US 7,525,106 B2
Exposure apparatus, pressure control method for the same, and device manufacturing method
Kouhei Imoto, Utsunomiya (Japan); and Shigeyuki Uzawa, Utsunomiya (Japan)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Mar. 12, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/684,953.
Claims priority of application No. 2006-069901 (JP), filed on Mar. 14, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2008/0073571 A1, Mar. 27, 2008
Int. Cl. H01J 61/24 (2006.01); H01J 37/301 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 250—492.2  [250/492.1; 250/372; 250/504 R; 250/365] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An exposure apparatus which includes an optical system and exposes a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere through said optical system, comprising:
a partition which separates a first space including at least part of said optical system from a second space adjacent to said first space, and includes an opening to pass light therethrough;
a first pressure regulator which regulates a pressure in said first space;
a second pressure regulator which regulates a pressure in said second space; and
a controller which outputs manipulated variables for said first pressure regulator and said second pressure regulator,
wherein said controller is configured to output the manipulated variables for said first pressure regulator and said second pressure regulator to change the pressure in said first space and the pressure in said second space in a range of a vacuum to an atmospheric pressure while maintaining a pressure relationship in which the pressure in said first space is higher than the pressure in said second space.