Abstract: Provided is a moving unit capable of easily mounting and dismounting a movable body to and from track rails. The moving unit includes the pair of track rails, which are laid on a fixed portion at an interval therebetween, and respectively have guiding surfaces on surfaces opposed to each other, a plurality of moving blocks, which are accommodated and arranged in an accommodating space sandwiched between the pair of track rails, and are configured to travel on the guiding surfaces of the respective track rails, and the movable body, which is arranged so as to be opposed to the fixed portion across the accommodating space, and is retained by the moving blocks. The movable body includes a mounting and dismounting mechanism, which is configured to change the interval between the moving block to be assembled to one of the track rails and the moving block to be assembled to another one of the track rails to cancel a contact state between the moving blocks and the respective track rails.

Abstract: Provided is a moving unit capable of easily mounting and dismounting a movable body to and from track rails. The moving unit includes the pair of track rails, which are laid on a fixed portion at an interval therebetween, and respectively have guiding surfaces on surfaces opposed to each other, a plurality of moving blocks, which are accommodated and arranged in an accommodating space sandwiched between the pair of track rails, and are configured to travel on the guiding surfaces of the respective track rails, and the movable body, which is arranged so as to be opposed to the fixed portion across the accommodating space, and is retained by the moving blocks. The movable body includes a mounting and dismounting mechanism, which is configured to change the interval between the moving block to be assembled to one of the track rails and the moving block to be assembled to another one of the track rails to cancel a contact state between the moving blocks and the respective track rails.

Abstract: A disk centering system includes: a disk mount portion having a disk mount surface on which a disk form recording medium is to be mounted, the disk mount portion being provided with a predetermined reference point; and at least three disk centering portions for pressing the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium, the disk centering portions being located in radial directions with the reference point as a center, wherein each of the disk centering portions can be moved between a centering position at which the disk centering portion makes contact with the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium mounted on the disk mount surface to thereby center the disk form recording medium and a stand-by position located on the outer side relative to the centering position, and the centering positions are located at an equal distance from the reference point in the radial directions with the reference point as a center.

Abstract: A supporting structure for supporting an optical element includes a first supporting member for supporting the optical element, and a second supporting member for supporting the first supporting member. The value of a thermal expansion coefficient of the first supporting member is between those of the optical element and the second supporting member.

Abstract: A supporting structure for supporting an optical element. The supporting structure includes a first supporting member for supporting the optical element, a second supporting member arranged in an outer diameter side of the first supporting member for supporting the first supporting member, and an elastic member placed between the first supporting member and the second supporting member in the radial direction of the optical element. The inner diameter side of the elastic member is connected to the first supporting member while an outer diameter side of the elastic member is connected to the second supporting member. The elastic member is elastically deformable in the radial direction.

Abstract: A supporting structure for supporting an optical element includes a first supporting member for supporting the optical element, and a second supporting member for supporting the first supporting member. The value of a thermal expansion coefficient of the first supporting member is between those of the optical element and the second supporting member.

Abstract: A disk centering system includes: a disk mount portion having a disk mount surface on which a disk form recording medium is to be mounted, the disk mount portion being provided with a predetermined reference point; and at least three disk centering portions for pressing the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium, the disk centering portions being located in radial directions with the reference point as a center, wherein each of the disk centering portions can be moved between a centering position at which the disk centering portion makes contact with the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium mounted on the disk mount surface to thereby center the disk form recording medium and a stand-by position located on the outer side relative to the centering position, and the centering positions are located at an equal distance from the reference point in the radial directions with the reference point as a center.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporting structure of optical elements, in which lens surface deformation due to the strain produced during assembling can be reduced and stable and high resolution with small aberration can be obtained, and an optical apparatus such as an exposure apparatus constructed by using the supporting structure, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device constructed from the optical apparatus, etc.

Abstract: An optical-element supporting device arranged to support and set one or a plurality of optical elements in respective predetermined positions in an optical axis direction, includes ring frames mounted respectively on the plurality of optical elements and each having a plurality of projections protruding in the optical axis direction, and a pinching structure for pinching the ring frames being piled up in the optical axis direction (the pinching structure comprising, for example, a lens barrel member which accommodates the ring frames mounted on the optical elements and leaf springs mounted near an end part of the lens barrel member in the optical axis direction), wherein the projections of the ring frames and respective pinching positions of the pinching structure are axially aligned in parallel with the optical axis direction.