JPS6190432A - Flap support mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable ready supply of large flap displacements in an arbitrary direction by performing positioning work in a short time by a method wherein a flap means of changing the first and second members in non contact is provided, and both members are joined together with a plurality of cross finger springs provided with cuts columnar and rectangular to the column axis. CONSTITUTION:Cross finger springs 16-19 joined with brackets 21 and a mask holder fitting frame 13 are provided in a direction of 45 deg. to the X axis and the Y axis and have cuts columnar and rectangular to the column axis. The interaxial interference with the current passed through electromagnets 5 and 7 which supply flap displacement in the Z-axial direction at a point of 27mm off the center is very small with the maximum of about 14%. Besides, the bending rigidity and the rotation rigidity of the cross finger springs 16-19 are very large; therefore, the interaxial interference in the X- and Y-axial directions is very small. Further, the rigidity of the springs 16-19 is small, so a large flap displacement can be supplied to a mask 1. Since the rigidity of the springs 16-19 against flap displacement is fixed regardless of direction, the mask 1 can be readily supplied with flap displacement in an arbitrary direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a tilt support mechanism used in a mask stage of an X-ray exposure apparatus.

[Background of the invention]

In an X-ray exposure apparatus, a mask and a wafer are placed close to each other, and the mask is irradiated with X-rays to transfer the mask pattern onto a resist coated on the wafer surface. In this case, if the mask is not placed parallel to the wafer, distortion will occur in the transferred pattern. For this reason, a tilt support mechanism is provided on the mask stage that supports the mask.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a mask stage of an X-ray exposure apparatus having a conventional tilt support mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a front sectional view thereof. In the figure, 14 is a mask stage support frame, 1
3 is a mask holder attachment frame; 15 is a hollow disk spring; the outer and inner peripheries of the disk spring 15 are attached to the mask stage support frame 14 and the mask holder attachment frame 13, respectively.

2 is a mask holder attached to the mask holder attachment frame 13, 1 is a mask sucked to the mask holder 2, 4 is a wafer holder, 3 is a weno holder 1.20 is a mask suctioned to the wafer holder 4, and 20 is a mask stage support frame 14. Electromagnets 5 to 8 are attached to the bracket 20, and electromagnets 5 to 8 are provided on the X and Y axes that pass through the center point of the mask 1 and are perpendicular to each other. A permanent magnet is built into it, and it becomes magnetized when a positive current is passed through it, and demagnetized when a negative current is passed through it.

Armatures 9 to 12 are attached to the mask holder attachment frame 13, and the armatures 9 to 12 are provided at positions facing the electromagnets 5 to 8, respectively.

In this tilting support mechanism, when a positive current is passed through the electromagnet 5 and a negative current is passed through the electromagnet 7, the gap between the electromagnet 5 and the armature 9 decreases, and the gap between the electromagnet 7 and the armature 11 decreases. increases, so that the mask l can be moved in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 7, that is, around the Y axis. Further, when a negative current is applied to the electromagnet 5 and a positive current is applied to the electromagnet 7, the mask I is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow F to form a pattern 7.

Furthermore, by passing a current through the electromagnet 6.8, the mask l can be moved around the X-axis. Further, by passing current of the same magnitude through all the electromagnets 5 to 8, displacement in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis and the Y-axis can be applied. Therefore, the mask 1 can be made parallel to the sea urchin 3, and the distance between the mask 1 and the wafer 3 can be set to a predetermined value.

By the way, when the mask 1 is given a tilting displacement or a displacement in the X-axis direction, the disc spring 15 is deformed;
is flat, and the outer and inner peripheries are attached to the mask stage support frame 14 and the mask holder mounting frame 3, so when the mask l is subjected to tilting displacement, the disc spring 15 deforms in a complicated manner. Therefore, interference displacement also occurs in the X-axis, Y-axis, and X-axis directions, and the interference displacement in the X-axis direction is particularly large.
The ratio of interference displacement in the axial direction, that is, the interference between the axes in the X-axis direction is 1
00% or more. Therefore, it takes a lot of time to make the mask 1 and wafer 3 parallel and to set the distance between the mask 1 and the wafer 3 to a predetermined value, that is, to position the mask 1 and the wafer 3. Further, since the disk spring 15 has a large rigidity against tilting displacement, it is not possible to apply a large tilting displacement to the mask l. In order to give a large tilting displacement to the mask 1, it is conceivable to provide a slit in the disc spring 15, but in this case, if the machining accuracy of the slit is low, variations in the shape of the slit will occur, causing the tilting displacement. Since the rigidity of the disc spring 15 relative to the mask 1 changes depending on the tilting direction, it becomes difficult to apply tilting displacement to the mask 1 in any direction.

