Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080239264 | Lithographic apparatus having feedthrough control system - An optical component of the lithographic apparatus is moved. A substrate support is moved so as to be synchronous with the motion of the optical component. A momentary position of the optical component is measured. A momentary position of the substrate support is measured at a first sampling rate. The measured momentary position of the optical component is compared with a desired momentary position of the optical component to generate an optical component position error signal in accordance with a difference between the two optical component positions. The measured momentary position of the substrate support is compared with a desired momentary position of the substrate support to generate a substrate support position error signal in accordance with a difference between the two substrate support positions. The momentary position of the optical component is adjusted so as to compensate for the difference between the two substrate support positions. | 10-02-2008 |
20080308749 | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method - A lithographic apparatus is disclosed having a projection system housing supporting internally one or more lens elements, and a movement damper connected to the projection system housing, the movement damper configured to damp movement of the projection system housing at an eigenfrequency of at least one of the one or more lens elements and/or of the projection system housing. | 12-18-2008 |
20090103066 | Lithographic Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - A control system for controlling a position or position related quantity of an object is provided. A measurement system is configured to measure a position or position related quantity of the object. A controller is configured to provide a control signal on the basis of the measured position or position related quantity. A actuator actuates the object on the basis of the control signal. A filter unit, which may be a partial order filter unit, filters the measured position or position related quantity. | 04-23-2009 |
20090115987 | POSITION MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A measurement system includes a sensor arranged to co-operate with a first pattern arranged on a structure of the measurement system to determine a first position quantity of the sensor relative to the structure, and arranged to co-operate with a second pattern arranged on the structure to determine a second position quantity of the sensor relative to the structure, wherein the first and second patterns are arranged on different surfaces of the structure. | 05-07-2009 |
20090122284 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS HAVING AN ACTIVE DAMPING SUBASSEMBLY - A lithographic apparatus includes a projection system to project a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate, and a damping system to dampen a vibration of at least part of the projection system, the damping system including an interface damping mass and an active damping subsystem to dampen a vibration of at least part of the interface damping mass, the interface damping mass connected to the projection system, and the active damping subsystem connected to the interface damping mass, the active damping subsystem including a sensor to measure a position quantity of the interface damping mass and an actuator to exert a force on the interface damping mass based on a signal provided by the sensor. The damping system further includes an interface damping device connected to the interface damping mass and configured to damp a movement of the interface damping mass at an eigenfrequency of the interface damping mass. | 05-14-2009 |
20090147230 | Lithographic Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - A vibration damping arrangement for a lithographic apparatus includes a sensor arranged to, in use, detect a vibration of a projection system. An actuator is arranged to, in use, exert a force on a control unit of the projection system to convert an output signal of the sensor to an actuator input signal such that, during operation, the vibration of the projection system is mitigated by controlling the actuator by the input signal to exert the force to the projection system. | 06-11-2009 |
20090161085 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS HAVING ACOUSTIC RESONATOR - A lithographic apparatus may be provided with an acoustic resonator to dampen an acoustic vibration in the lithographic apparatus. The acoustic resonator may include a Helmholtz resonator. The helmholz resonator may be provided with an active element to provide active damping and/or altering a spring characteristic of the mass spring assembly formed by the resonator. The resonator may be provided at a slit in a shield between the patterning device stage and the projection system to suppress transfer of acoustical vibrations, caused by e.g. a movement of the patterning device stage, to the projection system. | 06-25-2009 |
20090195763 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A lithographic apparatus is arranged to transfer a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate. The lithographic apparatus includes an acoustical sensor to measure a first acoustic vibration in a sensor measurement area in the lithographic apparatus. An actuator is provided to generate a second acoustic vibration in at least an area of the lithographic apparatus. Further, a control device is provided having a sensor input to receive a sensor signal of the acoustical sensor and an actuator output to provide an actuator drive signal to the actuator. The control device is arranged to drive the actuator so as to let the second acoustic vibration at least partly compensate in the area the first acoustic vibration. | 08-06-2009 |
