Method of adjusting relative positions of two objects by using diffraction grating and control apparatus therefor

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, wherein said radiation beam comprises a laser beam.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1, wherein said first diffraction grating comprises a transmission diffraction grating; the radiation beam is incident on said first diffraction grating at a right angle; and the diffracted light components comprise a diffracted light component reflected by said first diffraction grating, a diffracted light component transmitted and diffracted by said first diffraction grating, reflected by said reflecting surface and passing through said first diffraction grating, and a diffracted light component passing through said first diffraction grating, reflected by said reflecting surface and transmitted and diffracted by said first diffraction grating.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 3, wherein the changes in intensities occur in a positive first-order diffracted light component and/or a negative first-order diffracted light component among all diffracted light components, any one of the changes in intensities of the positive first-order diffracted light component, the negative first-order diffracted light component, and a sum of the positive and negative first-order diffracted light components is used as a gap detection signal, and a maximum or minimum point or a point in a vicinity thereof of the gap detection signal is detected and discriminated for gap measurement/setting.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 4, wherein the discrimination is performed by detecting a maximum value of interference waves of an envelope wave constituting the gap detection signal.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 4, wherein the discrimination is performed by detecting a maximum value of interference waves of an envelope wave constituting the gap detection signal and by counting the number of peaks of subsequent interference waves.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 1, wherein said first diffraction grating comprises a transmission diffraction grating; and the radiation beam is obliquely incident on said first diffraction grating to derive a negative first-order diffracted light component and a positive first-order diffracted light component, any one of the change in intensity of the negative or positive first-order diffracted light component, or a sum of or a difference between the negative and positive first-order diffracted light components is utilized.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 1, wherein the radiation beam comprises vertically and obliquely incident light components which are respectively incident on said first diffraction grating, the change in intensity of the diffracted light component derived from the vertically incident light component serves as a gap detection signal, the change in intensity of the diffracted light component derived from the obliquely incident light component serves as a reference signal, and said method comprises the step of measuring the gap from the gap detection signal and setting the gap to a predetermined value, and the step of discriminating a gap error state when a current gap is deviated from the predetermined value in accordance with a phase difference between the gap detection signal and the reference signal and correcting the current gap to the predetermined value in accordance with the gap error state.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 8, wherein the gap error state is discriminated in accordance with any one of combinations of the positive and negative first-order diffracted light components derived from the vertically and obliquely incident light components.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 9, wherein the radiation beam is focused.and is incident on the first diffraction grating.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 1, wherein a second diffraction grating is arranged on said first object in a vicinity of said first diffraction grating, a third diffraction grating is arranged in a portion of said second object which corresponds to said second diffraction grating, said second diffraction grating being irradiated with another radiation beam of coherent light or quasi-monochromatic light, said method further including the step of controlling a transverse alignment error between said first and second objects in accordance with the change in intensity of a diffracted light component reflected and diffracted by said second and third diffraction gratings.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 12, wherein the radiation beam and said another radiation beam which are incident on said first and second diffraction gratings are emitted from a single light source.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 12, wherein the radiation beam is incident on said first and second diffraction gratings at a substantially right angle, and said another radiation beam is obliquely incident on at least said first diffraction grating.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 14, wherein said first and second diffraction gratings are arranged perpendicularly to each other when said first and second diffraction gratings are viewed in a two-dimensional manner.

Claim 18

A method according to claim 14, wherein said first and second diffraction gratings have different pitches one of which is not an integer multiple of the other.

Claim 19

A method according to claim 14, wherein the gap between said first and second diffraction gratings is set to about k PG 2 /a (where k is an integer, X is a wavelength of the vertically incident light component, and PG is the pitch of said first diffraction grating), and said third diffraction grating has a pitch which is an integer multiple of a pitch of said second diffraction grating.

Claim 20

A method according to claim 17, wherein the pitches of said first and second diffraction gratings satisfy a relation: where PW is the pitch of said second diffraction grating.

Claim 21

A method according to claim 14, wherein said method further includes the step of performing gap servo control by using one of the interference waves in the gap detection signal and by using a value lower than a peak value of said one of the interference waves, as a servo point.

Claim 22

.A method of adjusting a relative positional relationship between two objects using a diffraction grating, wherein a first diffraction grating comprises a transmission diffraction grating and is arranged on a first object located to oppose a second object, a reflecting surface is arranged at a position of said second object which corresponds to said first diffraction grating, and said method includes the step of irradiating said first diffraction grating vertically and obliquely with a radiation beam of coherent light or quasi-monochromatic light, the step of producing a gap detection signal from the change in intensity of the diffracted light components derived from the vertical radiation beam, when the diffracted light components, which are derived from vertical radiation beam, from said first diffraction grating, comprise the diffracted light components being constituted by a diffracted light component reflected by said first diffraction grating, a diffracted light component transmitted and diffracted by said first diffraction grating, reflected by said reflecting surface and passing through said first diffraction grating, and a diffracted light component passing through said first diffraction grating, reflected by said reflecting surface and transmitted and diffracted by said first diffraction grating, and of producing a reference signal from the change in intensity of a diffracted light component derived from oblique radiation beam, the step of measuring the gap from said gap detection signal and setting the gap to a predetermined value by detecting a maximum or minimum point or a point in a vicinity thereof of the gap detection.signal when said gap detection signal is produced from the change in intensity which occurs in a positive first-order diffracted light component and/or a negative first-order diffracted light component among all diffracted light components, which are derived from the vertical radiation beam, any one of the changes in intensities of the positive first-order diffracted light component, the negative first-order diffracted light component, and a sum of the positive and negative first-order diffracted light components, and the step of discriminating a gap error state when a current gap is deviated from the predetermined value in accordance with a phase difference between the gap detection signal and the reference signal and correcting the current gap to the_predetermined value in accordance with the gap error state, wherein a second diffraction grating is arranged on said first object in a vicinity of said first diffraction grating, a third diffraction grating is arranged in a portion of said second object which corresponds to said second diffraction grating, said second diffraction grating being irradiated with said vertical radiation beam, said first and second diffraction gratings having pitches which satisfy a relation: where PG and PW are the pitch of said first and second diffraction gratings, respectively, said method further including the step of controlling a transverse alignment error between said first and second objects in accordance with the change in intensity of the diffracted light component reflected and diffracted by said second and third diffraction gratings, and said method further includes the step of performing gap servo control by using one of the interference waves in the gap detection signal and by using a value lower than a peak value of said one of the interference waves as a servo point.

