Abstract: A member is provided to prevent immersion liquid ingress to a gap between components or to adhere to at least one component to provide a surface to a feature of an immersion system. The member has a plastic sealing portion that is adhered to the component(s). The plastic sealing portion is opaque to DUV radiation. It may be resistant to degradation through exposure to DUV radiation. It may have a liquid phobic coating or property.

Abstract: An immersion lithography apparatus comprises a temperature controller configured to adjust a temperature of a projection system, a substrate and a liquid towards a common target temperature. Controlling the temperature of these elements and reducing temperature gradients may improve imaging consistency and general lithographic performance. Measures to control the temperature may include controlling the immersion liquid flow rate and liquid temperature, for example, via a feedback circuit.

Abstract: Model-Based Sub-Resolution Assist Feature (SRAF) generation process and apparatus are disclosed, in which an SRAF guidance map (SGM) is iteratively optimized to finally output an optimized set of SRAFs as a result of enhanced signal strength obtained by iterations involving SRAF polygons and SGM image. SRAFs generated in a prior round of iteration are incorporated in a mask layout to generate a subsequent set of SRAFs. The iterative process is terminated when a set of SRAF accommodates a desired process window or when a predefined process window criterion is satisfied. Various cost functions, representing various lithographic responses, may be predefined for the optimization process.

Abstract: A method for providing an ordered polymer layer at a surface of a substrate includes depositing a self-assemblable polymer layer directly onto a primer layer on a substrate to provide an interface between the self-assemblable polymer layer and the primer layer, and treating the self-assemblable polymer layer to provide self-assembly into an ordered polymer layer, such as a block copolymer, having first and second domain types at the interface. The primer layer is adapted to improve its chemical affinity to each domain type at the interface, in response to the presence of the respective domain type in the self-assembled polymer at the interface during the self-assembly of the self-assemblable polymer layer into the ordered polymer layer. This may lead to reduction in defect levels and/or improved persistence length for the ordered polymer layer. The method may be useful for forming resist layers for use in device lithography.

Abstract: A method for converting a vector-based representation of a desired device pattern for an exposure apparatus, a lithography or exposure apparatus, an apparatus and method to provide data to a programmable patterning device, and a device manufacturing method. In an embodiment, the method for converting outputs a rasterized representation of the desired dose pattern of radiation corresponding to the desired device pattern, wherein the vector-based representation includes primitive data identifying one or more primitive patterns; and instance data identifying how at least a portion of the desired device pattern is formed from one or more instances of each identified primitive pattern, the method including forming a rasterized primitive of each primitive pattern identified in the primitive data, and forming the rasterized representation by storing each rasterized primitive in association with the instance data corresponding to that rasterized primitive.

Abstract: An apparatus supplies a target material to a target location. The apparatus includes a reservoir that holds a target mixture that includes the target material and non-target particles; a supply system that receives the target mixture from the reservoir and that supplies the target mixture to the target location, the supply system including a tube and a nozzle that defines an orifice through which the target mixture is passed; and a filter inside the tube through which the target mixture is passed.

Abstract: In an immersion lithography apparatus in which immersion liquid is supplied to a localized space, the space is substantially polygonal in plan substantially parallel to the substrate. In an embodiment, two corners of the space have a radius of curvature no greater than the width of a transition zone between the space configured to contain liquid and a surrounding configured not to contain liquid.

Abstract: An immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed that includes a detector to measure a distance between a substrate support structure and/or a substrate and a fluid handling system and/or to detect when an item is present between the fluid handling system and a top surface of the substrate and/or substrate support structure. The detector may use information of an electrical property of the fluid provided by the fluid handling system to measure the distance. The detector may measure variation in resistance and/or in capacitance between an electrode of the fluid handling system and an electrode of the substrate and/or substrate support structure.

Abstract: A cooling arrangement is described and includes a heat sink having a first thermal contact surface, an object having a second thermal contact surface and a resilient wall. The first thermal contact surface and the second thermal contact surface face each other and define a gap. The resilient wall is part of an enclosure that surrounds a space at least comprising the gap, and the cooling arrangement includes a facility to maintain a pressure difference between the space and an environment of the cooling arrangement. Additionally, a lithographic apparatus comprising such a cooling arrangement is described.

Abstract: A method of forming a spectral purity filter having a plurality of apertures configured to transmit extreme ultraviolet radiation and suppress transmission of a second type of radiation, in which trenches are formed in a base material in a pattern corresponding to the walls to be formed between the apertures. The trenches are filled with a grid material to form walls of the grid material, and the base material is selectively removed until the grid material is exposed and forms the spaces between the walls of the grid material for the apertures.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that includes an illumination system configured to condition a beam of radiation, the illumination system having a Pockels cell arranged to control the polarization of the radiation beam, and an array of individually controllable reflective elements arranged to control the pupil plane distribution of the radiation beam.

