K ｐ This is multiplied by the input from the proportional compensator 370 of the FF control unit 360 to form a speed command calculation unit that calculates a speed command for the stage 110.

[0027] A velocity proportional compensator 322 is provided between the subtractor 314 that calculates the velocity deviation and the subtractor 316 that calculates the acceleration deviation as a velocity compensation element that compensates for the velocity of the stage 110. The velocity proportional compensator 322 applies a proportional gain K ｖ This is multiplied by the input from the proportional compensator 372 of the FF control unit 360 to form an acceleration command calculation unit that calculates an acceleration command for the stage 110.

[0028] Between the subtractor 316 that calculates the acceleration deviation and the subtractor 352 that removes the disturbance, an acceleration proportional compensator 324 is provided as an acceleration compensation element that compensates for the acceleration of the stage 110. The acceleration proportional compensator 324 applies a proportional gain K ａThis is multiplied by the input from the proportional compensator 374 of the FF control unit 360 (adder 351), thereby forming a provisional calculation unit that calculates the provisional manipulated variable u'.

[0029] As described above, the FB control unit 310 calculates the measured value Pos of the control amount (position of the stage 110) of the air actuators 120 and 130. ｆｂ and the target value Pos ｒｅｆ A plurality of (preferably at least three) FB gains K ｐ , K. ｖ , K. ａ Specifically, the measurement value Pos ｆｂ First feedback gain K multiplied by the position error based on (measured position) ｐ and the measured value Pos ｆｂ The second FB gain K is multiplied by the speed deviation based on the first derivative (measured speed) of ｖ and the measured value Pos ｆｂ The third FB gain K is multiplied by the acceleration deviation based on the second derivative (measured acceleration) of ａ The three FB gains are provided in the FB control unit 310.

[0030] In addition to the above configuration, the FB control unit 310 includes a notch filter 340 and a disturbance observer 350 .

[0031] The notch filter 340 has a notch frequency ω ｎｏ The notch frequency ω is a band-stop filter having a narrow stop band centered at ω , and is composed of two filter elements 340A and 340B provided before and after the subtractor 352. For example, ｎｏ is the frequency of the pipe resonance ω ０ In the example of Fig. 3, the output of an adder 351 that adds the FF control output from the proportional compensator 374 of the FF control unit 360 and the FB control output from the acceleration proportional compensator 324 of the FB control unit 310 is input to a first filter element 340A, thereby obtaining a provisional manipulated variable u'.

[0032] The disturbance observer 350 (DOB) as a disturbance estimator is a state observer that estimates a disturbance to the position (control amount) of the stage 110 based on the interim manipulated variable u' and the measured velocity and acceleration of the stage 110. The measured values ​​supplied to the disturbance observer 350 are not limited to the velocity and acceleration of the stage 110, and may be any combination of drive amounts of the stage 110, including position. The subtractor 352 removes (subtracts) the disturbance estimated by the disturbance observer 350 from the interim manipulated variable u' from the first filter element 340A. The output of the subtractor 352 (the interim manipulated variable u' from which the disturbance has been removed) is input to the second filter element 340B, and the manipulated variable u, which is the final output of the control device 300, is obtained at the output unit 302.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically illustrating a stage device 100 to which an electromagnetic actuator according to a second embodiment of the driving device of the present disclosure is applied. The stage device 100 is an XY stage that positions a table or stage, serving as a driven object on which a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer is placed, in the X-axis direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 4 ) and the Y-axis direction (the up-down direction in FIG. 4 ). The stage device 100 includes a pair of Y-stages 12 that extend in the Y-axis direction and drive the table in the Y-axis direction, an X-stage 110 that extends in the X-axis direction and drives the table in the X-axis direction, and a surface plate 102. The pair of Y-stages 12 are connected to both ends of the X-stage 110 in the X-axis direction via sliders 124. The Y-stage 12 and the X-stage 110 form an H shape when viewed from above.

[0034] Of the components of the stage device 100, at least the table, the Y stage 12, and the X stage 110 may be housed in a vacuum chamber the interior of which is maintained in a vacuum state. In this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state of space filled with gas at a pressure lower than normal atmospheric pressure. Depending on the pressure range, vacuum can be classified into 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 Pa to 10 －8 Pa), ultra-high vacuum (10 －8The stage device 100 according to this embodiment may be used in a vacuum environment of any of the above categories. Also, the stage device 100 according to this embodiment may be used in a non-vacuum environment that does not fall into any of the above categories.

