Abstract: A stage system for a lithographic apparatus includes a stage, an over-determined number of actuators to act on the stage, at least two sensors to measure a position dependent parameter of the stage and to provide a respective sensor signal. The at least two sensors are arranged to measure the respective position dependent parameters in a same degree of freedom. A controller is provided to provide a controller output signal to at least one of the actuators in response to a setpoint and the position dependent parameter as measured by at least one of the sensors. A further controller is provided with the position dependent parameters measured by the sensors. The further controller is configured to determine a difference between the position dependent parameters from the sensors and to provide a further controller output signal to at least one of the actuators in response to the determined difference.

Abstract: A lithographic method to enhance image resolution in a lithographic cluster using multiple projections and a lithographic cluster used to project multiple patterns to form images that are combined to form an image having enhanced resolution.

Abstract: In an immersion lithography apparatus, the immersion liquid is supplied from a tank via a flow restrictor. The liquid held in the tank is maintained at a substantially constant height above the flow restrictor to ensure a constant flow of liquid.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first support structure configured to support an element that has an alignment marker provided with at least one height difference. The apparatus also includes an alignment sensor comprising a light source that is configured to provide a light beam that illuminates the alignment marker; and at least one detector configured to detect the at least one height difference of the alignment marker by analyzing the light beam reflected by the alignment marker. Such an apparatus may be used to align of the element with respect to the first support structure.

Abstract: A fluid supply system for a lithographic apparatus, includes a controller configured to vary fluid flow rate to a first component from a fluid source while maintaining total flow resistance to fluid downstream of the fluid source substantially constant.

Abstract: A method of removing liquid from a substrate supported on a substrate table and from a gap between the substrate and the substrate table includes: providing a liquid removal device with at least one outlet connected to an under pressure source, the outlet forming an elongated extractor of a predetermined geometry; relatively moving the substrate table and the liquid removal device such that the extractor is adapted to pass over all of the substrate and gap and such that substantially at any given time any local part of the extractor at the edge of a non-dried portion of the gap has, in a plane, its local tangent orientated at an angle of between about 35° and 90° to the local tangent of the gap.

Abstract: A device manufacturing method is provided. The method includes generating a first patterned beam, projecting the first patterned beam onto a substrate to form a first plurality of spot exposures on the substrate, scanning the substrate in a direction while projecting the first patterned beam, generating a second patterned beam, projecting the second patterned beam onto the substrate to form a second plurality of spot exposures on the substrate, and alternating spot exposures of the first plurality of spot exposures with respective spot exposures of the second plurality of spot exposures.

Abstract: A substrate table for a lithographic apparatus includes a mask constructed and arranged to prevent exposure of a peripheral exposure region of a substrate on the substrate table. The mask is attached to a moveable carrier. The moveable carrier has a range of movement which at least partially circumnavigates the substrate table.

Abstract: A filter window manufacturing method includes fabricating a structure of wires on a substrate, depositing a lacquer over the wires and the substrate, depositing a first layer that includes a material selected from the group consisting of AlN, Ru, Ir, Au, SiN, Rh, C and combinations thereof, removing the lacquer, removing the substrate, and baking the first layer.

Abstract: A radiation system includes a contamination barrier configured to permit radiation from a radiation source to pass through and to capture debris coming from the radiation source. The contamination barrier includes a plurality of lamellas. The surface of the lamellas includes a material. The radiation system also includes a collector configured to collect radiation from the contamination barrier. An optical surface of the collector includes a material that is the same as the material of the surface of the lamellas.

Abstract: For angular resolved spectrometry a radiation beam is used having an illumination profile having four quadrants is used. The first and third quadrants are illuminated whereas the second and fourth quadrants aren't illuminated. The resulting pupil plane is thus also divided into four quadrants with only the zeroth order diffraction pattern appearing in the first and third quadrants and only the first order diffraction pattern appearing in the second and third quadrants.

