Actuator, inclination control device, positioning device, processing device, and device manufacturing method

Abstract

This actuator 3 comprises: a fixed part 5; a movable part 6; a drive part that drives the movable part 6 along a drive direction relative to the fixed part 5; a gas guide part 52 that supplies a guide gas GG between an inner peripheral surface of the fixed part 5 and an outer peripheral surface of the movable part 6 opposing each other on an outer peripheral side with respect to the drive part, and guides the movable part 6 along the drive direction relative to the fixed part 5; and a load support part 56 that supplies a support gas SG between an upper surface 55 of the fixed part 5 and a lower surface 64 of the movable part 6 opposing each other, and supports a load from the movable part 6. A load support surface of the movable part 6 where the movable part is supported by the load support part 56 extends to both the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the drive part. The load support surface of the movable part 6 where the movable part is supported by the load support part 56 extends above the drive part.

Description

Actuator, tilt control device, positioning device, processing device, device manufacturing method

[0001] This disclosure relates to actuators, etc.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a pair of Z-axis actuators 36 configured with voice coil motors. A Z-axis guide portion 18a is provided on the inner circumference side of the pair of Z-axis actuators 36 to guide driving along the Z-axis direction and restrict rotation along the θZ-axis direction.

[0003] Patent No. 4664142

[0004] Patent Document 1 required the provision of several substantially different Z-axis actuators 36. Furthermore, since the load from the wafer holding member 14, etc., is supported solely by the driving force of each Z-axis actuator 36, there is a risk that it may not be possible to appropriately balance load support and driving along the Z-axis direction for loads that may fluctuate.

[0005] This disclosure is made in view of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an actuator, etc., that can appropriately balance drive guidance and load support.

[0006] To solve the above problems, an actuator according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a fixed part, a movable part, a drive unit that drives the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction, a gas guide unit located on the outer circumference of the drive unit that supplies a guide gas between the inner surface of the opposing fixed part and the outer surface of the movable part, and guides the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction, and a load support unit that supplies a support gas between the upper surface of the opposing fixed part and the lower surface of the movable part, and supports the load from the movable part.

[0007] According to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately achieve both drive guidance by the gas guide (or guide gas) and load support by the load support (or support gas).

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a tilt control device. This device comprises a plurality of actuators that control the tilt of a driven body by driving a plurality of driven points on the driven body. Each actuator comprises a fixed part, a movable part, a drive unit that drives the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction, a gas guide unit located on the outer circumferential side of the drive unit that supplies a guide gas between the inner circumferential surface of the opposing fixed part and the outer circumferential surface of the movable part, and guides the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction, and a load support unit that supplies a support gas between the upper surface of the opposing fixed part and the lower surface of the movable part, and supports the load from the movable part.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a positioning device, which positions a table as a driven object whose tilt is controlled by the tilt control device described above.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a processing apparatus, which processes an object placed on a table positioned by the positioning device described above.

[0011] Another aspect of this disclosure is a device manufacturing method, which manufactures a device through processing of a workpiece by the processing apparatus described above.

[0012] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as any representations thereof converted into methods, apparatus, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also included in this disclosure.

[0013] According to this disclosure, it is possible to appropriately achieve both drive guidance and load support.

[0014] This is a schematic plan view of the stage device. This is a perspective view showing the tilt control device. This is a schematic oblique cross-sectional view (ZX cross-section) showing the actuator. This is a schematic YZ cross-sectional view showing the actuator. This shows a modified example of the actuator. This shows a modified example of the actuator. This shows a modified example of the actuator.

