Abstract: In a cleaning nozzle, a trumpet-shaped portion made up of multiple inclined portions or a curved portion is formed upstream of a minimum diameter portion of an ejection nozzle portion of a converging-diverging shape, and a gas ejection port is opened to an intermediate part of the trumpet-shaped portion. Inside the gas ejection port is formed a cleaning liquid ejection port. A gas is ejected at a higher speed than that of a cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid ejection port to transform the cleaning liquid into droplets, which are further accelerated by a tapered portion formed downstream of the minimum diameter portion before being ejected. A small amount of liquid may be supplied to a pressurized gas passage between a powder injection portion and the cleaning nozzle to prevent a possible clogging of passage due to powder.

Abstract: A processing system includes a supplying part for storing an object to be fed and for being maintained at an atmospheric pressure a processing chamber for being maintained at a reduced pressure or vacuum atmosphere and for executing a predetermined processing to the object, the object being fed between the supplying part and the processing chamber, a vacuum chamber, arranged between the supplying part and the processing chamber, for storing the object at a pressure of 100 Pa or less, the vacuum chamber having a replaceable atmosphere, and a first load lock chamber, arranged between the supplying part and said vacuum chamber, for receiving and supplying the object between the supplying part and said vacuum chamber, the first load lock chamber having a replaceable atmosphere.

Abstract: Disclosed is cooling technology in one aspect of which is a cooling system for cooling an optical member including a material having a linear expansion coefficient that becomes equal to zero at a predetermined temperature, the cooling system including a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of a detection-subject portion of the optical member, a cooling unit for cooling a cooling-subject portion of the optical member, and a control unit for controlling the cooling unit on the basis of the detection by the temperature detecting unit.

Abstract: A housing unit used to feed an object from a first atmosphere to a second atmosphere different from the first atmosphere includes a support member for supporting the object via a contact surface that contacts the object, and an antislip device that prevents slippery of the object relative to the support member.

Abstract: A jetting apparatus for mixing at least liquid and gas to create the mixed flow of the gas and the liquid to thereby jet the mixed flow is provided. The jetting apparatus has a passage of the mixed flow of the gas and the liquid, the passage including at least one partition and a plurality of sub-passages divided by the partition, and liquid injection ports being provided in correspondence with the divided sub-passages. Mass flow per sectional area of the mixed flow of the gas and the liquid passing through the respective sub-passages is substantially equal.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a chuck for holding an object and an optical system for directing light from a light source to the object held by the chuck. The optical system includes a multilayer film mirror which has a concave reflecting surface, wherein an area of contacting portions of the chuck is set so that the contact portions area of the chuck is at most 10% of an area of the object held by the chuck.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus having an exposure mode that transfers a pattern on a reticle onto an object, and a standby mode that waits for exposure includes an optical system for introducing the exposure light to the object in the exposure mode, and a mechanism for allowing the exposure light to enter the reticle and/or the optical system in the standby mode, and for preventing the exposure light from entering the object in the standby mode.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical system for directing light from a light source to a predetermined plane, and it includes an optical element, a measuring mechanism for performing position measurement to a surface of the optical element, at plural measurement points on that surface, a first temperature controlling mechanism for controlling temperature of a first control region of the optical element, a second temperature controlling mechanism for controlling temperature of a second control region of the optical element, and a temperature controller for controlling the first and second temperature controlling mechanisms on the basis of the measurement made by the measuring mechanism. The proposed structure is very effective to prevent thermal deformation of the optical element due to irradiation with light, particularly in a case where only a portion of the optical element is locally irradiated with light.

Abstract: Disclosed is a holding system and an exposure apparatus having the same, wherein deformation of an optical member resulting from its thermal expansion and causing degradation of imaging performance can be reduced to assure desired imaging performance. The holding system for holding an optical member includes a barrel for at least partially surrounding the optical member and/or a heat source, an average of radiation coefficient of an inside surface of the barrel is not less than 0.8.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an optical system for guiding light to an object, a holding member for holding the object, a first refrigerator located near a holding side of the holding member without contacting the holding side, and a second refrigerator located near a backside of the holding member without contacting the backside.

