Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Ryuichi Ebinuma

Nobutoshi Mizusawa

Shunichi Uzawa

Takao Kariya

Kunitaka Ozawa

Hiroo Ichihashi

Yuji Chiba

Masakazu Ozawa

Yutaka Watanabe

Eiji Sakamoto

Tetsuzo Mori

Koji Uda

Tetsuo Suzuki

Katsunori Hatanaka

Shinichi Hara

Mitsuaki Amemiya

Hiroshi Kurosawa

Kazunori Iwamoto

Tadashi Shiina

Atsushi Saito

Yoshifumi Hattori

Naoto Abe

Nobushige Korenaga

Makoto Mizuno

Yutaka Tanaka

Kenji Saitoh

Shigeyuki Suda

Noriyuki Nose

Isamu Shimoda

Noritaka Mochizuki

Hiroshi Maehara

Yasuaki Fukuda

Takayuki Hasegawa

Mitsuru Inoue

Shin Matsui

Shinichiro Uno

Makoto Higomura

Yuji Sudo

Masa K Ozawa

Kohji Uda

Masayuki A Suzuki

Eigo Kawakami

Kazuyuki Kasumi

Masao Kosugi

Shigeru Terashima

Makiko Mori

Hiroaki Takeishi

Tosiya Asano

Eiji Osanai

Hidehiko Fujioka

Mitsuji Marumo

Hideki Nogawa

Yuji Sudoh

Ryo Edo

Hiroyuki Tomita

Shinkichi Ohkawa

Hiroshi Chiba

Nobutoshi Mitzusawa

Shumichi Uzawa

Shinichirou Uno

Nobushige Korenage

Toshinori Minowa

Disclosed is a supporting structure for supporting an optical element in an optical system, particularly for use in a semiconductor exposure apparatus. The supporting structure includes a first holding member having at least two supporting portions for supporting a peripheral portion of the optical system, and a second holding member for supporting the optical element, wherein the second holding member is connected to the first holding member, between the at least two supporting portions of the first holding member, through an elastic member.

Method of supporting and adjusting optical element in exposure apparatus

A supporting structure for supporting an optical element includes a first supporting member for supporting the optical element, and a second supporting member for supporting the first supporting member. The value of a thermal expansion coefficient of the first supporting member is between those of the optical element and the second supporting member.

Supporting structure of optical element, exposure apparatus having the same, and manufacturing method of semiconductor device

A supporting structure for supporting an optical element. The supporting structure includes a first supporting member for supporting the optical element, a second supporting member arranged in an outer diameter side of the first supporting member for supporting the first supporting member, and an elastic member placed between the first supporting member and the second supporting member in the radial direction of the optical element. The inner diameter side of the elastic member is connected to the first supporting member while an outer diameter side of the elastic member is connected to the second supporting member. The elastic member is elastically deformable in the radial direction.

A driving device includes a first member, an annular second member arranged outside the first member, an annular first plate for connecting the first and second members to each other, and an annular second plate for connecting the first and second members to each other. The first and second members are moved relative to each other by supplying or exhausting a fluid into or from a space surrounded by the first and second members and the first and second plates. Also, at least one of (i) an inner diameter a of a portion of the second member at which the second member is connected to the first plate is different from an inner diameter a of a portion of the second member at which the second member is connected to the second plate and (ii) an outer diameter b of a portion of the first member at which the first member is connected to the first plate is different from an outer diameter b of a portion of the first member at which the first member is connected to the second plate.

Driving device and exposure apparatus

A stage system includes a stage being movable in a predetermined direction, a first unit for applying a force to the stage in the predetermined direction, a moving mechanism for moving one of the first unit and a structure including the first unit, a first measuring system for measuring at least one of the position and movement amount of the stage, and a second measuring system for measuring at least one of the position and movement amount of one of the first unit and the structure, wherein the stage is controlled on the basis of a measured value of the first measuring system, and wherein the moving system is controlled on the basis of a measured value of the second measuring system.

Stage system and stage driving method for use in exposure apparatus

A stage system includes a stage mechanism having a movable stage and a stage supporting member for carrying the movable stage thereon, and a countermass mechanism having a movable countermass and a countermass supporting member for carrying the countermass thereon, wherein the stage supporting member and the countermass supporting member are supported separately or with vibration isolated.

Stage system for exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method in which a stage supporting member and a countermass supporting member provide vibration isolation

A linear motor includes a stator, a movable element scanningly movable for a predetermined stroke, relative to the stator, and an electromagnetic device for producing a drive force for moving the movable element in a scan direction and in a direction perpendicular to the scan direction. The electromagnetic device includes a coil unit and a magnetic unit. The coil unit has at least two first coils disposed in a predetermined stroke along the scan direction, for producing a force in the scan direction and a second coil disposed in a predetermined stroke for producing a force in a direction perpendicular to the scan direction.

