Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring an outgassing in a EUV lithography apparatus. The method includes activating a surface within the EUV lithography apparatus, inducing the outgassing, analyzing a residual gas. Defining a maximum partial pressure, recording a mass spectrum of the residual gas, converting the highest-intensity peaks of the mass spectrum into sub-partial pressures, summing the sub-partial pressures, and comparing the summed result with the defined maximum partial pressure. An EUV lithography apparatus includes a residual gas analyzer and a stimulation unit comprised of at least on of an electron source, an ion source, a photon source, and a plasma source. A measurement setup for measuring the outgassing from components by analyzing the residual gas includes a residual gas analyzer, a vacuum chamber, and a stimulation unit comprised of at least on of an electron source, an ion source, a photon source, and a plasma source.

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes an illumination system configured to form a pulsed radiation beam, an optical element with a surface on which the radiation beam is incident in operation, and a gas source arranged to supply a mixture of a first type of gas and a second type of gas to a space adjacent the surface. Particles of the first and second types of gas are capable of reacting with the surface, when activated by the radiation beam. The gas source is configured to generate a combination of surface occupation numbers of molecules of the first and second types of gas on the surface under operating conditions, at least prior to pulses of the radiation beam, the combination of surface occupation numbers lying in a range in which reactions of particles with the surface during pulses of the radiation beam are in majority reversed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a lithographic apparatus that includes a system configured to condition a radiation beam or project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate. The system includes an optically active device configured to direct the radiation beam or the patterned radiation beam, respectively, and a support structure configured to support the optically active device. The apparatus further includes a gas supply for providing a background gas into the system. The radiation beam or patterned radiation beam react with the background gas to form a plasma that includes a plurality of ions. The support structure includes an element that includes a material that has a low sputtering yield, a high sputter threshold energy, or a high ion implantation yield, to reduce sputtering and the creation of sputtering products.

Abstract: A cleaning arrangement is configured to clean an EUV optic of an EUV lithographic apparatus. The partial radical pressure ranges between 0.1-10 Pa. The cleaning arrangement can be configured inside a cleaning cocoon of the lithographic apparatus for offline cleaning. It can also be configured at particular positions inside the apparatus to clean nearby optics during production. In the pressure range of 0.1-10 Pa the penetration of atomic hydrogen into the optical devices is high, while the recombination to molecular hydrogen and hydrogen consumption is limited.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a projection system configured to project a first radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate, and at least one monitoring device for detecting contamination in a interior space. The monitoring device includes at least one dummy element having at least one contamination receiving surface. In an aspect of the invention, there is provided at least one dummy element which does not take part in transferring a radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate, wherein it is monitored whether a contamination receiving surface of the dummy element has been contaminated.

Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus includes a radiation system configured to supply a beam of radiation; a mask table provided with a mask holder for holding a mask; a substrate table provided with a substrate holder for holding a substrate; a projection system configured to image an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate, wherein the projection system is separated from the substrate table by an intervening space that is at least partially evacuated and is delimited at the location of the projection system by a solid surface from which the employed radiation is directed toward the substrate table; the intervening space contains a hollow tube located between the solid surface and the substrate table and situated around the path of the beam of radiation, the tube being configured such that beam of radiation focused by the projection system onto the substrate table does not intercept a wall of the hollow tube; a flushing system is configure to continually flush the inside of the h

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is arranged to project a beam from a radiation source onto a substrate. The apparatus includes an optical element in a path of the beam, a gas inlet for introducing a gas into the path of the beam so that the gas will be ionized by the beam to create electric fields toward the optical element, and a gas source coupled to the gas inlet for supplying the gas. The gas has a threshold of kinetic energy for sputtering the optical element that is greater than the kinetic energy developed by ions of the gas in the electric fields.