초록 ▼

The present invention relates to a clamping device configured to clamp an object (20, 120) on a support (1, 101). The clamping device comprises: a first device configured to force the object and the support away from each other using a first force, and a second device configured to force the object

The present invention relates to a clamping device configured to clamp an object (20, 120) on a support (1, 101). The clamping device comprises: a first device configured to force the object and the support away from each other using a first force, and a second device configured to force the object and the support towards each other using a second force. The first device and second device are configured to simultaneously exert the first force and the second force respectively to shape the object to a desired shape before completing the clamping of the object on the support.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A clamping device configured to clamp an object on a support, the clamping device comprising: a first device configured to force the object and the support away from each other using a first force; anda second device configured to force the object and the support towards each other using a second

1. A clamping device configured to clamp an object on a support, the clamping device comprising: a first device configured to force the object and the support away from each other using a first force; anda second device configured to force the object and the support towards each other using a second force, wherein the first device and the second device are configured to: simultaneously exert the first force and the second force respectively to shape the object to a desired shape before clamping the object on the support; anddecrease the first force and increase the second force respectively to clamp the object on the support. 2. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein the first force is a rejecting force. 3. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein the second force is an attracting force. 4. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are configured to maintain the object and the support at a balance distance from each other by operating simultaneously and in cooperation with gravity. 5. The clamping device of claim 4, wherein the first device and the second device are configured to hold the object at the balance distance during shaping of the object to the desired shape while the object is not in contact with the support. 6. The clamping device of claim 4, wherein the first device and the second device are configured to decrease the distance between the object and the support during shaping. 7. The clamping device of claim 1 having an operating range, wherein the first force depends on the distance between the object and the support such that it decreases at an increasing distance between the object and the support and wherein the second force is less dependent on the distance than the first force. 8. The clamping device of claim 7, wherein the operating range comprises the balance distance. 9. The clamping device of claim 8, wherein, after correcting for gravity, in the operating range at distances smaller than the balance distance the first force is larger than the second force and at distances larger than the balance distance the first force is smaller than the second force. 10. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein: the first device is configured to exert the first force on a part of the object; andthe second device is configured to exert the second force on at least another part of the object. 11. The clamping device of claim 10, wherein: the part of the object is a central part of the object; andthe at least another part at least partially surrounds the central part. 12. The clamping device of claim 10, further comprising a third device configured to force the object and the support towards each other using a third force, the third force alone or in combination with the first force being exerted on a major part of the surface of the object facing the support. 13. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein the second device comprises a vacuum clamp or an electrostatic clamp. 14. The clamping device of claim 1, comprising: a first clamp configured to interact with a first region of the object; anda second clamp configured to interact with a second region of the object, wherein the second region surrounds the first region. 15. The clamping device of claim 14, wherein the clamping device is arranged to influence the order in which parts of the object are clamped by the first clamp and the second clamp by varying the clamping force of each of the first clamp and the second clamp. 16. The clamping device of claim 14, wherein: the first clamp comprises a first vacuum clamp having a first vacuum line provided with a first flow restriction; andthe second clamp comprises a second vacuum clamp having a second vacuum line provided with a second flow restriction, the flow resistance at the first flow restriction being smaller than the flow resistance at the second vacuum line. 17. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is configured to exert its corresponding force on the object without having mechanical contact between the at least one of the first device and the second device and the object. 18. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is arranged to exert a vibrating action onto the object. 19. The clamping device of claim 1, further comprising a striker unit for striking the object. 20. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein the support is a substrate support of a lithographic apparatus and the object is a substrate. 21. A lithographic apparatus comprising the clamping device of claim 20, the substrate support comprising the clamping device. 22. A method for loading an object on a support, the method comprising: subjecting the object to a first force, using a first device, that forces the object and the support away from each other;subjecting the object to a second force, using a second device, that forces the object and the support towards each other, the object being subjected simultaneously to the first and second forces;shaping the object in a desired shape, using the first device and the second device, by the simultaneous subjection to the first and second forces; andclamping the object on the support after the shaping of the object, wherein the clamping comprises decreasing the first force with respect to the second force. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising holding the object at a balance distance of the support during shaping of the object. 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising decreasing the distance between the object and the support during the shaping. 25. The method of claim 22, wherein the shaping comprises straightening of the object to the desired shape while the object is not in contact with the support. 26. The method of claim 22, comprising shaping the object in an operating range of the distance between the object and the support, the operating range being a range wherein the second force depends less on the distance than the first force. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the operating range comprises a balance distance, in which the first force and the second force are arranged to maintain the object and the support in the presence of gravity. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein, in the operating range, after correction for gravity, at distances smaller than the balance distance the first force is larger than the second force and at distances larger than the balance distance the first force is smaller than the second force. 29. The method of claim 22, wherein the second force and gravity have a component in the same direction. 30. The method of claim 22, wherein the shaping comprises: exerting the first force on a first part of the object; andexerting the second force on a second part of the object, the first part being at least another part of the object than the second part. 31. The method of claim 30, comprising clamping the second part of the object on the support. 32. The method of claim 30, wherein the second part is a central part of the object. 33. The method of claim 30, wherein the first part at least partially surrounds the second part. 34. The method of claim 22, comprising: clamping a first region of the object with a first clamp; andclamping a second region of the object with a second clamp, the second region at least partially surrounding the first region. 35. The method of claim 34, comprising choosing the order in which the first region and the second region are clamped. 36. The method of claim 34, wherein surface area of the object clamped on the support is increased starting from the first region. 37. A method for loading a substrate on a substrate support of a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising: shaping the substrate in a desired shape while keeping the substrate spaced from the substrate support, wherein the shaping comprises subjecting the substrate simultaneously to an attracting force pulling the substrate towards the support and a rejecting force pushing the substrate away from the support; andcompleting the clamping of the shaped substrate on the substrate support. 38. A non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine executable instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the steps of: subjecting an object to a first force, using a first device, that forces the object and the support away from each other;subjecting the object to a second force, using a second device, that forces the object and the support towards each other, the object being subjected simultaneously to the first and second forces;shaping the object in a desired shape, using the first device and the second device, by the simultaneous subjection to the first and second forces; andclamping the object on the support after the shaping of the object, wherein the clamping comprises decreasing the first force with respect to the second force. 39. A clamping device configured to clamp an object on a support, the clamping device comprising: a first device configured to exert an attracting force on the object;a second device configured to exert a rejecting force on the object; anda positioner configured to control the first device and the second device such that the attracting and rejecting forces are simultaneously exerted on the object to shape the object to a desired shape while the object is not in contact with the support and before clamping of the object on the support. 40. The clamping device of claim 39, wherein the first device and the second device are configured to simultaneously exert an attracting and rejecting force such that, at a balance distance above the support, the attracting force and a gravity force on the object are equal to the rejecting force. 41. A method for loading an object on a support, the method comprising: shaping the object to a desired shape while not in contact with the support, wherein the shaping comprises subjecting the object simultaneously to an attracting force pulling the object towards the support and a rejecting force pushing the object away from the support, andclamping, after the shaping, the object on the support. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the object is held at a certain distance above the support during at least a period of the shaping of the object.