US6603130B1 — Gas bearings for use with vacuum chambers and the…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 172 words

A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: a radiation system constructed to supply a projection beam of radiation; a first object table provided with a mask holder to hold a mask; a second object table provided with a substrate holder to hold a substrate; a projection system constructed and arranged to image an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; a vacuum chamber having a wall enclosing at least one of said first and second object tables, said vacuum chamber wall having an aperture therein; a moveable sealing member constructed and arranged to seal said aperture; a bearing constructed and arranged to bear said sealing member and maintain a gap between said sealing member and said vacuum chamber wall, said bearing comprising: a gas bearing adapted to provide pressurized gas into said gap thereby to generate forces tending to hold said sealing member away from said vacuum chamber wall; and an evacuation system spaced apart from said gas bearing constructed and arranged to remove said gas from said gap.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 172 words

A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: a radiation system constructed to supply a projection beam of radiation; a first object table provided with a mask holder to hold a mask; a second object table provided with a substrate holder to hold a substrate; a projection system constructed and arranged to image an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; a vacuum chamber having a wall enclosing at least one of said first and second object tables, said vacuum chamber wall having an aperture therein; a moveable sealing member constructed and arranged to seal said aperture; a bearing constructed and arranged to bear said sealing member and maintain a gap between said sealing member and said vacuum chamber wall, said bearing comprising: a gas bearing adapted to provide pressurized gas into said gap thereby to generate forces tending to hold said sealing member away from said vacuum chamber wall; and an evacuation system spaced apart from said gas bearing constructed and arranged to remove said gas from said gap.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 40 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said sealing member comprises a sealing plate moveable parallel to said vacuum chamber wall; and said gas bearing and evacuation system are provided in said vacuum chamber wall to surround said aperture.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 174 words

A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: a radiation system constructed to supply a projection beam of radiation; a first object table provided with a mask holder to hold a mask; a second object table provided with a substrate holder to hold a substrate; a projection system constructed and arranged to image an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; a vacuum chamber having a wall enclosing at least one of said first and second object tables, said at least one object table being movable; and a bearing adapted to displaceably bear said at least one object table against a bearing surface within said vacuum chamber and maintaining a gap therebetween, the bearing comprising: a gas bearing adapted to provide pressurised gas into said gap thereby to generate forces tending to separate said at least one object table from said bearing surface; and an evacuation system spaced apart from said gas bearing constructed and arranged to remove gas from said gap, said evacuating system being provided to surround said gas bearing.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 174 words

A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: a radiation system constructed to supply a projection beam of radiation; a first object table provided with a mask holder to hold a mask; a second object table provided with a substrate holder to hold a substrate; a projection system constructed and arranged to image an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; a vacuum chamber having a wall enclosing at least one of said first and second object tables, said at least one object table being movable; and a bearing adapted to displaceably bear said at least one object table against a bearing surface within said vacuum chamber and maintaining a gap therebetween, the bearing comprising: a gas bearing adapted to provide pressurised gas into said gap thereby to generate forces tending to separate said at least one object table from said bearing surface; and an evacuation system spaced apart from said gas bearing constructed and arranged to remove gas from said gap, said evacuating system being provided to surround said gas bearing.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a conduit providing a fluid communication between said gap and a reservoir at a pressure higher than that of said vacuum chamber and lower than that of said pressurized gas.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 20 words

An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said conduit comprises an elongate groove in one surface defining said gap.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 43 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a distance along said gap between a point of supply of gas to form said gas bearing and said evacuation system is greater than a distance between said evacuation system and an adjacent vacuum chamber.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 37 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said evacuation system comprises an elongate vacuum groove in one surface defining said gap; a vacuum pump; and vacuum conduits connecting said elongate vacuum groove to said vacuum pump.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 68 words

An apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said evacuation system further comprises at least one second elongate vacuum groove generally parallel to said elongate vacuum groove and provided on the other side thereof than said gas bearing, a second vacuum pump and vacuum conduits connecting said second elongate vacuum groove to said second vacuum pump, said second vacuum pump drawing a deeper vacuum than said vacuum pump.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 35 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said gas bearing comprises an elongate groove in one surface defining said gap; and gas supply conduits structured to supply gas under pressure to said elongate groove.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 44 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said gas bearing comprises a plurality of spaced apart indentations in one surface defining said gap, said indentations being filled with porous material; and gas supply conduits structured to supply gas under pressure to said indentations.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 140 words

A method of manufacturing a device using a lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: supplying a projection beam of radiation; holding a mask with a mask holder of a first object table; holding a substrate with a substrate holder of a second object table; imaging an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; sealing an aperture defined by a wall of a vacuum chamber of said lithographic projection apparatus with a movable sealing member, said wall of said vacuum chamber enclosing at least one of said first and second object tables; providing pressurized gas into a gap between said sealing member and said vacuum chamber wall to generate forces tending to hold said sealing member away from said vacuum chamber wall; removing said gas from said gap; and exposing said substrate to an image of said mask.

