BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a powder for additive modeling for preparing a structure made of a ceramic using an additive modeling method, a structure using the powder for additive modeling, a semiconductor production device component, and a semiconductor production device using the component.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, additive modeling techniques have been extended, and in particular, various structures are prepared by a powder bed fusion method (powder bed laser direct modeling system) using a metal powder. In the powder bed fusion method, the powder of a material is effectively melted and becomes a solidification structure group, and therefore a dense structure can be obtained. In such a circumstance, the development of the powder bed fusion method to ceramic modeling has been discussed, and many efforts have been reported. In order to melt ceramic powder in a similar manner as in a metal powder, appropriate energy is required to be applied. In addition, unlike a metal, a ceramic powder does not melt homogeneously due to the light diffusion inside the powder, and it is difficult to obtain the modeling accuracy.

In Physics Procedia 5 (2010) 587-594, a technique of realizing a structure that is accurate and excellent in the mechanical strength by reducing a melting point with the use of an Al2O3—ZrO2eutectic system and by forming a microstructure peculiar to the eutectic system at the time of melting and solidification has been proposed.

One of the modeling shapes formed favorably by an additive modeling technique is a hollow shape. For a semiconductor exposure device having a driving mechanism, a stage component made of a ceramic having a hollow structure, such as a vacuum chuck made of Al2O3is used. Therefore, for modeling the stage component, an additive modeling technique using a ceramic powder is suitable. The stage component is driven at a high speed, and therefore, high specific rigidity (Young's modulus [GPa]/specific gravity) has been demanded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is a material powder for additive modeling including a nitride, and a eutectic oxide, the nitride having an average density lower than an average density of the eutectic oxide.

In addition, another aspect of the present invention is a structure constituted of a ceramic, and includes polycrystalline nitride particles having an average diameter of 5 μm or more, and an oxide region forming a eutectic structure including the polycrystalline nitride particle.

In addition, still another aspect of the present invention is a method of producing a structure constituted of a ceramic including: preparing a powder containing a nitride particle and a particle containing a eutectic oxide; constituting a powder layer including the powder; and irradiating the powder layer with an energy beam according to shape data of a three-dimensional model, the powder layer being irradiated with the energy beam so that a temperature of an irradiation portion of the energy beam is less than or equal to a decomposition temperature of the nitride particle.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

