Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Shuichi Yabu

Masao Kosugi

Kazuo Takahashi

Hiroshi Sato

Nobushige Korenaga

Masakatsu Ohta

Junichi Murakami

Yasuo Katano

Tsuyoshi Kuroki

Yukio Yamane

Ichiro Ishiyama

Toshikazu Matsushita

There is provided an integrated information management system which mutually associates the information processing applications for processing the data derived from CAD data with others. In the integrated information management system, the virtual design data generated in a CAD system, the data used in a CAE system, the data used in a DMR system, and the data used in a mockup system are stored in correspondence with the respective conditions used in case of respectively displaying these data. Then, the image acquired by compositing the respective data is generated based on the respective conditions, and the generated image is displayed on an integrated display unit, whereby it is possible for a user to manage these data as the single data by dynamically changing over the data of the respective information processing applications.

Image processing device and method for design

A birefringence measurement apparatus includes a measurement part for measuring a birefringence azimuth and a birefringence amount of an object to first and second light having different wavelengths from each other, and a determination part for calculating at least one of a birefringence azimuth and a birefringence amount to third light different in wavelength from the first and second light based on the birefringence azimuth and birefringence amount of the object to the first and second light.

Birefringence measurement apparatus and method

An exposure apparatus includes a chamber surrounding a predetermined space, a first gas supply unit for supplying a first gas into the chamber, a second gas supply unit for supplying a second gas, different from the first gas into the chamber, and a switching mechanism for supplying one of the first and second gases by switching between the first and second gas supply units.

Exposure apparatus, gas replacing method, and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

A stage apparatus includes a movable stage, a base supporting the stage on a reference plane, a driving mechanism for driving the stage, and a rotor acting on the stage and producing a moment so as to reduce a reaction force produced along with the movement of the stage. The rotor also reduces the reaction force produced upon movement of the stage by the movement of the base and the rotation of the rotor.

Stage apparatus, and exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using the same

A stage system includes a movable stage, a base for movably supporting the stage, a table mounted on a floor substantially integrally therewith, for supporting the base, a driving mechanism for moving the stage, a reactive force receiving member for receiving a reactive force produced with movement of the stage, and an earth member provided substantially independently of the floor with respect to vibration, for releasing a force outwardly, wherein the reactive force receiving member and the earth member have at least one connection.

Stage system and exposure apparatus with the same

A stage system includes a stage movable along a path, a first driving mechanism for accelerating or decelerating the stage on the basis of a resilience force of a resilient member, a first holding mechanism for holding a resilience force being accumulated through compression of the resilient member of the first driving mechanism, and a second holding mechanism for holding a resilience force being accumulated through extension of the resilient member of the first driving mechanism, wherein resilience energy of the resilient member is used for stage acceleration, which is very effective to prevent large heat generation, and wherein resilient energy accumulated in the resilient member during deceleration is used for subsequent stage acceleration, which is very effective for energy efficiency and for heat generation suppression.

Stage system and exposure apparatus using the same

A projection apparatus for projecting through an optical system a circuit pattern formed on a mask or reticle onto a wafer. Ambient or environment conditions of the apparatus, such as an atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity are detected and, on the basis of the results of detection, any focus error and magnification error upon pattern projection on the wafer are corrected.

Projection apparatus

An apparatus for transferring images of a pattern of a reticle onto a semiconductor wafer, by projection exposure through a projection lens system having a plurality of lens components. In the apparatus, environmental conditions such as temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. are sensed and a focus error and a magnification error of the projection lens system related to the changes in the environmental conditions are calculated. On the basis of the thus calculated focus error, the interval between the projection lens system and the semiconductor wafer in the direction of an optical axis of the projection lens system is adjusted, while, on the basis of the calculated magnification error, at least one of the lens components of the projection lens system is displaced in the direction of the optical axis of the projection lens system. By this, a satisfactory imaging performance of the projection lens system is stably assured, regardless of the changes in the environmental conditions.

