Supporting device and inspection method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorTadao ISAMI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Supporting apparatus having a columnar first member and a cylindrical second member having an inner surface allowed to face with of an outer surface of the first member, one portion of the first member is inserted in a cylinder defined by the inner surface, a state of the members is allowed to change from a first state to a second state, the first state includes a state in which a predetermined space is ensured, the predetermined space is surrounded by one portion of the inner surface of the second member and an edge surface at one side of the first member that is different from the outer surface, the second state includes a state in which the second member has moved toward a side that is opposite to the one side relative to the first member from a base position of the members in the first state.
Claims26
A supporting apparatus comprising:
- a columnar first member;
- and
- a cylindrical second member having an inner surface that is allowed to face with at least one portion of an outer surface of the first member, at least one portion of the first member being inserted in a cylinder defined by the inner surface,
- a state of the first and second members being allowed to change from a first state to a second state,
- the first state including a state in which a predetermined space is ensured, the predetermined space being surrounded by at least one portion of the inner surface of the second member and an edge surface at one side of the first member that is different from the outer surface,
- the second state including a state in which the second member has moved toward other side that is opposite to the one side relative to the first member from a base position of the first and second members in the first state.
An inspecting method using a supporting apparatus,
- the supporting apparatus having:
- a columnar first member;
- and
- a cylindrical second member having an inner surface that is allowed to face with at least one portion of an outer surface of the first member, at least one portion of the first member being inserted in a cylinder defined by the inner surface,
- the inspecting method comprising:
- dispensing an inspected target specimen into a predetermined space in a state where the predetermined space is ensured, the predetermined space being surrounded by at least one portion of the inner surface of the second member and an edge surface at one side of the first member that is different from the outer surface;
- moving at least one of the first and second members so that the second member is moved toward other side that is opposite to the one side relative to the first member from a base position of the first and second members in dispensing the inspected target specimen;
- and
- making a measuring apparatus approach the edge surface at the one side of the first member after moving at least one of the first and second members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.