# US 5,883,702 A · Stage driving exposure apparatus wherein the number of driving devices exceeds the degrees of freedom of the stage > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,883,702 A - Document ID: US5883702A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/934,728 - Filed: 1997-09-22 - Granted: 1999-03-16 - Earliest claimed: 1995-07-11 - Assignees: Nikon Corporation - Inventors: Masateru Tokunaga - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5883702A ## CPC - G03F 7/70216: {Mask projection systems} - G03F 7/70725: {control} - G05B 19/234: {with current or torque feedback only} - G05B 2219/37275: Laser, interferometer - G05B 2219/42034: Pi regulator - G05B 2219/49274: Four linear actuators to position x y table - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract When the position of a stage is detected by interferometers, a converting means converts information detected by the interferometers into information on a position and a velocity of a center of gravity of the stage concerning each of degrees of freedom. PI controllers provided for each of the degrees of freedom determine control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom necessary for movement of the center of gravity by means of (proportional+integral) operation on the basis of velocity deviations in respective directions obtained as differences between values obtained by conversion into velocities from positional deviations of the center of gravity in the .theta., Y, X directions and velocities of the center of gravity in the respective directions. Outputs of the respective controllers are inputted into a converting means which converts the input into control amounts to be generated in motors 12, 14, 16, 18 respectively, and give the control amounts after the conversion as command values to the respective motors. Mutual interference between control means is effectively avoided when the stage is driven by using driving devices of a number larger than the degrees of freedom. The stage apparatus may be applied to an exposure apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A stage apparatus comprising: stage driving devices of a number larger than degrees of freedom of a stage; position detectors for detecting positions of the stage; a first converting means for converting information detected by the position detectors into information on at least one of a position and a velocity of a center of gravity of the stage concerning each of the degrees of freedom; control means provided for each of the degrees of freedom for determining control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom necessary for movement of the center of gravity by means of proportional operation or (proportional+integral) operation on the basis of at least one of a positional deviation for each of the degrees of freedom obtained as a difference between a target position of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom and the position of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom converted by the first converting means and a velocity deviation for each of the degrees of freedom obtained as a difference between a target velocity of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom and the velocity of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom converted by the first converting means; and a second converting means for converting the control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom determined by the control means into control amounts for controlling the driving devices. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second converting means is provided as a converting device, connected to the respective driving devices, for converting the control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom determined by the control means provided for each of the degrees of freedom into command values for controlling the respective driving devices. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means provided for each of the degrees of freedom determines the control amount for each of the degrees of freedom necessary for the movement of the center of gravity by means of the (proportional+integral) operation on the basis of a difference between a value obtained by conversion into velocity from the positional deviation of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom and the velocity of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom converted by the first converting means. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage has three degrees of freedom in X, Y, and .theta. directions, and it has two driving devices for moving the stage in the X direction and two driving devices for moving the stage in the Y direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage driving device is selected from the group consisting of a linear motor, a combination of a rotary motor and a ball screw element, and a piezoelectric element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The stage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first converting means comprises a system for compensating delay time. ### Claim 7 An exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system, comprising: an illuminating optical system for illuminating the mask; a mask stage for placing the mask thereon; and a substrate stage for holding the photosensitive substrate and movable in two-dimensional directions, wherein at least one of the mask stage and the substrate stage is a stage apparatus, the stage apparatus comprising: stage driving devices of a number larger than degrees of freedom of the stage; position detectors for detecting positions of the stage; a first converting means for converting information detected by the position detectors into information on at least one of a position and a velocity of a center of gravity of the stage concerning each of the degrees of freedom; control means provided for each of the degrees of freedom for determining control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom necessary for movement of the center of gravity by means of proportional operation or (proportional+integral) operation on the basis of at least one of a positional deviation for each of the degrees of freedom obtained as a difference between a target position of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom and the position of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom converted by the first converting means and a velocity deviation for each of the degrees of freedom obtained as a difference between a target velocity of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom and the velocity of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom converted by the first converting means; and a second converting means for converting the control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom determined by the control means into control amounts for controlling the driving devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second converting means is a converting device, connected to the respective driving devices, for converting the control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom determined by the control means provided for each of the degrees of freedom into command values for controlling the respective driving devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control means provided for each of the degrees of freedom determines the control amount for each of the degrees of freedom necessary for the movement of the center of gravity by means of the (proportional+integral) operation on the basis of a difference between a value obtained by conversion into velocity from the positional deviation of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom and the velocity of the center of gravity for each of the degrees of freedom converted by the first converting means. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stage has three degrees of freedom in X, Y, and .theta. directions, and it has two driving devices for moving the stage in the X direction and two driving devices for moving the stage in the Y direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stage driving device is selected from the group consisting of a linear motor, a combination of a rotary motor and a ball screw element, and a piezoelectric element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first converting means comprises a system for compensating delay time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the exposure apparatus is a scanning type exposure apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the exposure apparatus is a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus. ### Claim 15 A stage apparatus comprising: stage driving devices of a number larger than degrees of freedom of a stage; a position detector which detects a position of the stage by illuminating a measuring light to the stage; an arithmetic circuit which determines control amounts of the stage for each of the degrees of freedom on the basis of information detected by the position detector, the arithmetic circuit being connected with the position detector; and a converting circuit which converts the control amounts of the stage for each of the degrees of freedom into driving amounts for each of the stage driving devices, the converting circuit being connected with the arithmetic circuit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The stage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the stage has three degrees of freedom in X, Y, and .theta. directions, and it has two driving devices for moving the stage in the X direction and two driving devices for moving the stage in the Y direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The stage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the stage driving device is selected from the group consisting of a linear motor, a combination of a rotary motor and a ball screw element, and a piezoelectric element. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The stage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the arithmetic circuit comprises a system for compensating delay time. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The stage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the position detector is an interferometer. ### Claim 20 An exposure apparatus for transforming a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system, comprising: a mask stage; a substrate stage; stage driving devices of a number larger than degrees of freedom of at least one of the mask stage and the substrate stage; a position detector which detects a position of the at least one of the mask stage and the substrate stage by illuminating a measuring light to the at least one of the mask stage and the substrate stage; an arithmetic circuit which determines control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom on the basis of the information detected by the position detector, the arithmetic circuit being connected with the position detector; and a converting circuit which converts the control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom into driving amounts for each of the stage driving devices, the converting circuit being connected with the arithmetic circuit. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the stage driving device is selected from the group consisting of a linear motor, a combination of a rotary motor and a ball screw element, and a piezoelectric element. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the arithmetic circuit comprises a system for compensating delay time. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the exposure apparatus is a scanning type exposure apparatus. ### Claim 24 (depends on 20) The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the exposure apparatus is a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the position detector is an interferometer. ### Claim 26 A method for controlling a stage having a plurality of degrees of freedom comprising the steps of: determining control amounts of the stage for each of the degrees of freedom of the stage; and converting the control amounts of the stage for each of the degrees of freedom, into each of driving amounts for a plurality of driving systems to drive the stage. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method according to claim 26, wherein the number of the driving systems is larger than degrees of freedom. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The method according to claim 26, wherein the degrees of freedom is not less than three. ### Claim 29 A method for exposing a substrate with a pattern formed on a mask, comprising: determining control amounts of at least one of a mask stage for holding the mask and a substrate stage for holding the substrate for each of the degrees of freedom of the stage, and converting the control amounts for each of the degrees of freedom into each of driving amounts for a plurality of driving systems for the at least one of the mask stage and the substrate stage. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method according to claim 29, wherein the number of the driving systems is larger than degrees of freedom. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The method according to claim 29, wherein the degrees of freedom is no less than three.