Driving apparatus, positioning apparatus, processing apparatus, and device manufacturing method

Abstract

A stage apparatus 1 comprises: a first drive shaft 100 that magnetically drives a stage 2 in an X-axis direction; a second drive shaft 200 that magnetically drives the stage 2 and the first drive shaft 100 integrally in a Y-axis direction intersecting the X-axis direction, the second drive shaft 200 supporting the first drive shaft 100 from below in a Z-axis direction intersecting the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction; a first gas floating part 10 that causes an X slider 21 to float off an X guide 110 by gas; and a second gas floating part 20 that causes an Y slider 150 to float off an Y guide 210 by gas.

Description

Driving device, positioning device, processing device, and device manufacturing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drive device and the like.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a drive device or actuator for use in a vacuum environment, which includes a slider that is driven in a predetermined movement direction by gas pressure in an air servo chamber, and a guide that extends in the movement direction to guide the slider. The slider floats above the guide and moves smoothly thanks to an air bearing formed by compressed air supplied between the outer periphery of the slider and the inner periphery of the guide via an air pad.

[0003] Patent No. 6893170

[0004] Pneumatic actuators such as those described in Patent Document 1 have the problem that it is difficult to improve responsiveness or speed when driving the slider due to physical constraints based on the principle of converting gas pressure in an air servo chamber into thrust for the slider.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a drive device and the like that can achieve both smoothness and responsiveness when driving a driven body.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a driving device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first driving shaft that magnetically drives a driven body in a first direction, a second driving shaft that magnetically drives the driven body and the first driving shaft together in a second direction that intersects the first direction, and that supports the first driving shaft from below in a third direction that intersects the first and second directions, a first gas levitation portion that levitates the driven body from the first driving shaft by gas, and a second gas levitation portion that levitates the first driving shaft from the second driving shaft by gas.

[0007] According to this aspect, high responsiveness during driving can be achieved by the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft, which magnetically drive the driven body and the first drive shaft, and high smoothness during driving can be achieved by the first gas levitation portion and the second gas levitation portion, which levitate the driven body and the first drive shaft using gas.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a positioning device that positions a driven body using the above-described driving device.

[0009] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a processing device that performs a predetermined process on the driven body positioned by the positioning device.

[0010] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a device manufacturing method, which manufactures a device through processing by the processing apparatus described above.

[0011] 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.

[0012] According to the present disclosure, smoothness and responsiveness can both be achieved when driving a driven body.

[0013] It is a perspective view showing a model of a stage device. It is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 1. It is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 1. It is a partially enlarged view of a first magnet part. It is a cross-sectional view showing a model of a gas levitation part.

[0014] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure (hereinafter also referred to as "embodiments") will be given. In the description and / or drawings, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, etc. will be 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 embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Not all features and combinations thereof presented in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the present disclosure. For convenience, the embodiments are presented broken down into components for each function and / or functional group that realizes the features. However, one component in an embodiment may actually be realized by a combination of multiple separate components, or multiple components in an embodiment may actually be realized by a single integrated component. Furthermore, although multiple embodiments and variants may be disclosed in parallel, any components of each embodiment and / or each variant may be combined in any manner as long as they do not interfere with each other's functions.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a stage device 1 serving as a driving device or positioning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, for convenience, a three-dimensional coordinate system or XYZ coordinate system is established, which is formed by mutually orthogonal X-, Y-, and Z-axes. The X-axis direction is a first direction in which a first driving axis 100 (described below) drives a stage 2 or table as a driven object. The Y-axis direction is a second direction in which a second driving axis 200 (described below) drives the stage 2 and the first driving axis 100 together. The Z-axis direction is a third direction, which is the normal direction to the driving plane or XY plane formed by the X and Y axes. The XY plane is preferably a horizontal plane, and in this case, the Z-axis direction is vertical. Note that the X, Y, and Z axes do not need to be orthogonal to each other, as long as they at least intersect each other. In other words, the X, Y, and Z axes may be different from each other. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (ZX plan view) taken along line A-A of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1 (YZ plane view).

[0016] The stage device 1 includes a first drive shaft 100 that magnetically drives the stage 2 in the X-axis direction, and a second drive shaft 200 that magnetically drives the stage 2 and the first drive shaft 100 together in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, a pair (i.e., two) substantially identical second drive shafts 200 are provided so as to overlap both ends of the first drive shaft 100 extending in the X-axis direction when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above. In the following, unless otherwise specified, the two second drive shafts 200 will be described collectively without distinction.

[0017] The second drive shaft 200 supports the first drive shaft 100 from below in the Z-axis direction. That is, the upper first drive shaft 100 and the lower second drive shaft 200 form a stack structure in which they are stacked in the up-down or vertical Z-axis direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the bottom of an X guide 110 (described below), which is the main body of the first drive shaft 100, is connected via a support 160 to the top of a Y slider 150 (described below) housed inside a Y guide 210 (described below), which is the main body of the second drive shaft 200. The support 160 prevents the integrated structure including the X guide 110 and the Y slider 150 from shifting in the X-axis direction by being supported by the end face of an opening 211 in the Y guide 210. Furthermore, the load on X guide 110 in the Z-axis direction may be received by a ball (no reference numeral) or the like provided between the bottom surface of X guide 110 and the top surface of second linear motor 220, as shown in FIG.