[0015] The following describes in detail the forms for implementing this disclosure (hereinafter also referred to as embodiments) with reference to the drawings. In the description and / or drawings, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, etc., are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. The scale and shape of the illustrated parts are set for convenience to simplify the description and are not to be interpreted restrictively unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the scope of this disclosure in any way. Not all features or combinations thereof presented in the embodiments are necessarily essential to this disclosure. For convenience, embodiments are presented by breaking them down into components for each function and / or group of functions that realize them. However, one component in an embodiment may actually be realized by a combination of multiple components as separate entities, and multiple components in an embodiment may actually be realized by a single component as a whole. Furthermore, multiple embodiments and modifications may be disclosed in parallel, and any components of each embodiment and / or modification may be combined in any manner as long as they do not interfere with each other's functions.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing a stage device 100 as a positioning device or drive device to which the actuator and tilt control device according to this embodiment can be applied. The stage device 100 is an XY stage that positions a table, which is a driven body on which a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer is placed, in the X-axis direction (left-right direction in Figure 1) and the Y-axis direction (up-down direction in Figure 1). The stage device 100 includes a pair of Y stages 120 that extend in the Y-axis direction and drive the table along the Y-axis direction, an X stage 130 that extends in the X-axis direction and drives the table along the X-axis direction and is integrated with the table, and a surface plate 140. The pair of Y stages 120 are connected to both ends of the X stage 130 in the X-axis direction via sliders 124. The Y stages 120 and X stages 130 form an H shape when viewed from above.

[0017] Of the components of the stage apparatus 100, at least the table, Y-stage 120, and X-stage 130 may be housed in a vacuum chamber whose interior is kept under vacuum. In this specification, "vacuum" refers to a space filled with gas at a pressure lower than normal atmospheric pressure. Vacuum is defined by pressure range as low vacuum (100 kPa to 100 Pa), medium vacuum (100 Pa to 0.1 Pa), and high vacuum (0.1 Pa to 10 －5 Pa), ultra-high vacuum (10 －5 Pa-10 －8 Pa), ultra-high vacuum (10 －8 Vacuum levels are classified as follows: Pa or less. The stage device 100 of this embodiment may be used in any of the above vacuum environments. Furthermore, the stage device 100 of this embodiment may be used in a non-vacuum environment that does not fall under any of the above categories.

[0018] The X-stage 130 and Y-stage 120 are each provided with linear motors 2X and 2Y, respectively. The linear power generated by each linear motor 2X and 2Y along the X-axis or Y-axis drives the table, which is the driven body, linearly along the X-axis or Y-axis. The linear motor 2X, which is responsible for linear driving along the X-axis, comprises an armature 2 that constitutes a track and stator along the X-axis, and a movable element 20 that can move along the X-axis along the armature 2. The table, which is the driven body, is fixed to this movable element 20 and moves together with it.

[0019] A pair of linear motors 2Y, responsible for linear drive along the Y-axis, comprises an armature 2 that constitutes a track and stator along the Y-axis, and a movable element 20 that can move along the Y-axis along the armature 2. A slider 124 is fixed to this movable element 20 and moves integrally with it. 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 drives the armature 2 of the linear motor 2X, together with the pair of sliders 124, along the Y-axis. Furthermore, since there is a table on the armature 2 (track) of the linear motor 2X, the pair of linear motors 2Y linearly drives the table along the Y-axis.

[0020] As described above, the stage device 100 of this embodiment (a positioning device powered by linear motors 2X and 2Y) can achieve high-precision positioning or driving regardless of whether it is in a vacuum or non-vacuum environment. It is suitable for applications such as positioning or driving a table on which a semiconductor wafer or the like is placed as a workpiece 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, as well as device manufacturing equipment such as FPD (Flat Panel Display) manufacturing equipment. The processing equipment to which the stage device 100 of this embodiment can be applied may be any equipment that positions any workpiece for processing using the stage device 100 or a positioning device, for example, any manufacturing equipment, any processing equipment (e.g., machine tools), or any inspection equipment.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the tilt control device 4 according to this embodiment. The tilt control device 4 is installed between the upper surface (plane in the +Z axis direction) of the X stage 130 (Figure 1) and the lower surface (plane in the -Z axis direction) of the table (not shown), and controls the tilt of the table as the driven body. The tilt control device 4 comprises a fixed plate 41, a plurality of substantially identical (preferably at least three) actuators 3A, 3B, 3C (hereinafter collectively referred to as actuator 3), and a movable plate 42.

[0022] The fixed plate 41, which is rectangular in shape when viewed from above or in a plan view (viewed in the Z-axis direction), has its lower surface attached to the upper surface of the X-stage 130. Three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C are positioned on the upper surface of the fixed plate 41, forming an approximately equilateral triangle when viewed from above. Details of each actuator 3 will be described later. The lower or side surface of the movable plate 42 is attached to the upper surface of the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C. The movable plate 42 is approximately equilateral in shape when viewed from above, and the drive points of the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C are located at its three vertices. Each vertex of the movable plate 42 becomes a driven point that is driven along the Z-axis direction by the corresponding actuator 3.