Claim 23

.A method of adjusting a relative positional relationship between two objects using a diffraction grating, wherein a first diffraction grating comprises a transmission diffraction grating and is arranged on a first object located to oppose a second object, a reflecting surface is arranged at a position of said second object which corresponds to said first diffraction grating, and said method includes the step of irradiating said first diffraction grating vertically and obliquely with a radiation beam of coherent light or quasi-monochromatic light, the step of producing a gap detection signal from the change in intensity of the diffracted light components derived from the vertical radiation beam, when the diffracted light components, which are derived from vertical radiation beam, from said first diffraction grating, comprise the diffracted light components being constituted by a diffracted light component reflected by said first diffraction grating, a diffracted light component transmitted and diffracted by said first diffraction grating, reflected by said reflecting surface and passing through said first diffraction grating, and a diffracted light component passing through said first diffraction grating, reflected by said reflecting surface and transmitted and diffracted by said first diffraction grating, and of producing a reference signal from the change in intensity of a diffracted light component derived from oblique radiation beam, the step of measuring the gap from said gap detection signal and setting the gap to a predetermined value by detecting a maximum or minimum point or a point in a vicinity thereof of the gap detection.signal when said gap detection signal is produced from the change in intensity which occurs in a positive first-order diffracted light component and/or a negative first-order diffracted light component among all diffracted light components, which are derived from the vertical radiation beam, any one of the changes in intensities of the positive first-order diffracted light component, the negative first-order diffracted light component, and a sum of the positive and negative first-order diffracted light components, and the step of discriminating a gap error state when a current gap is deviated from the predetermined value in accordance with a phase difference between the gap detection signal and the reference signal and correcting the current gap to the_predetermined value in accordance with the gap error state, wherein a second diffraction grating is arranged on said first object in a vicinity of said first diffraction grating, a third diffraction grating is arranged in a portion of said second object which corresponds to said second diffraction grating, said second diffraction grating being irradiated with said vertical radiation beam, said first and second diffraction gratings having pitches which satisfy a relation: where PG and PW are the pitch of said first and second diffraction gratings, respectively, said method further including the step of controlling a transverse alignment error between said first and second objects in accordance with the change in intensity of the diffracted light component reflected and diffracted by said second and third diffraction gratings, and said method further includes the step of performing gap servo control by using one of the interference waves in the gap detection signal and by using a value lower than a peak value of said one of the interference waves as a servo point.

Claim 26

An apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising: second irradiating means for obliquely irradiating a second radiation beam of coherent light or quasi-monochromatic light onto at least said first diffraction grating; second converting means for receiving a second diffracted light component from said second irradiating means and converting the second diffracted light component to a reference signal; phase error detecting means for detecting a phase error between the gap detection signal and the reference signal; gap control signal generating or processing means for setting the gap to a predetermined value in accordance with the gap detection signal and correcting a gap error in accordance with information from said phase error detecting means, thereby generating a gap control signal; and mechanism means for changing the gap between said first and second objects in accordance with the gap control signal.-

Claim 27

An apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising gap servo signal processing means for generating a gap servo signal in accordance with the gap detection signal, the gap servo signal being supplied to said mechanism means.

Claim 28

An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said first irradiating means is arranged to irradiate said first radiation beam to second diffraction grating at a substantially right angle, said second diffraction grating being arranged in a vicinity of said first'diffraction grating; and further comprising third converting means for receiving a third diffracted light component which is derived from said first radiation beam and a dual diffraction grating consisting of said second diffraction grating and a third diffraction grating located on a portion of the second object, the portion corresponding to said second diffraction grating, and alignment control signal processing means for processing the positional error detection signal and generating an alignment control signal, the alignment control signal being supplied to said mechanism means.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising: two more sets of said first and second irradiating means; two more sets of said first to third converting means, said phase error detecting means, said gap control signal processing means, said gap servo signal processing means and said alignment control signal processing means so as to correspond to said two more sets of said first and second irradiating means; and processing means for receiving signals from three sets of said gap control signal processing means, said gap servo signal processing means and said alignment control signal processing means and for generating control signals to set said first and second objects to be parallel to each other, the gap between said first and second objects to a predetermined value, and the transverse positional error between said first and second objects to zero, the control signals from said processing means being supplied to said mechanism means.