Abstract: Provided herein are a method and apparatus for the formation of conductive films on a substrate using precise sintering of a conductive film and thermal management of the substrate during sintering. In particular, a method may include depositing a conductive metal-based ink on a translucent or transparent substrate, positioning a mask between the deposited conductive metal-based ink and a light source, exposing the mask and the underlying deposited conductive metal-based ink to the light source, sintering the conductive metal-based ink exposed to the light source, and cleaning the non-sintered conductive metal-based ink from the translucent or transparent substrate. The mask may be configured to shield at least a portion of the conductive metal-based ink from the light source. The portion of the conductive metal-based ink shielded from the light source may remain non-sintered in response to the sintering of the conductive metal-based ink exposed to the light source.

Abstract: A substrate holder for use in a lithographic apparatus. The substrate holder comprises a main body, a plurality of burls and a heater and/or a temperature sensor. The main body has a surface. The plurality of burls project from the surface and have end surfaces to support a substrate. The heater and/or temperature sensor is provided on the main body surface. The substrate holder is configured such that when a substrate is supported on the end surfaces, a thermal conductance between the heater and/or temperature sensor and the substrate is greater than a thermal conductance between the heater and/or temperature sensor and the main body surface.

Abstract: A multi facet mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a plurality of mirror facet units. Each unit includes a mirror member with a body, a reflective coating provided at one end of the body and an actuating surface provided at an opposite end. The unit further includes a rest member on which the actuating surface rests while the mirror member is not moving, and an actuator that tilts the mirror member about a tilting axis. The actuator has a contact surface and a lifting member which moves the actuating surface along a lifting direction. In a first operating state of the lifting member the actuating surface rests on the rest member and in a second operating state on the contact surface. A displacement member displaces the contact surface along a lateral direction only while the lifting member is in the second operating state.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method of determining one or more focus values for a lithographic scanner. An optical signal including at least a first variable and a second variable is detected by an optical analysis system from at least one test sample for a plurality of programmed focus error values. A first variable value showing sensitivity to focus is selected based upon a corresponding responsiveness of the second variable to change of focus and/or a corresponding linearity of raw focus with respect to the programmed focus error. At least one focus value for the lithographic scanner is determined based upon at least one determined raw focus value corresponding to the selected first variable value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a detection apparatus which detects an object to be detected, the apparatus including an illumination system configured to illuminate the object with light containing a first wavelength range and a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range, a detector configured to detect light from the object illuminated by the illumination system, and an optical member configured to set a transmittance for light in the first wavelength range and a transmittance for light in the second wavelength range to be different from each other, thereby reducing a difference between an intensity value of the light which has the first wavelength range and is detected by the detector and an intensity value of the light which has the second wavelength range and is detected by the detector.

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 imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors. These image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. In the imaging optical system, the ratio of a maximum angle of incidence of imaging light) on reflection surfaces of the mirrors and an image-side numerical aperture of the imaging optical system is less than 33.8°. This can result in an imaging optical system which offers good conditions for a reflective coating of the mirror, with which a low reflection loss can be achieved for imaging light when passing through the imaging optical system, in particular even at wavelengths in the EUV range of less than 10 nm.

Abstract: A stage apparatus has a base; a movable portion including a stage movable relative to the base; a flexible utility line for supplying utility to the movable portion; and a cover for covering the utility line, the cover including: a housing member provided to one of the base and the movable portion, in which an opening is formed; and a sealing member provided to the other of the base and the movable portion, which is arranged opposite to a side, in which the opening is formed, of the housing member with a gap therebetween, and has a side for sealing the opening.

Abstract: An alignment measurement system measures an alignment target on an object. A measurement illuminates the target and is reflected. The reflected measurement beam is split and its parts are differently polarized. A detector receives the reflected measurement beam. A processing unit determines alignment on the basis of the measurement beam received by the detector. An alternative arrangement utilizes an optical dispersive fiber to guide a multi-wavelength measurement beam reflected from the object to a detector.

Abstract: A system detects targets located within patterns. It operates in the pupil plane by filtering the received signal from the surrounding pattern. A method includes illuminating a target and a surrounding pattern with radiation, detecting the radiation reflected by the target and the surrounding pattern and forming a first set of data based on the detected radiation, removing portions of the first set of data which correspond to the target to form reduced data, interpolating the remaining portions of the reduced data over the removed portions to form product data, and subtracting the product data from the first set of data to form target data.

