Abstract: A method of manufacturing a reticle, the method including preparing a substrate, determining position data of a pattern to be formed on the substrate, and setting a primary exposure condition to form the pattern; performing a primary exposure simulation regarding the substrate based on the position data of the pattern and the primary exposure condition; calculating a primary deformation rate of the substrate, which is generated in the primary exposure simulation; correcting the position data of the pattern based on the primary deformation rate of the substrate to provide a corrected position data of the pattern; and exposing the substrate under the primary exposure condition based on the corrected position data of the pattern.

Abstract: This disclosure discloses an alignment device and a method of manufacturing an alignment film, and a display substrate. The alignment device comprises a first exposure chamber that contains a first light box and a light-shielding plate for blocking light emitted from the first light box from irradiating the alignment region of the alignment film. The light emitted from the first light box is used to irradiate a non-alignment region so as to eliminate the alignment film in the non-alignment region.

Abstract: An optical arrangement of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a mirror element having a mirror substrate, and a reflection region formed on a surface of the mirror substrate. The arrangement also includes at least one actuator configured to move the mirror element in at least one degree of freedom, and a mounting element, which acts on the mirror substrate. The mounting element alone holds the mirror element at least approximately in an equilibrium position, such that the at least one actuator is at least approximately free of forces in the equilibrium position.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method may include improving a development process of a photoresist. The method may include simulating a negative-tone development process of a photoresist. The method may include determining a reaction of a developer with a soluble photoresist surface. Determining the reaction of the developer may include applying a reaction rate constant at a power of a reaction order to a blocked polymer concentration to yield a resist dissolution rate of soluble resist comprising the dissolution-limited regime of development. The method may include determining a flux of the developer into exposed and partially soluble resist. Determining the flux of the developer may include applying a vector valued diffusion coefficient of the developer dependent upon the blocked polymer concentration to a gradient of developer concentration to an expansion rate of insoluble resist comprising the expansion-controlled regime of development.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of monitoring a lithographic process parameter, such as focus and/or dose, of a lithographic process. The method comprises acquiring a first and a second target measurement using respectively a first measurement configuration and a second measurement configuration, and determining the lithographic process parameter from a first metric derived from said first target measurement and said second target measurement. The first metric may be difference. Also disclosed are corresponding measurement and lithographic apparatuses, a computer program and a method of manufacturing devices.

Abstract: An illumination optical assembly for projection lithography serves for illuminating an object field, in which an object to be imaged is arrangeable. The object field has a scan length along an object displacement direction. The illumination optical assembly has two facet mirrors for the reflective guidance of illumination light towards the object field. Second facets of the second facet mirror serve for guiding a respective illumination light partial beam into the object field. The second facet mirror is a pupil distance from a pupil plane of the illumination optical assembly that is closest adjacent to the second facet mirror. The second facets are arranged in a grid, wherein at least one grid constant of the grid is predefined by the pupil distance and by the scan length. This results in an illumination optical assembly which achieves an illumination of predefined pupil sections that is relatively homogeneous.

Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure system capable of improving the yield of an EUV exposure process by improving EUV exposure performance, and furthermore, capable of increasing throughput or productivity of the EUV exposure process, the EUV exposure system including an EUV exposure apparatus configured to perform EUV exposure on a wafer disposed on a chuck table, a load-lock chamber combined with the EUV exposure apparatus and configured to supply and discharge the wafer to/from the EUV exposure apparatus, and an ultraviolet (UV) exposure apparatus configured to perform UV exposure by irradiating an entire upper surface of the wafer with a UV light without using a mask.

Abstract: The present invention provides an evaluation method of evaluating optical characteristics of a projection optical system by obtaining, by a prediction formula, a predicted value for a fluctuation amount of the optical characteristics relative to an exposure period of a substrate via the projection optical system, the method comprising determining the prediction formula by using a dedicated pattern in which a plurality of marks are arranged in a matrix on an object plane of the projection optical system, wherein the determining includes selecting, from the plurality of marks, at least two marks located in an illuminated region to be formed on the object plane when exposing the substrate, and obtaining the prediction formula based on positions of images of the at least two marks formed on an image plane of the projection optical system.

Abstract: There is provided an encoder device to measure a relative moving amount between a first and second members. The encoder device includes: a reflective-type diffraction grating on the first member; a light source unit to radiate a measuring light; a first optical member on the second member; a first and second reflecting units on the second member that cause first and third diffracted lights generated via diffraction of the measuring light and having orders different from each other to come into the diffraction grating respectively, and cause second and fourth diffracted lights generated via diffraction of the first and third diffracted lights respectively to come into the first optical member; photo-detectors configured to detect interference lights between two diffracted lights and other light beam respectively; and a measuring unit to obtain the relative moving amount by using detection signals from the photo-detectors.

