Patent · US Expired

Stage apparatus with improved positioning capability

US6172373A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
16References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 18, 1999
Grant dateJan 9, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 18, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F9/7034
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An exposure apparatus comprises a projection optical system, which projects a pattern formed on a mask on a photosensitive substrate, a mounting object table, which holds the photosensitive substrate, a positioning stage, which positions the mounting object table along a 2-dimensional movement coordinate system, a stage coordinate measurement device, which detects the position of the mounting object table in the 2-dimensional movement coordinate system, a height measurement device, which detects the deviation in the optical axis direction of the projection optical system from the surface of the photosensitive substrate to a specified standard surface in a measurement point fixed with regard to the 2-dimensional movement coordinate system, a levelling device, which adjusts the inclination of the mounting object table with regard to the positioning stage, a computation device, which calculates the amount of levelling necessary to match the surface of the photosensitive substrate with the standard surface, a control device, which controls the levelling device based on the calculation results of the computation device, and a memory device, which stores the optical axis direction displa…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.