Abstract: An exposure system for exposing a substrate to radiation is disclosed. The system comprises an exposure unit configured to expose the substrate to radiation, an exposure chamber configured to accommodate the exposure unit, an alignment measurement unit arranged outside the exposure chamber and configured to measure a position of an alignment mark on the substrate, and a load-lock chamber arranged between the exposure chamber and the alignment measurement unit.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus which exposes a pattern of an original onto a substrate through a projection optical system with a space between the projection optical system and the substrate filled with liquid. The apparatus includes a liquid supply nozzle configured to supply the liquid to the space through a liquid supply opening, a liquid supply unit configured to supply the liquid into the liquid supply nozzle, a liquid recovery unit configured to recover the liquid in the liquid supply nozzle by using a vacuum source, and a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into the liquid supply nozzle through a pipe connected to the liquid supply opening of the liquid supply nozzle. A gas supply by the gas supply unit is started and a liquid recovery by the liquid recovery unit is started while a liquid supply by the liquid supply unit is stopped.

Abstract: An exposure system for exposing a substrate to radiation is disclosed. The system comprises an exposure unit configured to expose the substrate to radiation, an exposure chamber configured to accommodate the exposure unit, an alignment measurement unit arranged outside the exposure chamber and configured to measure a position of an alignment mark on the substrate, and a load-lock chamber arranged between the exposure chamber and the alignment measurement unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing an article in order to manufacture a device includes a process chamber in which the article is processed; a relay chamber; a first load-lock chamber disposed between an outside of the apparatus and the relay chamber; a second load-lock chamber disposed between the relay chamber and the process chamber; a first adjusting mechanism configured to adjust atmosphere in the process chamber to a first atmosphere; and a second adjusting mechanism configured to adjust atmosphere in the relay chamber to a second atmosphere that is an intermediate atmosphere between the first atmosphere and atmosphere of the outside.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus is provided which has an optical system for projecting a pattern of an original onto a substrate and projects the pattern onto the substrate with a space between the optical system and the substrate filled with liquid. The apparatus includes a supply unit, having a nozzle, to supply liquid into the space through the nozzle, and a suppressing unit to suppress leakage of liquid from the nozzle.

Abstract: Obtaining previously a relation between a crystallization temperature and a physical property and a relation between a physical property parameter and the physical property of a glass ceramic, measuring the physical property parameter with respect to the glass ceramic sampled from a manufacturing line of the glass ceramic and controlling an actual crystallization temperature based on the relations so that the manufactured glass ceramic has the desired physical property value.

Abstract: A plasma-processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber for accommodating an object to be processed and for providing plasma processing to the object under a vacuum or reduced environment, an impedance matching unit configured for impedance matching, the impedance matching unit being provided between the vacuum chamber and a microwave oscillator for generating microwaves, and a controller for controlling actions of the impedance matching unit based on a relationship among a matching state of the impedance matching unit, a microwave strength distribution necessary to generate plasma for the matching state, and a matching state of the impedance matching unit which minimizes a reflected wave during the plasma processing.