20090201477 | MOVABLE SUPPORT, POSITION CONTROL SYSTEM, LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A POSITION OF AN EXCHANGEABLE OBJECT - A movable support is configured to hold an exchangeable object. The support includes a movable structure movably arranged with respect to a reference object, an object holder movably arranged with respect to the movable structure and configured to hold the exchangeable object, an actuator configured to move the movable structure with respect to the reference object, and an ultra short stroke actuator configured to move the object holder with respect to the movable structure, wherein a stiffness of the ultra short stroke actuator is substantially larger than a stiffness of the at least one actuator. | 08-13-2009 |
20090207393 | Damping Arrangement, Active Damping System, Lithographic Apparatus, And Projection Assembly - An active damping system assembly is configured to dampen a vibration of at least part of a structure. The assembly includes a plurality of active dampers each including a sensor configured to measure a position quantity of an interface mass mounted on the structure; and an actuator configured to exert a force on the interface mass in dependency of a signal provided by the sensor, wherein each of the plurality of active damping systems is connected to the interface mass. The structure may be a projection system of a lithographic apparatus. | 08-20-2009 |
20090262325 | Positioning System, Lithographic Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - A positioning system to position a table within a base frame of a lithographic apparatus, the positioning system including first and second actuators and a controller. The first actuator exerting an actuation force on the table. The first actuator being connected to a balance mass constructed and arranged to absorb a reaction force of the first actuator. The controller and second actuator constructed and arranged to exert a compensation force and/or torque to compensate a torque caused by the actuation force exerted by the first actuator on the balance mass. | 10-22-2009 |
20090262326 | Stage System Calibration Method, Stage System and Lithographic Apparatus Comprising Such Stage System - A calibration method to calibrate an encoder position measurement system of a stage, the encoder position measurement system including an encoder grid and at least two sensor heads cooperating with the encoder grid, each sensor head providing a sensor head output signal showing a position sensitivity in a horizontal and a vertical direction, the method including a) moving the stage such that the sensor heads are moved with respect to the encoder grid, or vice versa; b) during the moving, measuring the position of the stage with respect to the encoder grid by the two sensor heads; c) determining a vertical position data map from the sensor head output signals of the dual sensor heads; d) calculating a horizontal position data map from the vertical position data map; and e) calibrating the encoder position measurement system applying the calculated horizontal position data map. | 10-22-2009 |
20090290135 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus includes a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern; a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a substrate table configured to hold the substrate, the substrate table including a support surface configured to support an intermediary plate between the projection system and at least one of the substrate and an object positioned on the substrate table and not in contact with the at least one of the substrate and the object; and a liquid supply system configured to provide a liquid, through which the beam is to be projected, in a space between the projection system and the at least one of the substrate and the object. | 11-26-2009 |
20090316129 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS HAVING A FEED FORWARD PRESSURE PULSE COMPENSATION FOR THE METROLOGY FRAME - A lithographic apparatus including a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate; a metrology frame supported by a vibration isolation support device; an object movable with respect to the metrology frame; and a displacement determining unit to determine positions, speeds and/or accelerations of the object with respect to the metrology frame and/or the projection system. At least one actuator is provided for applying correcting forces and/or torques on the metrology frame, and a controller is provided which is configured to calculate the correcting forces and/or torques to be applied to the metrology frame based on the determined positions, speeds and/or accelerations of the object in order to compensate for pressure pulses exerted on the metrology frame due to movements of the object with respect to the metrology frame. | 12-24-2009 |
20100007867 | Lithographic Apparatus and Calibration Method - In an embodiment, a stage system calibration method includes moving the stage relative to an encoder grid in response to a setpoint signal and measuring a position of the stage by a sensor head cooperating with the encoder grid. The position of the stage is controlled by a stage controller. A signal representative of a difference between the setpoint signal and the position of the stage as measured by the sensor head is registered. The stage system is calibrated from the registered signal representative of the difference. | 01-14-2010 |
20100020525 | Cable Connection, Control System, and Method to Decrease the Passing on of Vibrations from a First Object to a Second Object - A cable connection between a first object and a second object includes a cable bundle of one or more cables having a certain length. One end of the cable bundle is fixed to the first object and another end of the bundle is fixed to the second object. A cable bundle holder configured to hold the cable bundle at a certain location along the length of the cable bundle, and a control system configured to control the position of the cable bundle holder with respect to the second object are presented. A control system for cable connection, and a method of reducing the transfer of vibrations from a first object to a second object via a cable connection are presented. | 01-28-2010 |