Abstract: A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus contains a plurality of optical elements arranged in N>?2 successive sections A1 to AN of the projection objective which are separated from one another by pupil planes or intermediate image planes. According to the invention, in order to correct a wavefront deformation, at least two optical elements each have an optically active surface locally reprocessed aspherically. A first optical element is in this case arranged in one section Aj, j=1 . . . N and a second optical element is arranged in another section Ak, k=1 . . . N, the magnitude difference |k?j| being an odd number.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier block, an end block for returning a substrate picked up from the carrier block to the carrier block, and a middle block. The middle block includes a plurality of first processing modules stacked one above another, each being configured to process the picked-up substrate and directed to the end block or the substrate returning from the end block to the carrier block; a first transfer mechanism for vertically moving to transfer the substrate that is transferred from one of the carrier and end blocks to the middle block, to a respective one of the first processing modules, and delivering the substrate to the other of the carrier and end blocks; and a second transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate from the other of the carrier and end blocks to the one thereof, without passing through the plurality of first processing modules.

Abstract: A support table for a lithographic apparatus, the support table having a support section and a conditioning system, wherein the support section, the conditioning system, or both, is configured such that heat transfer to or from a substrate supported on the support table, resulting from the operation of the conditioning system, is greater in a region of the substrate adjacent an edge of the substrate than it is in a region of the substrate that is at the center of the substrate.

Abstract: A sensor for use in lithographic apparatus of an immersion type and which, in use, comes into contact with the immersion liquid is arranged so that the thermal resistance of a first heat path from a transducer of the sensor to a temperature conditioning device is less than the thermal resistance of a second heat flow path from the transducer to the immersion liquid. Thus, heat flow is preferentially towards the temperature conditioning device and not the immersion liquid so that temperature-induced disturbance in the immersion liquid is reduced or minimized.

Abstract: A first stage system having a first stage and a first drive system that moves the first stage is configured to hold a mask illuminated with illumination light. A second stage system having a second stage and a second drive system that moves the second stage is configured to hold a substrate. A measurement system having a first encoder system and a second encoder system measures positional information of the first and second stages, respectively. The second encoder system measures the positional information of the second stage with a plurality of heads that face a grating section. The first and second drive systems are controlled based on correction information for compensating for a measurement error of the second encoder system that occurs due to the heads and measurement information of the first and the second encoder systems.

Abstract: Provided is an illumination optical system that illuminates a target illumination region by using light emitted from a discharge lamp. The system includes a condensing mirror that condenses the light from the discharge lamp, an optical integrator which has a polygonal cross-sectional shape and is arranged on an optical path from the condensing mirror to the target illumination region, an imaging optical system that forms an image on the target illumination region with respect to an exit end face of the optical integrator as an object plane, and a power supply cable connecting to an electrode of the discharge lamp across the optical path directed from the condensing mirror to the optical integrator. The cable is arranged so that a shadow of the cable is neither parallel nor perpendicular to each side of the polygon of an entrance surface of the optical integrator.

Abstract: There is provided a reflective imaging optical system forming an image of a first plane onto a second plane, wherein the numerical aperture with respect to a first direction on the second plane is greater than 1.1 times a numerical aperture with respect to a second direction crossing the first direction on the second plane. The reflecting imaging optical system has an aperture stop defining the numerical aperture on the side of the second plane, and the aperture stop has an elliptic-shaped opening of which size in a major axis direction is greater than 1.1 times that in a minor axis direction. The reflective image-forming optical system is applicable to an exposure apparatus using, for example, EUV light and capable of increasing numerical aperture while enabling optical path separation of light fluxes.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus including a barrier system and a device manufacturing method using such a lithographic apparatus. The barrier system is used to maintain a protected volume of gas within a barrier. The protected volume may be maintained when different components of the lithographic apparatus move relative to each other. The barrier system may be used in different locations within the lithographic apparatus. The geometry of the barrier affects how efficiently the protected volume is maintained, especially at high speeds. The geometry reduces the amount of ambient gas entering the protected volume from outside the barrier.

Abstract: A projection exposure method for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask in a projection exposure apparatus includes using an anamorphic projection lens

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning a contaminated surface of a lithographic apparatus are provided. A liquid confinement structure comprises at least two openings used to supply and extract liquid to a gap below the structure. The direction of flow between the openings can be switched. Liquid may be supplied to the gap radially outward of an opening adapted for dual flow. Supply and extraction lines to respectively supply liquid to and extract liquid from the liquid confinement structure have an inner surface that is resistant to corrosion by an organic liquid. A corrosive cleaning fluid can be used to clean photo resist contamination.

Abstract: A substrate holding device is equipped with a substrate holder that adsorbs and holds a substrate, and a plurality of vertical movement pin units that each have, at one end, an adsorption section to adsorb a rear surface of the substrate, and are movable relative to the substrate holder in a state of adsorbing the rear surface of the substrate with the adsorption section. The plurality of vertical movement pin units each have at least part including the adsorption section that is displaced in at least one direction, by an action of a force received from the adsorbed substrate.