[0018] The one first drive shaft 100 and the two second drive shafts 200 form a substantially H-shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the second drive shafts 200 are fixedly installed via a plurality of fixed legs 31 on the surface of a base or surface 3 having an XY plane or a horizontal plane. As shown in FIG. 2 , the two second drive shafts 200 are arranged substantially parallel to each other at different positions in the X-axis direction, separated by a distance approximately equal to the length of the first drive shaft 100 in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 1 , connecting plates 250 for connecting the two second drive shafts 200 in the X-axis direction are provided on the front (−Y side surface) and back (+Y side surface), respectively. The two second drive shafts 200 and the two connecting plates 250 form a substantially rectangular or square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above. As shown in FIG. 2, one first drive shaft 100 is in a non-contact state spaced apart from the surface of the base 3 (and the two second drive shafts 200) in the Z-axis direction so that it can move in the Y-axis direction above the base 3 (and the two second drive shafts 200) through the two second drive shafts 200.

[0019] The stage 2, which constitutes the driven body, constitutes a mounting portion on whose surface an arbitrary object (not shown) is placed. Here, in this embodiment, the "surface" refers to the surface on the +Z side (the upper surface in FIG. 1), and the "back surface" refers to the surface on the -Z side (the lower surface in FIG. 1). An arbitrary object or workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, may be placed on the surface of the stage 2. In this case, the stage device 1 constitutes a positioning device that positions the object placed on the stage 2 as the driven body, and further constitutes part of a processing device that performs arbitrary processing on the object positioned by the positioning device. Examples of processing devices include semiconductor manufacturing equipment such as exposure devices, ion implantation devices, heat treatment devices, ashing devices, sputtering devices, dicing devices, inspection devices, and cleaning devices, as well as FPD (Flat Panel Display) manufacturing equipment.

[0020] First drive shaft 100, which drives stage 2 as a driven body in the X-axis direction, is equipped with X guide 110 as a first guide that extends in the X-axis direction. X guide 110 forms the main body of first drive shaft 100. In this embodiment, X guide 110 is formed in the shape of a hollow box or rectangular parallelepiped with a rectangular opening 111 formed in its surface that extends over substantially the entire length in the X-axis direction.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, an X slider 21 is provided in, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space within X guide 110 as a first slider that is movable or slidable in the X-axis direction while being guided by the inner circumferential surface of X guide 110. In the example of Fig. 3, the rectangular YZ cross section formed by the inner circumferential surface of X guide 110 is substantially equal to the rectangular YZ cross section formed by the outer circumferential surface of X slider 21 (strictly speaking, the latter is slightly smaller). As will be described later, floating gas such as compressed air is supplied between the inner circumferential surface of X guide 110 that constitutes first drive shaft 100 and the outer circumferential surface of X slider 21 that constitutes the driven body, so that X slider 21 floats above X guide 110 and can move smoothly without substantially contacting it.

[0022] The surface (+Z side surface) of X-slider 21 is connected to the back surface (-Z side surface) of stage 2, and these two components integrally constitute the driven body. Specifically, one or more columnar connecting portions 22 shown in Fig. 2 penetrate openings 111 shown in Fig. 3 in the Z-axis direction to connect the back surface of stage 2 and the surface of X-slider 21 (a first magnet portion 140 may be interposed, as described later). The stage 2 and X-slider 21 as driven bodies connected to each other by connecting portions 22, and first magnet portion 140 fixed to the driven body as described later, constitute a movable portion that can move integrally in the X-axis direction.

[0023] As will be described later, when X-slider 21 is driven in the X-axis direction while being guided by X-guide 110 by first magnet section 140 (and first coil section 130), stage 2 connected by connecting section 22 is also driven integrally in the X-axis direction. At this time, connecting section 22 also moves in the X-axis direction, but because it passes through opening 111 formed in the surface of X-guide 110 over substantially the entire length in the X-axis direction, it does not interfere with the movement of the driven body (stage 2 and X-slider 21) in the X-axis direction.

[0024] In order to drive the driven body formed by the stage 2 and the X-slider 21 along the X-axis direction, a first linear motor 120 is provided between the driven body and the first drive shaft 100. In this embodiment, one first linear motor 120 is provided on the back side (-Z side) of the stage 2 as the driven body. As shown in FIG. 3 , the first linear motor 120 is provided on the front side (+Z side) of the X-slider 21 (and the X-guide 110 as the main body of the first drive shaft 100), which is movable integrally with the stage 2. In this way, by providing the first linear motor 120 on the back side of the stage 2, it is possible to reduce the adverse effects that magnetic fields leaking from the first linear motor 120 could have on the processing of semiconductor wafers and the like on the stage 2 (for example, the irradiation of electron beams, which are easily affected by magnetic fields).

[0025] Generally, a linear motor comprises a coil section made up of multiple coils that generate a magnetic field when an external current is passed through them, and a magnet section made up of multiple magnets that interact with the magnetic field generated by the coil section. The first linear motor 120 according to this embodiment also comprises a first coil section 130 as the coil section, and a first magnet section 140 as the magnet section. To configure the first linear motor 120 that drives the X-slider 21 (and the stage 2) as the driven body along the X-axis direction, one of the first coil section 130 and the first magnet section 140 can be provided on the X-slider 21, and the other on the first drive shaft 100.