[0035] Linear motors 2X and 2Y are provided as electromagnetic actuators on the X stage 110 and the Y stage 12. The magnetic linear power generated by each linear motor 2X or 2Y in the X-axis or Y-axis direction linearly drives a table as a driven object in the X-axis or Y-axis direction.

[0036] The linear motor 2X, which is responsible for linear drive in the X-axis direction, includes a stator 3 that forms a track in the X-axis direction, and a mover 20 that can move in the X-axis direction along the stator 3. A table, which serves as a driven object, is fixed to this mover 20 and moves integrally therewith. The pair of linear motors 2Y, which are responsible for linear drive in the Y-axis direction, include a stator 3 that forms a track in the Y-axis direction, and a mover 20 that can move in the Y-axis direction along the stator 3. A slider 124 is fixed to this mover 20 and moves integrally therewith.

[0037] Here, since the pair of sliders 124 are connected to both ends of the armature 2 of the linear motor 2X, the pair of linear motors 2Y linearly drive the armature 2 of the linear motor 2X in the Y-axis direction together with the pair of sliders 124. And, since there is a table on the armature 2 (track) of the linear motor 2X, the pair of linear motors 2Y linearly drive the table in the Y-axis direction.

[0038] 1 to 4, stage device 100 according to this embodiment, which can achieve highly accurate positioning or driving in both vacuum and non-vacuum environments, is suitable for applications in which a table on which a semiconductor wafer or the like is placed as a workpiece is positioned as a driven object in semiconductor manufacturing equipment such as exposure equipment, ion implantation equipment, heat treatment equipment, ashing equipment, sputtering equipment, dicing equipment, inspection equipment, and cleaning equipment, and device manufacturing equipment such as FPD (Flat Panel Display) manufacturing equipment. Note that the processing equipment to which stage device 100 according to this embodiment can be applied may be any equipment that positions any workpiece for any processing using stage device 100 or a positioning device, such as any manufacturing equipment, any processing equipment (e.g., machine tool), or any inspection equipment.

[0039] In the stage device 100 of FIGS. 1 and 4 , the stage 110, which is the driven object, is driven in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. In other words, the stage 110 is driven two-dimensionally within a two-dimensional XY plane (typically a flat surface, but may also be a curved surface). Here, the movable area or movable surface of the typically rectangular stage 110 is determined by both ends of the movable range of the stage 110 in the X-axis direction and both ends of the movable range of the stage 110 in the Y-axis direction. Note that the movable area of ​​the stage 110 is not limited to a two-dimensional movable surface (XY plane) but may also be a three-dimensional movable space (XYZ space). A drive device that drives the stage 110 within a three-dimensional movable space as its movable area is provided with a Z-drive mechanism (not shown) that drives the stage 110 in the Z-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis directions, in addition to the XY drive mechanism described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 . In this way, the driving device according to this embodiment may drive a driven object such as the stage 110 within a two-dimensional or more movable area (i.e., a two-dimensional movable surface or a three-dimensional movable space). The data processing device according to this embodiment is responsible for data processing in such a driving device.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a schematic functional block diagram of a data processing device 4 according to this embodiment. The data processing device 4 includes a location-dependent data collection unit 41, a distribution data generation unit 42, a three-dimensional display unit 43, and an anomaly identification unit 44. Some of these functional blocks may be omitted as long as the data processing device 4 can achieve at least some of the actions and / or effects described below. These functional blocks may be realized by the cooperation of hardware resources, such as a central processing unit (CPU), memory, input devices, output devices, and peripheral devices connected to the computer, and software executed using these resources. Regardless of the type or location of the computer, each of the above functional blocks may be realized by the hardware resources of a single computer or by combining hardware resources distributed across multiple computers.

