Abstract: A scanning type exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage for holding a substrate and for moving the substrate in at least one of a scanning direction and a rotational direction, an original stage for holding an original and for moving the original in at least one of the scanning direction and the rotational direction, an optical system for transferring a pattern of the original onto the substrate, and a controller for controlling movements of the substrate stage and the original stage. The controller synchronously controls the substrate stage and the original stage in the scanning direction, and independently controls the substrate stage and the original stage in the rotational direction.

Abstract: A scan exposure apparatus includes a mask stage on which a mask is to be placed, a substrate stage on which a substrate is to be placed, and a detection unit for detecting a surface shape of the substrate in each of a plurality of areas thereof. The surface shape is taken into consideration to drive the substrate stage in an exposure process. The apparatus further includes a controller for deciding scanning speeds of the mask stage and the substrate stage for each of a plurality of the areas based on the result of detection by the detection unit so as not to exceed a predetermined value of a synchronization error between the mask stage and the substrate stage.

Abstract: A scan exposure apparatus according to this invention determines a scan velocity and a focus measurement position from process conditions and the like and determines a threshold &Dgr; of the focus measurement position on the basis of the scan velocity. The scan exposure apparatus executes focus measurement if a stage position falls within the range of the threshold &Dgr;.

Abstract: A scanning type exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which projects a pattern of a reticle onto a wafer, which is held by a wafer chuck, a scanning stage system which scanningly moves the reticle and the wafer synchronously with respect the projection optical system, and an inspection system which automatically inspects influence of particles on at least one of the wafer and on the wafer chuck. The inspection system includes a focus detector which measures a focus state of the wafer and a calculator which calculates outputs of the focus detector.

Abstract: A scanning exposure apparatus has a wafer stage, a reticle stage, a projection optical system for projecting an image of a reticle onto a substrate on the wafer stage, X-Y laser interferometers for measuring the position of the wafer stage in the X direction, Z interferometers for measuring the wafer stage position in the Z direction, and X-Y laser interferometers for measuring the position of the reticle stage in the X and Y directions, and transfers the image of the reticle onto the wafer by exposure while synchronously driving the wafer stage and reticle stage. The exposure apparatus includes a plurality of laser heads for generating laser beams to be provided to the interferometers. A reference signal is supplied from one laser head to the remaining laser heads to synchronize all laser heads.

Abstract: A scanning type exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which projects a pattern of a reticle onto a wafer, which is held by a wafer chuck, a scanning stage system which scanningly moves the reticle and the wafer synchronously with respect to the projection optical system and an inspection system which inspects influence of particles on at least one of the wafer and on the wafer chuck. The inspection system includes a focus detector which measures a focus state of the wafer and a calculator which calculates outputs of the focus detector.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for scanning a reticle and a wafer in synchronism to optically transfer a pattern drawn on the reticle onto the wafer, thereby forming a device. The apparatus includes a first driver for holding and scanning the reticle, a second driver for holding and scanning the wafer, a determining device and a controller. The determining device determines a scanning distance of the first driver and the second driver by a sum of a first distance through which the first driver and the second driver travel until reaching a scanning speed, a second distance through which the first driver and the second driver travel during exposure and a third distance through which the first driver and the second driver travel during a settling time from a time when the first driver and the second driver reach the scanning speed to a time when exposure is enabled.

Abstract: A scanning type exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which projects a pattern of a reticle onto a wafer, which is held by a wafer chuck, a scanning stage system which scanningly moves the reticle and the wafer synchronously with respect the projection optical system, and an inspection system which automatically inspects influence of particles on at least one of the wafer and on the wafer chuck. The inspection system includes a focus detector which measures a focus state of the wafer and a calculator which calculates outputs of the focus detector.

Abstract: Each shot wafer surface shape is detected before actual exposure. Then, a focusing/leveling track is determined on the basis of the detected surface shape so as to estimate a synchronization error to generate between the reticle stage and the wafer stage at each shot when the found track is used. And, a scanning speed is decided for each shot so that the synchronization error exceeds a predetermined value of said synchronization error.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus optically transfers a pattern drawn on an original plate onto an exposure target. When positioning a stage, which is movable with an exposure target or original plate being mounted thereon, the coordinate origin as the reference is switched, when necessary, to match the operating state of the apparatus. The stage is positioned with reference to coordinate information having this coordinate origin as the reference.

Abstract: A vibration driven motor including a plurality of polarized piezo-electric elements disposed on a vibrator, in which cyclic signals different in phase selectively are applied to the respective elements to form standing waves to drive a moved body. A direction of polarization of each of the piezo-electric elements in the motor is identical. A plurality of consecutive elements are grouped, and cyclic signals of predetermined phase selectively are applied to predetermined element groups.

