Abstract: A multilayer mirror aims to reduce incidence angle dependence of reflectivity. A substrate is made of low thermal polished expansion glass with 0.2 nm RMS or less roughness of the surface. On the surface thereof formed is a Ru/Si multilayer having a wide full-width half maximum of peak reflectivity, and on the Ru/Si multilayer formed is a Mo/Si multilayer having a high peak reflectivity value. This enables higher reflectivity than when Ru/Si alone provided and a reflectivity peak having a wider full-width half maximum than when the Mo/Si multilayer alone provided. Since Ru absorbs EUV ray more than Mo does, higher reflectivity is obtainable than that of a structure having the Ru/Si multilayer formed on the Mo/Si multilayer. The multilayer with a wide full-width half maximum has small incidence angle dependence of reflectivity in spectral reflectivity, thereby achieving high imaging performance in projection optical system.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a pattern of a mask is transferred onto a substrate via a projection optical system using an energy beam by placing a substrate on side of an energy beam emitting end portion of projection optical system, when the substrate is exposed, and placing an object on the side of the energy beam emitting end portion of the projection optical system in place of the substrate when the substrate is exchanged. This can adequately remove a light absorptive substance from the region near an output end of the projection optical system and can maintain the gas state even at a time of moving or replacing the substrate.

Abstract: The light source unit includes a single wavelength oscillation light source, a light generating portion which has an optical modulator converting and emitting light from the light source into a pulse light, a light amplifying portion made up of an optical fiber group in which each fiber has a fiber amplifier to amplify the pulse light from the optical modulator, and a light amount controller. The light amount controller performs a step-by-step light amount control by individually turning on/off the light output of each fiber making up the optical fiber group, and a light amount control of controlling at least either of the frequency or the peak power of the emitted pulse light of the optical modulator.

Abstract: A digital camera includes: an image sensor that captures an image of a subject and outputs an image signal; and a control device that engages the image sensor to capture an image at an exposure value having been set, makes a decision as to whether or not an overflow or an underflow deviating from a dynamic range of the image sensor manifests, calculates an exposure correction quantity with which the exposure value having been set is to be corrected in order to reduce the overflow or the underflow based upon results of the decision and engages the image sensor to capture a new image at an exposure value having been corrected in correspondence to the exposure correction quantity.

Abstract: By an exposure method including a process where in parallel with an exposure operation performed on a wafer on one of the wafer stages, the other wafer stage is temporarily positioned under the one wafer stage in order to interchange both wafer stages, a part of the interchange operation (exchange operation) of both stages according to a procedure of temporarily positioning the other wafer stage under the one wafer stage can be performed in parallel with the exposure operation of the wafer on the one wafer stage. Accordingly, the interchange can be performed in a shorter period of time than when the interchange operation begins from the point where the exposure operation of the wafer on the one wafer stage has been completed.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage movable while holding a substrate, a substrate alignment system which detects an alignment mark (1) on the substrate held by the substrate stage and detects a reference mark (PFM) provided on the substrate stage, and a mask alignment system which detects, via a projection optical system, a reference mark (MFM) provided on the substrate stage. The reference mark (PFM) on the substrate stage is detected without a liquid by using the substrate alignment system, and the reference mark (MFM) on the substrate stage is detected using the mask alignment system via the projection optical system and the liquid. Then, a positional relationship between a detection reference position of the substrate alignment system and a projection position of an image of a pattern is obtained, thereby accurately performing alignment processing in the liquid immersion exposure.

Abstract: Improved autofocusing (“AF”) methods and devices for lithography are provided. Some embodiments of the invention provide an AF system that includes one or more interferometers for measuring a distance to a wafer surface or a reticle surface. The invention includes methods and devices for calibrating the interferometer(s) according to known distances to a target. According to some embodiments of the invention, a spatial filter reduces the amount of undesired signal coming from the wafer or reticle surface. In some such embodiments, higher orders of diffracted light from the wafer or reticle multilayer surfaces are eliminated with a pinhole filter oriented to reject light that is not vertically directed. Other embodiments include a spatial filtering system that passes a selected diffraction order, e.g., the first order of diffracted light, from the target. These spatial filters reduce variations in the signal and make further signal processing easier.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus that: projects pattern images onto a substrate via liquid and a projection optical system, the liquid forming a liquid immersion region between the projection optical system and the substrate; and exposes the substrate. The apparatus has: a liquid-supplying-section that supplies the liquid onto the substrate; a first pipe section that introduces the liquid to the liquid-supplying-section; and a second pipe section, connected to the first pipe section, that collects the liquid not being supplied to the liquid-supplying-section from the first pipe section. By doing this, it is possible to provide a liquid-immersion exposure apparatus having a liquid-supplying-mechanism, exposure method, and a method for manufacturing devices so as to: restrict the temperature of the liquid, supplied between the projection optical system and the substrate, from varying; and prevent contaminants from invading into the liquid.