Abstract: An illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a light source which is configured to produce projection light (PL), a pupil plane and a diffractive optical element that is arranged between the light source and the pupil plane such that an irradiance distribution of projection light (PL) in the pupil plane depends on the position of a field that is illuminated by the projection light (PL) on the diffractive optical element. The illumination system further comprises an optical imaging system that is arranged between the light source and the diffractive optical element. The optical imaging system ensures that changes of the direction and divergence of the projection light (PL) emitted by the light source have no substantial effect on the position and size of the field which is illuminated on the diffractive optical element by the projection light (PL).

Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern of a mask to a substrate, including a measurement unit configured to measure, at a first measurement point and a second measurement point, a height of a measurement target portion in a shot region of the substrate held by a stage, and a control unit configured to move the stage in a direction of height of the substrate based on a correction result of correcting, by a set correction value, a measured height of the measurement target portion at the first measurement point in a acceleration period of the stage, and when a measured height of the measurement target portion at the second measurement point in the constant speed period of the stage deviates from an allowable range, obtain a new correction value instead of the set correction value.

Abstract: A shape defect in a transfer pattern formed over the major surface of a substrate is prevented by using an immersion exposure method. When exposure light is radiated onto a resist, immersion water is held in a first immersion area between each of the lower surfaces of an optical element of a projection optical system and a nozzle portion, and a resist; and when a focus, optical system alignment, or the like, is regulated, the immersion water is held in a second immersion area between each of the lower surfaces of the optical element of the projection optical system and the nozzle portion, and the upper surface of a measurement stage. A transverse spread of the immersion water held in the first immersion area is made smaller than that of the immersion water held in the second immersion area.

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: A fluid handling structure for a lithographic apparatus is disclosed, the fluid handling structure successively has, at a boundary from a space configured to contain immersion fluid to a region external to the fluid handling structure: an elongate opening or a plurality of openings arranged in a first line that, in use, are directed towards a substrate and/or a substrate table configured to support the substrate; a gas knife device having an elongate aperture in a second line; and an elongate opening or a plurality of openings adjacent the gas knife device.

Abstract: A method for measuring distortion of a projection objective, which includes: obtaining a plurality of first positional deviations between two groups of patterns formed respectively after two exposures performed in a same exposure field during a stepping and exposing process of the reticle stage (S21); obtaining a plurality of second positional deviations between two groups of patterns formed respectively after another two exposures performed in a same exposure field during a stepping and exposing process of the workpiece stage (S22); subtracting motional errors of the reticle stage and/or workpiece stage from each of the plurality of first and second positional deviations to obtain corresponding first and second corrected deviations (S43, S44); calculating differences each between a pair of corrected deviations (S45); and calculating the distortion of the projection objective by a fitting process (S46).

Abstract: A fluid handling structure for a lithographic apparatus, the fluid handling structure having, at a boundary from a space configured to contain immersion fluid to a region external to the fluid handling structure: a meniscus pinning feature to resist passage of immersion fluid in a radially outward direction from the space; and a plurality of gas supply openings in a linear array at least partly surrounding and radially outward of the one or more meniscus pinning features, wherein the plurality of gas supply openings in a linear array are of a similar or the same size.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus measures a property of a substrate including a periodic structure. An illumination system provides a beam of radiation with an illumination profile including a plurality of illuminated portions. A radiation projector projects the beam of radiation onto the substrate. A detector detects radiation scattered from the periodic structure and separately detects first order diffracted radiation and at least one higher order of diffracted radiation of each of the illuminated portions. A processor determines the property of the substrate from the detected radiation. The plurality of illuminated portions are arranged such that first order diffracted radiation arising from one or more of the illuminated portions are not overlapped by zeroth order or first order diffracted radiation arising from any other of the illuminated portions.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming fine patterns by employing polarization interference in a laser scanning method comprises a laser generator; a calcite wave plate configured to refract at least one of the S wave and the P wave, polarized by the polarization plate, an analyzer configured to make coincident with each other the polarization directions of the S wave and the P wave having the paths spaced apart from each other by the calcite wave plate; an exposure lens; an exposure head; an X stage; and a rotation stage configured to move the substrate mounting unit around a Z axis which is a vertical axis.

Abstract: A stage apparatus includes a stage, an interferometric measurement device which is arranged to be able to measure a position of a surface of a mirror arranged on a side surface of the stage, and a driving unit configured to position the stage based on a measurement result of the interferometric measurement device. The interferometric measurement device includes: a varying unit configured to periodically vary an incident position where measurement light is incident on the mirror; and a detecting unit configured to detect rotation of the mirror based on a variation amount of the measurement result of the interferometric measurement device, which is generated upon a periodic variation of the incident position.