JP2002281731A - Linear pulse motor, stage device and exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To reduce the weight of a secondary mover, to achieve high acceleration / deceleration acceleration,
And a high response linear pulse motor. SOLUTION: A primary-side stator 1 in which a plurality of excitation units 3a to 3d and excitation coils 5a to 5d wound around the excitation units are arranged in a row, and a fixed gap with respect to the stator 1 , And a secondary-side mover 12 arranged facing each side surface of the stator 1, wherein the stator 1 is
2, the stator 1 and the movable element 12 are supported so as to be relatively movable in the traveling direction of the movable element 12, and a plurality of pole teeth 16 arranged on the movable element 12 are This is a double-sided type in which the stator 1 is arranged on both sides of the mover 12 while being partitioned and integrally connected by a non-magnetic connection member 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a linear pulse motor, and more particularly to a drive system for FA equipment which requires high acceleration / deceleration and a drive system for semiconductor-related devices which dislike heat generation and require high acceleration / deceleration and high responsiveness. It is suitable for a double-sided linear pulse motor used in the above, a stage apparatus and an exposure apparatus using the motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a double-sided linear pulse motor conventionally used, for example, there is a four-phase linear pulse motor as shown in FIG. This is because the first and second primary stators 1 are arranged so as to sandwich the secondary mover 2 in FIG. 4 and are classified into A-phase, B-phase, C-phase and D-phase, respectively. Excitation units 3a, 3b, 3c,
3d are provided along the traveling direction of the mover 2, and the excitation units 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d have
Excitation coils 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d wound respectively
And one or more convex primary-side stator pole teeth 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, 5 d formed on the surface facing the secondary-side mover 2.
And

The secondary mover 2 has a secondary mover yoke 6 extending continuously in the traveling direction of the mover 2 and a secondary mover 2 facing the primary stator 1. A plurality of secondary-side mover pole teeth 2a disposed on both side surfaces of the yoke 6; At this time, the secondary mover 2 is the primary stator 1
Is supported so as to be relatively movable in the moving direction of the mover 2. When the secondary mover 2 is driven, the excitation coils 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d of the four phases are energized in a certain order, so that the excitation units 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d of the respective phases are excited.
Is excited, and the mover 2 obtains a thrust in the traveling direction from the magnetic attraction generated by the mutual magnetic action of the mover pole teeth 2a and the stator pole teeth 5a to 5d.

[0004]

In the case of the above-mentioned conventional double-sided linear pulse motor, the secondary mover 2 moves from the secondary mover yoke 6 extending in the traveling direction to the first and second movers.
A plurality of secondary-side mover pole teeth 2a are provided on both sides facing the primary-side stator 1. As a result, the secondary mover yoke 6 becomes large, so that the overall weight of the secondary mover 2 becomes large, and the acceleration / deceleration acceleration of the linear pulse motor is poor, and the inertia is large, resulting in poor response. there were.

An object of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to minimize the mass of a secondary movable element yoke in a secondary movable element of a linear pulse motor. With this, a lightweight secondary mover is configured,
An object of the present invention is to provide a linear pulse motor having high acceleration / deceleration and high response.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a primary-side stator in which a plurality of magnetic members and exciting coils wound around the magnetic members are arranged in a row, A secondary mover arranged to face a side surface of the stator while maintaining a constant gap, wherein the stator is arranged along a traveling direction of the mover, And a plurality of pole teeth disposed on the mover are separated by a non-magnetic material and integrally connected, in a linear pulse motor supporting the mover and the mover relatively movably in the traveling direction. You. The present invention is suitable for a double-sided linear pulse motor in which the stator is arranged on both sides of the mover.

That is, the present invention provides a first method comprising a plurality of excitation units arranged continuously along a moving direction of a mover, and a plurality of excitation coils respectively wound around the plurality of excitation units. And the second primary stator and the first and second primary stators are respectively disposed on both side surfaces along the traveling direction while keeping a certain gap.
A double-sided linear pulse motor that includes a secondary mover and supports the first and second primary stators and the secondary mover so as to be relatively movable in the traveling direction. A plurality of pole teeth arranged on the side mover may be separated by a non-magnetic material and connected integrally.

