US5473424A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tilting apparatus
Assignee: Nikon Corp
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Filing: 1994-12-23
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Granted: 1995-12-05
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Expires: 2014-12-23
Abstract
Abstract A table holding a substrate thereon is placed on a focusing and levelling stage through three fulcrums, and a calculator receives as inputs the coordinates values of the table measured by an interferometer, the amount of positional deviation between the surface of a wafer and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of a plurality of measuring points on the substrate which is measured by a multipoint AF sensor, and a weight coefficient given to be to the amount of positional deviation at each of the plurality of measuring points, thereby calculating the residual deviation at each of the three fulcrums. A controller adopts the PID control system and controls the amounts of displacement of the three fulcrums on the basis of the residual deviation calculated by the calculator, the integrated value of this residual deviation and the differentiated value of this residual deviation.
Inventors
- 👤 Masahiko Okumura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 06:58
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/70; G03F7/70691; G03F7/707; G03F7/20; G03F9/00; G03F9/70; H; H10; H10P; H10P76/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
An apparatus for adjusting the inclination of a substrate comprising: a table for holding said substrate thereon; a stage for supporting said table thereon and two-dimensionally movable in a predetermined plane; a drive member for displacing each of three fulcrums supporting said table in a direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane; a first detector for detecting the position of said table in said predetermined plane; a second detector for detecting the deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane between the surface of said substrate and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of at least three measuring points on said substrate; a calculator for calculating the residual deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane at each of said three fulcrums on the basis of the results of the detection by said first and second detectors; and a controller for controlling the amounts of displacement of said three fulcrums on the basis of said calculated residual deviation, the integrated value of said residual deviation and the differentiated value of said residual deviation.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
174 words
An apparatus for adjusting the inclination of a substrate comprising: a table for holding said substrate thereon; a stage for supporting said table thereon and two-dimensionally movable in a predetermined plane; a drive member for displacing each of three fulcrums supporting said table in a direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane; a first detector for detecting the position of said table in said predetermined plane; a second detector for detecting the deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane between the surface of said substrate and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of at least three measuring points on said substrate; a calculator for calculating the residual deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane at each of said three fulcrums on the basis of the results of the detection by said first and second detectors; and a controller for controlling the amounts of displacement of said three fulcrums on the basis of said calculated residual deviation, the integrated value of said residual deviation and the differentiated value of said residual deviation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said table includes a mirror having two reflecting surfaces orthogonal to each other, and said first detector comprises a light wave interferometer for projecting a beam of light onto each of said two reflecting surfaces.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second detector comprises a sensor which applies a beam of light to each of a plurality of measuring points on said substrate and receives light reflected by said substrate and outputs a photoelectric signal conforming to said deviation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller generates a weight to be given to the deviation at each of said at least three measuring points on said substrate measured by said second detector, and said calculator calculates the residual deviation of each of said three fulcrums by the use of said weighted deviation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said table holds a photosensitive substrate thereon, and said apparatus further comprises a projection optical system for projecting the image of a pattern on a mask onto said photosensitive substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
101 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second detector comprises a sensor which applies a beam of light onto said photosensitive substrate and also receives the reflected light from said substrate to thereby detect the deviation in the direction of the optical axis of said projection optical system between the image plane of said projection optical system and the surface of said photosensitive substrate, and said controller controls the amount of displacement of each of said three fulcrums to thereby make the image plane of said projection optical system and the surface of said photosensitive substrate coincident with each other.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
162 words
An apparatus for adjusting the inclination of a body comprising: a table for holding said body thereon; a stage for supporting said table thereon and two-dimensionally movable in a predetermined plane; a first detector for detecting the position of said table in said predetermined plane; a second detector for detecting the deviation in a direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane between the surface of said body and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of at least three measuring points on said body; a calculator for calculating the residual deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane at each of said three fulcrums on the basis of the results of the detection by said first and second detectors; and a driving device for displacing each of three fulcrums supporting said table in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane on the basis of said calculated residual deviation, the integrated value of said residual deviation and the differentiated value of said residual deviation.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
162 words
An apparatus for adjusting the inclination of a body comprising: a table for holding said body thereon; a stage for supporting said table thereon and two-dimensionally movable in a predetermined plane; a first detector for detecting the position of said table in said predetermined plane; a second detector for detecting the deviation in a direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane between the surface of said body and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of at least three measuring points on said body; a calculator for calculating the residual deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane at each of said three fulcrums on the basis of the results of the detection by said first and second detectors; and a driving device for displacing each of three fulcrums supporting said table in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane on the basis of said calculated residual deviation, the integrated value of said residual deviation and the differentiated value of said residual deviation.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
154 words
An apparatus for adjusting the inclination of a body comprising: a table for holding said body thereon; a stage for supporting said table thereon and two-dimensionally movable in a predetermined plane; a first detector for detecting the position of said table in said predetermined plane; a second detector for detecting the deviation in a direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane between the surface of said body and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of at least three measuring points on said body; and a driving device for displacing each of three fulcrums supporting said table in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane on the basis of the residual deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane at each of said three fulcrums which is determined from the results of the detection by said first and second detectors, the integrated value of said residual deviation and the differentiated value of said residual deviation.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
154 words
An apparatus for adjusting the inclination of a body comprising: a table for holding said body thereon; a stage for supporting said table thereon and two-dimensionally movable in a predetermined plane; a first detector for detecting the position of said table in said predetermined plane; a second detector for detecting the deviation in a direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane between the surface of said body and a predetermined fiducial plane at each of at least three measuring points on said body; and a driving device for displacing each of three fulcrums supporting said table in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane on the basis of the residual deviation in the direction perpendicular to said predetermined plane at each of said three fulcrums which is determined from the results of the detection by said first and second detectors, the integrated value of said residual deviation and the differentiated value of said residual deviation.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-12-04 | 1999-06-05 | 1999-12-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-12-04 | 2003-06-05 | 2003-12-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-12-04 | 2007-06-05 | 2007-12-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |