Exposure apparatus, manufacturing method of flat-panel display, device manufacturing method, and exposure method

Abstract

A liquid crystal exposure apparatus that moves a substrate supported in a noncontact manner by a noncontact holder to a projection optical system, and performs scanning exposure to the substrate equipped with: holding pads that hold a part of the substrate located at a first position above the noncontact holder; adsorption pads that hold another part of the substrate; a first drive section moves the holding pads from below the substrate direction intersecting a vertical direction, where the substrate is located at the first position held by the adsorption pads; and a second drive section that moves the adsorption pads holding the substrate, to a second position where the substrate is supported in a noncontact manner by the noncontact holder, wherein the scanning exposure, the second drive section moves the adsorption pads holding the substrate supported in a noncontact manner by the noncontact holder to the projection optical system.

1 . An exposure apparatus that relatively moves an object supported in a noncontact manner by a support section, with respect to an optical system, and performs scanning exposure with respect to the object, the apparatus comprising:
 a first holding section that holds a part of the object located at a first position above the support section;   a second holding section that holds another part of the object;   a first drive section that relatively moves the first holding section from below the object along a direction intersecting a vertical direction, in a state where the object is located at the first position and held by the second holding section; and   a second drive section that moves the second holding section holding the object, to a second position where the object is to be supported in a noncontact manner by the support section, wherein   in the scanning exposure, the second drive section relatively moves the second holding section that holds the object supported in a noncontact manner by the support section, with respect to the optical system.   
     
     
         2 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second holding section has a main body section and a drive section that is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the main body section and moves the object downward, and   the apparatus further comprises:   a maintaining section that maintains a positional relationship between the drive section that has moved the object downward and the main body section, within a predetermined range.   
     
     
         3 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the maintaining section maintains the positional relationship by coupling the drive section and the man body section.   
     
     
         4 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the maintaining section maintains the positional relationship by electrically restricting driving of the drive section.   
     
     
         5 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the drive section performs position adjustment of the object relative to the support section, in a state where the positional relationship between the drive section and the main body section is maintained by the maintaining section.   
     
     
         6 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 in the position adjustment, the support section supports the object in a noncontact manner by interposing gas between the support section and the object.   
     
     
         7 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the drive section moves the second holding section so that the object is supported by the support section, after performing the position adjustment.   
     
     
         8 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second holding section has a first holding member and a second holding member, the first holding member holding a part of the object, and the second holding member holding another part of the object so that the object that has been moved downward by the second holding section is not rotated with respect to the support section.   
     
     
         9 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second drive section moves the object that has a plurality of divided areas and is supported in a noncontact manner, using the second holding section, and changes the divided area serving as a target of the scanning exposure.   
     
     
         10 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second holding section holds the another part of the object so that the another part of the object can be levitated and held, and   the first drive section moves the second holding section so that the second holding section is withdrawn from the another part of the object in a state where the another part of the object is levitated and held by the second holding section.   
     
     
         11 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first drive section moves the second holding section to the first position.   
     
     
         12 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a carry-out device that carries out another object supported on the support section, wherein   the first drive section withdraws the first holding section from below the object, at least partly in parallel with an operation in which the carry-out device carries out the another object.   
     
     
         13 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the second drive section moves downward the second holding section holding another part of the object, at least partly in parallel with an operation in which the carry-out device carries out the another object.   
     
     
         14 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a third holding section that holds a part of the another object, wherein   the third holding section delivers the another object to the carry-out device.   
     
     
         15 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the support section has a first accommodating section that accommodates the third holding section.   
     
     
         16 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second drive section moves the second holding section so that the object is not deformed by gas intervening between the object and the support section.   
     
     
         17 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the support section has a supply hole that supplies gas from the support section to the object, and   an amount of the gas between the object held by the second holding section and the support section is changed.   
     
     
         18 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the support section has a suction hole that suctions gas between the support section and the object, and   an amount of the gas between the object held by the second holding section and the support section is changed.   
     
     
         19 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a drive device that moves the support section, wherein   the drive device is movable along a plane parallel to a surface of the support section, and   the second holding section is movable along the plane in a predetermined positional relationship with the support section.   
     
     
         20 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein
 the second drive section moves the second holding section when the support section is moved by the drive device.   
     
     
         21 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein
 the second drive section moves the support section from one of a position and another position to the other of the position and the another position, in the position the object supported by the support section being processed, and in the another position the object being supported by the support section.   
     
     
         22 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second drive section moves the second holding section downward together with the object, in a state of restraining a position of the object in a direction parallel to a two-dimensional plane that intersects the vertical direction.   
     
     
         23 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the support section has a second accommodating section that accommodates the second holding section.   
     
     
         24 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second holding section adsorbs and holds another part of the object.   
     
     
         25 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second holding section supports an end of the object.   
     
     
         26 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second holding section holds one end side of an outer periphery edge of the object.   
     
     
         27 .- 33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the object is a substrate used in a flat-panel display.   
     
     
         35 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 34 , wherein
 at least a length of a side or a diagonal line of the substrate is 500 mm or greater.   
     
     
         36 . A manufacturing method of a flat-panel display, comprising:
 exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 ; and   developing the object that has been exposed.   
     
     
         37 . A device manufacturing method, comprising:
 exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to  claim 1 ; and   developing the object that has been exposed.   
     
     
         38 . An exposure apparatus that relatively moves an object supported in a noncontact manner by a support section, with respect to an optical system in a scanning direction, and performs scanning exposure with respect to the object, the apparatus comprising:
 a holding section that holds the object located at a first position above the support section; and   a drive section that moves the holding section from the first position to a second position where the object is to be supported in a noncontact manner by the support section, and moves the object with respect to the support section in the scanning direction at a time of the scanning exposure.   
     
     
         39 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 38 , wherein
 the object is a substrate used in a flat-panel display.   
     
     
         40 . The exposure apparatus according to  claim 39 , wherein
 at least a length of a side or a diagonal line of the substrate is 500 mm or greater.   
     
     
         41 . A manufacturing method of a flat-panel display, comprising:
 exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to  claim 38 ; and   developing the object that has been exposed.   
     
     
         42 . A device manufacturing method, comprising:
 exposing the object using the exposure apparatus according to  claim 38 ; and   developing the object that has been exposed.   
     
     
         43 . An exposure method of relatively moving an object supported in a noncontact manner by a support section, with respect to an optical system, and performing scanning exposure with respect to the object, the method comprising:
 holding a part of the object at a first position located above the support section, by a first holding section;   relatively moving a second holding section holding another part of the object located at the first position and held by the first holding section, from below the object along a direction intersecting a vertical direction, and releasing the holding of the object by the first holding section; and   moving the second holding section that holds the object, to a second position where the object is to be supported in a noncontact manner by the support section, wherein   in the moving, the object supported in a noncontact manner is relatively moved with respect to the optical system by the second holding section, in the scanning exposure.   
     
     
         44 . An exposure method of relatively moving an object supported in a noncontact manner by a support section, with respect to an optical system in a scanning direction, and performing scanning exposure with respect to the object, the method comprising:
 holding the object located at a first position above the support section, by a holding section; and   moving the holding section that holds the object, from the first position to a second position where the object is to be supported in a noncontact manner by the support section; and   relatively moving the holding section that holds the object with respect to the support section in the scanning direction at a time of the scanning exposure.