Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The lithographic apparatus comprises a substrate table configured to support a substrate; actuators configurable to move the substrate table in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate; a projection system configured to pattern the substrate with fields aligned in a scanning exposure direction; a level sensor configured to sense a height of the substrate using a plurality of measurement spots; and a controller configured to control the actuators to generate strokes of relative movement between the substrate and the level sensor for mapping the height of the substrate, said strokes being at an angle of less than 20 degrees relative to the scanning exposure direction. Also disclosed is an associated method of mapping the height of a substrate.

Abstract: A method for converting a vector-based representation of a desired device pattern for an exposure apparatus, a lithography or exposure apparatus, an apparatus and method to provide data to a programmable patterning device, and a device manufacturing method. In an embodiment, the method for converting outputs a rasterized representation of the desired dose pattern of radiation corresponding to the desired device pattern, wherein the vector-based representation includes primitive data identifying one or more primitive patterns; and instance data identifying how at least a portion of the desired device pattern is formed from one or more instances of each identified primitive pattern, the method including forming a rasterized primitive of each primitive pattern identified in the primitive data, and forming the rasterized representation by storing each rasterized primitive in association with the instance data corresponding to that rasterized primitive.

Abstract: A method for converting a vector-based representation of a desired device pattern for an exposure apparatus, a lithography or exposure apparatus, an apparatus and method to provide data to a programmable patterning device, and a device manufacturing method. In an embodiment, the method for converting outputs a rasterized representation of the desired dose pattern of radiation corresponding to the desired device pattern, wherein the vector-based representation includes primitive data identifying one or more primitive patterns; and instance data identifying how at least a portion of the desired device pattern is formed from one or more instances of each identified primitive pattern, the method including forming a rasterized primitive of each primitive pattern identified in the primitive data, and forming the rasterized representation by storing each rasterized primitive in association with the instance data corresponding to that rasterized primitive.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus comprises an array of individually controllable elements and a data processing pipeline. The array of individually controllable elements modulates a beam of radiation. The data processing pipeline converts a first representation of a requested dose pattern to a sequence of control data suitable for controlling the array of individually controllable elements in order substantially to form the requested dose pattern on a substrate. The data processing pipeline comprises an offline pre-processing device and an online rasterizer. The offline pre-processing device converts the first representation of the requested dose pattern to an intermediate representation, which can be rasterized in a fewer number of operations than the first representation. The storage device stores the intermediate representation.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus including a projection system configured to project a beam of radiation as an array of sub-beams of radiation and an array of individually controllable elements configured to modulate the sub-beams of radiation to form a requested dose pattern on a substrate. The requested dose pattern is built up over time from an array of localized exposures in which at least neighboring localized exposures are imaged at substantially different times and in which each localized exposure is produced by one of the sub-beams of radiation. The lithography apparatus also includes a rasterizer device arranged to convert data defining the requested dose pattern to a sequence of data representing the requested dose at a corresponding sequence of points within the pattern, and also a data manipulation device arranged to receive the sequence of data and constitute a control signal suitable for controlling the array of individually controllable elements.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus comprises an array of individually controllable elements and a data processing pipeline. The array of individually controllable elements modulates a beam of radiation. The data processing pipeline converts a first representation of a requested dose pattern to a sequence of control data suitable for controlling the array of individually controllable elements in order substantially to form the requested dose pattern on a substrate. The data processing pipeline comprises an offline pre-processing device and an online rasterizer. The offline pre-processing device converts the first representation of the requested dose pattern to an intermediate representation, which can be rasterized in a fewer number of operations than the first representation. The storage device stores the intermediate representation.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus including a projection system configured to project a beam of radiation as an array of sub-beams of radiation and an array of individually controllable elements configured to modulate the sub-beams of radiation to form a requested dose pattern on a substrate. The requested dose pattern is built up over time from an array of localized exposures in which at least neighboring localized exposures are imaged at substantially different times and in which each localized exposure is produced by one of the sub-beams of radiation. The lithography apparatus also includes a rasterizer device arranged to convert data defining the requested dose pattern to a sequence of data representing the requested dose at a corresponding sequence of points within the pattern, and also a data manipulation device arranged to receive the sequence of data and constitute a control signal suitable for controlling the array of individually controllable elements.