Lithography Stage Tension Member for High-Acceleration Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithographic apparatuses face challenges in achieving high fabrication speed and throughput due to mechanical distortions caused by high accelerations of wafer and reticle stages under mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of actuated stages with support structures, actuator devices, and shafts or tensional members that transmit mechanical loads, allowing for high acceleration without distortion, using magnetic interactions or mechanical connections to stabilize the movement of patterning devices and substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high acceleration is applied to wafer and reticle stages to improve fabrication speed, then productivity increases, but mechanical distortions occur causing positioning errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical drive systems with electromagnetic actuation systems. Electromagnetic actuators generate forces through magnetic fields rather than mechanical contact, enabling high acceleration without the mechanical stresses and distortions that plague conventional systems. This substitution allows the stage to achieve high speeds while maintaining positioning accuracy through precise electromagnetic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameters of the stage system by transitioning from mechanical force transmission to electromagnetic force generation. This parameter change enables operation in a regime where high acceleration can be achieved without proportional increases in mechanical stress, thereby decoupling the relationship between speed and positioning error that exists in mechanical systems.
2Device complexity
If traditional mechanical support structures are used in stages, then device complexity remains low, but mechanical stresses cause distortion under high acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes electromagnetic actuation for mechanical support and drive structures. By using electromagnetic fields to provide support and motion rather than mechanical contact and force transmission, the system eliminates the stress-concentration points and structural weaknesses inherent in mechanical designs. This allows for simpler structural configurations that maintain stability even under high acceleration conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the ability of lithographic apparatuses to withstand high accelerations, improving fabrication speed and throughput by maintaining precise positioning and alignment of patterns on substrates.
Implementation Method 1
using magnetic interactions or mechanical connections to stabilize the movement of patterning devices and substrates
Implementation Method 2
The shaft is configured to transmit a mechanical load from the actuator target to the location
Data Source
AI summary
A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system, a projection system, and a stage. The illumination system illuminates a pattern of a patterning device. The projection system projects an image of the pattern onto a substrate. The stage moves the patterning device or the substrate. The stage includes a support structure, an actuator device, first, second, and third actuator targets, and a tensional member. The third actuator target is attached to a first side of the support structure. The actuator device is disposed proximal to the first and third targets and magnetically interacts with the first and third targets to move the support structure along a direction. The first and second actuator targets disposed at opposite sides of the support structure and are attached at opposite ends of the tensional member. The tensional member transmits a mechanical load to the second side of the support structure via the second actuator target.