Abstract: A method of thermally conditioning an optical element operating in a vacuum environment. The optical element includes a first body having at least one optical surface and at least one heat transfer surface. The first body is dynamically controlled in position and/or orientation. The method includes controlling a temperature of a second body to a desired temperature, the second body including a second heat transfer surface; positioning the second body adjacent the first body and dynamically controlling the second body in position and/or orientation so as to maintain the first and second heat transfer surfaces in a substantially constant arrangement without contact between the bodies; and delivering a gas as a heat transfer medium into a heat transfer space defined by the first and second heat transfer surfaces, while controlling the pressure of the gas in the heat transfer space to between about 30 Pa and about 300 Pa.

Abstract: The present invention relates to lithographic apparatuses and processes, and more particularly to multiple patterning lithography for printing target patterns beyond the limits of resolution of the lithographic apparatus. A method of splitting a pattern to be imaged onto a substrate via a lithographic process into a plurality of sub-patterns is disclosed, wherein the method comprises a splitting step being configured to be aware of requirements of a co-optimization between at least one of the sub-patterns and an optical setting of the lithography apparatus used for the lithographic process. Device characteristic optimization techniques, including intelligent pattern selection based on diffraction signature analysis, may be integrated into the multiple patterning process flow.

Abstract: A pattern from a patterning device is applied to a substrate by a lithographic apparatus. The applied pattern includes product features and metrology targets. The metrology targets include large targets and small targets which are for measuring overlay. Some of the smaller targets are distributed at locations between the larger targets, while other small targets are placed at the same locations as a large target. By comparing values measured using a small target and large target at the same location, parameter values measured using all the small targets can be corrected for better accuracy. The large targets can be located primarily within scribe lanes while the small targets are distributed within product areas.

Abstract: An immersion lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which liquid is provided between a projection system of the apparatus and a substrate. The use of both liquidphobic and liquidphilic layers on various elements of the apparatus is provided to help prevent formation of bubbles in the liquid and to help reduce residue on the elements after being in contact with the liquid.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to determine a property of a substrate by measuring, in the pupil plane of a high numerical aperture lens, an angle-resolved spectrum as a result of radiation being reflected off the substrate. The property may be angle and wavelength dependent and may include the intensity of TM- and TE-polarized radiation and their relative phase difference.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved control of the trajectory and timing of droplets of target material in a laser produced plasma (LPP) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light system is disclosed. A droplet illumination module generates a laser curtain, and sensors detect the droplets as they pass through the curtain. One sensor in combination with a controller detects the position of the droplets relative to a desired trajectory to the irradiation site so that a signal can be sent to an actuator of a droplet generator to adjust orientation of the droplet generator and direct subsequent droplets to the irradiation site, as in the prior art. A second sensor, or droplet detection module, also detects each droplet as it passes through the curtain, and in combination with a controller determines when the source laser should generate a pulse so that the pulse will arrive at the irradiation site at the same time as the droplet, and sends a signal to the source laser to fire at the correct time.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for obtaining a preferred layout for a lithographic process, the method comprising: identifying an initial layout including a plurality of features; and reconfiguring the features until a termination condition is satisfied, thereby obtaining the preferred layout; wherein the reconfiguring comprises evaluating a cost function that measures how a lithographic metric is affected by a set of changes to the features for a plurality of lithographic process conditions, and expanding the cost function into a series of terms at least some of which are functions of characteristics of the features.

Abstract: A lithographic method includes controlling a phase adjuster of a lithographic apparatus, the phase adjuster being constructed and arranged to adjust a phase of an electric field of a radiation beam traversing an optical element of the phase adjuster, and controlling a signal provided to the phase adjuster that results in an actual time-temperature characteristic of a portion of the optical element, the control being undertaken with reference to a desired time-temperature characteristic of a portion of the optical element, the control of the signal being such that a change in the actual time-temperature characteristic precedes a related change in the desired time-temperature characteristic.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first plurality of concave reflecting surfaces; a second plurality of reflecting surfaces facing the first plurality of concave reflecting surfaces such that a region is defined between the first and second pluralities; and an input for an optical beam to enter the region and an output for the optical beam to exit the region. The first and second pluralities of reflecting surfaces are arranged relative to each other so that the optical beam is re-imaged at a reflecting surface of one of the pluralities after only one reflection from a reflecting surface of the other of the pluralities and so that overlap of two or more optical beams on each of the reflecting surfaces is avoided.