By the above means, in the linear pulse motor on both sides, the mass of the secondary mover yoke is minimized, and the pole teeth are integrally connected by a non-magnetic member.
A lightweight secondary side mover can be configured, thereby achieving high responsiveness with high acceleration / deceleration acceleration. Also, 2
Although the mass of the secondary mover yoke is minimized, there is no change in the magnetic circuit at the time of driving the motor, and the thrust of the motor never decreases.

[0009] Further, according to the present invention, it is preferable that the mover is guided and movably guided in one of a static pressure bearing and a magnetic bearing so as to be movable in a traveling direction, and a cooling means for cooling the exciting coil and It is desirable to provide at least one of cooling means for cooling the mover. Further, the magnetic member used for at least one of the stator and the mover is preferably a laminated electromagnetic steel sheet, and the non-magnetic member used for at least one of the primary member and the secondary member is preferred. The material is stainless steel,
Preferably, it is any one of aluminum, ceramics and resin.

Further, the present invention is applicable to a stage device that moves a stage by using any one of the linear pulse motors as a drive source, and is also applicable to an exposure apparatus having the stage device.

Further, the present invention includes a step of installing a group of manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including an exposure apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, and a step of manufacturing a semiconductor device by a plurality of processes using the group of manufacturing apparatuses. The present invention is also applicable to a semiconductor device manufacturing method. Connecting the group of manufacturing apparatuses via a local area network, and performing data communication of information on at least one of the group of manufacturing apparatuses between the local area network and an external network outside the semiconductor manufacturing plant. Preferably, a database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus is accessed via the external network to obtain maintenance information of the manufacturing apparatus by data communication, or a semiconductor manufacturing factory different from the semiconductor manufacturing factory It is preferable to perform production management by performing data communication with the external network via the external network.

Further, the present invention provides a group of manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including the exposure apparatus, a local area network connecting the group of manufacturing apparatuses, and an external network outside the factory from the local area network. The present invention is also applicable to a semiconductor manufacturing factory having a gateway and capable of performing data communication of information on at least one of the manufacturing apparatus groups.

The present invention is also a method for maintaining the exposure apparatus installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, wherein a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus provides a maintenance database connected to an external network of the semiconductor manufacturing factory. And a step of permitting access to the maintenance database from within the semiconductor manufacturing plant via the external network, and transmitting maintenance information stored in the maintenance database to the semiconductor manufacturing plant via the external network. The method is also applicable to a maintenance method for an exposure apparatus having a process.

Further, the present invention provides the above exposure apparatus,
The exposure apparatus may further include a display, a network interface, and a computer that executes network software, and enables data communication of maintenance information of the exposure apparatus via a computer network. The network software,
Provided on the display is a user interface for accessing a maintenance database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus connected to an external network of a factory where the exposure apparatus is installed, and from the database via the external network. It is desirable to be able to obtain information.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, using a double-sided linear pulse motor as an example, with reference to FIGS. The double-sided linear pulse motor shown in FIG. 1 includes first and second primary stators 1 and 1 and a secondary movable element 12. The first and second primary stators 1 are continuously arranged on both sides of the mover 12 along the traveling direction of the mover 12, and are arranged at regular intervals along the traveling direction of the mover 12. A plurality of excitation units 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d arranged;
A plurality of excitation coils 4a, 4b, 4c, wound around the plurality of excitation units 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, respectively.
4d.

Excitation units 3a, 3 as magnetic members
In the case of the present embodiment, b, 3c and 3d are made of laminated electromagnetic steel sheets, and are respectively provided on the surfaces facing the secondary mover 2 by 2.
The primary stator pole teeth 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5
d). The primary stator pole teeth 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) are arranged in a row at equal intervals with a predetermined pitch. The first and second primary stators 1, 1 are connected so as not to move relative to each other.