[0026] In the first linear motor 120, it is preferable that the first coil unit 130 is provided on the first drive shaft 100, and the first magnet unit 140 is provided on the X-slider 21. As shown in FIG. 3 , the first coil unit 130 is fixed to the surface of the X-guide 110, which is the main body of the first drive shaft 100, by a fixture 133 having an inverted L-shaped cross section. The first magnet unit 140 is fixed to the back side of the stage 2 and the front side of the X-slider 21 via a connecting unit 22 that connects the stage 2 and the X-slider 21. The first magnet unit 140 and the connecting unit 22 do not contact the surface of the X-guide 110, and furthermore, the connecting unit 22 does not contact the inner circumferential surface of the opening 111 of the X-guide 110. Therefore, the first magnet unit 140 and the connecting unit 22 can move in the X-axis direction integrally with the X-slider 21 without substantially contacting the X-guide 110.

[0027] 2 and 3, first linear motor 120 is provided between the upper stage 2 and the lower X-slider 21. First coil unit 130, which constitutes the fixed unit, is located at an intermediate position in the Z-axis direction and does not come into contact with X-slider 21 and stage 2, which constitute the movable unit, and does not interfere with movement of the movable unit in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, because first linear motor 120 (driving point) can be located in a position in the Z-axis direction close to the center of gravity of the entire movable unit formed by X-slider 21 and stage 2, stable driving can be achieved while suppressing undesirable pitching rotation of the movable unit.

[0028] The first magnet unit 140 is driven in the X-axis direction integrally with the X-slider 21 due to magnetic interaction with the first coil unit 130. Because the first magnet unit 140 moves in this manner, the first linear motor 120 is a so-called moving magnet type linear motor. In this case, the first coil unit 130, which generates heat due to the current flowing through it, is isolated from the driven body formed by the stage 2 and the X-slider 21, effectively suppressing heat transfer to the stage 2 and / or the workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer. This is particularly preferable when the workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, is susceptible to heat. Furthermore, because the first coil unit 130 is stationary in the X-axis direction (it moves in the Y-axis direction due to the second drive shaft 200), current can be easily supplied to the first coil unit 130.

[0029] In this type of moving magnet type first linear motor 120, the length of the first coil section 130 in the X-axis direction is longer than the length of the first magnet section 140 in the X-axis direction. For example, the length of the first coil section 130 in the X-axis direction is preferably a length that can cover the range of motion of the X-slider 21 in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the length of the first magnet section 140 in the X-axis direction is preferably equal to or shorter than the length of the X-slider 21 and / or the stage 2 in the X-axis direction. As will be described later, the relatively short first magnet section 140 can move in the X-axis direction integrally with the X-slider 21 and stage 2 as the driven body, within the installation range of the relatively long first coil section 130.

[0030] On the other hand, if the processing of semiconductor wafers and the like on stage 2 is not susceptible to the effects of heat, first linear motor 120 may be configured as a so-called moving coil type. Specifically, first coil unit 130 is provided integrally with stage 2 and X-slider 21, and first magnet unit 140 is provided on first drive shaft 100 (e.g., X-guide 110). In this case, first magnet unit 140 is stationary in the X-axis direction (it moves in the Y-axis direction by second drive shaft 200), which has the advantage of reducing fluctuations in magnetism leaking outside first linear motor 120. This is particularly preferable if the processing of semiconductor wafers and the like on stage 2 is susceptible to magnetic effects.

[0031] In this type of moving coil type first linear motor 120, the length of the first coil section 130 in the X-axis direction is shorter than the length of the first magnet section 140 in the X-axis direction. For example, the length of the first coil section 130 in the X-axis direction is preferably equal to or shorter than the lengths of the X-slider 21 and / or the stage 2 in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the length of the first magnet section 140 in the X-axis direction is preferably a length that can cover the range of motion of the X-slider 21 in the X-axis direction. The relatively short first coil section 130 can move in the X-axis direction integrally with the X-slider 21 and the stage 2 as the driven body, within the installation range of the relatively long first magnet section 140.

[0032] 1, first coil section 130 constituting the fixed section preferably has a generally rectangular shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above, with an X axis of symmetry in the X-axis direction and a Y axis of symmetry in the Y-axis direction that are substantially the same as those of rectangular X guide 110. In this case, the center of gravity or center of first coil section 130 when viewed in the Z-axis direction substantially coincides with the center of gravity or center of X guide 110. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the center or middle of first coil section 130 in the Y-axis direction substantially coincides with the center or middle of stage 2 and / or X-slider 21 as the driven body in the Y-axis direction.

[0033] In this way, by using one first coil section 130 or first linear motor 120 arranged symmetrically with respect to the driven body, the driven body can be stably driven in the X-axis direction while effectively suppressing undesirable rotation such as yawing (rotation around the Z-axis).

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3 , the first coil unit 130 includes a holder 131 fixedly attached to a fixture 133 and a coil 132 held by the holder 131. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the coil 132 is, for example, a typical three-phase coil. Specifically, a U-phase coil, a V-phase coil, and a W-phase coil (not shown) are periodically arranged along the X-axis direction, which is the drive direction. Currents (e.g., U-phase current, V-phase current, and W-phase current) flowing through the coils 132 of each phase may be supplied via the holder 131. The coils 132 are disposed so as to protrude from the holder 131 on the +Y side toward the −Y side. The coil 132 or coil group as a whole is preferably formed in a flat plate shape with the Z-axis direction as its normal. The holder 131 is fixed to the surface of the X guide 110 via the fixture 133 described above.