Abstract: An illumination optical system having a more simplified structure forms various quadrupole-shaped secondary light sources with two-time rotational symmetry with respect to an optical axis. The apparatus can provide illumination conditions that differ in two perpendicular directions on a radiation-receiving plane. In order to form a secondary light source with a quadrupole-shaped light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil plane, a diffractive optical device is provided in which an entrance light beam is converted into four light beams, and a light beam having a shape of four points centered about the optical axis is formed in a far field. The diffractive optical device is provided with a first diffractive optical member that is rotatable about a first axis parallel to the optical axis, and a second diffractive optical member that is rotatable about a second axis parallel to the optical axis, and that is arranged adjacent to the first diffractive optical member.

Abstract: A vibration isolator (200) for isolating a first assembly (206) from vibration from a second assembly (208) includes a first system (202) and a second system (204) coupled to the first system (202). In one embodiment, the first system (202) supports the majority of the first assembly (206) relative to the second assembly (208) and the second system (204) adjusts for a change in the location of the center of gravity of the first assembly (206). Further, the second system (204) can be used to compensate for fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure near the vibration isolator (200).

Abstract: The present invention provides an electron beam apparatus for irradiating a sample with primary electron beams to detect secondary electron beams generated from a surface of the sample by the irradiation for evaluating the sample surface. In the electron beam apparatus, an electron gun has a cathode for emitting primary electron beams. The cathode includes a plurality of emitters for emitting primary electron beams, arranged apart from one another on a circle centered at an optical axis of a primary electro-optical system. The plurality of emitters are arranged such that when the plurality of emitters are projected onto a straight line parallel with a direction in which the primary electron beams are scanned, resulting points on the straight line are spaced at equal intervals.

Abstract: A part of exposure beam through a liquid via a projection optical system enters a light-transmitting section, enters an optical member without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.

Abstract: An electronic camera includes a face detecting section, a setting section, and a controlling section. The face detecting section detects a face of a subject. The setting section sets a scene shooting mode to adjust a shooting condition to an optimum shooting condition in accordance with each pre-assumed shooting scene. The controlling section controls the face detection of the face detecting section only when the setting section has set a scene shooting mode for shooting a scene including a person.

Abstract: The complete vertical inversion of a combination of the resin layer 2 and resin layer 3 in (a) is (b). Accordingly, (a) and (b) have the same optical characteristics. Between the resin layer 2 and resin layer 3, the resin layer that is sandwiched between the substrate 1 and the uppermost resin layer (i.e., the resin layer 2 in (a) and the resin layer 3 in (b)) does not have its surface directly contacting the outside air, but the uppermost resin layer (i.e., the resin layer 3 in (a) and the resin layer 2 in (b)) has its surface contacting the outside air.

Abstract: An electronic camera of the present invention includes an imaging element that forms an image of an object, a display device that displays the formed image; a memory that stores the image formed by the imaging element; and a designating device that designates arbitrary positions on a display screen of the display device.

Abstract: A movable plate is fastened to a substrate via flexure parts and can move upward and downward with respect to the substrate. The substrate serves as a fixed electrode. The movable plate has second electrode parts which generate an electrostatic force between these electrode parts and the substrate by virtue of a voltage that is applied across these electrode parts and the substrate and a current path which is disposed in a magnetic field, and which generates a Lorentz force when powered. A mirror advances into and withdraws from the optical path. When the movable plate moves from the lower position in which the electrostatic force is increased to the upper position, the control part controls the current so that the Lorentz force is generated in a downward orientation and gradually decreases while the movable plate moves from an intermediate position to the upper position.

Abstract: A well plate holding a specimen to be observed is placed on a fixed stage, and the specimen is observed through an objective lens disposed below the well plate. A well set on the optical axis is illuminated through transmitted illumination provided by a transmitted illumination device. The transmitted illumination device includes a plurality of LEDs disposed to form a ring shape, and a through hole is formed further inward relative to the LEDs. When injecting a reagent into the well being observed, the reagent is drawn by using a head at a pipette device, and then the head is moved to a point above the well being observed through the hole formed at the transmitted illumination device.

Abstract: An image compression device includes a transformation part for subjecting image data to frequency decomposition and for determining transformation coefficients, a coefficient adjustment part for altering the transformation coefficients according to imaging conditions for obtaining the image data, and an encoding part for encoding the altered transformation coefficients.

Abstract: In the inspection apparatus of this projection optical system, a folding glass member, comprising a flat surface part and a reflecting spherical surface part opposing to the flat surface part, is disposed on the image plane side of the projection optical system so that the flat surface part opposes to the projection optical system. Further, in a state wherein a liquid is supplied between the projection optical system and the folding glass member, a measuring beam emitted from an interferometer unit enters the projection optical system; the measuring beam that transmitted through the projection optical system and the liquid, and entered the folding glass member is reflected by the reflecting spherical surface part, and once again passes through the liquid and the projection optical system; and the interference fringes obtained from the measuring beam and the reference beam generated within the interferometer unit are detected.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region on the substrate, and projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that forms the liquid immersion region. The exposure apparatus includes: a liquid supply mechanism that has a supply port arranged to oppose a surface of the substrate; and a buffer space formed in a channel of the liquid supply mechanism; wherein the liquid is supplied to the supply port after reserving a prescribed amount or more of liquid in the buffer space.