20100089712 | PROJECTION ASSEMBLY AND LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A projection assembly includes a projection system to project a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate, a damping system to dampen a vibration of the projection system, the damping system including an interface damping mass and an active damping subsystem to dampen a vibration of at least part of the interface damping mass, the interface damping mass connected to the projection system, the active damping subsystem including a sensor to measure a position of the interface damping mass, an electromagnetic actuator to exert a force on the interface damping mass, and a controller to drive the electromagnetic actuator based on a signal provided by the sensor, the active damping subsystem including a reaction mass for the electromagnetic actuator to exert a counterforce upon based on the signal provided by the first sensor. | 04-15-2010 |
20100157264 | METHOD FOR DAMPING AN OBJECT, AN ACTIVE DAMPING SYSTEM, AND A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A method for damping an object in two or more degrees of freedom, including measuring a position quantity at each of the two or more measurement locations; extracting from the measured position quantities a measurement signal for each dynamic mode; feeding the measurement signal of a dynamic mode to a controller unit associated with the respective dynamic mode, the controller unit providing for each dynamic mode an output signal on the basis of the respective measurement signal; and providing a control signal to each of the two or more actuators, the control signal for each actuator being based on output signals of one or more controller units. | 06-24-2010 |
20100159399 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS WITH GAS PRESSURE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING A PLANAR POSITION OF A PATTERNING DEVICE CONTACTLESS - A lithographic apparatus includes a position controller configured to control a position of a patterning device in its planar direction by selectively pressing at least one of the side faces of the patterning device. The position controller includes a gas pressure supply and one or more outflow openings directed towards at least one side face of the patterning device so as to exert pressurized gas on this side face in order to control the position of the patterning device in its planar direction in a contactless manner. | 06-24-2010 |
20100290022 | Enhancing Alignment in Lithographic Apparatus Device Manufacture - In a lithographic apparatus, a scanning mechanism is coarse compared with precise patterns to be exposed onto a substrate. In order to ensure that the image and the substrate are aligned at some point in time, an oscillation is imparted to either the substrate table, or to a device that aligns the image, such as a mask table. The oscillation frequency is chosen to compliment a maximum alignment error. The frequency of a radiation pulse is arranged to coincide with the image and the substrate being most accurately aligned. The radiation pulse of the image may be timed to coincide with the alignment without the use of the imparted oscillation. | 11-18-2010 |
20100321662 | Actuator System, Lithographic Apparatus, and Device Manufacturing Method - An actuator system is disclosed having a first actuator (XP | 12-23-2010 |
20110001942 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and the substrate is filled with a liquid. An edge seal member at least partly surrounds the substrate or other object on a substrate table to prevent liquid loss when edge portions of the substrate or other object are, for example, imaged or illuminated. | 01-06-2011 |
20110001951 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD - A drive system for controllably driving an electric actuator includes a current sensor system to sense a current conducted by the actuator and a driver to electrically drive the actuator based on an output signal of the current sensor system. The current sensor system includes at least a first and a second %forwardcurrent sensor that have a mutually different sensitivity for the current to be sensed and the drive system includes a current sensor controller to control an extent to which each of the current sensors to determine the output signal of the current sensor system. | 01-06-2011 |
20110007285 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and a sensor is filled with a liquid. | 01-13-2011 |
20110008483 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS - An imprint lithography apparatus is disclosed that includes a structure located away from a substrate holder and extending across the substrate holder, and such that an imprint template arrangement is, in use, located between the structure and the substrate holder, wherein the structure has one or more arrays of lines or one or more encoders, and the substrate or substrate holder and the imprint template have a corresponding one or more encoders that face towards one or more of the one or more arrays of lines or one or more arrays of lines that face towards one or more of the one or more encoders, and the configuration determination arrangement is configured to determine a relative configuration between the substrate or substrate holder and the structure, and/or a relative configuration between the imprint template arrangement and the structure, and/or a relative configuration between the imprint template arrangement and the substrate or substrate holder. | 01-13-2011 |