Abstract: A scanning exposure apparatus wherein a portion of a pattern of an original is projected onto a substrate through a projection optical system and the original and substrate are scanningly moved relative to the projection optical system, whereby the pattern of the original is transferred onto the substrate. The apparatus includes an original stage for holding the original, a base for supporting the original stage, and a supporting device for supporting the base at three positions, through a damper device and a pillar device. The three positions define an approximately isosceles triangle, and the scan direction is parallel to a straight line that connects a point of intersection of isosceles sides of the triangle and a gravity center thereof.

Abstract: A control device for an ultrasonic motor includes a control calculation circuit for calculating position, i.e., the rotation amount and speed of the motor, a linearization function generation circuit for receiving the output signal from the control calculation circuit and outputting the amplitude information of a stator constituting the motor and the phase difference information of two driving signals for driving the stator, and a driving circuit responsive to the output signal from the generation circuit to supply the driving signals to the stator.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vibration wave motor providing control with high precision and a wide dynamic range by switching the driving frequency signal from an amplitude variable control range to a frequency variable control range on the basis on an input value.

Abstract: A target state quantity generating unit generates a target state quantity for a stage, and a laser interferometer detects the current state quantity (position) of the stage. Based on the target state quantity and the detected state quantity (position), a compensation system constituted by a variable phase compensator and a PID compensator controls the driving operation of the stage. A memory unit stores forward and reverse gain tables, and provides adjustment information for adjusting the compensation system in correspondence with the state quantity of the stage. The corresponding gain table is selected on the basis of the driving direction of the stage, and the adjustment information is read out from the selected gain table on the basis of the position of the stage. The corner frequency of the variable phase compensator is changed on the basis of the readout adjustment information.

Abstract: This invention relates to a vibration wave motor which forms a vibration wave on a vibrating member by applying frequency signals having a phase difference therebetween to electro-mechanical energy conversion elements, and uses the vibration wave as a driving force. This invention provides a motor apparatus in which a disturbance component input to the motor apparatus is estimated based on input and output signals to the motor, and the estimated disturbance component is negatively fed back, thereby eliminating the influence of a disturbance.

Abstract: A servo system adjusting method for an integration-proportional differentiation type compensation system for generating a control input by summing an integration of a control error, a controlled amount which is an output of an object to be controlled and a differentiation thereof, multiplied by predetermined coefficients, respectively, for the object to be controlled having a double integration type characteristic in a low frequency band, comprises a step of changing any of a feedback gain F.sub.1 of differentiation of the controlled amount, a feedback gain F.sub.2 of the controlled amount and a gain H of integration of the control error, and a step of determining other gains based on the changed gain value and the formulas;F.sub.1 /F.sub.2 =a*H/F.sub.2F.sub.1 =b*(F.sub.1 /F.sub.2)/Kwhere2.ltoreq.a.ltoreq.3,1.5.ltoreq.bK is a gain of the object to be controlled.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus is provided for processing first and second periodic analog signals having the same period and having a fixed phase relationship therebetween. The apparatus includes an A/D converter for converting respective amplitudes of the first and second periodic analog signals into first and second digital signals. The apparatus also includes a phase digitizer for generating a signal from the first periodic analog signal, the generated signal having a period that is shorter than the period of the first periodic analog signal, and a high speed signal processing portion for generating from the generated signal a periodicity and first phase information of the first periodic analog signal. The apparatus further includes a another signal processor for producing second phase information of the first periodic analog signal from the first and second digital signals, and for correcting the periodicity on the basis of the first phase information and the second phase information.

Abstract: A high-performance feedback controller having both a target value followability and a disturbance suppression characteristic is provided, and its characteristic arrangement is as follows. In a feedback controller, which receives a target value r and a controlled variable y and supplies a manipulated variable u as a calculation output to a control object which has at least one input u as a manipulated variable and at least one output y as a controlled variable, a compensator G.sub.c (s), whose internal calculation arrangement is given by G.sub.c (s)=.alpha./{G.sub.n (0)-G.sub.n (s)} using a nominal model G.sub.n (s) as an approximate characteristic of the control object and an arbitrary positive parameter .alpha., performs a compensation of a comparison deviation (e=r-y) between the target value r and the controlled variable y.

Abstract: A positioning device and method includes a motor having a rotation axis, a driver for driving the motor on the basis of control information, a detector for detecting position information of the rotation axis of the motor, and a digital signal processor for performing an operation on the control information in accordance with the position information detected by the detector.