The secondary-side mover 12 is disposed between the first and second primary-side stators 1 and 1 with a certain gap therebetween along the traveling direction. The secondary mover 12 is supported by a hydrostatic bearing (not shown) so as to be relatively movable in the traveling direction with respect to the primary stator 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary mover 12 is
A plurality of secondary-side movable pole teeth 16 corresponding to the primary-side stator pole teeth 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d are arranged at regular intervals in a row at a predetermined pitch along the traveling direction. It has.
The plurality of secondary-side mover pole teeth 16 face the primary-side stator pole teeth 5 having both end faces on both sides with a constant gap. In addition, the secondary mover 12 is continuous in the traveling direction by the plurality of secondary mover pole teeth 16 being separated by a connecting member 17 and being integrally connected. The secondary mover pole teeth 16 are made of a magnetic material such as carbon steel or silicon steel, and the non-magnetic connecting member 17 is a non-magnetic material having a low magnetic permeability selected from ceramics, stainless steel, aluminum or resin. Consists of

Similarly, the filler 18 made of resin or the like is filled in the concave portion between the pole teeth of the primary stator 1 or the already formed filler 18 is fitted and mounted.
Filling material 19 made of resin or the like is also provided between adjacent exciting units and exciting coils, between exciting units 3a and exciting coils 4a and exciting units 3b and exciting coils 4b, and the like.
Or the already formed filler 19 is fitted and mounted.

As shown in FIG. 2, a specific configuration of the secondary mover 12 according to the first embodiment is such that the shape of secondary pole teeth is formed on a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic frame 22 as a non-magnetic coupling member. A secondary pole tooth 16 made of a magnetic material is fitted and mounted in the hole.

The structure of the secondary mover 12 according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The secondary pole teeth 16 are formed by connecting both ceramic frame members 32, 32 as non-magnetic connecting members extending continuously in the X direction.
And are integrally connected by being sandwiched from both sides in the Y direction, and are further fixed by both ceramic frame members 33, 33 extending along the Y direction. A gap or a hole formed in the secondary movable element 12 in the Z direction is filled with a filler 34 made of resin or the like. Alternatively, the already formed filler 34 is fitted and mounted. In the same manner as described above, the filler between the pole teeth of the primary stator 1 and the space between the adjacent excitation unit and the excitation coil is filled with the filler made of resin or the like, or the already formed filler is fitted. Be attached. And the first and second primary stators 1,
The respective surfaces of the first and second movable elements 12 facing each other are formed as smooth surfaces.

With this filler, the primary stator pole teeth 5
In addition, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as chips and dust from entering between the pole teeth of the secondary mover pole teeth 16, and to prevent a decrease in motor efficiency due to an increase in magnetic resistance due to the foreign matter entering. . In the hydrostatic bearing that supports the secondary mover 12, the first and second primary stators 1 and the secondary mover 1
By sending air into the space formed by each of the two, 2
When the next movable element 12 is guided and supported, the filling material 34 is filled in the concave portions and the gaps, and the opposing surfaces are smoothed to increase the air pressure in the gaps, thereby increasing the support rigidity. Raising. In order to further increase the flatness, it is possible to apply a coating film to the surface of each opposing surface. Examples of the coating material include a magnetic material such as nickel and a non-magnetic material such as a resin. Further, eddy current loss can be reduced by using a laminated steel sheet for the plurality of pole teeth 5, 16 and the yoke constituting the stator 1 and the mover 12.

As described above, in the two-sided linear pulse motor, the secondary mover pole teeth 16 are integrally connected by a non-magnetic member, so that the secondary mover 12 including the secondary mover yoke is lightened. It can be said that high response can be achieved with high acceleration / deceleration. Although the mass of the secondary mover yoke is minimized, there is no change in the magnetic circuit when the motor is driven, and the thrust of the motor does not decrease at all.

The present invention is not limited by the above embodiment. For example, in the embodiment described above, a two-sided four-phase linear pulse motor has been described.
The present invention can be applied to a phase linear pulse motor, and can also be applied to a single-side linear pulse motor. The driving method of the linear pulse motor is not limited, and can be driven by a variable reluctance method, a permanent magnet method, or a hybrid method. Furthermore, the support mechanism that supports the mover,
Ball bearings and magnetic bearings are also possible, and can be driven without using the above filler.