[0041] In the example shown in the figure, a stage 110 as a driven object is driven within a two-dimensional movable surface MP in the XY plane by a driving device 5 such as the X-axis air actuator 120 and Y-axis air actuator 130 (fluid actuators) in Figure 1 and the linear motors 2X and 2Y (electromagnetic actuators) in Figure 4 under the control of a control device 300 as shown in Figure 3. The shape of the movable surface MP is arbitrary, but for example, it is rectangular as shown in the figure. The driving mode or driving sequence of the stage 110 within the movable surface MP is also arbitrary, but the stage device 100 generally uses a scan method and a step-and-repeat method.

[0042] 5, the stage 110 is driven by a scanning method (the step-and-repeat method will be described later). Specifically, by alternately performing, for example, a long-stroke X scan in the X-axis direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 5) and a short-stroke Y scan in the Y-axis direction (the up-down direction in FIG. 5), the stage 110 can scan substantially the entire movable surface MP.

[0043] Such scanning is performed so that a processing device (not shown), such as an ion implanter, can perform a desired process on all processing locations on a semiconductor wafer or the like placed on the stage 110. Therefore, the stage 110 does not need to constantly scan the entire movable surface MP; it is sufficient to scan the entire semiconductor wafer or the like as the workpiece. For convenience, this embodiment will describe an example in which the stage 110 scans the entire movable surface MP. By replacing "movable surface MP" in the following description with "processed surface of the workpiece," the description will become an example in which the entire processed surface of the semiconductor wafer or the like is scanned. Note that when the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, its processed surface is typically circular, not rectangular like the movable surface MP in FIG. 5 .

[0044] In the example of Figure 5, the stage 110 is driven to scan, with the lower left corner of the movable surface MP as the scan start position and the upper right corner of the movable surface MP as the scan end position. In each X scan, the stage 110 is driven in the X-axis direction by a drive unit 5 (such as the X-axis air actuator 120 in Figure 1 or the linear motor 2X in Figure 4) over a long stroke spanning substantially the entire length of the movable surface MP in the X-axis direction. Both ends of this long stroke in the X-axis direction (the left and right ends in Figure 5) are acceleration / deceleration sections (which may be referred to as return sections, as described below) in which the stage 110 accelerates or decelerates. The intermediate section between the acceleration / deceleration sections at both ends is a constant-speed section in which the stage 110 is typically driven at a constant speed in the X-axis direction.

[0045] In each Y scan following each X scan, the stage 110 is driven in the Y-axis direction by the drive unit 5 (Y-axis air actuator 130 in FIG. 1, linear motor 2Y in FIG. 4, etc.) with a short stroke that is significantly shorter than the overall length of the movable surface MP in the Y-axis direction. Following this Y scan, an X scan is performed in the opposite direction to the immediately preceding X scan. Therefore, both ends of the movable surface MP in the X-axis direction where the Y scan is performed are turn-back sections where the stage 110 turns back in the X-axis direction.

[0046] The position-dependent data collection unit 41 collects position-dependent data related to the stage 110 for multiple positions (multiple two-dimensional positions or XY positions in this embodiment) of the stage 110 within the movable surface MP as the movable region. Here, the position-dependent data refers to any data related to the stage 110 that can be acquired from the stage 110 itself as the driven object, the driving device 5 as the driving entity, the control device 300 as the control entity, etc. when the stage 110 is at each position within the movable surface MP.

[0047] The position-dependent data may be data based on any physical quantity related to the state or movement of the stage 110 at each position within the movable surface MP. For example, in the turn-around section in FIG. 5 , when the stage 110 stops at each target stop position ST schematically indicated by a black circle, the position deviation (output of the subtractor 312 in FIG. 3 ) between the actual stop position and the target stop position ST, as well as its fluctuation or variation over time, may be collected by the position-dependent data collection unit 41. For example, as schematically shown in FIG. 6 , the variation (standard deviation, etc.) over a predetermined time period of the position deviation when the stage 110 stops at the target stop position ST is collected by the position-dependent data collection unit 41 as position-dependent data representing the stopping stability at the target stop position ST.