[0035] The first magnet unit 140 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 141 and magnets 142 arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the housing 141. The housing 141 is made of, for example, a magnetically shielding material or a soft magnetic material, such as carbon steel or permalloy. A long opening 143 extending in the X-axis direction over substantially the entire length is formed on the side surface on the +Y side of the housing 141 (the side surface on the -Y side of the housing 141 is closed by a magnetically shielding material or the like). A flat coil 132 protruding from the holder 131 of the first coil unit 130 toward the -Y side is inserted into the substantially rectangular parallelepiped space within the housing 141 formed by this opening 143. In addition, magnets 142, such as permanent magnets whose magnetic poles are periodically changed, are arranged along the X-axis direction on the inner circumferential surface of the housing 141, which forms the top and / or bottom of the space.

[0036] As described above, in the substantially rectangular parallelepiped space within the housing 141, the coil 132 or coil group in the first coil unit 130 and the magnet 142 or magnet group in the first magnet unit 140 face each other in the Z-axis direction. When a three-phase alternating current or the like is passed through the coil 132, which functions as an electromagnet, magnetically interacts with the magnet 142, generating a thrust that drives the magnet 142 as a movable unit in the X-axis direction. When viewed in the X-axis direction in FIG. 3 , the inverted U-shaped housing 141 is driven in the X-axis direction along the flat coil 132, with the flat coil 132 sandwiched between it from the left (the coil 132 is contained within the space within the housing 141). The X-slider 21 as a driven body to which the housing 141 of the first magnet unit 140 is fixed is also driven in the X-axis direction integrally with the first magnet unit 140 while being guided by the X-guide 110.

[0037] As described above, in this embodiment, the coil 132 through which current flows is arranged to protrude from the holder 131 toward the -Y side, and the first magnet section 140 or magnet 142 that interacts with the magnetic field generated by the coil 132 is arranged to cover the coil 132 from the -Y side.

[0038] In the first linear motor 120 according to this embodiment, the housing 141 of the first magnet unit 140 has openings on the right side surface (opening 143) in FIG. 3 and on the front and back surfaces (not shown), which means that there is a possibility of leakage of magnetic field from the magnet 142 and / or the coil 132. Since magnetic field leaking from the opening 143 or the like can adversely affect the processing of semiconductor wafers and the like on the stage 2, a magnetic shielding unit is provided in this embodiment to shield the magnetic field from the stage 2.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 3, the magnetic shielding portion may include, for example, a flat first magnetic shielding portion 144 (not shown in figures other than Fig. 3) provided between the lower first linear motor 120 or the first coil portion 130 and the upper stage 2. The first magnetic shielding portion 144 shields the stage 2 from magnetic fields leaking from the first linear motor 120. The first magnetic shielding portion 144 is made of a magnetic shielding material such as permalloy. It is preferable that the first magnetic shielding portion 144 entirely covers the first linear motor 120 or the first coil portion 130 when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above.

[0040] 4 is a partially enlarged view of the first magnet unit 140. The magnetic shielding unit may include a second magnetic shielding unit 145 that magnetically shields at least the edge (upper and / or lower edge in FIG. 4 ) of the opening 143 into which the coil 132 (not shown) is inserted. The second magnetic shielding unit 145 is made of a magnetic shielding material such as permalloy. The second magnetic shielding unit 145 may cover the front and / or rear surface of the housing 141 continuously from the edge of the opening 143.

[0041] A pair of second drive shafts 200, which integrally drive stage 2 and X slider 21 and first drive shaft 100 as driven bodies in the Y-axis direction, are equipped with a pair of Y guides 210 serving as second guides extending in the Y-axis direction. Y guide 210 constitutes the main body of second drive shaft 200. In this embodiment, the pair of Y guides 210, together with connecting plates 250 on the front and back sides, are formed in a box or rectangular parallelepiped shape. The pair of Y guides 210, provided at both ends in the X-axis direction, support a pair of Y sliders 150 (described below) in a substantially non-contact manner on three surfaces: the front surface, end surfaces (outer side surfaces in the X-axis direction), and bottom surface.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2 , a space surrounded on three sides by Y guide 210 is provided with Y slider 150 as a second slider that is movable or slidable in the Y-axis direction while being guided by the inner circumferential surface of Y guide 210. In the example of FIG. 2 , the ZX cross-sectional shape formed by the inner circumferential surface of Y guide 210 is approximately equal to the ZX cross-sectional shape formed by the outer circumferential surface of Y slider 150 (strictly speaking, the latter is slightly smaller). As will be described later, floating gas such as compressed air is supplied between the inner circumferential surface of Y guide 210 that constitutes second drive shaft 200 and the outer circumferential surface of Y slider 150 that constitutes the driven object, so that Y slider 150 floats from Y guide 210 and can move smoothly and substantially without contact. As shown in FIG. 1 , a pair of Y sliders 150 provided at both ends in the X-axis direction are connected to each other by one or more connecting portions 151 extending in the X-axis direction and can move together in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the pair of second drive shafts 200 that drive the pair of Y sliders 150 in the Y-axis direction essentially function as one second drive shaft 200 .