Projection exposure apparatus

A plate-like article holding device particularly suitably usable in an exposure apparatus for printing a pattern of a reticle or mask on a semiconductor wafer, as a wafer holding device for holding the wafer at a pattern printing station, is disclosed. In an embodiment, the holding device includes a wafer chuck having a wafer attracting surface and a plurality of throughbores formed in relation to the attracting surface. Also, the device includes a plurality of support pillars provided in relation to the throughbores, respectively, and having end faces effective to support a wafer by attraction. There is provided a driving mechanism for moving the wafer chuck in a direction substantially perpendicular to the wafer attracting surface of the chuck so as to allow that the supporting end faces of the support pillars project outwardly beyond the wafer attracting surface of the wafer chuck or, alternatively, they are accommodated within the wafer chuck. A wafer having been conveyed to the device is first attracted to and supported by the supporting pillars as they are projected from the wafer attracting surface of the chuck. Thereafter, the wafer chuck is moved by the driving mechanism so that the wafer attracting surface thereof contacts the wafer.

Plate-like article holding device

An exposure apparatus having a movable stage for carrying thereon a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer and a laser interferometer system for measuring the position of the stage with respect to X and Y directions, is disclosed. The movement of the stage is controlled on the basis of the position measurement by use of the laser interferometer system, so that a pattern of a mask or reticle is transferred onto different portions of the workpiece in a step-and-repeat manner. One or more air-conditioning devices are provided to supply currents of air, being controlled at the same temperature, toward the stage and along the measuring paths of the laser interferometer system which are in the X and Y directions. This is effective to avoid spatial temperature irregularities, particularly along the measuring paths, with the result that the measuring accuracy of the laser interferometer system can be improved remarkably. Thus, the step-and-repeat exposures can be made with higher correctness.

Exposure apparatus having gas supplying means for air blow off

A semiconductor device manufacturing projection exposure apparatus in which a pattern of a reticle is projected onto a semiconductor wafer through a projection optical system having a lens element and in which the reticle is irradiated with a light of a predetermined wavelength to thereby transfer the pattern of the reticle onto the semiconductor wafer. The apparatus includes a chamber adapted to house the reticle, the wafer and the projection optical system in a substantially closed space, detectors for detecting a temperature and a pressure of a gas contained in the space, and an adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature and pressure of the gas in the chamber, from the outside of the chamber, the operation of the adjusting unit being controlled on the basis of the detection by the detectors, whereby the temperature and pressure of the gas contained in the space are regulated so as to be best suited to retain a predetermined optical performance of the projection optical system and, whereby, high-precision pattern transfer is assured.

An alignment apparatus for aligning two objects each having an alignment mark, includes a sensor for determining positional deviation between the two objects at the position of the alignment mark; and a processor for providing positional deviation between the two objects at a position other than the position of the mark where the sensor detects the positional deviation.

Apparatus and method for aligning objects

A transfer apparatus comprises a projection device operable with a photomask having a semiconductor circuit pattern therein and includes a projection lens for projecting the image of the photomask to a photosensitive member sensitive to the image of the photomask projected by the projection lens. The apparatus further includes an illuminating device for illuminating the photomask, a memory circuit for storing the time characteristic .DELTA.l of a focus error occurring in the projection lens due to the exposure light from the photomask having passed through the projection lens, a history detector for detecting the illuminating history to/t of the illuminating device, a transmission signal forming device for forming a transmission signal regarding the transmission factor .tau. of the photomask used, a length measuring device for measuring the length of a part of the optical path between the photomask and the photosensitive member, an operation circuit for calculating a proper value in accordance with the output of the memory circuit, the output of the history detector and the transmission signal, and an adjusting device for adjusting the length of the optical path of the projection device until the proper value and the value measured by the length measuring device are in accord with each other.

Transfer apparatus provided with an auto-focusing mechanism

In a mask aligner, the actual element pattern of a mask is transferred onto a resist applied to the surface of a wafer, while the alignment pattern of the mask is not transferred onto said resist. That is, the line width of the alignment pattern of the mask is a line width which is not transferred to the wafer. If the pattern of the mask is formed so that the line width of the alignment pattern is thin as compared with that of the actual element pattern, the exposure amount in the alignment pattern portion on the resist applied to the surface of the wafer becomes excessive due to the diffraction phenomenon and thus, the alignment pattern of the mask is not transferred onto the wafer.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Shuichi Yabu