# US 2019/0378678 A1 · Stage apparatus, and charged particle beam apparatus

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- Number: US 2019/0378678 A1
- Document ID: US20190378678A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/433,394
- Filed: 2019-06-06
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-07
- Assignees: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
- Applicants: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
- Inventors: Akira NISHIOKA; Masaki MIZUOCHI; Shuichi NAKAGAWA; Tomotaka SHIBAZAKI; Hironori OGAWA; Naruo WATANABE; Motohiro TAKAHASHI; Takanori KATO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378678A1

## CPC

- H01J 37/20: Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support
- H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)}
- H01J 2237/2001: Maintaining constant desired temperature
- H01J 2237/20221: Translation
- H01J 2237/20235: Z movement or adjustment
- H01J 2237/20292: Means for position and/or orientation registration
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

Provided is a stage apparatus that reduces thermal deformation and temperature rise in an upper table on which a sample is mounted and a charged particle beam apparatus including the stage apparatus. The stage apparatus includes: an upper stage that moves an upper table on which a sample is mounted in a first direction; a middle stage that moves a middle table on which the upper stage is mounted in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a lower stage that moves a lower table on which the middle stage is mounted in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction. The upper table and the middle table use a material having a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than in a material of the lower table, and the lower table uses a material having higher thermal conductivity than in the material of the upper table and the middle table.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A stage apparatus comprising:
an upper stage that moves an upper table on which a sample is mounted in a first direction;
a middle stage that moves a middle table on which the upper stage is mounted in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and
a lower stage that moves a lower table on which the middle stage is mounted in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction,
wherein the upper table and the middle table use a material having a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than in a material of the lower table, and
the lower table uses a material having higher thermal conductivity than in the material of the upper table and the middle table.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The stage apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the upper stage includes:
a mirror having a reflecting surface in the second direction; and
a mirror having a reflecting surface in the third direction, and distance measurement of the reflecting surfaces of the mirrors is performed to obtain a position of a sample mounted on the upper table.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The stage apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the middle stage includes:
a guide part that guides the middle table in the second direction; and
a connecting part that connects the middle table and the guide part with each other, and
the connecting part is configured such that rigidity against deformation of the connecting part with the guide part with a rotational axis in the second direction is lower than the rigidity against deformation of the connecting part with the rotational axis in the other directions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The stage apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein a surface of the connecting part coming in contact with the guide part has a shape longer in the second direction than in the third direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The stage apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the upper table and the middle table use a ceramic composite material, and
the lower table uses a material of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The stage apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein the ceramic composite material contains aluminum as a matrix material.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The stage apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the upper stage includes a driving unit that exerts a driving force for moving the upper table in the first direction and that is fixed to the middle table,
the middle stage includes a guide part that guides the middle table in the second direction, and
the guide part is disposed within a range of a predetermined distance from the driving unit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The stage apparatus according to claim 7,
wherein the guide part and the driving unit are arranged to be aligned in the first direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A charged particle beam apparatus comprising the stage apparatus according to claim 1.