[0023] On the upper surface of the movable plate 42, the lower surface of a table (not shown) as a driven body is attached. Therefore, the table is integrally driven with the movable plate 42 by the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C. In other words, the table and the movable plate 42 constitute a single driven body to be driven by the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C.

[0024] The plurality of actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C control the inclination of the driven body (the table and the movable plate 42) by driving a plurality (preferably at least three) of driven portions (the three vertices of the movable plate 42) in the driven body along the Z-axis direction. The inclination in this embodiment means the angle θ formed by the normal line on the upper surface of the movable plate 42 as the driven body and the +Z-axis direction (typically, vertically upward). As schematically shown in FIG. 2, the inclination θ is decomposed into two components: the inclination (or rotation) θ ｘ about the X-axis and the inclination (or rotation) θ ｙ about the Y-axis.

[0025] In addition to such biaxial rotational drive (θ ｘ , θ ｙ ), the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C can linearly drive the entire movable plate 42 and the table along the Z-axis direction. This linear drive amount is represented by Z. Thus, in the inclination control device 4 according to this embodiment, three independent drive parameters (θ ｘ , θ ｙ , Z) are controlled by the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C. Note that, in order to achieve only the inclination control by the biaxial rotational drive (θ ｘ , θ ｙ ) without performing the linear drive (Z) along the Z-axis direction, two actuators 3 are sufficient. In this case, any one of the three actuators 3A, 3B, and 3C in FIG. 2 may be replaced with a support base that only supports one vertex of the movable plate 42 from below or from the side.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view (ZX cross-sectional view) showing the actuator 3 according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic YZ cross-sectional view showing the actuator 3 according to this embodiment. The actuator 3 comprises a fixed part 5 and a movable part 6 that are relatively movable along the Z-axis direction as the driving direction. The movable part 6 is located at the driven point on the driven body (for example, the vertex of the movable plate 42 in Figure 2).

[0027] The base portion 51 of the fixed portion 5 is a flat base member attached to the fixed plate 41 (Figure 2) of the tilt control device 4. The base portion 51 may be formed in a substantially circular shape when viewed from above. On the outer circumference of the upper surface of the base portion 51, a cylindrical (for example, substantially cylindrical) gas guide portion 52 is provided, extending in the +Z axis direction toward the movable portion 6 above or a driven body (not shown). The outer circumferential surface of the substantially cylindrical gas guide portion 52 forms the outer circumferential surface of the fixed portion 5 in the region above the base portion 51.

[0028] Furthermore, a cylindrical (for example, substantially cylindrical) motor mounting portion 53 is provided on the inner circumference side of the gas guide portion 52 on the upper surface of the base portion 51, extending in the +Z axis direction toward the upper movable portion 6 or a driven body (not shown). In the view in the driving direction (view in the Z axis direction), it is preferable that the centers or centroids of the annular (preferably substantially annular) gas guide portion 52 and the motor mounting portion 53 coincide substantially. That is, it is preferable that the cylindrical (preferably cylindrical) gas guide portion 52 and the motor mounting portion 53 are arranged concentrically in a view from above. Here, the outer circumference gas guide portion 52 is provided so as to surround the inner circumference motor mounting portion 53 in an annular (preferably substantially annular) manner.

[0029] Within the substantially cylindrical motor mounting section 53, one or more coils 54 constituting a motor such as a voice coil motor as a drive unit may be provided. For example, one or more coils 54 are embedded over at least half (preferably substantially the entire length) of the motor mounting section 53 in the Z-axis direction, and the overall shape is cylindrical (preferably substantially cylindrical).

