Nikon Corporation

Toshiya Ohtomo

Yutaka Hayashi

Hiroto Horikawa

A movable mirror supporting mechanism for supporting a movable mirror forming a part of an interferometric measurement system and having a rectangular cross-section onto an object, with a reflecting surface of said movable mirror being arranged normal to a measuring direction. The movable mirror supporting mechanism includes at least two fixtures for securing the movable mirror from above onto respective movable mirror supporting portions provided on the object. Positions on the movable mirror at which the movable mirror is secured onto the measuring object by the fixtures are defined to be out of that area of the reflecting surface of the movable mirror which is utilized for interferometric measurement.

Stage and supporting mechanism for supporting movable mirror on stage

In an exposure apparatus for projecting a mask pattern of a mask onto a photosensitive substrate, provided are a substrate stage which is two-dimensionally movable along an upper surface of a substrate base while carrying the photosensitive substrate thereon; substrate stage cable-relaying means which is disposed so as to be physically separated from the substrate base surface, secures thereto a cable connected to the substrate stage, and is movable in the same two-dimensional directions as those of the substrate stage; and substrate stage driving means to control an amount of movement of the substrate stage cable-relaying means such that relative positions of the substrate stage and cable-relaying means with respect to each other are always kept constant. Further, a reticle stage is similarly provided with reticle stage cable-relaying means which two-dimensionally moves so as to follow the reticle stage.

Exposure elements with a cable-relaying support

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the weight of a stage unit and suppress heat generation of the driving unit of the stage, thereby improving the surface accuracy of the stage or measurement precision of an interferometer for measuring the position of the stage. A reticle base, a scanning stage mounted on the reticle stage and moved in the scanning direction, and a fine adjustment stage mounted on the scanning stage and capable of being finely moved in the X and Y directions and in the rotational direction are provided as a reticle stage. A first electromagnetic actuator for performing driving in the scanning direction, and a second electromagnetic actuator, having a smaller thrust than that of the first electromagnetic actuator, for performing driving in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction are provided as the driving unit of the fine adjustment stage.

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Tokyo, Japan

Toshiya Ohtomo