EP-4738011-A1 - POSITIONING SYSTEM, LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, METHOD TO DRIVE A MOVABLE SUPPORT OF A POSITIONING SYSTEM AND METHOD COMPRISING A PATTERNED RADIATION BEAM ONTO A SUBSTRATE

Abstract

The invention provides a positioning system for positioning an object. The positioning system comprises a movable support (PW) to support the object (W), one or more actuators (MAC) to exert a driving force on the movable support (PW), a control system to control the one or more actuators to move the movable support towards a desired position, and a potential energy release device (PER) connected to the movable support (PW) and configured to release potential energy during acceleration of the movable support (PW) to increase acceleration of the movable support body.

Inventors

• VAN DRENT, William, Peter
• KOEVOETS, ADRIANUS, HENDRIK

Assignees

• ASML Netherlands B.V.

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20241029

Claims (18)

1. A positioning system for positioning an object, the positioning system comprising: a movable support to support the object, one or more actuators to exert a driving force on the movable support, a control system to control the one or more actuators to move the movable support towards a desired position, and a potential energy release device connected to the movable support and configured to release potential energy during acceleration of the movable support to increase acceleration of the movable support.
2. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the potential energy release device is configured to convert kinetic energy of the movable support into potential energy and store this potential energy during deceleration of the movable support.
3. The positioning system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the potential energy release device comprises: a movable mass, a guiding device configured to guide the movable mass along a displacement path, and at least one potential energy storage.
4. The positioning system of claim 3, wherein the potential energy storage comprises a spring or a gas spring.
5. The positioning system of claim 3 or 4, wherein the displacement path defines a first end position and a second end position, wherein the movable mass is movable between the first end position and the second end position.
6. The positioning system of claim 5, wherein the at least one potential energy release device comprises a first holding device to hold the movable mass in the first end position and a second holding device to hold the movable mass in the second end position.
7. The positioning system of claim 5 or 6, wherein the potential energy release device comprises a first potential energy storage associated with the first end position and a second potential energy storage associated with the second end position.
8. The positioning system of any of the claims 5-7, wherein the potential energy release device comprises an actuator to move the movable mass into the first end position and/or into the second end position.
9. The positioning system of any of the claims 3-8, wherein the guiding device comprises a closed cylindrical tube in which the movable mass is arranged in a piston like manner, such that a space between the movable mass and one of the closed ends of the cylindrical tube forms a gas spring to be used as the at least one potential energy storage.
10. The positioning system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the positioning system comprises one or more actuators to exert a first driving force on the movable support in a first driving direction and one or more further actuators to exert a second driving force on the movable support in a second driving direction, wherein the first driving direction is orthogonal to the second driving direction, wherein the potential energy release device is connected to the movable support and configured to release potential energy during acceleration of the movable support in the first driving direction.
11. The positioning system of claim 10, wherein the positioning system comprises a further potential energy release device connected to the movable support and configured to release potential energy during acceleration of the movable support in the first driving direction or in the second driving direction.
12. The positioning system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the movable support comprises a long-stroke module and a short-stroke module, wherein the short-stroke module is movably supported on the long-stroke module, wherein the short-stroke module is arranged to support the object and wherein the potential energy release device is connected to the long-stroke module.
13. A lithographic apparatus comprising the positioning system of any of the preceding claims to position an object.
14. The lithographic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the object is a substrate or a patterning device.
15. A method to drive a movable support of a positioning system, wherein the method comprises accelerating the movable support by: exerting a potential energy based driving force on the movable support using a potential energy release device, and simultaneously exerting an actuator based driving force on the movable support using one or more actuators.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method comprises decelerating the movable support by: storing potential energy obtained from kinetic energy of the movable support in at least one potential energy storage of the potential energy release device, and simultaneously exerting an actuator based driving force on the movable support using one or more actuators.
17. A method comprising projecting a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate, comprising supporting the substrate by the movable support of the positioning system of any of the claims 1-12, moving the movable support during a scanning movement in a scanning direction to project the patterned radiation beam onto a first exposure field of the substrate, moving the movable support during a step movement between two scanning movements in a step direction to align the patterned radiation beam with a second exposure field of the substrate, which second exposure field is spaced from the first exposure field in the step direction, wherein the method further comprises: releasing potential energy stored in the potential energy release device for acceleration of the movable support in the scanning direction during beginning of the scanning movement of the movable support, and/or releasing potential energy stored in the potential energy release device for acceleration of the movable support in the step direction during beginning of the step movement of the movable support.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: storing potential energy obtained from kinetic energy of the movable support in at least one potential energy storage of the potential energy release device during deceleration of the movable support in the scanning direction, and/or storing potential energy obtained from kinetic energy of the movable support in at least one potential energy storage of the potential energy release device during deceleration of the movable support in the step direction