Abstract: A patterning device for a photolithographic apparatus is used to form a patterned radiation beam, by imparting a cross-sectional pattern to the radiation beam during reflection from the patterning device. The patterning device comprises a layer of phase-change material that is capable of locally undergoing an induced structural phase change into respective ones of a plurality of stable and/or metastable states. Furthermore, the patterning device comprises a radiation reflective structure with periodically arranged layers adjacent to the layer of phase-change material. The radiation reflective structures do not partake in the phase changes. By locally changing the phase of the phase-change material, the reflectivity of the whole structure is modified, for example due to thickness changes in the layer of phase-change material that lead to destructive interference of different components of the reflected light or due to changes in surface roughness of the radiation reflective structure.

Abstract: A system to move a component in accordance with a setpoint profile including a plurality of target states of the component, each of the plurality of target states to be substantially attained at one of a corresponding sequence of target times, is presented. The system includes a displacement device to move the component according to the setpoint profile; a storage device containing a library of feedforward data; a signal generating part configured to identify a plurality of time segments of the setpoint profile that correspond to entries in the library of feedforward data, and access the entries in order to construct a feedforward signal; and a feedforward control system to control the operation of the displacement device by reference to the feedforward signal constructed by the signal generating part.

Abstract: An assembly is provided for blocking a beam of radiation. The assembly has a pipe arranged to transmit at least part of the beam of radiation. The pipe has an inner surface provided with an ablation material and encloses a volume. The assembly further has an ablation generation device. The ablation generation device is arranged to ablate at least a portion of the ablation material upon reception of a blocking signal. The assembly has a control unit, which is arranged to control the ablation generation device.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for determining vibration-related information by projecting an aerial image at an image position in a projection plane, mapping an intensity of the aerial image into an image map, the image map arranged for comprising values of coordinates of sampling locations and of the intensity sampled at each sampling location, and measuring intensity of the aerial image received through a slot pattern. The method further includes determining from the image map a detection position of a slope portion of the image map, at the detection position of the slope portion, measuring of a temporal intensity of the aerial image and measuring of relative positions of the slot pattern and the image position, the relative positions of the slot being measured as position-related data of the slot pattern and determining from the temporal intensity of the aerial image vibration-related information for said aerial image.

Abstract: An imprint lithography method is provided. The method includes undertaking first and second imprints, which comprises for each imprint: for an area of a substrate provided with a plurality of drops of imprintable medium in respectively first and second configurations, imprinting a pattern in the imprintable medium using a same imprint template, pockets being formed between the drops of the imprintable medium, the imprint template and the substrate during the imprinting of the pattern, wherein the first configuration of drops of imprintable medium is different from the second configuration of drops of imprintable medium, such that pockets formed during the second imprint are formed at different locations relative to the imprint template to pockets formed during the first imprint.

Abstract: A method of determining the location of a lithographic substrate relative to an imprint template is disclosed.

Abstract: A collector assembly with a radiation collector, a cover plate and a support member connecting the radiation collector to the cover plate are provided. The cover plate is designed to cover an opening in a collector chamber. The collector chamber opening may be large enough to pass the radiation collector and the support member. The removed radiation collector can be cleaned with different cleaning procedures, which may be performed in a cleaning device. Such cleaning device may for example consist of the following: a circumferential hull designed to provide an enclosure volume for circumferentially enclosing at least the radiation collector; an inlet configured to provide at least one of a cleaning gas and a cleaning liquid to the enclosure volume to clean at least said radiation collector; and an outlet configured to remove said at least one of said cleaning gas and said cleaning liquid from the enclosure volume.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus in which beams of radiation are projected onto an array of individually controllable elements, such that the beams interfere. Radiation that is further modulated by the array of individually controllable elements is projected onto a substrate.

Abstract: In immersion lithography, to avoid internal reflections in the final element of the projection system, immersion fluid and topcoat, the thicknesses, dl, dtc, and dr, and refractive indices, nl, ntc and nr, of the immersion fluid, topcoat and resist may meet the following criteria: nl?ntc?nr dl>˜5.? dtc?˜5.?.