Abstract: An optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a multi facet mirror having a support plate and a plurality of mirror facets. Each mirror facet includes a mirror substrate and a reflective coating applied thereon, and is attached to the support plate. Actuators are provided that induce a deformation of the support plate. The deformation changes the orientation and/or position, but not the shape, of at least two mirror facets. In this way aberrations can be corrected.

Abstract: A substrate table of an immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed which comprises a barrier configured to collect liquid. The barrier surrounds the substrate and is spaced apart from the substrate. In this way any liquid which is spilt from the liquid supply system can be collected to reduce the risk of contamination of delicate components of the lithographic projection apparatus.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a radiation source configured to produce extreme ultraviolet radiation, the radiation source including a chamber in which a plasma is generated; a collector mirror configured to reflect radiation emitted by the plasma; and a debris mitigation system including a gas supply system configured to supply a first gas flow toward the plasma, the first gas flow being selected to thermalize debris generated by the plasma, and a plurality of gas manifolds arranged at a location proximate the collector mirror, the gas manifolds configured to supply a second gas flow in the chamber, the second gas flow being directed toward the plasma to prevent thermalized debris from depositing on the collector mirror.

Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a vacuum chamber. A stage mounts a semiconductor substrate thereon within the vacuum chamber. An electrostatic chuck fixes the semiconductor substrate onto the stage. A sensor detects a height of a surface of the semiconductor substrate fixed onto the stage by the electrostatic chuck. A processor determines whether the surface of the semiconductor substrate is distorted based on the height of the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The processor calculates correction values for a pattern transferred onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate by exposure based on the height of the surface of the semiconductor substrate when the surface of the semiconductor substrate is distorted. An exposure part exposes the surface of the semiconductor substrate to light using the correction values.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns an arrangement for mirror temperature measurement and/or thermal actuation of a mirror in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The mirror has an optical effective surface and at least one access passage extending from a surface of the mirror, that does not correspond to the optical effective surface, in the direction of the effective surface. The arrangement is designed for mirror temperature measurement and/or thermal actuation of the mirror via electromagnetic radiation which is propagated along the access passage. The electromagnetic radiation is reflected a plurality of times within the access passage.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, apparatuses, and lithographic systems for calibrating an inspection apparatus. Radiation is projected onto a pattern in a target position of a substrate. By making a plurality of measurements of the pattern and comparing the measured first or higher diffraction orders of radiation reflected from the pattern of different measurements, a residual error indicative of the error in a scatterometer may be calculated. This error is an error in measurements of substrate parameters caused by irregularities of the scatterometer. The residual error may manifest itself as an asymmetry in the diffraction spectra.

Abstract: A developing apparatus comprises: a photodetection unit, which emits detecting light toward the development area of the substrate to be developed within a scheduled time after the substrate to be developed is immersed into the developer solution; and a processing unit electrically coupled with the photodetection unit for determining the time interval which it takes for development to occur in the development area by means of the detecting light, and for determining that the developer solution is failed if the development time interval is determined to be out of the preset time range. A method for monitoring the developer solution is also provided.

Abstract: An immersion lithography apparatus that includes a substrate holder on which a substrate is held, a projection system having a final optical element and that projects an exposure beam onto the substrate through an immersion liquid, and a liquid confinement member having an aperture through which the exposure beam is projected, a lower surface including a non-fluid removal area surrounding the aperture, and a liquid recovery outlet from which the immersion liquid is recovered, also includes a movable member. The movable member is movable relative to the liquid confinement member in a substantially horizontal direction, and has an opening through which the exposure beam is projected. The movable member has upper and lower surfaces that surround the opening, and is movable while a portion of the upper surface faces the non-fluid removal area in the lower surface of the liquid confinement member.

Abstract: In a lithographic apparatus, an illumination mode is set using a field mirror comprising a plurality of movable facets to direct radiation to selectable positions on a pupil facet mirror. In the event that a field facet mirror is defective and cannot be set to a desired position, another of the movable facet mirrors is set to a corrective position, different than its desired position, to at least partially ameliorate a deleterious effect of the defective facet mirror.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The illumination system can include a depolarizer which in conjunction with a light mixing system disposed downstream in the light propagation direction at least partially causes effective depolarization of polarized light impinging on the depolarizer. The illumination system can also include a microlens array which is arranged upstream of the light mixing system in the light propagation direction. The microlens array can include a plurality of microlenses arranged with a periodicity. The depolarizer can be configured so that a contribution afforded by interaction of the depolarizer with the periodicity of the microlens array to a residual polarization distribution occurring in a pupil plane arranged downstream of the microlens array in the light propagation direction has a maximum degree of polarization of not more than 5%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement apparatus which measures a height of a test surface, the apparatus including an image sensing device including a plurality of detection units configured to detect interfering light formed by measurement light from the test surface and reference light from a reference surface, and an optical system configured to guide measurement light beams, reflected at a plurality of measurement points on the test surface, and reference light beams, reflected at a plurality of reference points on the reference surface, to the plurality of detection units, respectively, wherein the reference surface generates differences among optical path differences between the measurement light beams and the reference light beams which enter the plurality of detection units, respectively.