(Embodiment of Semiconductor Production System)
Semiconductor devices using an exposure apparatus including a stage device having a stage driven by a linear pulse motor according to the present invention (semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.)
An example of the production system will be described. This includes maintenance services such as troubleshooting and periodic maintenance of manufacturing equipment installed in semiconductor manufacturing plants, and software provision.
This is performed using a computer network outside the manufacturing factory.

FIG. 5 shows the whole system cut out from a certain angle. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a business establishment of a vendor (apparatus supply maker) that provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus. As an example of a manufacturing apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for various processes used in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, for example,
Pre-process equipment (lithography equipment such as exposure equipment, resist processing equipment, etching equipment, heat treatment equipment, film formation equipment,
It is assumed that flattening equipment and the like and post-processing equipment (assembly equipment, inspection equipment, etc.) are used. In the business office 101, a host management system 10 for providing a maintenance database of manufacturing equipment
8. It has a plurality of operation terminal computers 110 and a local area network (LAN) 109 connecting these to construct an intranet or the like. Host management system 1
Reference numeral 08 includes a gateway for connecting the LAN 109 to the Internet 105, which is an external network of the business office, and a security function for restricting external access.

On the other hand, reference numerals 102 to 104 denote manufacturing factories of semiconductor manufacturers as users of the manufacturing apparatus. The manufacturing factories 102 to 104 may be factories belonging to different manufacturers or factories belonging to the same manufacturer (for example, a factory for a pre-process, a factory for a post-process, etc.). In each of the factories 102 to 104, a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 106, a local area network (LAN) 111 connecting them to construct an intranet or the like, and a host as a monitoring apparatus for monitoring the operation status of each manufacturing apparatus 106 are provided. A management system 107 is provided. Each factory 1
Host management system 107 provided in the storage system 02 to 104
Has a gateway for connecting the LAN 111 in each factory to the Internet 105 which is an external network of the factory. As a result, access to the host management system 108 on the vendor 101 side from the LAN 111 of each factory via the Internet 105 is possible, and access is allowed only to limited users by the security function of the host management system 108. In particular,
Via the Internet 105, status information indicating the operation status of each manufacturing apparatus 106 (for example, the symptom of the manufacturing apparatus in which a trouble has occurred) is notified from the factory side to the vendor side, and response information corresponding to the notification (for example, (Information indicating how to cope with a trouble, software and data for coping), and maintenance information such as the latest software and help information can be received from the vendor. For data communication between each of the factories 102 to 104 and the vendor 101 and data communication with the LAN 111 in each of the factories, a communication protocol (T
CP / IP) is used. Instead of using the Internet as an external network outside the factory, a dedicated line network (such as ISDN) that can be accessed by a third party and has high security can be used. In addition, the host management system is not limited to the one provided by the vendor, and a user may construct a database and place it on an external network, and permit access to the database from a plurality of factories of the user.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the whole system of the present embodiment cut out from a different angle from FIG. In the above example, a plurality of user factories each having a manufacturing device and a management system of a vendor of the manufacturing device are connected via an external network, and the production management of each factory and at least one device are connected via the external network. The data of the manufacturing apparatus was communicated. On the other hand, in this example, a factory equipped with manufacturing equipment of a plurality of vendors is connected to a management system of each of the plurality of manufacturing equipments via an external network outside the factory, and maintenance information of each manufacturing equipment is stored. It is for data communication. In the figure, reference numeral 201 denotes a manufacturing plant of a manufacturing apparatus user (semiconductor device manufacturer), and a manufacturing line for performing various processes, for example, an exposure apparatus 202, a resist processing apparatus 203;
A film forming apparatus 204 is introduced. Although only one manufacturing factory 201 is illustrated in FIG. 6, a plurality of factories are actually networked similarly. Each device in the factory is connected by LAN 206 to form an intranet,
The operation management of the production line is performed by the host management system 205.