Abstract: A method of correcting a magnification of a mask pattern formed on a mask substrate. The method includes applying forces to four pressurizing points of an outer periphery of an approximately ring-shaped frame, which supports the mask substrate and has a rectangular window, on substantially extended lines of two diagonal lines of the rectangular window, and adjusting at least an angle, to the extended lines, of a vector of the forces applied to each of the pressurizing points.

Abstract: A load-lock chamber has a substrate transfer path between a first gas atmosphere and a second gas atmosphere. The load-lock chamber includes a first gate valve through which a substrate is transferred between the first gas atmosphere and the load-lock chamber, a second gate valve through which a substrate is transferred between the second gas atmosphere and the load-lock chamber and a gas supply mechanism which supplies the first gas and the second gas to the load-lock chamber. The gas supply mechanism is arranged to supply the second gas to the load-lock chamber when the first gate valve is closed and the second gate valve is opened during the substrate being transferred between the second atmosphere and the load-lock chamber.

Abstract: A cooling apparatus arranged in a vacuum or reduced pressure atmosphere for use with an optical element having an illuminated area onto which light is irradiated concave part includes a temperature variation mechanism that changes a temperature of part of the cooling apparatus in a non-contact manner.

Abstract: Object of this invention is to provide a photocatalyst deodorizer wherein it is possible to extend the life and increasing an efficiency of filters, and it is possible to activate a photocatalyst which a deodorizing filter carries, by optimizing the positional relation between a tubular light source for emitting light to activatee a photocatalyst and a deodorizing filter, and an emission angle of the tubular light source. Further a photocatalyst deodorizer of this invention makes it easy to maintenance and replacement of filters and the tubular light source.

Abstract: A cooling mechanism for cooling an optical element disposed in a vacuum atmosphere includes a support part for supporting the optical element, which has a channel having an inlet, into which gas is supplied, and an outlet, from which the gas is exhausted, and a decompression mechanism, connected to the channel, for reducing pressure of the gas to be supplied.

Abstract: An X-ray mask has a mask pattern, a protection means for forming a dust-proof space for protecting the mask pattern, and an inner atmospheric pressure adjustment hole for ventilating between the dust-proof space and the outer atmosphere. The X-ray mask can be either a transmission type mask in which the mask pattern is formed on a membrane, or a reflection type mask in which a multilayered film reflection layer and the mask pattern are formed on a substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing system has a first processing device which processes a substrate with a first process in a first gas atmosphere within a process chamber and a transfer device that transfers a substrate in a second gas atmosphere within a clean booth, the transfer device transferring a substrate which has been processed with a second process by a second processing device or a substrate which is to be processed by that second processing device. A load-lock chamber has a substrate transfer path between the first processing device and the transfer device and there is a gas supply device which supplies the first gas from the process chamber to the load-lock chamber when the substrate is transferred between the load-lock chamber and a first processing device, and supplies the second gas from the clean booth to the load-lock chamber when the substrate is transferred between the load-lock chamber and the transfer device.

Abstract: An exposure method for transferring a pattern of a mask onto a member to be exposed. The method includes the steps of making preparations for exposure while a protection cover is attached to the mask, executing alignment between the member to be exposed and the mask while the protection cover is detached from the mask, and executing exposure with X-rays while the protection cover is detached from the mask.

Abstract: An X-ray projection exposure apparatus includes a mask chuck, a wafer chuck, an X-ray illuminating system, and an X-ray projection system. The masks chuck holds a reflection X-ray mask having a mask pattern thereon. The wafer chuck holds a wafer onto which the mask pattern is transferred. The X-ray illuminating system illuminates the reflection X-ray mask, held by the mask chuck, with X-rays. The X-ray projection optical system projects the mask pattern of the reflection X-ray mask onto the wafer held by the wafer chuck with a predetermined magnification. The mask chuck includes a mechanism for generating static electricity for attracting and holding the reflection X-ray mask by an electrostatic force. The invention also includes a device manufacturing method using such an X-ray projection exposure apparatus to transfer a mask pattern onto the wafer using the X-ray projection exposure apparatus.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a chamber which incorporates an optical element and surrounds a predetermined region, a mechanism for setting an inert gas atmosphere in the chamber, and a closed vessel which surrounds the chamber. The purity of inert gas in the chamber is higher than a purity of inert gas in the closed vessel.