[0030] The movable part 6, which has a roughly cylindrical outer shape, is inserted into the inner circumference of the roughly cylindrical gas guide part 52 in the fixed part 5 and is held so as to be movable relative to the fixed part 5 along the Z-axis direction. The inner surface of the gas guide part 52 (fixed part 5) and the outer surface of the movable part 6 face each other with a small gap in between, and a non-contact type hydrostatic bearing is formed by the gas guide part 52 supplying the guide gas GG as described later. Preferably, the maximum length of the hydrostatic bearing in the Z-axis direction is greater than or equal to the length of the coil 54 and / or permanent magnet 61 in the drive unit in the Z-axis direction (or the total length of the drive range by the drive unit).

[0031] This hydrostatic bearing allows the movable part 6 to move smoothly along the Z-axis direction while being guided by the inner circumferential surface of the gas guide part 52, and with substantially no contact with the fixed part 5 (gas guide part 52). In this embodiment, since such a hydrostatic bearing made of guide gas GG can be formed on the outermost circumferential surface of the movable part 6, the bearing area is maximized, effectively achieving stable driving and posture maintenance of the movable part 6 (for example, suppression of undesirable rotation). In other words, the rigidity of the hydrostatic bearing made of guide gas GG can be increased.

[0032] The movable part 6 is equipped with one or more permanent magnets 61 at positions opposite to one or more coils 54 in the fixed part 5 in the X-axis direction and / or Y-axis direction. For example, one or more permanent magnets 61 are embedded over at least half (preferably approximately the entire length) of the movable part 6 in the Z-axis direction and are cylindrical (preferably approximately cylindrical) as a whole. As shown in the figure, it is preferable that one or more permanent magnets 61 be arranged on the outer circumference side of one or more coils 54, but one or more permanent magnets 61 may be arranged on the inner circumference side of one or more coils 54.

[0033] Thus, one or more coils 54 and one or more permanent magnets 61 facing each other in the X-axis direction and / or the Y-axis direction constitute a drive unit that drives the movable part 6 on which the permanent magnet 61 is provided relative to the fixed part 5 on which the coil 54 is provided along the Z-axis direction. Specifically, the magnetic field generated by the drive current flowing through the coil 54 exerts a linear power or thrust on the permanent magnet 61 in the Z-axis direction. In addition, to configure a similar drive unit, the coil 54 may be provided in the movable part 6 instead of the permanent magnet 61, and the permanent magnet 61 may be provided in the fixed part 5 instead of the coil 54. Furthermore, the drive unit is preferably configured by a voice coil motor, but it may also be configured by other linear motors, or by actuators of any principle other than electricity or magnetism.

[0034] A substantially cylindrical hole 62 extending from below along the +Z axis may be formed in the center or middle of the movable part 6. The hole 62 does not penetrate the movable part 6 along the Z axis, and its upper part is closed. The inside of this hole 62 may be a cavity or space as shown in Figure 3 (however, as described later, a support gas SG for load support may be sealed inside), or a central shaft (not shown) which may extend from the fixed part 5 may be inserted to form an additional bearing (for example, a hydrostatic bearing or a rolling bearing), or any functional part such as a displacement sensor as described later may be provided.

[0035] In the movable part 6, a hole 63 capable of accommodating the motor mounting part 53 is formed in a position or region corresponding to the motor mounting part 53 of the aforementioned fixed part 5. This hole 63 extends from below along the +Z axis. The hole 63 does not penetrate the movable part 6 along the Z axis, and its upper part is closed. Since the motor mounting part 53 to be accommodated is cylindrical (for example, substantially cylindrical), the hole 63 is also cylindrical in shape.

[0036] The length or depth of the hole 63 in the Z-axis direction is designed so that the motor mounting section 53 can fit into the hole 63 even when the movable section 6 is at the lower end of its Z-axis range of motion (in the illustrated example, when the bottom surface of the movable section 6 is in contact with the flat base 53A of the motor mounting section 53 installed on the base 51) (it may be the same as or different from the depth of the aforementioned hole 62). The length or width of the hole 63 in the radial direction (or in the X-axis direction and / or Y-axis direction) is preferably designed to be small enough so as not to come into contact with the motor mounting section 53 in order to bring the coil 54 constituting the voice coil motor etc. and the permanent magnet 61 closer together to increase thrust. However, there is a gap between the inner circumferential surface of the hole 63 and the outer circumferential surface of the motor mounting section 53 that is large enough for the support gas SG described later to flow through. In other words, the airtightness between the inner circumferential surface of the hole 63 and the outer circumferential surface of the motor mounting section 53 is low (or nonexistent).