On the other hand, each business establishment of a vendor (apparatus supplier) such as an exposure apparatus maker 210, a resist processing apparatus maker 220, and a film forming apparatus maker 230 has a host management system 21 for remote maintenance of the supplied equipment.
1, 211, and 231 which include a maintenance database and an external network gateway as described above. A host management system 205 for managing each device in the user's manufacturing plant, and a vendor management system 2 for each device
11, 221, and 231 are connected by the Internet or the dedicated line network which is the external network 200. In this system, if a trouble occurs in any of a series of manufacturing equipment on the manufacturing line,
Although the operation of the production line is paused, quick response is possible by receiving remote maintenance via the Internet 200 from the vendor of the troubled device, and the suspension of the production line can be minimized. .

Each of the manufacturing apparatuses installed in the semiconductor manufacturing factory has a display, a network interface, and a computer that executes network access software and apparatus operation software stored in a storage device. The storage device is a built-in memory, a hard disk, a network file server, or the like. The network access software includes a dedicated or general-purpose web browser, and provides, for example, a user interface having a screen as shown in FIG. 7 on a display. The operator who manages the manufacturing equipment at each factory refers to the screen and refers to the manufacturing equipment model 401, the serial number 402, and the trouble subject 40.
3. Information such as date of occurrence 404, degree of urgency 405, symptom 406, coping method 407, progress 408, etc. is input to input items on the screen. The input information is transmitted to the maintenance database via the Internet, and the resulting appropriate maintenance information is returned from the maintenance database and presented on the display. The user interface provided by the web browser further includes hyperlink functions 410 to 4 as shown in the figure.
12 enables the operator to access more detailed information on each item, extract the latest version of software used for manufacturing equipment from the software library provided by the vendor, and provide an operation guide (help Information). Here, the maintenance information provided by the maintenance database includes the information on the present invention described above, and the software library also provides the latest software for realizing the present invention.

Next, a semiconductor device manufacturing process using the above-described production system will be described. FIG. 8 shows the flow of the whole semiconductor device manufacturing process. In step 1 (circuit design), the circuit of the semiconductor device is designed. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the circuit pattern design. Step 3
In (wafer manufacture), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon. Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process, and an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and assembly such as an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (chip encapsulation). Process. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, a semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7). The pre-process and the post-process are performed in separate dedicated factories, and maintenance is performed for each of these factories by the above-described remote maintenance system. Further, information for production management and apparatus maintenance is also communicated between the pre-process factory and the post-process factory via the Internet or a dedicated line network.

FIG. 9 shows a detailed flow of the wafer process. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the wafer's surface. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the wafer surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. Step 15
In (resist processing), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. Step 16 (exposure) uses the above-described exposure apparatus to print and expose the circuit pattern of the mask onto the wafer. Step 17 (development) develops the exposed wafer. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer. Since the manufacturing equipment used in each process is maintained by the remote maintenance system described above, troubles can be prevented beforehand, and if troubles occur, quick recovery is possible. Can be improved in productivity.

[0033]

As described above, in the linear pulse motor, the mass of the secondary mover yoke is minimized, and the member for integrally connecting the pole teeth is replaced with a non-magnetic member to thereby reduce the secondary mover. Can be configured to be lightweight, thereby achieving high responsiveness with high acceleration / deceleration acceleration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a linear pulse motor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a mover of the linear pulse motor according to the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a mover of a linear pulse motor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional linear pulse motor.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual view of a semiconductor device production system using the apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from a certain angle.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a semiconductor device production system using the apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from another angle.

