Abstract: In an immersion lithographic apparatus, bubble formation in immersion liquid is reduced or prevented by reducing a gap size or area on a substrate table and/or covering the gap.

Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which measures are taken to prevent or reduce the presence of bubbles in liquid through which the projection beam radiates. This may be done, for example, by ensuring that a gap between a substrate and a substrate table is filled with immersion liquid or by causing a localized flow radially outwardly from the optical axis in the vicinity of the edge of the substrate.

Abstract: An immersion lithographic apparatus is provided with a liquid confinement structure which defines at least in part a space configured to contain liquid between the projection system and the substrate. In order to reduce the crossing of the edge of the substrate which is being imaged (which can lead to inclusion of bubbles in the immersion liquid), the cross-sectional area of the space in a plane parallel to the substrate is made as small as possible. The smallest theoretical size is the size of the target portion which is imaged by the projection system. In an embodiment, the shape of a final element of the projection system is also changed to have a similar size and/or shape in a cross-section parallel to the substrate to that of the target portion.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus comprises a substrate table to hold a substrate and a projection system to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The lithographic apparatus further comprises a fluid supply system to supply a fluid between the substrate and a final lens element of the projection system as well as a position controller to control a position of the fluid supply system. The position controller is configured to, being provided with a position quantity of the substrate, determine a desired position of the liquid supply system by adding a position offset to the position quantity of the substrate, and position the liquid supply system according to the desired position. The position quantity may comprise a position and/or rotational position of the substrate table and/or a height function of a substrate height.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the method of reducing contamination of an immersion liquid in a lithographic apparatus when a closing surface is used to confine liquid in a liquid supply system. To avoid or reduce particulate contamination caused by the closing surface colliding with the liquid supply system, the closing surface is maintained at a distance away from the liquid supply system such that there is no collision between the closing surface and the liquid supply system, but the liquid is nonetheless confined.

Abstract: To correctly transfer a pattern to a substrate, or transfer any other pattern having small features, a transfer of vibrations from an external support structure, e.g. a floor, is minimized by using a vibration isolation support device, e.g. an airmount. To improve the vibration isolation characteristics of the airmount, the (positive) stiffness of the airmount is lowered by providing a pressure reducer that is configured to reduce a gas pressure change in a gas chamber of the airmount, which pressure change is a result of a volume change of the gas chamber. Due to vibrations the volume of said gas chamber changes. Due to the stiffness reduction device, the corresponding pressure change, and thus a force exerted on the supported object, is reduced, thereby reducing the stiffness of the airmount.

Abstract: To facilitate, for example, removal of a substrate between exposures of different substrates, an actuated closing plate is used to replace a substrate, a substrate table, or both, as a part of a boundary of a space in a lithographic apparatus containing liquid without, for example, breaking a seal containing the liquid.

Abstract: A porous member is used in a liquid removal system of an immersion lithographic projection apparatus to smooth uneven flows. A pressure differential across the porous member may be maintained at below the bubble point of the porous member so that a single-phase liquid flow is obtained. Alternatively, the porous member may be used to reduce unevenness in a two-phase flow.

Abstract: A vibration isolation system isolates a body from its surroundings with respect to vibrations. The vibration isolation system includes active isolator devices that isolate and damp the body in unstable directions. However, such active isolators may exert damping forces not only in the unstable direction, but simultaneously in other stable directions due to mechanical coupling of the stable and unstable directions. As a result the damping and isolation in the other stable directions may be deteriorated due to the active isolation and damping. Employing modal decoupling, i.e. decomposing any vibration into independent directions, and isolating and damping in the independent directions, enables compensation of any vibration in an unstable direction without influencing the isolation and damping performance in any other, possibly stable, direction.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus for immersion lithography is described in which a compensation controller controls actuators to apply forces to the substrate equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to forces which are applied to the substrate by a liquid supply system which supplies liquid between the projection system and the substrate.

Abstract: In a lithographic apparatus, a localized area of the substrate surface under a projection system is immersed in liquid. The height of a liquid supply system above the surface of the substrate can be varied using actuators. A control system uses feedforward or feedback control with input of the surface height of the substrate to maintain the liquid supply system at a predetermined height above the surface of the substrate.