[0043] In an X-axis direction region inside both Y guides 210 provided at both ends in the X-axis direction, a rectangular opening 211 extending over substantially the entire length in the Y-axis direction is formed in the surface. As shown in FIG. 2 , the bottom of X guide 110, which is the main body of first drive shaft 100, is connected through this opening 211 to the top of Y slider 150 housed inside Y guide 210, which is the main body of second drive shaft 200, via support part 160. Therefore, first drive shaft 100 and stage 2 can move in the Y-axis direction integrally with Y slider 150. A second linear motor 220, which will be described later and which drives these drive targets in the Y-axis direction, is also disposed in opening 211.

[0044] As will be described later, when Y slider 150 is driven in the Y-axis direction by second linear motor 220 while being guided by Y guide 210, first drive shaft 100 and stage 2, which are connected by support part 160, are also driven integrally in the Y-axis direction. At this time, support part 160 also moves in the Y-axis direction, but because it passes through opening 211 formed on the surface between both Y guides 210 over substantially the entire length in the Y-axis direction, it does not interfere with the movement of the object to be driven (first drive shaft 100 or Y slider 150) in the Y-axis direction.

[0045] Y slider 150, which is connected below X guide 110 via support portion 160, may be considered to be part of first drive shaft 100. When a pair of second drive shafts 200 drive a pair of Y sliders 150 in the Y axis direction, the entire first drive shaft 100, which is configured integrally with Y slider 150, and stage 2 and X slider 21, which serve as driven bodies, are also driven integrally in the Y axis direction. In this way, the objects driven by second drive shaft 200 include the entire first drive shaft 100, of which Y slider 150 is a part, and the driven body constituted by stage 2 and X slider 21. In other words, stage 2, which serves as the driven body, can move in the Y axis direction integrally with Y slider 150 while being guided by Y guide 210.

[0046] In order to drive the drive target, including the stage 2 and Y slider 150, along the Y axis direction, a second linear motor 220 is configured between the drive target and the second drive shaft 200. In this embodiment, one second linear motor 220 is provided at an intermediate X axis direction position (e.g., midpoint) between a pair of Y guides 210, extending in the Y axis direction substantially parallel to each Y guide 210. As shown in FIG. 2 , the second linear motor 220 is provided on the front surface side (+Z side) of the Y slider 150 (and the Y guide 210 as the main body of the second drive shaft 200), which can move integrally with the first drive shaft 100 and the stage 2. By providing the second linear motor 220 on the back surface side of the stage 2 in this way, it is possible to reduce the adverse effects that magnetic fields leaking from the second linear motor 220 could have on the processing of semiconductor wafers and the like on the stage 2 (e.g., irradiation of electron beams that are easily affected by magnetic fields).

[0047] Second linear motor 220 includes second coil portion 230 as a coil portion and second magnet portion 240 as a magnet portion. In order to configure second linear motor 220 that drives Y slider 150, which is the driven object, along the Y-axis direction, one of second coil portion 230 and second magnet portion 240 may be provided on Y slider 150, and the other may be provided on second drive shaft 200.

[0048] In the second linear motor 220 , it is preferable that the second coil portion 230 is provided in addition to the second drive shaft 200 , and the second magnet portion 240 is provided on the Y-slider 150 .

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3 , second coil unit 230 may be fixedly mounted on base 3 on which second drive shaft 200 is mounted, via mounting bases 235 provided at both ends in the Y-axis direction. Because base 3 and second drive shaft 200 are fixed to each other, even if second coil unit 230 is provided on either of them, it should be interpreted as being substantially mounted on second drive shaft 200. Second coil unit 230 (particularly, coil 232 described below) is not in contact with X guide 110 above or Y guide 210 (and Y slider 150) below and to the side, allowing second magnet unit 240 (particularly, housing 241 described below) to move in the Y-axis direction through the gap therebetween. In this way, second coil unit 230 is provided at a position spaced apart in the X-axis direction from Y guide 210, which serves as the main body of second drive shaft 200.

[0050] 2, the second magnet section 240 may be fixedly attached to the connecting section 151 that connects the pair of Y sliders 150. The second magnet section 240 may also be fixedly attached to the rear surface of the X guide 110. Because the connecting section 151, the X guide 110, the Y slider 150, etc. are fixed to one another, even if the second magnet section 240 is provided on any of them, it should be interpreted as being substantially provided on the Y slider 150.

[0051] 2 and 3, second linear motor 220 is provided between X guide 110 above and Y slider 150 below. Second coil unit 230, which constitutes the fixed unit, is located at an intermediate position in the Z axis direction and does not come into contact with Y slider 150 and first drive shaft 100, which constitute the movable unit, and does not interfere with movement of the movable unit in the Y axis direction. Furthermore, because second linear motor 220 (driving point) can be located at a position in the Z axis direction close to the center of gravity of the entire movable unit formed by Y slider 150 and first drive shaft 100, the movable unit can be driven stably while suppressing undesirable pitching rotation, etc.

