Abstract: An illumination system for illuminating a mask in a scanning microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has an objective with an object plane, at least one pupil surface and an image plane in which a mask can be arranged. A beam deflection array of reflective or transparent beam deflection elements is provided, where each beam deflection element is adapted to deflect an impinging light ray by a deflection angle that is variable in response to a control signal. The beam deflection elements are arranged in or in close proximity to the object plane of the objective.

Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed where at least part of a space between a projection system of the apparatus and a substrate is filled with a liquid by a liquid supply system. The projection system is separated into two separate physical parts. With substantially no direct connection between the two parts of the projection system, vibrations induced in a first of the two parts by coupling of forces through the liquid filling the space when the substrate moves relative to the liquid supply system affects substantially only the first part of the projection system and not the other second part.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a liquid supply system configured to supply an immersion liquid between a downstream optical element of a projection system of the lithographic apparatus and the substrate, and a control system which is arranged to drive the substrate table so as to perform an acceleration profile to accelerate the substrate table from a first velocity in a first direction to a second velocity in a second direction. The acceleration profile is asymmetric in time and is dimensioned so that when the substrate table is accelerated according to the acceleration profile, a force to break a meniscus of the immersion liquid remains lower than a force to maintain the meniscus of the immersion liquid.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus that forms a pattern by exposing a substrate is equipped with a first platform tower, a second platform tower installed at a predetermined distance, and an exposure main section arranged within the space between both platform towers that includes a plurality of high rigidity sections each including a high rigidity component. Accordingly, it becomes possible to use a module (a high rigidity section) of the preceding generation even when the generation changes.

Abstract: A method produces at least one monitor wafer for a lithographic apparatus. The monitor wafer is for use in combination with a scanning control module to periodically retrieve measurements defining a baseline from the monitor wafer, thereby determining parameter drift from the baseline. In doing this, allowance and/or correction can be to be made for the drift. The baseline is determined by initially exposing the monitor wafer(s) using the lithographic apparatus to perform multiple exposure passes on each of the monitor wafer(s). An associated lithographic apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A drive unit drives a wafer stage in a Y-axis direction based on a measurement value of an encoder that measures position information of the wafer stage in the Y-axis direction and based on information on the flatness of a scale that is measured by the encoder. In this case, the drive unit can drive the wafer stage in a predetermined direction based on a measurement value after correction in which a measurement error caused by the flatness of the scale included in the measurement value of the encoder is corrected based on the information on the flatness of the scale. Accordingly, the wafer stage can be driven with high accuracy in a predetermined direction using the encoder, without being affected by the unevenness of the scale.

Abstract: System and methods estimate model parameters of a lithographic apparatus and control lithographic processing by a lithographic apparatus. An exposure is performed using a lithographic apparatus across a wafer. A set of predetermined wafer measurement locations is obtained. Discrete orthonormal polynomials are generated using the predetermined substrate measurement locations. The overlay errors arising from the exposure are measured at the predetermined locations to obtain overlay measurements. The estimated model parameters of the lithographic apparatus are calculated from the overlay measurements by using the discrete orthogonal polynomials as a basis function to model the overlay across the wafer. Finally, the estimated model parameters are used to control the lithographic apparatus in order to provide corrected overlay across the wafer.

Abstract: An immersion type lithographic apparatus includes at least one immersion space and an immersion system configured to at least partially fill the immersion space with a liquid. The apparatus is configured to rinse at least part of the immersion space with a rinsing liquid before the apparatus is used to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate.

Abstract: An exposure method includes mounting an object on a movable body that is movable in at least a first and a second directions that are orthogonal within a predetermined plane. The method further includes controlling a position of the movable body, based on measurement information of an encoder system which includes a grating section and a head unit, and based on correction information. The correction information compensates a measurement error of the encoder system that occurs due to the grating section and a displacement of the movable body in a different direction that is different from the first and the second directions.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus can include the following devices: a patterning system, a projection system, and a radiation beam inspection device. The patterning system can be configured to provide a patterned radiation beam. The projection system can be configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate. Further, the radiation beam inspection device can be configured to inspect at least a part of the patterned radiation beam. In a substrate exposure position, the projection system is configured to expose a pattern of radiation on the substrate using the patterned radiation beam and the radiation beam device is configured to move the reflecting device away from a light path of the patterned radiation beam. In a radiation beam inspection position, the radiation beam inspection device is configured to move the reflecting device into the light path of the patterned radiation beam.

