Hydrostatic bearing and stage apparatus using same
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorChoshoku Sai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydrostatic bearing apparatus has a hydrostatic bearing pad, a labyrinth seal part having an exhaust groove provided around the outside of the hydrostatic bearing pad, an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a labyrinth seal part gap, non-contacting displacement gauges for sensing changes in the size of the gap, and actuators that are activated to adjust the gap so as to maintain the gap at a predetermined constant value. The exhaust groove parts and the labyrinth seal part can move relative to each other, and an annular seal forms an airtight seal to prevent air leaks and keep the bearing steady.
Claims20
A hydrostatic bearing apparatus comprising:
- a hydrostatic bearing pad;
- an inlet part having an exhaust groove along an outer periphery of the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- a gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between the inlet part and a surface disposed opposite the inlet part;
- a sensor that senses the gap;
- and
- a control unit that controls the gap adjustment mechanism based on the sensor output.
A stage apparatus comprising:
- a hydrostatic bearing pad;
- an inlet part having an exhaust groove along an outer periphery of the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- a gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between the inlet part and a surface disposed opposite the inlet part;
- a sensor that senses the gap;
- a control unit that controls the gap adjustment mechanism based on the sensor output;
- a hydrostatic bearing apparatus having a stage supported by the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- and
- a stage supported and driven by the hydrostatic bearing apparatus.
An exposure apparatus that positions a relative to each other and photographically exposes a pattern on a negative plate onto a substrate, the exposure apparatus comprising a stage apparatus, the stage apparatus comprising:
- a hydrostatic bearing pad;
- an inlet part having an exhaust groove along an outer periphery of the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- a gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between the inlet part and a surface disposed opposite the inlet part;
- a sensor that senses the gap;
- a control unit that controls the gap adjustment mechanism based on the sensor output
- a hydrostatic bearing apparatus having a stage supported by the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- and
- a stage supported and driven by the hydrostatic bearing apparatus.
A semiconductor production plant comprising:
- a group of production apparatuses for a variety of processes;
- a local area network (LAN) that connects the group of production apparatuses;
- and
- a gateway for enabling access from the LAN to an network external to the production plant,
- the plant transmitting information on at least one unit in the group of production apparatuses via the LAN and the external network.
An exposure apparatus maintenance method for an exposure apparatus that positions a relative to each other and photographically exposes a pattern on a negative plate onto a substrate, the exposure apparatus comprising a stage apparatus, the stage apparatus comprising:
- a hydrostatic bearing pad;
- an inlet part having an exhaust groove along an outer, periphery of the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- a gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between the inlet part and a surface disposed opposite the inlet part;
- a sensor that senses the gap;
- a control unit that controls the gap adjustment mechanism based on the sensor output
- a hydrostatic bearing apparatus having a stage supported by the hydrostatic bearing pad;
- and
- a stage supported and driven by the hydrostatic bearing apparatus,
- the maintenance method comprising the steps of:
- providing a maintenance database connected to an external network of a semiconductor production plant;
- allowing access to the maintenance database via the external network from inside the semiconductor production plant;
- and
- transmitting maintenance information stored in the maintenance database to the semiconductor production plant via the external network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.