[0052] 1, second coil portion 230 constituting the fixed portion preferably has a substantially rectangular shape, when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above, with an X axis of symmetry in the X-axis direction and a Y axis of symmetry in the Y-axis direction that are substantially the same as those of the rectangular region formed by pair of Y guides 210 and pair of connecting plates 250. In this case, the center of gravity or center of second coil portion 230 as viewed in the Z-axis direction substantially coincides with the center of gravity or center of the rectangular region. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the center or middle of second coil portion 230 in the X-axis direction substantially coincides with the center or middle of X guide 110 and / or pair of Y sliders 150 as the driven object.

[0053] In this way, by using one second coil section 230 or second linear motor 220 arranged symmetrically with respect to the object to be driven, the object to be driven can be stably driven in the Y-axis direction while effectively suppressing undesirable rotation such as yawing (rotation around the Z-axis).

[0054] As shown in FIG. 3 , the second coil unit 230 includes a holder 231 installed on the base 3 via an installation stand 235, and a coil 232 held by the holder 231. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the coil 232 is, for example, a typical three-phase coil. Specifically, a U-phase coil, a V-phase coil, and a W-phase coil (not shown) are periodically arranged along the Y-axis direction, which is the drive direction. Currents (e.g., U-phase current, V-phase current, and W-phase current) flowing through the coils 232 of each phase may be supplied via the holder 231. As shown in FIG. 2 , the coils 232 are arranged to protrude from the holder 231 on the −X side toward the +X side. The coils 232 or the coil group as a whole are preferably formed in a flat plate shape with the Z-axis direction as their normal direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the entire second coil unit 230 and / or the coils 232 extend along the Y-axis direction substantially parallel to the pair of Y guides 210.

[0055] 2, the second magnet unit 240 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 241 and magnets 242 arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the housing 241. The housing 241 is fixedly attached to the surface of the connecting portion 151 of the Y slider 150, which is the object to be driven. Therefore, the second magnet unit 240 can move integrally with the Y slider 150 in the Y-axis direction.

[0056] The housing 241 is made of, for example, a magnetically shielding material or a soft magnetic material such as carbon steel or permalloy. A long opening 243 is formed in the side surface on the -X side of the housing 241, extending in the Y-axis direction over substantially the entire length of the side surface (the side surface on the +X side of the housing 241 is closed by a magnetically shielding material or the like). A flat coil 232 protruding from the holder 231 of the second coil unit 230 toward the +X side is inserted into the substantially rectangular parallelepiped space within the housing 241 formed by this opening 243. Furthermore, magnets 142, such as permanent magnets whose magnetic poles are periodically changed, are arranged along the Y-axis direction on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 241, which is the top and / or bottom surface of the space (see FIG. 3 ).

[0057] As described above, in the substantially rectangular parallelepiped space within housing 241, coil 232 or a group of coils in second coil unit 230 and magnet 242 or a group of magnets in second magnet unit 240 face each other in the Z-axis direction. When a three-phase alternating current or the like is passed through coil 232, which functions as an electromagnet, magnetically interacts with magnet 242, generating a thrust that drives magnet 242, which serves as a movable unit, in the Y-axis direction. As viewed in the Y-axis direction in FIG. 2 , U-shaped housing 241 is driven in the Y-axis direction along flat coil 232, with flat coil 232 sandwiched between it from the right (i.e., coil 232 is contained within the space within housing 241). Y-slider 150, which serves as a driven object to which housing 241 of second magnet unit 240 is fixed, is also driven in the Y-axis direction integrally with second magnet unit 240 while being guided by Y guide 210.

[0058] As described above, in this embodiment, the coil 232 through which current flows is arranged to protrude from the holder 231 toward the +X side, and the second magnet part 240 or the magnet 242 that interacts with the magnetic field generated by the coil 232 is arranged to cover the coil 232 from the +X side.

[0059] The second linear motor 220, which moves the second magnet unit 240 as described above, is a so-called moving magnet type linear motor. In this case, the second coil unit 230, which generates heat when a current flows through it, is isolated from the driven object integral with the stage 2 or the Y-slider 150 (furthermore, in this embodiment, the second coil unit 230 is also thermally isolated from the second drive shaft 200 via the mounting table 235 and the base 3), thereby effectively suppressing heat transfer to the stage 2 and / or the workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer. This is particularly preferable when the workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, is susceptible to heat. Furthermore, because the second coil unit 230 is stationary, current can be easily supplied to the second coil unit 230.

[0060] In such a moving magnet type second linear motor 220, the length of the second coil section 230 in the Y-axis direction is longer than the length of the second magnet section 240 in the Y-axis direction. For example, the length of the second coil section 230 in the Y-axis direction is preferably a length that can cover the range of motion of the Y slider 150 in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the length of the second magnet section 240 in the Y-axis direction is preferably equal to or shorter than the length of the Y slider 150 and / or the stage 2 in the Y-axis direction. The relatively short second magnet section 240 can move in the Y-axis direction integrally with the Y slider 150, which is the object to be driven, within the installation range of the relatively long second coil section 230.

[0061] On the other hand, the second linear motor 220 may be configured as a moving coil type. Specifically, the second coil unit 230 is provided on the Y-slider 150, and the second magnet unit 240 is provided on the second drive shaft 200 (for example, the base 3) (not shown). In this case, the second magnet unit 240 is stationary, which has the advantage of reducing fluctuations in the magnetic field leaking outside the second linear motor 220. This is particularly preferable when the processing of semiconductor wafers or the like on the stage 2 is susceptible to magnetic influences.