[0037] The gas guide section 52, located on the outer circumference side of the coil 54 and permanent magnet 61 that constitute the drive section, supplies guide gas GG between the inner surface of the opposing fixed section 5 (gas guide section 52) and the outer surface of the movable section 6, forming a hydrostatic bearing that guides the movable section 6 along the Z-axis direction (drive direction) relative to the fixed section 5. The guide gas GG can be any gas capable of forming a hydrostatic bearing, but for example, it may be pressurized air as needed.

[0038] The gas guide section 52 may supply the guide gas GG through the side wall of the fixed section 5 that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the movable section 6 from the outer circumferential side (in the illustrated example, the gas guide section 52 itself). In the illustrated example, the supply port 521 for the guide gas GG by the gas guide section 52 is provided near the center in the Z-axis direction of the side wall of the fixed section 5. In addition, the discharge port 522 for the guide gas GG by the gas guide section 52 is provided at the lower end of the region where the hydrostatic bearing is to be formed. One or more discharge ports 522 can effectively discharge pressurized air, etc., that enters the exhaust groove 522A which is formed in an annular shape (preferably approximately annular) at the lower end of the region where the hydrostatic bearing is to be formed. Here, the exhaust groove 522A is provided on the fixed section 5 side. The positions of the supply port 521 and the discharge port 522 in the Z-axis direction are arbitrary, as long as they face the opposing regions of the fixed portion 5 and the movable portion 6 where the hydrostatic bearings are to be formed (for example, they may be the upper end, middle portion, central portion, or lower end of the side wall of the fixed portion 5 and / or the opposing region).

[0039] In the fixed portion 5, a space SP capable of enclosing the support gas SG by the load support portion 56 is formed between the upper surface 55 of the inner peripheral region (the region recessed in the -Z-axis direction from the side wall protruding in the +Z-axis direction) surrounded by the gas guide portion 52 as a side wall from the outer peripheral side and the lower surface 64 of the movable portion 6. This substantially single continuous space SP extends substantially over the entire lower surface 64 of the movable portion 6.

[0040] Specifically, the space SP extends not only to the bottom surface or the lowermost surface that constitutes most of the lower surface 64 of the movable portion 6, but also to the lower surface 64 as the closing end surfaces (the upper surfaces in FIG. 4) of the aforementioned holes 62 and 63 drilled in the +Z-axis direction from the bottom surface. Thus, the lower surface 64 of the movable portion 6 in the present embodiment mainly means the bottom surface of the movable portion 6, but in the regions where the holes 62 and 63 are formed, it also includes the closing end surfaces of the holes 62 and 63. That is, the lower surface 64 of the movable portion 6 is not a complete flat surface, but is a surface recessed in the +Z-axis direction in the regions where the holes 62 and 63 are formed.

[0041] The support gas SG supplied into the space SP as described above fills not only the space facing the bottom surface of the movable portion 6 but also the interiors of the holes 62 and 63. As described above, the motor installation portion 53 is inserted into the interior of the hole 63, but since there is no airtightness, the support gas SG can enter the interior of the hole 63. Similarly, when functional parts such as a central axis and a displacement sensor are inserted into the interior of the hole 62, it is preferably in a non-airtight mode.

[0042] The load support portion 56 supplies the support gas SG to the space SP that meanders vertically (or has irregularities) between the upper surface 55 of the fixed portion 5 and the lower surface 64 of the movable portion 6 facing each other as described above, and supports the load from the movable portion 6. The support gas SG may be any gas capable of supporting the load from the movable portion 6. For example, it is pressurized air as required. The support gas SG and the aforementioned guide gas GG may be the same or the same type of gas, or different gases.

[0043] Furthermore, while the pressures of the support gas SG and the guide gas GG may be the same, it is preferable that they be different. For example, the pressure of the support gas SG may be adaptively controlled according to the load from the movable part 6 (i.e., the total load including not only the load of the movable part 6 itself, but also the movable plate 42, table, semiconductor wafers and other workpieces that may be present on the movable part 6). In this case, a load measuring unit or load estimating unit that measures or estimates the load from the movable part 6 and a support gas pressure control unit that adaptively controls the pressure of the support gas SG according to the measured or estimated load are provided.

