Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus that exposes an object with an energy beam, the apparatus comprising:

• a movable body on which the object is held and which is movable substantially along a predetermined plane within an area of a predetermined range which includes a first area including an exposure position where at least an exposure to the object which is mounted is performed, a second area positioned on one side in a first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a third area which is between the first area and the second area;
• a first, a second, and a third grating sections placed respectively at positions corresponding to the first, the second, and the third areas on a plane parallel to the predetermined plane, the first, the second, and the third grating sections facing from above a surface substantially parallel to the predetermined plane of the movable body;
• and
• a measurement device including an encoder system which measures positional information of the movable body within the predetermined plane based on output of a first encoder head, a second encoder head and a third encoder head arranged on the surface of the movable body, each encoder head facing any one of the first, the second, and the third grating sections, the first encoder head and the third encoder head measuring positional information of the movable body in at least one direction parallel to the predetermined plane, the second encoder head measuring positional information of the movable body in at least another direction different from the one direction and parallel to the predetermined plane, the first encoder head and the second encoder head being disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the movable body, a first side of the movable body and a second side of the movable body forming the corner, the first encoder head and the third encoder head being disposed along the first side of the movable body, and the first encoder head and the second encoder head being disposed along the second side of the movable body.

An exposure apparatus that exposes an object with an energy beam, the apparatus comprising:

• a first movable body on which an object is held and which is movable substantially along a predetermined plane within a first range which includes a first area including an exposure position where at least an exposure to the mounted object is performed, a second area positioned on one side in a first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a third area which is between the first area and the second area;
• a second movable body on which an object is held and which is movable substantially along the predetermined plane within a second range which includes the first area, a fourth area positioned on one side in a first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a fifth area between the first area and the fourth area;
• a first and a second grating sections placed respectively at positions corresponding to the third and the fifth areas on a plane parallel to the predetermined plane, the first and the second grating sections facing from above a surface of the first movable body and a surface of the second movable body, respectively, which are substantially parallel to the predetermined plane;
• and
• a measurement device including an encoder system which measures positional information of the first movable body within the predetermined plane based on output of a first encoder head, a second encoder head and a third encoder head arranged on the surface of the first movable body and measures positional information of the second movable body within the predetermined plane based on output of a fourth encoder head, a fifth encoder head and a sixth encoder head arranged on the surface of the second movable body, wherein
• each of the first, the second and the third encoder heads faces the first grating section, the first and the third encoder heads measure positional information of the first movable body in at least one direction parallel to the predetermined plane, the second encoder head measures positional information of the first movable body in at least another direction different from the one direction and parallel to the predetermined plane, the first encoder head and the second encoder head are disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the first movable body, a first side of the first movable body and a second side of the first movable body form the corner, the first encoder head and the third encoder head are disposed along the first side of the first movable body, and the first encoder head and the second encoder head are disposed along the second side of the first movable body, and
• each of the fourth, the fifth and the sixth encoder heads faces the second grating section, the fourth and the sixth encoder heads measure positional information of the second movable body in at least the one direction parallel to the predetermined plane, the fifth encoder head measures positional information of the second movable body in at least the another direction parallel to the predetermined plane, the fourth encoder head and the fifth encoder head are disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the second movable body, a first side of the second movable body and a second side of the second movable body form the corner, the fourth encoder head and the sixth encoder head are disposed along the first side of the second movable body, and the fourth encoder head and the fifth encoder head are disposed along the second side of the second movable body.