[0048] 5, when the stage 110 passes through each periodic constant-speed passing position CV schematically indicated by a white circle, the position deviation (output of the subtractor 312 in FIG. 3), velocity deviation (output of the subtractor 314 in FIG. 3), acceleration deviation (output of the subtractor 316 in FIG. 3), and fluctuations or variations therein over time may be collected as position-dependent data by the position-dependent data collection unit 41. Furthermore, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 may collect, as position-dependent data, the output (estimated disturbance) of the disturbance observer 350 in FIG. 3, and fluctuations or variations therein over time, for the stage 110 at each position within the movable surface MP (any position not limited to the target stop position ST or the constant-speed passing position CV).

[0049] In addition, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 may collect, as position-dependent data, various command values ​​such as the operation amount, position command, velocity command, acceleration command in the control device 300 of FIG. 3, and commands regarding the driving force of the linear motors 2X, 2Y, etc. in the stage device 100 of FIG. 4 and the torque in the case of a rotary motor, as well as their fluctuations or variations over time, for the stage 110 at each position within the movable surface MP (any position not limited to the target stop position ST and the constant speed passing position CV).

[0050] The position-dependent data collection unit 41 can collect various position-dependent data as described above during a processing period in which a processing device (not shown), such as an ion implanter, processes a workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer. However, in the above-described scan drive, the stop position ST (black circle) exists only in the turn-around section, so that position deviation data suggesting the stability of the stage 110 when stopped may be collected abundantly in the turn-around section but may be hardly collected in the constant-velocity section. In this way, if the amount of position-dependent data collected during the processing period by the processing device varies greatly at each position within the movable surface MP, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 may collect position-dependent data by moving the stage 110 to a position where less position-dependent data is collected during a non-processing period in which the processing device does not process the workpiece.

[0051] For example, during a non-processing period in which the processing device is not processing the workpiece, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 may stop the stage 110 at a position where the stage 110 did not stop during the processing period (e.g., a constant-velocity passing position CV) and collect position-dependent data such as a position deviation when the stage 110 was stopped at that position. In this way, by driving the stage 110 to any position within the movable surface MP during the non-processing period as needed, the same type of position-dependent data (e.g., a position deviation when the stage 110 was stopped) can be collected over substantially the entire movable surface MP. When the same type of position-dependent data is collected multiple times for the same position within the movable surface MP, a statistical value such as the average value of the collected data may be used as the position-dependent data representing that position.

[0052] On the other hand, in contrast to the scan-type driving shown in Fig. 5, the step-and-repeat driving shown in Fig. 7 causes the stage 110 to repeatedly move and stop in short increments. As a result, the stage 110 stops even in the constant-velocity section where the stage 110 does not stop in Fig. 5. In such step-and-repeat driving, the stage 110 can be temporarily stopped over substantially the entire movable surface MP or the surface to be processed of the workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0053] As shown schematically by black circles in Fig. 7, the stop positions ST are distributed approximately uniformly across the entire movable surface MP. The position-dependent data collection unit 41 may collect position-dependent data such as a position deviation at the time of stopping for each of these stop positions ST. Furthermore, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 may collect, as position-dependent data, position deviation, velocity deviation, acceleration deviation, disturbance estimated by the disturbance observer 350 in Fig. 3, and fluctuations or variations thereof over time during each drive of the stage 110 between successive stop positions ST.

[0054] As described above, in the step-and-repeat system, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 can collect various position-dependent data over substantially the entire movable surface MP or the processed surface of the workpiece during a processing period in which a processing device (not shown), such as an inspection device, processes the workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer. In the scan system of Fig. 5, the stage 110 was driven and position-dependent data was collected during non-processing periods as needed, but in the step-and-repeat system of Fig. 7, it is sufficient in principle to drive the stage 110 and collect position-dependent data during the processing period.

[0055] The position-dependent data collection unit 41 preferably collects position-dependent data on the movable surface MP over multiple processing periods and / or multiple non-processing periods for multiple (preferably, a large number) workpieces. In this case, as described above, the same type of position-dependent data collected for multiple workpieces at the same position on the movable surface MP is preferably subjected to statistical processing such as averaging and used as position-dependent data representative of that position. Position-dependent data can be affected not only by the state of each position on the movable surface MP of the drive device 5, which is the desired state to grasp, but also by the weight and position of the workpieces. However, the influence of specific workpieces can be eliminated through the statistical processing described above.