[0062] In such a moving coil type second linear motor 220, the length of the second coil section 230 in the Y-axis direction is shorter than the length of the second magnet section 240 in the Y-axis direction. For example, the length of the second coil section 230 in the Y-axis direction is preferably equal to or shorter than the length of the Y slider 150 and / or the stage 2 in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the length of the second magnet section 240 in the Y-axis direction is preferably a length that can cover the range of motion of the Y slider 150 in the Y-axis direction. The relatively short second coil section 230 can move in the Y-axis direction integrally with the Y slider 150, which is the object to be driven, within the installation range of the relatively long second magnet section 240.

[0063] Next, the gas floating portion for smoothing the X-axis direction drive by the first drive shaft 100 and the Y-axis direction drive by the second drive shaft 200 will be described.

[0064] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the stage device 1 taken along the ZX plane including the connecting portion 151 of the Y slider 150. In this drawing, the stage 2, the first linear motor 120, the second linear motor 220, etc. are omitted from the illustration.

[0065] Y guide 210 is a box-shaped member with an opening at the center of its top surface in the X-axis direction. Y guide 210 includes a bottom 23 on the −Z side, side walls 24 on the −X and +X sides, and an upper part 28 on the +Z side.

[0066] The bottom 23 is a rectangular plate member when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above. The side walls 24 are elongated walls extending in the Y-axis direction from both ends of the bottom 23 in the X-axis direction (the left and right ends in FIG. 5 ) on the +Z side. The left and right side walls 24 face each other in the X-axis direction.

[0067] The upper portion 28 is a plate member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction when viewed in the Z-axis direction or from above. The upper portion 28 is provided to extend from the upper end of the left side wall 24 in Fig. 5 to the +X side, and is provided to extend from the upper end of the right side wall 24 in Fig. 5 to the -X side. The right end of the left upper portion 28 and the left end of the right upper portion 28 form the opening 211 described above.

[0068] Each substantially rectangular parallelepiped Y slider 150 has a substantially rectangular ZX cross section. The left Y slider 150 in Fig. 5 has an outer surface 66b (the left side surface in Fig. 5) entirely facing the side wall 24, an outer portion 66c of the surface (excluding an inner portion 66d where the support portion 160 is provided) facing the upper portion 28, and an entire back surface 66a facing the bottom 23. The right Y slider 150 in Fig. 5 has an outer surface 66b (the right side surface in Fig. 5) entirely facing the side wall 24, an outer portion 66c of the surface (excluding an inner portion 66d where the support portion 160 is provided) facing the upper portion 28, and an entire back surface 66a facing the bottom 23.

[0069] To enable Y slider 150 to move smoothly in the Y-axis direction along Y guide 210, air pads 36, 38, and 40 serving as hydrostatic bearings are formed between the inner peripheral surface of Y guide 210 and the outer peripheral surface of Y slider 150. Specifically, back-surface air pad 36 is provided on back surface 66a of Y slider 150 that faces bottom 23, side air pad 38 is provided on outer surface 66b that faces side wall 24, and front-surface air pad 40 is provided on front surface 66c that faces top portion 28. Air pads 36, 38, and 40 are formed by constantly supplying floating gas (second floating gas) such as compressed air supplied from an air supply system (not shown) between the inner peripheral surface of Y guide 210 and the outer peripheral surface of Y slider 150.

[0070] Y slider 150, which is lifted from Y guide 210 by air pads 36, 38, and 40, can move smoothly without substantially contacting Y guide 210. In this way, air pads 36, 38, and 40 constitute a second gas lifting portion that uses gas to lift Y slider 150, which is a part of first drive shaft 100, from Y guide 210, which is the main body of second drive shaft 200. Note that air pads 36, 38, and 40 may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of Y guide 210 that faces Y slider 150, instead of on the outer peripheral surface of Y slider 150.

[0071] Exhaust grooves 54, 56, and 58 for differential evacuation are formed on the outer circumferential surface of Y slider 150 so as to surround air pads 36, 38, and 40. Exhaust grooves 54, 56, and 58 are provided so that the pressure decreases sequentially from the outside to the inside or the center, i.e., so that the degree of vacuum increases sequentially. For example, exhaust groove 54 is at atmospheric pressure, exhaust groove 56 is at a low vacuum, and exhaust groove 58 is at a medium vacuum. Exhaust grooves 54, 56, and 58 with these different pressures or degrees of vacuum are achieved by multiple exhaust pipes (not shown) provided inside Y guide 210, which is the main body of second drive shaft 200. Specifically, by opening an exhaust pipe that communicates with the atmosphere or air at atmospheric pressure at a position opposite the exhaust groove 54, the exhaust groove 54 becomes atmospheric pressure, by opening an exhaust pipe that is connected to a low vacuum pump or the like (not shown) at a position opposite the exhaust groove 56, the exhaust groove 56 becomes a low vacuum, and by opening an exhaust pipe that is connected to a medium vacuum pump or the like (not shown) at a position opposite the exhaust groove 58, the exhaust groove 58 becomes a medium vacuum.

[0072] The above-described plurality of exhaust grooves 54, 56, 58 allows the floating gas in the air pads 36, 38, 40 to be sequentially exhausted to the outside of the vacuum chamber via atmospheric pressure (exhaust groove 54), low vacuum (exhaust groove 56), and medium vacuum (exhaust groove 58). This effectively prevents the floating gas in the air pads 36, 38, 40 from leaking into the vacuum chamber.

