Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a guiding mechanism to guide a movable structure such as a mask blade of a reticle masking device, a movable part connected to the movable structure, and a substantially stationary part to guide the movable part. The movable part includes a nozzle to inject a gas in a gap between the movable and stationary parts, a contactless supply of the gas from the stationary part to the movable part being provided by a gas supply outlet in the stationary part and a gas supply inlet in the movable part. The gas supply outlet includes an inlet trench in a surface of the movable part facing the gas supply outlet of the stationary part, the trench being orientated parallel to a direction of movement of the movable part. The movable part includes a motor drive part and a counter weight part connected to an end of the motor drive part facing away from the movable structure.

Abstract: A substrate or a patterning device used in a lithographic apparatus and a lithographic device manufacturing method are presented. The substrate and patterning device are aligned with respect to a patterning beam and are movably supported by a support. Resonances in said support, however, may render the manufactured device unusable and/ or may render the control system complex. Therefore an actuator assembly frame with flexible coupling devices coupled to the support is provided with a number of actuators configured to move the support in a number of degrees of freedom. Thus, the resonances are damped by the flexible coupling devices resulting in a larger bandwidth for the control system and thus enabling a better position accuracy of the support.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a positioning system including a first and second electromagnetic actuator. Each actuator includes two mutually co-operating electromagnetical elements which are movable with respect to one another due to force acting on the elements of the respective actuator. At least one of the actuators includes a shield configured to shield the actuator from a field generated by the other actuator. In this manner, a disturbance force due to the field is prevented to act on the shielded actuator. The invention also includes a positioning system including such actuators.

Abstract: A voice coil motor used, for example, in a positioning device associated with either a first object table or a second object table in which the coil is cooled with a cooling jacket in thermal contact with the coil, the cooling jacket comprising at least one channel for circulation of a cooling fluid, the or each channel being arranged such as to be substantially located in a portion of the cooling jacket adjacent to the coil, for use, for example, in a lithographic projection apparatus including a radiation system for supplying a projection beam of radiation, a first object table for holding a mask, a second object table for holding a substrate, a projection system for imaging irradiated portions of the mask onto target portions of the substrate. The cooling jacket may be formed of a ceramic material and may be of a monolithic construction.