An exposure method that exposes an object with an energy beam, the method comprising:

• a measurement process in which within a predetermined range including a first area including an exposure position where at least an exposure to the object which is mounted is performed, a second area positioned on one side in a first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a third area which is between the first area and the second area, positional information within a predetermined plane of a movable body, on which the object is held and which is movable substantially along the predetermined plane, in the third area is measured, based on an output of a first encoder head, a second encoder head and a third encoder head that are arranged on a surface of the movable body substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and that face a first grating section placed at a position corresponding to the third area on a plane parallel to the predetermined plane, the first grating section facing from above the surface of the movable body, and positional information of the movable body in at least the first area and the second area is measured using an interferometer system which irradiates a measurement beam on a reflection surface arranged on the movable body, the first encoder head and the third encoder head measuring positional information of the movable body in at least one direction parallel to the predetermined plane, the second encoder head measuring positional information of the movable body in at least another direction different from the one direction and parallel to the predetermined plane, the first encoder head and the second encoder head being disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the movable body, a first side of the movable body and a second side of the movable body forming the corner, the first encoder head and the third encoder head being disposed along the first side of the movable body, and the first encoder head and the second encoder head being disposed along the second side of the movable body, wherein
• the third area includes a movement path of the movable body where the measurement beam moves off the reflection surface.

An exposure method that exposes an object with an energy beam, the method comprising:

• a measurement process in which positional information within a predetermined plane of a movable body on which the object is held and which is movable substantially along the predetermined plane is measured within a predetermined range including a first area including an exposure position where at least an exposure to the object which is mounted is performed, a second area positioned on one side in a first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a third area which is between the first area and the second area, based on an output of a first encoder head, a second encoder head and a third encoder head that are arranged on a surface of the movable body substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and that face any one of a first, a second, and a third grating sections placed respectively at positions corresponding to the first, the second, and the third areas on a plane parallel to the predetermined plane, the first, the second, and the third grating sections facing from above the surface of the movable body, wherein
• the first encoder head and the third encoder head measure positional information of the movable body in at least one direction parallel to the predetermined plane and the second encoder head measures positional information of the movable body in at least another direction different from the one direction and parallel to the predetermined plane, and
• the first encoder head and the second encoder head are disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the movable body, a first side of the movable body and a second side of the movable body form the corner, the first encoder head and the third encoder head are disposed along the first side of the movable body, and the first encoder head and the second encoder head are disposed along the second side of the movable body.

An exposure method that exposes an object with an energy beam, the method comprising:

• a measurement process in which
• within a first range which includes a first area including an exposure position where at least an exposure to the object which is mounted is performed, a second area positioned on one side in a first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a third area which is between the first area and the second area, positional information within a predetermined plane of a first movable body, on which the object is held and which is movable substantially along the predetermined plane, in the third area is measured based on output of a first encoder head, a second encoder head and a third encoder head that are arranged on a surface of the first movable body substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and that face a first grating section placed at a position corresponding to the third area on a plane parallel to the predetermined plane and facing from above the surface of the first movable body, and
• within a second range which includes the first area, a fourth area positioned on one side in the first direction of the first area where at least an exchange of the object is performed, and a fifth area between the first area and the fourth area, positional information within the predetermined plane of a second movable body, on which the object is held and which is movable substantially along the predetermined plane, in the fifth area is measured based on output of a fourth encoder head, a fifth encoder head and a sixth encoder head that are arranged on a surface of the second movable body substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and that face a second grating section placed at a position corresponding to the fifth area on a plane parallel to the predetermined plane and facing from above the surface of the second movable body,
• wherein:
• the first encoder head and the third encoder head measure positional information of the first movable body in at least one direction parallel to the predetermined plane and the second encoder head measures positional information of the first movable body in at least another direction different from the one direction and parallel to the predetermined plane, the first encoder head and the second encoder head are disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the first movable body, a first side of the first movable body and a second side of the first movable body form the corner, the first encoder head and the third encoder head are disposed along the first side of the first movable body, and the first encoder head and the second encoder head are disposed along the second side of the first movable body, and
• the fourth encoder head and the sixth encoder head measure positional information of the second movable body in at least the one direction parallel to the predetermined plane and the fifth encoder head measures positional information of the second movable body in at least the another direction parallel to the predetermined plane, the fourth encoder head and the fifth encoder head are disposed adjacent to each other at a corner of the surface of the second movable body, a first side of the second movable body and a second side of the second movable body form the corner, the fourth encoder head and the sixth encoder head are disposed along the first side of the second movable body, and the fourth encoder head and the fifth encoder head are disposed along the second side of the second movable body.