20110096311 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND PATTERNING DEVICE - A lithographic apparatus includes a support to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam, a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate, and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The lithographic apparatus includes a projection transfer measurement system to measure an optical projection transfer information of the projection system. The projection transfer measurement arrangement includes: an optical device to direct a measurement beam into the projection system during a scanning movement, a detector to detect the measurement beam having passed through the projection system during the scanning movement, and a measurement processor to determine the optical projection transfer information from the detected measurement beam. The optical device and the detector are arranged at an upstream end of the projection system. | 04-28-2011 |
20110102757 | Lithographic Method and Apparatus - A method is disclosed. A change in position of a substrate in a direction substantially parallel to a direction of propagation of a radiation beam that is, or is to be, projected on to that substrate is determined, which change in position would result in a lithographic error in the application of a pattern to that substrate using that radiation beam. The change in position of the substrate is used to control a property of the radiation beam when, or as, the radiation beam is projected onto the substrate in order to reduce the lithographic error. | 05-05-2011 |
20110149265 | ACTIVE MOUNT, LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS COMPRISING SUCH ACTIVE MOUNT AND METHOD FOR TUNING SUCH ACTIVE MOUNT - A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam, a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam, a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate, and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The projection system is mounted on a reference structure of the lithographic apparatus by a mount of the lithographic apparatus. The mount includes a first piezoelectric element to exert a force on the projection system, a second piezoelectric element to measure the force, and an interconnection member interposed between the first and second piezoelectric elements, the interconnection member comprising a cut. | 06-23-2011 |
20110153265 | METHOD OF MEASURING PROPERTIES OF DYNAMIC POSITIONING ERRORS IN A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT - Movements of a lithographic apparatus include dynamic positioning errors on one or more axes which cause corresponding errors which can be measured in the applied pattern. A test method includes operating the apparatus several times while deliberately imposing a relatively large dynamic positioning error at different specific frequencies and axes. Variations in the error in the applied pattern are measured for different frequencies and amplitudes of the injected error across a frequency band of interest for a given axis or axes. Calculation using said measurements and knowledge of the frequencies injected allows analysis of dynamic positioning error variations in frequency bands correlated with each injected error frequency. | 06-23-2011 |
20110163477 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHIC METHOD - An imprint lithography apparatus includes an actuator configured to displace an imprint template holder relative to a substrate holder to perform an imprint process. The imprint template holder and/or the substrate holder being supported on a support structure, the support structure being mounted to a vibration isolation system that is mounted to a base of the apparatus. The vibration isolation system is configured to provide a vibration isolation of the support structure relative to the base. A control unit is configured to control the actuator during the imprint process. The control unit is arranged to control an adjustable member of the vibration isolation system to adjust a dynamical characteristic of the vibration isolation system during at least part of the imprint process so as to reduce a displacement of the support structure relative to the base due to a force exerted on the support structure during the imprint process. | 07-07-2011 |
20110170077 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and the substrate is filled with a liquid. An edge seal member at least partly surrounds the substrate or other object on a substrate table to prevent liquid loss when edge portions of the substrate or other object are, for example, imaged or illuminated. | 07-14-2011 |
20110170078 | Projection System and Lithographic Apparatus - A projection system (PS) is provided which includes, in an embodiment, two frames. The optical elements of the projection system are mounted on a first frame ( | 07-14-2011 |
20110171759 | Lithographic Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - Data from the piezo-electric sensors in the mounts for the projection system can be used in the control loops for other parts of the lithographic apparatus, for example the mask table, the substrate table or the air mounts for the frame bearing the projection system. Information from, for example, a geophone, which is used to measure the absolute velocity of the frame bearing the projection system, can be used in the control loop for the piezo-electric actuator in the mount for the projection system. | 07-14-2011 |
20110194088 | Projection System, Lithographic Apparatus, Method of Projecting a Beam of Radiation onto a Target and Device Manufacturing Method - A projection system (PS) is provided that includes a sensor system ( | 08-11-2011 |