[0044] The load-supporting surface of the movable part 6 by the load-supporting portion 56 is the surface labeled "SG" in Figure 4, and covers substantially the entire uneven lower surface 64 of the movable part 6. For example, the load-supporting surface of the movable part 6 by the load-supporting portion 56 extends to both the outer circumference (bottom surface) and the inner circumference (bottom surface and the closed end surface of the hole 62) of the drive unit (coil 54 and permanent magnet 61). Furthermore, the load-supporting surface of the movable part 6 by the load-supporting portion 56 extends above the drive unit (coil 54 and permanent magnet 61) (i.e., the closed end surface of the hole 63). In this way, according to this embodiment, substantially the entire lower surface 64 of the movable part 6 can be stably supported by the support gas SG in the space SP. For example, undesirable rotation that may occur when the lower surface 64 of the movable part 6 is partially supported can be effectively suppressed.

[0045] Furthermore, since the load support section 56 supports the load from the movable section 6, it becomes unnecessary to support the load from the movable section 6 with the driving force from a drive unit such as a voice coil motor. Therefore, the heat generated by the coil 54 that constitutes the drive unit can be reduced.

[0046] The load support portion 56 may supply the support gas SG into the space SP through the side wall of the fixed portion 5 (which also serves as the gas guide portion 52 in the illustrated example) that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the movable portion 6 from the outer circumferential side. In the illustrated example, the supply port for the support gas SG by the load support portion 56 is provided at the lower end of the side wall of the fixed portion 5 in the Z-axis direction. The supply port for the support gas SG by the load support portion 56 is located below the hydrostatic bearing region of the gas guide portion 52 (the region labeled "GG" in Figure 4) and is provided at any position facing the space SP. For this reason, the supply port 521 and discharge port 522 of the guide gas GG by the gas guide portion 52 are positioned above the supply port for the support gas SG by the load support portion 56. The load support portion 56 may also supply the support gas SG into the space SP through a supply port (not shown) provided at the base portion 51 of the fixed portion 5.

[0047] The fixed portion 5 may be provided with a refrigerant passage 57 through which a refrigerant CL, such as water, that cools the coil 54 passes. In the example shown in Figure 3, the refrigerant passage 57 is provided within the base portion 51 of the fixed portion 5. It is preferable that the refrigerant passage 57 be positioned as close to the coil 54 as possible so that the coil 54, which generates heat when a drive current flows through it to drive the movable portion 6, can be efficiently cooled. In the example shown in Figure 3, the refrigerant passage 57 is provided in a substantially annular shape following the shape of the coil 54 and / or the motor mounting portion 53, within the base portion 51 below the substantially cylindrical motor mounting portion 53 in which the substantially cylindrical coil 54 is embedded.

[0048] As schematically shown in Figure 5, the refrigerant passage 57 may extend into the motor mounting section 53. In this case, the refrigerant passage 57 through which the refrigerant CL flows can be arranged along the surface of the coil 54 inside the motor mounting section 53, thereby improving cooling efficiency. On the other hand, there is a trade-off in that the refrigerant passage 57 becomes more complex, and the size of the motor mounting section 53 including the refrigerant passage 57 increases.

[0049] As schematically shown in Figures 6 and 7, the actuator 3 may be provided with a displacement sensor 7 that measures the displacement of the movable part 6 and the fixed part 5 in the Z-axis direction, which is the driving direction. The displacement sensor 7 comprises a part to be measured 71 (for example, a magnetic scale or an optical scale) attached to the movable part 6 and driven integrally along the Z-axis direction, and a measuring part 72 (for example, a magnetic sensor or an optical sensor) attached to the fixed part 5 that measures the displacement of the part to be measured 71 (i.e., the movable part 6) along the Z-axis direction.