Description

FIELD The present disclosure relates to a positioning system for positioning an object. The disclosure further relates to a lithographic apparatus comprising such positioning system, a method to drive a movable support of a positioning system and a method comprising projecting a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate. BACKGROUND A lithographic apparatus is a machine constructed to apply a desired pattern onto a substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). A lithographic apparatus may, for example, project a pattern (also often referred to as "design layout" or "design") of a patterning device (e.g., a mask) onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on a substrate (e.g., a wafer). As semiconductor manufacturing processes continue to advance, the dimensions of circuit elements have continually been reduced while the amount of functional elements, such as transistors, per device has been steadily increasing over decades, following a trend commonly referred to as 'Moore's law'. To keep up with Moore's law the semiconductor industry is chasing technologies that enable to create increasingly smaller features. To project a pattern on a substrate a lithographic apparatus may use electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength of this radiation determines the minimum size of features which are patterned on the substrate. Typical wavelengths currently in use are 365 nm (i-line), 248 nm, 193 nm and 13.5 nm. A lithographic apparatus, which uses extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, having a wavelength within a range of 4 nm to 20 nm, for example 6.7 nm or 13.5 nm, may be used to form smaller features on a substrate than a lithographic apparatus which uses, for example, radiation with a wavelength of 193 nm. In known embodiments of a lithographic apparatus, positioning systems are used to position an object, for example a patterning device or a substrate, in a desired position. These positioning systems comprise an actuator assembly, comprising one or more actuators, for example electro-magnetic motors, and are configured to accelerate the object with large accelerations and position the object with high positioning accuracy. With increasing demands on overlay and throughput performance, there is however a continuous need to increase acceleration and positioning accuracy of the positioning systems in the lithographic apparatus. In practice, there may be a limit on the acceleration that can be provided by electro-magnetic motors. Increased acceleration would typically need more space for coils and/or magnets of the actuator assembly. This space is not always available. Furthermore, increased acceleration also requires substantial additional costs in required electrical power. SUMMARY It is an object to provide a positioning system for positioning an object, for example a positioning system of a lithographic apparatus, that enables increased acceleration of an object supported by the positioning system. It is another object to provide a method to drive a movable support of a positioning system that allows increased acceleration of the movable support. According to an embodiment, there is disclosed a positioning system for positioning an object, the positioning system comprising: a movable support to support the object,one or more actuators, for example electromagnetic actuators, to exert a driving force on the movable support,a control system to control the one or more actuators to move the movable support towards a desired position, anda potential energy release device connected to the movable support and configured to release potential energy during acceleration of the movable support to increase acceleration of the movable support body. According to an embodiment, there is disclosed a lithographic apparatus comprising such positioning system. According to an embodiment, there is disclosed a method to drive a movable support of a positioning system, wherein the method comprises accelerating the movable support by: exerting a potential energy based driving force on the movable support using a potential energy release device, andsimultaneously exerting an actuator based driving force on the movable support using one or more actuators. According to an embodiment, there is disclosed a method comprising projecting a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate, the method comprising supporting the substrate by the movable support of the positioning system of any of the claims 1-12,moving the movable support during a scanning movement in a scanning direction to project the patterned radiation beam onto a first exposure field of the substrate,moving the movable support during a step movement between two scanning movements in a step direction to align the patterned radiation beam with a second exposure field of the substrate, which second exposure field is spaced from the first exposure field in the step direction, wherein the method further compris