20110208459 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CORRECTING A POSITION OF A STAGE OF A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A lithographic apparatus includes a stage to hold an object, the stage being moveable relative to a reference structure in a motion range; a magnet structure to provide a spatially varying magnetic field in at least a part of the motion range, the magnet structure being moveable relative to the reference structure and the stage; a first position measurement system to provide a first measurement signal corresponding to a position of the stage and/or the object in a measurement direction relative to the reference structure; a second position measurement system to provide a second measurement signal corresponding to a position of the stage relative to the magnet structure; and a data processor to correct the first measurement signal with a value dependent on the second measurement signal to provide a corrected first measurement signal representative of the position of the stage and/or the object relative to the reference structure in the measurement direction. | 08-25-2011 |
20110216300 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING A POSITION - A lithographic apparatus includes a support configured to hold an object, the support being moveable relative to a reference structure in a direction; a first position measurement system configured to provide a first measurement signal in a first frequency range, the first measurement signal representative of a position of the support relative to the reference structure in the direction; a second position measurement system configured to provide a second measurement signal in a second frequency range, the second measurement signal representative of the position of the support relative to the reference structure in the direction; and a processor configured to (a) filter the first measurement signal so as to attenuate a signal component having a frequency in the second frequency range, (b) filter the second measurement signal so as to attenuate a signal component having a frequency in the first frequency range, and (c) combine the filtered first measurement signal and the filtered second measurement signal into a combined measurement signal representative of the position of the support relative to the reference structure in the direction. | 09-08-2011 |
20110279800 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and a sensor is filled with a liquid. | 11-17-2011 |
20110285977 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and a sensor is filled with a liquid. | 11-24-2011 |
20110317141 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the device being capable of imparting the beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a stage system to position the table relative to a reference structure; a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; an optical measurement system including a sensor part and an optical part, the optical part being configured to optically interact with the patterned radiation beam and to transmit a result from the interaction as output to the sensor part, wherein the optical part is arranged on the table, and the sensor part is arranged on the stage system or the reference structure. | 12-29-2011 |
20120105819 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING PATTERN FROM PATTERNING DEVICE ONTO SUBSTRATE, AND DAMPING METHOD - A lithographic apparatus includes a support frame which is supported by a base via a vibration isolation system; a projection system arranged to transfer a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, wherein the projection system includes a first frame which is spring-supported by the support frame; and an active damping system configured to damp movement of the first frame, including: a first sensor system configured to provide a first sensor output representative of absolute movement of the first frame, a first actuator system arranged to apply a force between the first frame and the support frame, and a control system configured to provide a drive signal to the first actuator system based on the first sensor output. | 05-03-2012 |
20120127449 | Controller, Lithographic Apparatus, Method of Controlling the Position of an Object and Device Manufacturing Method - A controller is provided that controls an actuator system having a plurality of actuators arranged to act on an object. The controller uses a gain balancing matrix to convert a first control signal, representing a set of forces desired to be provided to the centre of gravity of the object into a second control signal, representing an equivalent set of forces to be provided by the plurality of actuators. The system is further configured such that a first gain balancing matrix is used at a first frequency band and a second gain balancing matrix is used at a second frequency band. | 05-24-2012 |
20120127451 | POSITIONING SYSTEM, A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR POSITIONAL CONTROL - A positioning system for controlling a relative position between a first component and a second component of a lithographic apparatus, wherein a position of each component is defined by a set of orthogonal coordinates, the positioning system including: a measuring device configured to determine an error in the momentary position of one of the components with respect to a setpoint position in a measurement coordinate; and a controller configured to control movement of the other component in a control coordinate based on the determined error; wherein the measurement coordinate is different from the control coordinate. | 05-24-2012 |
20120147355 | Positioning System, Lithographic Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - A positioning system to position a table within a base frame of a lithographic apparatus, the positioning system including first and second actuators and a controller. The first actuator exerting an actuation force on the table. The first actuator being connected to a balance mass constructed and arranged to absorb a reaction force of the first actuator. The controller and second actuator constructed and arranged to exert a compensation force and/or torque to compensate a torque caused by the actuation force exerted by the first actuator on the balance mass. | 06-14-2012 |
