The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 04, 2003
Filed:
Nov. 13, 2001
Hideki Nogawa, Tochigi, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A scanning exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate with a pattern formed on an original while scanning the original and the substrate. The apparatus includes a chuck for holding a substrate, a stage for moving the chuck to align the substrate, a mechanism for purging an exposure optical path near the stage with inert gas, the mechanism having a cover covering the exposure optical path between a substrate-side lower end of an optical system and a vicinity of the stage, and a supply port for supplying inert gas into the cover, and a top plate which is mounted on the stage and has a surface substantially flush with a surface of the substrate. The top plate is arranged to form a gap between the top plate and a side surface of the substrate, a depth of the gap is not less than a width of the gap, and a dimension from the side surface of the substrate to an outer edge of the top plate is larger than that of a substrate-side opening of the cover in a scanning direction.