Holding device, transport device, lithographic apparatus, and article manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444641-B2
Application number	US-201715602211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A holding device for holding a substrate includes a base including an intake hole and an exhaust flow path communicating with the intake hole, a moving member which is movable in a gravity direction by coming into contact with a substrate, and a determination unit configured to determine whether a moving member holds a substrate on the basis of changes in pressure of the exhaust flow path exhausted by an exhaust unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A holding device which holds a substrate comprising:
a base including a hole and an exhaust flow path communicating with the hole;
a moving member configured to, in response to the substrate being disposed on the moving member, move downwardly in a gravity direction due to a weight of the substrate, the movement of the moving member downwardly in the gravity direction due to the weight of the substrate causing the moving member to contact the base and thereby cover the hole with a surface of the moving member; and
a determination unit configured to determine whether the substrate is disposed on the moving member on the basis of a change in pressure of the exhaust flow path exhausted by an exhaust unit, the change in pressure of the exhaust flow path having been caused by the movement of the moving member downwardly in the gravity direction due to the weight of the substrate disposed on the moving member.

2. The holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the moving member is configured to close or open the hole disposed in the gravity direction to the moving member.

3. The holding device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the exhaust flow path is a first exhaust flow path,
the moving member includes a porous member which is provided at a portion that holds the substrate and has a plurality of holes, and a second exhaust flow path which communicates with the porous member, and
the first exhaust flow path and the second exhaust flow path communicate with each other due to the movement of the moving member downwardly in the gravity direction, and the first exhaust flow path and the second exhaust flow path are exhausted by the exhaust unit, and thereby the moving member adsorbs the substrate via the porous member.

4. The holding device according to claim 2 , further comprising an elastic portion which is disposed on a side of the moving member of the base and supports the moving member,
wherein the elastic portion supports the moving member so that the moving member does not close the hole before the moving member comes into contact with the substrate, and supports the moving member so that the moving member closes the hole by the moving member contacting the substrate.

5. The holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the moving member opens the hole which has been closed by moving in the gravity direction.

6. The holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the determination unit compares an amount of change in the pressure with a threshold value, determines that the substrate is disposed on the moving member in a case where the amount of change in the pressure is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and determines that the substrate is not disposed on the moving member in a case where the amount of change in the pressure is less than the threshold value.

7. The holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the moving member is a plate spring configured to have one end fixed to the base and the other end contactable by an object, and is elastically deformed due to the weight of the substrate.

8. The holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a guide portion which guides the movement of the moving member downwardly in the gravity direction while regulating the movement of the moving member in a direction intersecting with the gravity direction is disposed on the base.

9. The holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the moving member is configured to close the hole while the substrate is disposed on the moving member and open the hole while the substrate is not disposed on the moving member.

10. The holding device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a support portion upon which the substrate is also disposed in a case where the substrate is disposed on the moving member,
wherein in a case where the substrate is not disposed on the moving member and the support portion, the moving member is disposed at a first height in the gravity direction, and the support portion is disposed at a second height in the gravity direction that is lower than the first height in the gravity direction.

11. The holding device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
another exhaust flow path disposed in the moving member,
wherein in a case where the substrate is not disposed on the moving member, the exhaust flow path included in the base and the another exhaust flow path included in the moving member are separated from each other by a gap between the base and the moving member, and
wherein in a case where the substrate is disposed on the moving member such that the moving member moves downwardly in the gravity direction due to the weight of the substrate and contacts the base, thereby eliminating the gap between the base and the moving member, the exhaust flow path included in the base and the another exhaust flow path included in the moving member directly communicate with each other.

12. The holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving member has a fixed end that is fixed to the base and a moveable end configured to receive the substrate,
wherein in a case where the substrate is not disposed on the moveable end of the moving member, the moveable end of the moving member is separated from the base by a gap between the base and the moveable end of the moving member, and
wherein in a case where the substrate is disposed on the moveable end of the moving member such that the moveable end of the moving member moves downwardly in the gravity direction due to the weight of the substrate and contacts the base, the gap between the base and the moveable end of the moving member is eliminated.

13. A transport device comprising:
a drive portion which drives a holding device configured to hold a substrate;
a controller which controls the drive portion;
wherein the holding device comprises:
a base including a hole and an exhaust flow path communicating with the hole;
a moving member configured to, in response to the substrate being disposed on the moving member, move downwardly in a gravity direction due to a weight of the substrate, the movement of the moving member downwardly in the gravity direction due to the weight of the substrate causing the moving member to contact the base and thereby cover the hole with a surface of the moving member; and
a determination unit configured to determine whether the substrate is disposed on the moving member on the basis of a change in pressure of the exhaust flow path exhausted by an exhaust unit, the change in pressure of the exhaust flow path having been caused by the movement of the moving member downwardly in the gravity direction due to the weight of the substrate disposed on the moving member; and
wherein the controller controls the drive portion on the basis of a result of the determination by the determination unit.

14. The transport device according to claim 13 ,
wherein the controller stops exhaustion by the exhaust unit at a predetermined timing, and
the determination unit performs the determination on the basis of comparison between an amount of change in the pressure when the exhausting is stopped and a threshold value.

15. A lithographic apparatus which forms patterns on a substrate, the lithographic apparatus comprising:
a transport device configured to transport the substrate,
wherein the transport device comprises:
a drive portion which drives a holding device configured to hold a substrate;
a controller which controls the drive portion;
wherein the holding device comprises:
a base including a hole and an exhaust flow path communicating with the hole;
a moving member configured to, i

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tanaka Hideo

Classifications

• G03F7/70716 Primary

  Stages · CPC title

• G03F7/7075 Primary

  Handling workpieces outside exposure position, e.g. SMIF box · CPC title