[0050] In the example shown in Figure 6, the part to be measured 71 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the movable part 6, and the measuring part 72 is attached to the base 51 of the fixed part 5. In this example, the displacement sensor 7 can be attached externally to the actuator 3, which has the advantage of being easily manufactured without changing the main structure of the actuator 3. On the other hand, the displacement measurement point by the displacement sensor 7 and the drive point by the drive unit such as the voice coil motor are separated radially, which may reduce the accuracy of the displacement measurement.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 7, the part to be measured 71 is attached to the inner surface of the hole 62 in the center of the movable part 6, and the measuring part 72 is installed on the base 53A of the motor mounting part 53 in the fixed part 5. The measuring part 72 extends from the base 53A in the +Z axis direction and enters the hole 62, facing the part to be measured 71. In this example, the displacement measurement point by the displacement sensor 7 and the drive point by the drive unit such as the voice coil motor (the center of the movable part 6) are approximately the same, which has the advantage of improving the accuracy of displacement measurement. On the other hand, there is a trade-off in that integrating the displacement sensor 7 into the actuator 3 complicates the structure of the actuator 3 and increases the difficulty of manufacturing.

[0052] The present disclosure has been described above based on embodiments. Various modifications are possible for each component and each combination of processes in the exemplary embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such modifications are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0053] The configuration, operation, and function of each device and method described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources or software resources, or by the cooperation of hardware resources and software resources. Hardware resources include, for example, processors, ROMs, RAMs, and various integrated circuits. Software resources include, for example, operating systems and application programs.

[0054] This disclosure relates to actuators, etc.

[0055] 3 Actuator, 4 Tilt control device, 5 Fixed part, 6 Movable part, 7 Displacement sensor, 42 Movable plate, 51 Base, 52 Gas guide part, 53 Motor mounting part, 54 Coil, 55 Top surface, 56 Load support part, 57 Coolant passage, 61 Permanent magnet, 64 Bottom surface, 100 Stage device, 120 Y stage, 130 X stage, 521 Supply port, 522 Discharge port.

Claims

1. An actuator comprising: a fixed part; a movable part; a drive part for driving the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction; a gas guide part located on the outer circumference side of the drive part, which supplies a guide gas between the opposing inner surface of the fixed part and the outer surface of the movable part, and guides the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction; and a load support part which supplies a support gas between the opposing upper surface of the fixed part and the lower surface of the movable part, and supports the load from the movable part.

2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the load-supporting surface of the movable part by the load-supporting part extends to both the outer and inner circumference sides of the drive part.

3. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the load-supporting surface of the movable part by the load-supporting part extends above the drive part.

4. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas guide portion supplies the guide gas through the side wall of the fixed portion that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the movable portion from the outer peripheral side.

5. The actuator according to claim 4, wherein the load-supporting portion supplies the support gas through the side wall of the fixed portion, and the supply port for the guide gas by the gas guide portion is positioned above the supply port for the support gas by the load-supporting portion.

6. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the gas guide portion discharges the guide gas through the side wall of the fixed portion, and the discharge port of the guide gas by the gas guide portion is positioned above the supply port of the support gas by the load support portion.

7. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drive unit is a motor comprising a coil provided on one of the fixed part and the movable part, and a magnet provided on the other of the fixed part and the movable part.

8. The actuator according to claim 7, wherein the motor is a voice coil motor.

9. The actuator according to claim 7, wherein the coil is provided in the fixed portion, the magnet is provided in the movable portion, and the fixed portion is provided with a refrigerant passage through which a refrigerant for cooling the coil passes.

10. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a displacement sensor for measuring the displacement of the movable part and the fixed part in the driving direction.

11. A tilt control device comprising a plurality of actuators that control the tilt of a driven body by driving a plurality of driven points on the driven body, wherein each actuator comprises: a fixed part; a movable part; a drive unit that drives the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction; a gas guide part located on the outer circumference side of the drive unit that supplies a guide gas between the inner surface of the opposing fixed part and the outer surface of the movable part, and guides the movable part relative to the fixed part in the driving direction; and a load support part that supplies a support gas between the upper surface of the opposing fixed part and the lower surface of the movable part, and supports the load from the movable part.

12. The tilt control device according to claim 11, comprising at least three actuators.

13. A positioning device for positioning a table as a driven body whose tilt is controlled by the tilt control device according to claim 11 or 12.

14. A processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed, which is placed on the table positioned by the positioning device described in claim 13.

15. A device manufacturing method for manufacturing a device through processing of an object to be processed by the processing apparatus described in claim 14.

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