[0056] The distribution data generation unit 42 generates distribution data of the various position-dependent data collected by the position-dependent data collection unit 41 over at least a portion of the movable area. In this embodiment, where the movable area is a two-dimensional movable surface MP, the distribution data generation unit 42 generates distribution data in three-dimensional space of the position-dependent data over at least a portion of the two-dimensional area of ​​the movable surface MP. Specifically, each piece of position-dependent data D at each XY position or each XY coordinate (X, Y) within the movable surface MP constitutes the distribution data. In other words, the distribution data is constituted by a collection of three-dimensional data (X, Y, D) (wherein each type of position-dependent data D is uniquely determined according to the XY coordinate (X, Y)) in the three-dimensional space formed by the X, Y, and D axes. Here, since there is no position-dependent data D at the XY coordinates (X, Y) for which the position-dependent data collection unit 41 has not collected the position-dependent data D, the distribution data generation unit 42 or the position-dependent data collection unit 41 may calculate or estimate the position-dependent data D for the XY coordinates (X, Y) by interpolation or the like based on multiple position-dependent data collected in the vicinity of the XY coordinates (X, Y).

[0057] The three-dimensional display unit 43 displays in three-dimensional space the distribution data generated by the distribution data generation unit 42. For example, the three-dimensional display unit 43 displays in three-dimensional space the distribution data as schematically illustrated in Fig. 8 on a display (display device) of a computer 6 used by a user such as an administrator of the stage device 100. In the example of Fig. 8, the distribution of stopping stability as position-dependent data D is visualized in the form of contour lines for each position within the XY plane formed by the X-axis and Y-axis.

[0058] By viewing a screen such as that shown in FIG. 8 , a user can intuitively identify abnormal portions on the moving surface MP of the stage 110, where position-dependent data such as stopping stability has significantly changed or deteriorated. Furthermore, based on various visualized characteristics such as the shape and size of such abnormal portions and the degree of change in the position-dependent data compared to normal portions, the user can grasp the type, cause, and severity of the abnormality. For example, if the abnormal portions are distributed in a dotted or mountain-like pattern near a specific XY position as shown in FIG. 8 , it is suspected that dust or other foreign matter that interferes with the drive of the stage 110 is present at that XY position. Furthermore, if the abnormal portions are distributed over a specific X-axis range, it is suspected that there is an abnormality, such as a scratch or damage, in the mechanism in the drive unit 5 that drives the stage 110 in the X-axis direction within that X-axis range.

[0059] The types of abnormalities may include improper mechanical adjustment (for example, distortion during installation or excessive tightening of screws) and a decrease in assembly accuracy resulting therefrom. The types of abnormalities may also include undesirable changes in the state of the device (for example, adhesion of dirt, friction due to deterioration, lack of lubricant such as grease, mechanical misalignment, and the influence of disturbances from other devices).

[0060] In addition to or instead of the above-described three-dimensional display to the user via the three-dimensional display unit 43, the abnormality identification unit 44 may automatically identify the above-described abnormality at a specific position in the movable area based on the distribution data generated by the distribution data generation unit 42. Furthermore, the abnormality identification unit 44 may additionally display information about the identified abnormality on a screen such as that shown in Fig. 8 displayed by the three-dimensional display unit 43. Furthermore, the abnormality identification unit 44 may notify the user that an abnormality has been identified in a manner different from the screen display by the three-dimensional display unit 43 (for example, sound or light).

[0061] In addition to or instead of a static screen such as that shown in Fig. 8, the three-dimensional display unit 43 may display the changes over time as a moving image or animation. By visually grasping such changes over time, the user can intuitively understand the occurrence pattern and progression (or severity) of the abnormality. The abnormality identification unit 44 may be configured by artificial intelligence that has performed machine learning on a large amount of training data, which is a set of distribution data such as that shown in Fig. 8 and information about the abnormalities present therein, so as to be able to identify abnormalities with the same accuracy as or higher than the user.

[0062] Various abnormalities and deterioration of the device identified or estimated through the above-described location-dependent data may be reported or notified to relevant users, such as the device operator, in various ways. For example, the relevant users may be automatically notified by email or the like that an abnormality or deterioration has been identified or estimated through the location-dependent data, as well as detailed information such as the type, cause, severity, and countermeasures of the abnormality or deterioration. Furthermore, the abnormality identification unit 44 may notify relevant users of the timing, frequency, and content of recommended maintenance for the device based on the type, cause, severity, and the like of the identified or estimated abnormality or deterioration.

