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US 6,002,987 AGranted
Methods to control the environment and exposure apparatus
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorsSaburo Kamiya, Naoyuki Kobayashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exposure apparatus includes an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate; a chamber in which the exposure system is housed; an air-conditioner which is associated with the chamber and which air-conditions the chamber; and a noise eliminating device which is arranged between the exposure system and the air-conditioner and which eliminates at least a portion of the noise components near a resonant frequency of the exposure system from noise that is generated in the air-conditioner.
Claims23
A method of controlling the environment of an exposure system for use in making semiconductor circuits using photolithography comprising the steps of:
- detecting a noise in a chamber in which an exposure system for transferring a pattern of a mask onto a substrate is housed;
- and
- controlling an operational environment of said exposure system by generating sounds of opposite phase to the detected noise, whereby vibration of said exposure system is substantially prevented.
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure system and houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- a reactive silencer, which is arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner, and reduces noise at a resonant frequency of said exposure system, said noise being part of noise that is generated in said air-conditioner.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure system and houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- an active silencer, which is arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner, and reduces noise at a resonant frequency of said exposure system, said noise being part of noise that is generated in said air-conditioner.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure system and houses said exposure system, said chamber having a wall member between said chamber and said exposure system;
- and
- a noise-absorbing member which is provided between said exposure system and the wall member of said chamber, said noise-absorbing member being arranged at a predetermined distance from the wall member of said chamber, according to a characteristic resonant frequency of said exposure system.
1 more element
An exposure apparatus comprising
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure system and which houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and which performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- a plurality of silencers housed in a noise-suppressing unit, which is arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner, and which reduces noise generated by said air-conditioner, said noise-suppressing unit being spaced apart from and connected by ducts to said chamber and to an air-conditioning room in which said air-conditioner is housed.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure apparatus and houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- a reactive means for reducing at least a portion of noise components from sound waves propagating through air from said air-conditioner at a frequency near a resonant frequency of said exposure system, the means being arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure apparatus and houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- an active silencer, which is arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner, and reduces noise at a resonant frequency of said exposure system, said noise being a part of sound waves that are propagated through air from said air-conditioner.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure apparatus and houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- an active means for reducing noise at a resonant frequency of said exposure system from sound waves propagated through air from said air-conditioner, the means being arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- a chamber which is provided around said exposure apparatus and houses said exposure system;
- an air-conditioner which is associated with said chamber and performs air-conditioning of said chamber;
- and
- a reactive silencer, which is arranged between said exposure system and said air-conditioner to reduce noise at a resonant frequency of said exposure system, said noise being part of sound waves propagated through air from said air-conditioner.
2 more elements
Method for exposure apparatus environment control, comprising following steps:
- providing a chamber around said exposure apparatus, the apparatus having an exposure system which transfers a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- providing an air-conditioner associated with said chamber for air-conditioning of the chamber;
- detecting a characteristic resonant frequency of said exposure system;
- and
- reducing at least a portion of noise components from sound waves propagating through air from said air-conditioner at a frequency near the characteristic resonant frequency of said exposure system by arranging a reactive silencer between said air-conditioner and said exposure system on a way of the sound waves.
2 more elements
Method of exposure apparatus environment control, comprising following steps:
- providing a chamber around said exposure apparatus, the apparatus having an exposure system for transfer a pattern of a mask onto a substrate;
- providing an air-conditioner associated with said chamber for air-conditioning of the chamber;
- detecting noise at a frequency near a mechanical resonant frequency of the exposure system, said noise being a part of sound waves propagated through air from said air-conditioner;
- and
- reducing the detected noise by generating sound signals of opposite phase to cancel the noise near the resonant frequency of said exposure system.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.