[Purpose of the invention]

This invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned interlayer point, and it is possible to perform positioning work in a short time, to give a large tilting displacement, and to easily give a tilting displacement in any direction. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a tilting support mechanism that allows for

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve this object, in the present invention, a first member and a second member are connected by a spring, and the tilting displacement between the first member and the second member is changed without contact. In the tilting support mechanism provided with tilting means, a plurality of interdigital springs are used as the springs, each having a columnar shape and having cuts perpendicular to the columnar axis.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a mask stage of an X-ray exposure apparatus having a tilt support mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A0-N in FIG. In the figure, 21 is a bracket fixed to the mask stage support frame 14;
9 is an interdigital spring connecting the bracket 21 and the mask holder mounting frame 13;
6 to 19 are columnar and have cuts perpendicular to the column axis.

In this tilt support structure, the mask stage support frame 14 and the mask holder attachment frame 13 are connected by interdigital springs 16 to 1.
Since they are connected by 9, interference between axes is extremely small. That is, FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the current flowing through the electromagnet 5.7, for example, to give a tilt displacement, and the tilt displacement and X-axis direction displacement at a point 27th from the center.
As is clear from this graph, the interference between the axes in the lζ and X-axis directions is extremely small, at a maximum of about 14 inches. In addition, since the bending rigidity and nine-rotation rigidity of the interdigital springs 16 to 19 are very large,
X-axis direction.

Interaxis interference in the Y-axis direction is also extremely small. Furthermore, since the rigidity of the interdigital springs 16 to 19 in the column axis direction is small, the mask 1
It can give a large tilting displacement.

In addition, since the rigidity of the interdigital springs 16 to 19 with respect to tilting displacement is constant regardless of the tilting direction, tilting displacement in any direction can be easily applied to Mars-Fl.

Further, since the interdigital springs 16 to 19 occupy a smaller area than the disc spring 15, the mechanism can be made smaller and more compact.

Figure 4+a+ is a front view showing the interdigital spring, Figure 4+b)
is the same right side view, and fcl in Fig. 4 is B- in Fig. 4(a).
B sectional view, FIG. 4 td) is a CC sectional view of FIG. 4+a+. In the figure, 22 is a cylindrical interdigital spring body;
23 is a circular hole provided in the center of the spring body 22, and the center line of the circular hole 23 coincides with the center line of the spring body 22. 24 and 25 are cuts provided in the spring body 22 from the right and left sides of the page of FIG. 4, respectively.
25 is provided at right angles to the column axis of the spring body 22.

Figure 5 fat is a front view showing another interdigital spring, Figure 5 (
BL is the same (right side view, Figure 5 tel is Figure 5 (al's DD sectional view, Figure 5 (dl is Figure 5 (a) cDE-E
FIG. In the figure, 26 and 27 are cuts provided in the spring body 22 from the rear and front of the page of FIG.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the tilting support mechanism used for the mask stage of an X-ray exposure apparatus has been described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a tilting support mechanism for a pond. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case has been described in which the electromagnets 5 to 8 are used as the agitation means, but it is also possible to use electromagnets that utilize electrostatic force. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, four interdigital springs 16 to 19 were provided, but
Two or more interdigital springs may be provided. In addition, although a cylindrical spring having a circular hole is illustrated as an interdigital spring, a prismatic spring or a spring without holes may also be used. Furthermore, although the interdigital springs have been exemplified in which cuts 24 to 27 are provided from two or four directions, cuts may be provided from three directions or from five or more directions.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the tilting support mechanism according to the present invention, the interference between the shafts at the 15th position that gives tilting displacement is very small, so positioning work can be done in a short time, and it is possible to provide a large tilting displacement. It is possible to easily apply tilting displacement in any direction, and furthermore, the mechanism can be made small and compact. As described above, the effects of this invention are remarkable.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a mask stage of an X-ray exposure apparatus having a tilt support mechanism according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along A-0-A in Fig. Graph showing the relationship between tilt displacement and Z-axis direction displacement, Figure 4.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing interdigital springs, FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a mask stage of an X-ray exposure apparatus having a conventional tilt support mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a front sectional view. 5-8... Electromagnet 13... Mask holder mounting frame 14... Mask stage support frame 16-19... Interdigital springs 24-27... Cut ends

Claims (1)

[Claims] A tilting support mechanism in which a first member and a second member are connected by a spring and is provided with tilting means for changing tilting displacement between the first member and the second member without contact, wherein the spring is columnar and A tilting support mechanism characterized by the use of multiple interdigital springs with cuts perpendicular to the column axis.