Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Takao Ukaji

Nobuhito Yamaguchi

Mitsuya Sato

Eiichi Murakami

Taro Ohmori

Chidane Ouchi

Yukio Yamane

Takehiko Mayama

Toshiya Asano

Takashi Shibayama

Yuzo Seo

An absolute position measurement apparatus measures an absolute position of an object to be measured using a first light source and a second light source which has coherency lower than that of the first light source. The absolute position measurement apparatus includes a measurement part which measures a point where phases of interference signals from the first and the second light sources coincide with each other or a point where an intensity of the interference signal from the second light source is maximized, an origin defining part which defines the point measured by the measurement part as an origin position, a phase storing part which stores the phase of the interference signal from the first light source at the origin position, an origin redefining part which redefines the origin position, and a position calculating part which calculates the absolute position of the object to be measured.

Absolute position measurement apparatus and method

An apparatus for supplying electrical power to a movable member. The apparatus includes a fixed member, the movable member moving relative to the fixed member, a flexible wiring member having an end connected to the movable member and another end connected to the fixed member, configured to transmit the electrical power from the fixed member to the movable member, and a cooling member configured to cool the fixed member.

Wiring technique

A vibration isolation device which dampens vibration of an object. The device includes a vibration isolation unit that can be activated in a plurality of vibration isolation modes, an acquisition unit that acquires estimate information associated with vibration of a floor, in which the acquisition unit receives data associated with an influence degree of seismic vibration and an influence time zone of the seismic vibration from an external device, and a control unit that selects a vibration isolation mode from the plurality of vibration isolation modes, in accordance with the estimate information acquired by the acquisition unit, and activates the vibration isolation unit in the selected vibration isolation mode. The control unit switches between the vibration isolation modes of the vibration isolation unit in accordance with the influence degree and the influence time zone.

Vibration isolation device, arithmetic apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

A stage device including a base plate which includes a reference surface, a stage which can move along the reference surface, a mass body which can move with respect to the base plate or a structure of the base plate, and a control unit which drives and controls the mass body so as to cancel a reaction force in a translational direction generated during a movement of the stage and an offset load about a horizontal axis, and to reduce a rotational reaction force about a vertical axis. The control unit includes a mass body model control unit which generates a virtual control target value of the mass body to cancel the rotational reaction force about the horizontal axis generated during the movement of the stage, on the basis of target position information of the stage, and a mass body model based on the virtual control target value. The control unit drives and controls the mass body by using virtual positional information of the mass body model as an actual mass body control target value.

Stage device and control method therefor, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

An electromagnetic actuator has a permanent magnet and an armature coil that performs relative movement with respect to the permanent magnet. A material having heat conduction anisotropy surrounds a surface of the armature coil and a heat radiating member radiates heat generated by the armature coil. The heat conduction anisotropic material is oriented to guide the heat generated from the armature coil to the heat radiating member. The actuator may be used in one or more groups of semiconductor substrate exposure apparatuses in a manufacturing factory that performs plural processes using the group of manufacturing apparatuses.

Electromagnetic actuator having an armature coil surrounded by heat-conducting anisotropy material and exposure apparatus

A stage apparatus is disclosed, which includes first and second movable members movable in directions parallel to a reference plane, a first actuator for generating a force between the first movable member and the second movable member, a second actuator for generating a force between a structure defining the reference plane and the second movable member. A first control system controls the position of the first movable member, using the first actuator, and a second control system controls the position of the second movable member, using the second actuator in synchronization with the control of the first control system.

Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device production method

An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system, a barrel supporting member for supporting the projection optical system, a stage being movable relative to the projection optical system, a base for supporting the stage, a base measuring system for measuring at least one of a position and a displacement of the base with respect to the barrel supporting member, and a stage measuring system for measuring at least one of a position and a displacement of the stage with respect to the barrel supporting member.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method including measuring position and/or displacement of each of a base and a stage with respect to a support

A substrate transfer system includes a temporary support for temporarily supporting a substrate, a chuck for holding the substrate by attraction, a stage for supporting the chuck movably in a predetermined direction intersecting a substrate supporting face of the temporary support, a driving system for moving the stage in the predetermined direction, a measuring system for measuring a position of the stage with respect to the predetermined direction, a position servo system for controlling the driving system on the basis of the measurement by the measuring system to thereby servo control the position of the stage with respect to the predetermined direction, and a control system adapted to release the substrate attracting and holding operation of the chuck on the basis of a value corresponding to an amount of operation applied from the position servo system to the driving system. This substrate transfer system assures transfer of a substrate with small stress to the substrate, as well as high speed and high precision transfer of the substrate with a simplified .theta. alignment mechanism.

Substrate transfer system

A wafer prober for contacting probe needles of a probe card to bonding pads of a chip formed on a wafer, for allowing examination of characteristics of the chip, is disclosed. The wafer prober includes a wafer holder for holding a wafer and moving the same in X and Y directions. By the wafer holder, the wafer can be moved from an alignment information detecting station whereat alignment information can be detected by use of a TV camera, to an examining station whereat the probe needles of the probe card are used for the examination. The position of the wafer in a Z direction at the time when the alignment information is detected by the TV camera, can be made substantially coincident with the position of the wafer in the Z direction at the time when the probe needles contact the bonding pads. By this, an error caused by the movement of the wafer holder in the Z direction does not affect against the alignment accuracy of the wafer in the X and Y directions, such that the probe needles can correctly contact the bonding pads.

Alignment method in a wafer prober

A wafer prober usable with a probe card for examination of chips formed on a wafer is disclosed. The wafer prober has a function for automatically aligning bonding pads of each chip with probe needles of the probe card. The prober includes a contact plate movable in X and Y directions with a wafer chuck. The contact blade is pressed against at least one of the tips of the probe needles, and the thus contacted needle tip is observed by a TV camera from the underneath of the contact plate. The video signal obtained thereby is used for the alignment between the bonding pads and the probe needles. Also, the TV camera is moved in the X and Y directions with the wafer chuck to allow that one and the same reference mark is observed by this TV camera and by another TV camera provided for image-taking the bonding pads. With the proposed structure, the bonding pads and the probe needles can be aligned automatically and accurately.

Wafer prober

Each of the chips in a wafer is provided with a specific zone which is used exclusively for recording a mark representative of the result of the inspection of the chip, that is, whether or not the chip is to be rejected. The specific zone is located at a constant position in the individual chips. By checking a specific zone which is located at the same position irrespective of the individual chips, the discrimination is made whether or not the chip is to be rejected. The zone includes a pad which is separate from bonding pads used for inspection. The probe card used with those chips is provided with a marking element mounted in stationary position but is movable to mark the marking pad. The marking is effected by pressing the marking element on the marking pad so as to form an indentation. During the probing operation, the marking element is actuated in response to the prober discriminating that the chip is to be rejected, so that the marking pad associated with the rejected chip is indented.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Takao Ukaji