Movable body apparatus, movable body drive method, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorYuichi SHIBAZAKI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drive system drives a movable body, based on measurement results of a first measurement system which measures the position of the movable body in an XY plane by irradiating a measurement beam from an arm member on a grating placed on a surface parallel to the XY plane of the movable body. In this case, because a configuration in which the arm member irradiates a measurement beam on the grating is employed, there is no adverse effect due to the drive of the moving body, unlike the case when an encoder system is arranged on a stage surface plate. Accordingly, it becomes possible to drive the movable body with good precision.
Claims30
A movable body apparatus, comprising:
- a movable body which is movable within a predetermined plane including a first axis and a second axis that are orthogonal to each other, with a measurement plane placed along a surface substantially parallel to the predetermined plane;
- a first measurement system which has an arm member having at least one end section facing the measurement plane and whose longitudinal direction is in a direction substantially parallel to the first axis, with at least a part of the arm member made of a solid section where light can pass through inside, the first measurement system irradiating at least one first measurement beam on the measurement plane from the arm member, receiving light from the measurement plane of the first measurement beam, and measuring a position of the movable body at least within the predetermined plane;
- and
- a drive system which drives the movable body based on an output of the first measurement system.
A movable body drive method in which a movable body is driven along a predetermined plane, the method comprising:
- a drive process in which the movable body is driven, by irradiating at least one first measurement beam to a measurement plane placed along a plane substantially parallel to the predetermined plane on the movable body from an arm member, which has at least one end section facing the measurement plane and whose longitudinal direction is in a first axis direction substantially parallel to the predetermined plane, with at least a part of the arm member made of a solid section where light can pass through inside, receiving a light from the measurement plane of the first measurement beam, and measuring a position of the movable body at least within the predetermined plane, based on results of the measurement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.