Abstract: An interferometric lithography system produces a pattern having a sharp field edge and minimal optical path length difference. Light passes through a beamsplitter into an input prism. The two beams produced by the beamsplitter are reflected off respective surfaces of the input prism toward a substrate prism. The substrate prism is symmetric to the input prism such that the incidence angle at an image plane is approximately equal to the beamsplitter diffraction angle. Alternatively, light passes through a beamsplitter into a prism. The two beams produced by the beamsplitter are reflected off respective surfaces of the prism toward an output surface of the prism, such that the incidence angle at the output surface is approximately equal to the beamsplitter diffraction angle. A plurality of these interferometers can be stacked, each being optimized for a given pitch, such that the stack provides a variable pitch interferometry system.

Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus can suppress the occurrence of residual liquid. An exposure apparatus comprises: a first stage that holds the substrate and is movable; a second stage that is movable independently of the first stage; and a liquid immersion mechanism that forms a liquid immersion region of a liquid on an upper surface of at least one stage of the first stage and the second stage; wherein, a recovery port that is capable of recovering the liquid is provided to the upper surface of the second stage.

Abstract: A method for exposing a substrate includes arranging, in a direction, pattern areas to projection systems respectively arranged at an interval and each having a magnifying magnification, the pattern areas having area widths each smaller than the interval and greater than a width obtained by dividing an exposure width of the projection system by the magnifying magnification; and successively transferring onto the substrate an image, projected by an associated projection system, of a first pattern provided in a first partial pattern area in each pattern area and an image, projected by the associated projection system, of a second pattern provided in a second partial pattern area in each pattern area and having at least a partial area different from the first partial pattern area in the direction in each pattern area. The occurrence of any stitch error is suppressed and the transfer accuracy is improved.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a device includes providing a substrate, the substrate including a plurality of exposure fields, each exposure field including one or more target portions and at least one mark structure, the mark structure being arranged as positional mark for the exposure field; scanning and measuring the mark of each exposure field to obtain alignment information for the respective exposure field; determining an absolute position of each exposure field from the alignment information for the respective exposure field; determining a relative position of each exposure field with respect to at least one other exposure field by use of additional information on the relative parameters of the exposure field and the at least one other exposure field relative to each other; and combining the absolute positions and the determined relative positions into improved absolute positions for each of the plurality of exposure fields.

Abstract: A computer-implemented calculation method of calculating a transmission cross coefficient in an apparatus which projects an image of an object onto an image plane via a projection optical system includes: a division step of dividing an effective light source formed on a pupil plane of the projection optical system into a plurality of point sources, a defining step of defining a matrix by arranging each of the plurality of pupil functions generated in the generation step in each row or each column of the matrix, and a calculation step of calculating the transmission cross coefficient based on the matrix defined in the defining step.

Abstract: During an alignment calibration process in a lithographic apparatus using a sensor to detect a property of a projected image at substrate level, a diffuser is inserted into the illumination beam to increase the range of angles of radiation incident on the substrate. Thereby it can be ensured that sufficient radiation enters the sensor even when there is a mismatch between the illumination mode used and the acceptance NA of the sensor.

Abstract: In a projection exposure method for the exposure of a radiation-sensitive substrate arranged in the region of an image surface of a projection objective with at least one image of a pattern of a mask arranged in the region of an object surface of the projection objective, laser radiation having a spectral intensity distribution I(?) dependent on the angular frequency ? is used. The laser radiation is characterized by an aberration parameter ? in accordance with: ? := ? I ? ( ? ) ? ? 2 ? ? ? ? I ? ( ? ) ? ? ? and a coherence time ? in accordance with: ? = ? I ? ( ? ) 2 ? ? ? [ ? I ? ( ? ) ? ? ? ] 2 The laser radiation is introduced into an illumination system for generating an illumination radiation directed onto the mask, and the pattern is imaged onto the substrate with the aid of a projection objective. The spectral intensity distribution is set so that ??2?0.3.

Abstract: An immersion exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with a light beam. The apparatus includes an optical member through which the light beam is irradiated onto the substrate, a substrate table which holds the substrate and is movable relative to the optical member, and a pad member which is movable relative to the substrate table. The substrate table and the pad member are moved together during a transition from a first state to a second state, the first state being a state in which an immersion liquid is maintained in a space between the optical member and the substrate table, the second state being a state in which the immersion liquid is maintained in a space between the optical member and the pad member. The optical member is kept in contact with the immersion liquid during the transition.

Abstract: An apparatus and method maintain immersion fluid in the gap adjacent to the projection lens during the exchange of a work piece in a lithography machine. The apparatus and method include an optical assembly that projects an image onto a work piece and a stage assembly including a work piece table that supports the work piece adjacent to the optical assembly. An environmental system is provided to supply and remove an immersion fluid from the gap between the optical assembly and the work piece on the stage assembly. After exposure of the work piece is complete, an exchange system removes the work piece and replaces it with a second work piece. An immersion fluid containment system maintains the immersion liquid in the gap during removal of the first work piece and replacement with the second work piece.

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.