Linear motor and stage system, and scanning exposure apparatus using the same

A projection and exposure apparatus includes an optical member, a holding member for holding the optical member with a gap between the optical member and the holding member, and a powder charged in the gap between the optical member and the holding member, such that the optical member and the holding member are maintained in a spaced-apart relationship.

Projection and exposure apparatus including an optical member and a

An exposure apparatus having an optical stand for supporting a projecting optical system and a reticle stage, and a base frame have a plurality of struts for supporting the optical stand via dampers. The plurality of struts of the base frame are joined at their upper ends to increase the rigidity of the base frame, thereby reducing vibration caused by acceleration and deceleration of the reticle stage.

Exposure apparatus

A scanning exposure apparatus for projecting a portion of a pattern of an original onto a substrate in a slit-like shape through a projection optical system and for scanningly moving the original and the substrate perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection optical system, to thereby print the pattern of the original on the substrate. The apparatus includes a masking device for restricting an exposure area on the original, a drive device for moving the masking device in accordance with a scan of the original and the substrate and a controller for controlling the drive device so that acceleration of the masking device is completed before a start of the exposure and for initiating deceleration of the masking device after completion of the exposure.

Scanning exposure method and apparatus for controlling acceleration and

A linear motor includes a single-phase coil, a plurality of polyphase coils each of which is shorter than the single-phase coil and wound to be parallel to the single-phase coil, a first permanent magnet movable relative to the single-phase coil and the plurality of polyphase coils in an axial direction of the single-phase coil, a first yoke consisting of a ferromagnetic substance and extending through the single-phase coil in the axial direction, a second yoke consisting of a ferromagnetic substance and having, outside the single-phase coil, a portion arranged to be parallel to the first yoke, to form a closed magnetic circuit together with the first yoke and the first permanent magnet such that the closed magnetic circuit circulates magnetic fluxes from the first permanent magnet across a winding of the single-phase coil, and a second permanent magnet for connecting the first and second yokes.

Stage apparatus and linear motor, and exposure apparatus and device

A reflection system, includes a reflecting member having a mirror-finished reflection surface of a spherical shape; and a base member having a base surface of a predetermined shape; and wherein the reflection member and the base member are adhered to each other with one of the bottom surface of the reflection member and the base surface of the base member being made to follow the other to cause deformation of the spherical shape, whereby the reflection surface is formed into an aspherical shape.

Reflecting system

A scanning exposure apparatus wherein a portion of a pattern of an original is projected onto a substrate through a projection optical system and the original and substrate are scanningly moved relative to the projection optical system, whereby the pattern of the original is transferred onto the substrate. The apparatus includes an original stage for holding the original, a base for supporting the original stage, and a supporting device for supporting the base at three positions, through a damper device and a pillar device. The three positions define an approximately isosceles triangle, and the scan direction is parallel to a straight line that connects a point of intersection of isosceles sides of the triangle and a gravity center thereof.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using the same

An exposure apparatus for exposing a wafer to a mask with radiation light to thereby transfer a pattern of the mask onto the wafer, includes a light emitting portion for emitting the radiation light, a stepper major assembly having a wafer stage portion for holding the wafer and being supported by a supporting system separate from the light emitting portion, an alignment measuring portion for alignment measurement for the wafer and the mask and being supported by a supporting system separate from the stepper major assembly, and a correcting system for correcting attitude of the alignment measuring portion with respect to an optical axis of the radiation light.

A scan type exposure method and apparatus in which a projection optical system projects, at a projection station, a portion of a pattern of an original onto a region on a substrate, an original stage moves the original relative to the projection optical system in an original scanning direction, a first substrate stage moves the substrate relative to the projection optical system in a substrate scanning direction, a second substrate stage moves the substrate relative to the projection optical system in an optical axis direction of the projection optical system, a synchronism controller controls, in the projection of the original onto the substrate through the projection optical system, synchronism between the movement of the original stage in the original scanning direction and the movement of the first substrate stage in the substrate scanning direction, a measuring device measures a position of the surface of the substrate with respect to the optical axis direction at a measurement point spaced from the projection station of and a stage controller controls, in the control of the synchronism between the movement of the original stage and the movement of the first substrate stage through the synchronism controller, movement of the substrate stage through the second substrate stage on the basis of a measured value of the measuring device and of a correction value for correcting an error produced with movement of the first substrate stage from the measurement point to the projection station over a portion of the substrate to be measured.

Scan exposure method and apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Ryuichi Ebinuma