[0063] In the above example, the movable area of ​​the stage 110 is a two-dimensional movable surface MP (XY plane), but the movable area of ​​the stage 110 may also be a three-dimensional movable space (XYZ plane). In this case, the position-dependent data collection unit 41 collects various position-dependent data D with respect to three-dimensional XYZ coordinates (X, Y, Z). Therefore, the distribution data generated by the distribution data generation unit 42 is composed of a collection of four-dimensional data (X, Y, Z, D). Since the three-dimensional display unit 43 cannot display all of this four-dimensional distribution data on a single screen, it may also display, for example, a specific Z coordinate designated by the user in three dimensions, as shown in FIG. 8 .

[0064] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. Various modifications are possible to the combinations of the components and processes in the exemplary embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such modifications are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0065] The configuration, operation, and function of each device and method described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources, software resources, or a combination of hardware and software resources. Examples of hardware resources include processors, ROM, RAM, and various integrated circuits. Examples of software resources include operating systems, applications, and other programs.

[0066] The present disclosure relates to a data processing device in a drive device.

[0067] 4 Data processing device, 5 Drive device, 6 Computer, 41 Position-dependent data collection unit, 42 Distribution data generation unit, 43 Three-dimensional display unit, 44 Anomaly identification unit, 100 Stage device, 110 Stage, 300 Control device.

Claims

1. A data processing device comprising: a driving device that drives a driven object within a movable area of ​​two or more dimensions, the data processing device comprising: a position-dependent data collection unit that collects position-dependent data regarding the driven object for multiple positions of the driven object within the movable area; and a distribution data generation unit that generates distribution data of the position-dependent data over at least a portion of the movable area.

2. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein said position-dependent data collection section collects said position-dependent data when said driven object stops at said plurality of positions within said movable area.

3. The data processing device according to claim 2, wherein the position-dependent data is based on a position deviation between an actual stop position and a plurality of target positions when the driven object stops at the target positions within the movable range.

4. The data processing device of claim 2, wherein the driven object is a stage on which a workpiece is placed that is to be subjected to a predetermined processing by a processing device, and the position-dependent data collection unit collects the position-dependent data for the multiple positions where the stage stops during a processing period in which the processing device performs the processing on the workpiece.

5. A data processing device as described in claim 4, wherein the position-dependent data collection unit stops the stage at a position where the stage was not stopped during a non-processing period in which the processing device does not perform the processing on the workpiece, and collects the position-dependent data for that position.

6. A data processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the movable area is a two-dimensional movable surface, the position-dependent data collection unit collects the position-dependent data for multiple two-dimensional positions of the driven object within the movable surface, and the distribution data generation unit generates the distribution data of the position-dependent data in three-dimensional space across at least a portion of the two-dimensional area of ​​the movable surface.

7. The data processing device according to claim 6, further comprising a three-dimensional display unit for displaying said distribution data in a three-dimensional space.

8. A data processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an anomaly identifying section that identifies an anomaly relating to a specific position in the movable area based on the distribution data.

9. A data processing device according to claim 8, wherein the anomaly identification unit is configured by artificial intelligence that has machine-learned training data that is a set of the distribution data and information relating to anomalies that existed in the drive device at the time the distribution data was generated.

10. A data processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive device is a fluid actuator that drives the driven object within the movable range by a working fluid.

11. A data processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the driving device is an electromagnetic actuator that electromagnetically drives the driven object within the movable range.

12. A data processing method for a drive device that drives a driven object within a movable area of ​​two or more dimensions, comprising: collecting position-dependent data regarding the driven object for multiple positions of the driven object within the movable area; and generating distribution data of the position-dependent data over at least a portion of the movable area.

13. A storage medium storing a data processing program that causes a computer to execute the following steps in a driving device that drives a driven object within a movable area of ​​two or more dimensions: collecting position-dependent data regarding the driven object for multiple positions of the driven object within the movable area; and generating distribution data of the position-dependent data over at least a portion of the movable area.

Images