Abstract: An immersion lithographic apparatus is cleaned by use of a cleaning liquid consisting essentially of ultra-pure water and (a) a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ozone, or (b) hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of up to 5%, or (c) ozone at a concentration of up to 50 ppm, or (d) oxygen at concentration of up to 10 ppm, or (e) any combination selected from (a)-(d).

Abstract: An optical component for transmitting radiation includes a radiation protective layer, which includes at least one oxide material selected from germanium dioxide (GeO2), antimony pentoxide (Sb2O5), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), niobium(V) oxide (Nb2O5), tin oxide (SnO2), metal oxides of rare earths, in particular lanthanum oxide (La2O3) or cerium oxide (CeO2), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), yttrium aluminum oxides, zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide (In2O3), bismuth trioxide (Bi2O3), barium titanate (BaTiO3) and spinels, such as magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4). The radiation protective layer can be varnish-like, and the oxide material can be contained in a binder of the varnish-like radiation protective layer.

Abstract: A multi-stage system includes a stator including a plurality of electric coils; a first stage including a first magnet assembly, the first stage moveable relative to the stator; a second stage including a second magnet assembly, the second stage moveable relative to the stator; a controller configured to position the first and the second stage relative to the stator by activating, respectively, a first subset of the plurality of electric coils to interact with the first magnet assembly and a second subset of the plurality of electric coils to interact with the second magnet assembly, the controller adapted to prevent at least one electric coil, to be simultaneously shared by the first and the second subset to position the first and the second stage on the stator, from activating.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a transmission optical system which guides light in a nearly parallel beam state emitted from an optical outlet port of a light source, to an optical inlet port of an exposure apparatus body and which injects the light in the nearly parallel beam state into the optical inlet port is provided with a condensing optical system which keeps the optical outlet port and the optical inlet port in an optical Fourier transform relation, and an angle distribution providing element which is arranged in an optical path between the optical outlet port and the condensing optical system and which provides an emergent beam with an angle distribution in a range larger than a range of an angle distribution of an incident beam.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a projection exposure apparatus and an optical system, such as a projection objective or an illumination system in a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography, that includes at least one optical element and at least one manipulator having a drive device for the optical element. The drive device can have at least one movable partial element and at least one stationary partial element movable relative to one another in at least one direction of movement.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam and a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam. The lithographic apparatus further includes a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a positioner constructed to position the substrate table; a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; a substrate surface actuator arranged to engage a part of a surface of the substrate facing the projection system, and a position controller configured to control a position of the substrate table, the position controller being arranged to drive the positioner and the substrate surface actuator.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes: a substrate stage configured to move upon holding the substrate; a structural member configured to support a substrate stage; a first counter mass stage configured to cancel a driving reaction force that is generated due to driving of the substrate stage and acts on the structural member; a substrate stage driver configured to generate a force between the substrate stage and the first counter mass stage; a first counter mass driver configured to generate a force between the structural member and the first counter mass stage; a controller configured to control the first counter mass driver so as to cancel the force that acts on the structural member by generating a force between the structural member and the first counter mass stage using the first counter mass driver.

Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus comprising a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate, a driving unit configured to drive a plurality of optical elements which form the projection optical system so as to adjust an imaging state of light which passes through the projection optical system, a detecting unit configured to detect a driving error when the driving unit drives a first optical element of the plurality of optical elements, and a control unit configured to control the driving unit to drive a second optical element different from the first optical element of the plurality of optical elements so as to reduce a change in the imaging state of the light which passes through the projection optical system due to the driving error.

Abstract: A scanning exposure apparatus uses a plurality of microlens arrays to project a mask exposure pattern onto a substrate. A CCD line camera detects an image on the substrate at this time, and using a first-layer pattern on the substrate as a reference pattern, detects whether or not the mask exposure pattern matches the reference pattern. In a case in which the patterns do not match, the microlens array is tilted from a direction that is parallel to the substrate, and the mask exposure pattern is made to match the reference pattern by using the microlens array to adjust the exposure area on the substrate. When the exposure pattern deviates from the reference pattern, it is thereby possible to detect the deviation during exposure and to prevent an exposure pattern misregistration, thereby enhancing the precision of the exposure pattern in an overlay exposure.