[0073] In this way, the stage device 1 according to this embodiment can be used in a vacuum environment such as inside a vacuum chamber. Here, 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 The stage device 1 according to this embodiment may be used in any of the above vacuum environments, or in a non-vacuum environment. The stage device 1 according to this embodiment is particularly suitable for use in a low-pressure vacuum environment where a high degree of cleanliness is required.

[0074] FIG. 5 shows air pads 36, 38, and 40 that constitute a second gas floating portion that uses gas to float Y slider 150, which is a part of first drive shaft 100, from Y guide 210, which is the main body of second drive shaft 200. Similarly, air pads that constitute a first gas floating portion that uses gas to float X slider 21, which is a part of the driven body, from X guide 110, which is the main body of first drive shaft 100, may be provided.

[0075] 1, a group of air pads similar to air pads 36, 38, and 40 is preferably provided between the inner peripheral surface of box-shaped X guide 110 and the outer peripheral surface of rectangular parallelepiped X slider 21 housed therein. Furthermore, a group of differential exhaust grooves similar to exhaust grooves 54, 56, and 58 is preferably formed on the outer peripheral surface of X slider 21 to surround the group of air pads. These multiple exhaust grooves allow the floating gas within the air pads (first floating gas) to be sequentially exhausted to outside the vacuum chamber through atmospheric pressure, low vacuum, and medium vacuum. This effectively prevents the floating gas within the air pads from leaking into the vacuum chamber.

[0076] According to the present embodiment as described above, high responsiveness during driving can be achieved by the first drive shaft 100 and second drive shaft 200, which use magnetism (first linear motor 120 and second linear motor 220) to drive the driven body such as X-slider 21 and the first drive shaft 100, and high smoothness during driving can be achieved by the first gas floating unit and second gas floating unit, which use gas to levitate the driven body such as X-slider 21 and the first drive shaft 100. Because the first gas floating unit and second gas floating unit are equipped with a mechanism for exhausting the floating gas, the stage device 1 according to this embodiment can be used in a vacuum environment such as a vacuum chamber.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] The present disclosure relates to a drive device and the like.

[0080] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 stage device, 2 stage, 21 X slider, 100 first drive shaft, 110 X guide, 120 first linear motor, 130 first coil section, 140 first magnet section, 144 first magnetic shielding section, 145 second magnetic shielding section, 150 Y slider, 200 second drive shaft, 210 Y guide, 220 second linear motor, 230 second coil section, 240 second magnet section.

Claims

1. A drive device comprising: a first drive shaft that magnetically drives a driven body in a first direction; a second drive shaft that magnetically drives the driven body and the first drive shaft together in a second direction that intersects with the first direction, the second drive shaft supporting the first drive shaft from below in a third direction that intersects with both the first and second directions; a first gas flotation part that levitates the driven body from the first drive shaft by gas; and a second gas flotation part that levitates the first drive shaft from the second drive shaft by gas.

2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the driven body and the first drive shaft form a first linear motor that drives the driven body along the first drive shaft, and the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft form a second linear motor that drives the first drive shaft along the second drive shaft.

3. The drive device according to claim 2, wherein the driven body comprises a mounting section on whose surface an object is placed, and a first slider connected to the mounting section on its back surface, and the first linear motor is provided between the mounting section and the first slider.

4. A drive device as described in claim 3, wherein in the first linear motor, a first coil portion through which current flows is provided on the first drive shaft so as to protrude in the second direction, and a first magnet portion which interacts with the magnetic field generated by the first coil portion is provided on the first slider so as to cover the first coil portion from the second direction.

5. A drive device as described in claim 4, wherein the length of the first coil portion in the first direction is longer than the length of the first magnet portion in the first direction.

6. A drive device as described in claim 5, wherein said first magnet section is provided with a magnetic shielding section that magnetically shields at least the edge of the opening into which said first coil section is inserted.

7. A drive device according to claim 5, wherein the first magnet section is provided with a magnetic shielding section that magnetically shields at least the surface side on which the placement section is located.

8. The drive device according to claim 5, further comprising a magnetic shielding section for shielding magnetism provided between the mounting section and the first magnet section.

9. A drive device as described in any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the first drive shaft comprises a first guide that guides the drive of the first slider in the first direction, and a second slider that is connected to the first guide below, and the second linear motor is provided between the first guide and the second slider.

10. A drive device as described in claim 9, wherein in the second linear motor, a second coil portion through which current flows is provided on the second drive shaft so as to protrude in the first direction, and a second magnet portion which interacts with the magnetic field generated by the second coil portion is provided on the second slider so as to cover the second coil portion from the first direction.

11. A drive device as described in claim 10, wherein the length of the second coil portion in the second direction is longer than the length of the second magnet portion in the second direction.

12. The drive device according to claim 11, wherein the second coil portion is provided at a position spaced apart from the main body of the second drive shaft in the first direction.

13. A drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is used in a vacuum environment.

14. A positioning device for positioning a driven body using a driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

15. A processing device which performs a predetermined process on the driven body positioned by the positioning device according to claim 14.

16. A device manufacturing method, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a device through said processing by the processing apparatus according to claim 15.

Images