Claim 14

Independent Claim 140 words

A method of manufacturing a device using a lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: supplying a projection beam of radiation; holding a mask with a mask holder of a first object table; holding a substrate with a substrate holder of a second object table; imaging an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; sealing an aperture defined by a wall of a vacuum chamber of said lithographic projection apparatus with a movable sealing member, said wall of said vacuum chamber enclosing at least one of said first and second object tables; providing pressurized gas into a gap between said sealing member and said vacuum chamber wall to generate forces tending to hold said sealing member away from said vacuum chamber wall; removing said gas from said gap; and exposing said substrate to an image of said mask.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 11 words

A device manufactured according to the method of claim 11 .

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a conduit providing a fluid communication between said gap and a reservoir at a pressure higher than that of said vacuum chamber and lower than that of said pressurized gas.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 20 words

An apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said conduit comprises an elongate groove in one surface defining said gap.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 43 words

An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a distance along said gap between a point of supply of gas to form said gas bearing and said evacuation system is greater than a distance between said evacuation system and an adjacent vacuum chamber.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 37 words

An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said evacuation system comprises an elongate vacuum groove in one surface defining said gap; a vacuum pump; and vacuum conduits connecting said elongate vacuum groove to said vacuum pump.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 68 words

An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein said evacuation system further comprises at least one second elongate vacuum groove generally parallel to said elongate vacuum groove and provided on the other side thereof than said gas bearing, a second vacuum pump and vacuum conduits connecting said second elongate vacuum groove to said second vacuum pump, said second vacuum pump drawing a deeper vacuum than said vacuum pump.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 35 words

An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said gas bearing comprises an elongate groove in one surface defining said gap; and gas supply conduits structured to supply gas under pressure to said elongate groove.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 44 words

An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said gas bearing comprises a plurality of spaced apart indentations in one surface defining said gap, said indentations being filled with porous material; and gas supply conduits structured to supply gas under pressure to said indentations.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 142 words

An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a support pillar passing through the aperture; wherein said sealing member comprises a seat displaceable relative to said vacuum chamber wall in at least one degree of freedom and a collar displaceable relative to said seat in at least one degree of freedom, said collar supporting said support pillar; wherein said bearing is adapted to bear said seat relative to said vacuum chamber wall by providing pressurized gas to a gap between said seat and said vacuum chamber wall and to remove gas from the gap between said seat and said vacuum chamber; and wherein said bearing is adapted to bear said collar relative to said seat by providing pressurized gas to a gap between said collar and said seat and to remove gas from the gap between said collar and said seat.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 49 words

An apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein said bearing is adapted to bear said support pillar relative to said collar by providing pressurized gas to a gap between said collar and said support pillar and to remove gas from the gap between said collar and said support pillar.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 57 words

An apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein said seat is displaceable relative to said vacuum chamber wall in at least two degrees of freedom, said collar is displaceable relative to said seat in at least two degrees of freedom and said support pillar is displaceable relative to said collar in at least two degrees of freedom.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 32 words

A method according to claim 11 , comprising removing said gas from said gap using a pressure higher than that of said vacuum chamber and lower than that of said pressurised gas.

Claim 27

Independent Claim 129 words

A method of manufacturing a device using a lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: supplying a projection beam of radiation; holding a mask with a mask holder of a first object table; holding a substrate with a substrate holder of a second object table; imaging an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; displaceably bearing at least one of said first and second object tables, in a vacuum chamber, against a bearing surface; providing pressurised gas into a gap between said bearing surface and said at least one object table to generate forces tending to separate said at least one object table from said bearing surface and maintaining the gap therebetween; removing gas from said gap; and exposing said substrate to an image of said mask.

Claim 28

Independent Claim 129 words

A method of manufacturing a device using a lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: supplying a projection beam of radiation; holding a mask with a mask holder of a first object table; holding a substrate with a substrate holder of a second object table; imaging an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate; displaceably bearing at least one of said first and second object tables, in a vacuum chamber, against a bearing surface; providing pressurised gas into a gap between said bearing surface and said at least one object table to generate forces tending to separate said at least one object table from said bearing surface and maintaining the gap therebetween; removing gas from said gap; and exposing said substrate to an image of said mask.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 32 words

A method according to claim 24 , comprising removing said gas from said gap using a pressure higher than that of said vacuum chamber and lower than that of said pressurised gas.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2006-08-04	2007-02-03	2007-08-05	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2010-08-04	2011-02-03	2011-08-05	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2014-08-04	2015-02-03	2015-08-05	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Gas bearings for use with vacuum chambers and their application in lithographic projection apparatuses

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