FIG. 7 is a specific example of a user interface.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a device manufacturing process.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a wafer process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: primary side stator, 2: secondary side movable element, 2a: secondary side movable element pole tooth, 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d): excitation unit (primary side magnetic member), 4 (4a , 4b, 4c, 4
d): excitation coil, 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d): 1
Secondary stator pole teeth, 6: Secondary mover yoke, 12: Secondary mover, 16: Secondary mover pole teeth, 17: Non-magnetic coupling member, 18, 19: Filler, 22: Ceramic frame, 32, 33: ceramic frame member, 34: filler, 101: vendor's office, 102, 103, 10
4: Manufacturing plant, 105: Internet, 106: Manufacturing equipment, 107: Factory host management system, 108: Vendor host management system, 109: Vendor local area network (LAN), 110: Operation terminal computer, 111 : Factory local area network (LAN), 200: external network, 201:
Manufacturing apparatus user's manufacturing factory, 202: exposure apparatus, 20
3: resist processing apparatus, 204: film formation processing apparatus, 20
5: Factory host management system, 206: Factory local area network (LAN), 210: Exposure equipment maker, 211: Host management system of the exposure equipment maker's office, 220: Resist processing equipment maker, 221: Resist processing equipment Host management system of the manufacturer's office,
230: film forming apparatus maker, 231: host management system of the office of the film forming apparatus maker, 401: model of manufacturing apparatus,
402: serial number, 403: trouble subject,
404: Date of occurrence, 405: Urgency, 406: Symptom, 40
7: coping method, 408: progress, 410, 411, 412:
Hyperlink function.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/30 503B

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A primary-side stator in which a plurality of magnetic members and an exciting coil wound around the magnetic members are arranged in a row, and a fixed gap is maintained between the stator and the stator. A movable element on the secondary side arranged facing each side surface, wherein the stator is disposed along the traveling direction of the movable element, and the stator and the movable element are relatively moved in the traveling direction. A linear pulse motor which is supported as possible, wherein a plurality of pole teeth arranged on the mover are partitioned by a non-magnetic material and connected integrally. 2. The linear pulse motor according to claim 1, wherein said stator is disposed on both sides of said mover. 3. The linear pulse motor according to claim 1, wherein the mover is guided and supported movably in a traveling direction by one of a hydrostatic bearing and a magnetic bearing. Linear pulse motor. 4. The linear pulse motor according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of cooling means for cooling said exciting coil and cooling means for cooling said mover. Pulse motor. 5. The linear pulse motor according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic member used for at least one of the stator and the mover is a laminated electromagnetic steel sheet. motor. 6. The linear pulse motor according to claim 1, wherein the nonmagnetic material used for at least one of the primary member and the secondary member is stainless steel, aluminum, A linear pulse motor characterized by being one of ceramics and resin. 7. A stage apparatus for moving a stage using the linear pulse motor according to claim 1 as a drive source. 8. An exposure apparatus comprising the stage device according to claim 7. 9. A step of installing a group of manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including the exposure apparatus according to claim 8 in a semiconductor manufacturing factory; and a step of manufacturing a semiconductor device by a plurality of processes using the group of manufacturing apparatuses. A semiconductor device manufacturing method, comprising: 10. A step of connecting said group of manufacturing apparatuses via a local area network, and data communication between said local area network and an external network outside said semiconductor manufacturing factory regarding at least one of said group of manufacturing apparatuses. 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of: 11. A semiconductor manufacturing factory different from the semiconductor manufacturing factory by accessing a database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus via the external network to obtain maintenance information of the manufacturing apparatus by data communication. 11. The production management is performed by performing data communication with the device via the external network.
3. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to item 1. 12. A manufacturing apparatus group for various processes including the exposure apparatus according to claim 8, a local area network connecting the manufacturing apparatus group, and an external network outside the factory can be accessed from the local area network. A semiconductor manufacturing plant, comprising: a gateway that performs data communication of information on at least one of the manufacturing apparatus groups. 13. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, which is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing plant.
The maintenance method of an exposure apparatus according to the above, wherein a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus provides a maintenance database connected to an external network of a semiconductor manufacturing plant, and via the external network from within the semiconductor manufacturing plant A step of allowing access to the maintenance database by using an external network, and a step of transmitting maintenance information stored in the maintenance database to a semiconductor manufacturing factory via the external network. . 14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:
An exposure apparatus, further comprising a display, a network interface, and a computer executing network software, and capable of performing data communication of maintenance information of the exposure apparatus via a computer network. 15. The network software,
Provided on the display is a user interface for accessing a maintenance database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus connected to an external network of a factory where the exposure apparatus is installed, and from the database via the external network. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein information can be obtained.