20120154774 | Lithographic Apparatus and Device Manufacturing Method - Lithography apparatus and device manufacturing methods are disclosed in which means are provided for reducing the extent to which vibrations propagate between a first element of a projection system and a second element of a projection system. Approaches disclosed include the use of plural resilient members in series as part of a vibration isolation system, plural isolation frames for separately supporting first and second projection system frames, and modified connection positions for the interaction between the first and second projection system frames and the isolation frame(s). | 06-21-2012 |
20120274911 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and a sensor is filled with a liquid. | 11-01-2012 |
20120300186 | MULTI-STAGE SYSTEM, A CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A method for controlling a multi-stage system includes a stator extending parallel to a first direction; a first and second stage that are moveable relative to the stator; the stages being provided with a magnet system to generate a magnetic field, and the stator being provided with coils to interact with the magnetic fields to position the stages relative to the stator, the method including: determining the position of the stages; selecting a first and a second subset of coils that are capable of having a non-negligible interaction with the magnetic field of respectively the first and the second stage; activating the coils of both subsets, wherein activating the coils includes determining the coils that are part of both subsets; and excluding a coil that is part of both subsets from activating. | 11-29-2012 |
20120300188 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUBSTRATE TABLE - A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam and a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam. The lithographic apparatus further includes a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a positioner constructed to position the substrate table; a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; a substrate surface actuator arranged to engage a part of a surface of the substrate facing the projection system, and a position controller configured to control a position of the substrate table, the position controller being arranged to drive the positioner and the substrate surface actuator. | 11-29-2012 |
20120327386 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, METHOD OF DEFORMING A SUBSTRATE TABLE AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic apparatus includes a projection system, a substrate table, a plurality of sensors, an actuator and a controller. The projection system is configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate. The substrate table is configured to support the substrate and to move relative to the projection system. The plurality of sensors is configured to measure a deformation of the substrate table. The actuator is configured to deform the substrate table. The controller is configured to control the actuator to deform the substrate table based on measurements made by the sensors. The plurality of sensors is located on a first side of the substrate table opposite to a second side of the substrate table facing the projection system. The plurality of sensors is substantially stationary relative to the projection system. | 12-27-2012 |
20140043596 | ARRANGEMENT FOR ACTUATING AN ELEMENT IN A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - An arrangement actuates an element in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The arrangement includes first and second actuators and first and second mechanical couplings. The first and second actuators are coupled to the element via corresponding ones of the first and second mechanical couplings for applying respective forces to the element which is regulatable in at least one degree of freedom. The first and second actuators have first and second actuator masses, respectively, and the first actuator mass and the first mechanical coupling conjointly define a first mass-spring system operating as a first low-pass filter. The second actuator mass and the second mechanical coupling conjointly define a second mass-spring system operating as a second low-pass filter. The first and second mass-spring systems have first and second natural frequencies deviating from each other by a maximum deviation equal to 10% of the largest of the first and second natural frequencies. | 02-13-2014 |
20140293251 | Projection System, Lithographic Apparatus, Method of Projecting a Beam of Radiation onto a Target and Device Manufacturing Method - A projection system is provided that includes a sensor system that measures at least one parameter that relates to the physical deformation of a frame that supports the optical elements within the projection system, and a control system that, based on the measurements from the sensor system, determines an expected deviation of the position of the beam of radiation projected by the projection system that is caused by the physical deformation of the frame. | 10-02-2014 |
20140340666 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An exposure apparatus including a projection system configured to project a plurality of radiation beams onto a target; a movable frame that is at least rotatable around an axis; and an actuator system configured to displace the movable frame to an axis away from an axis corresponding to the geometric center of the movable frame and to cause the frame to rotate around an axis through the center of mass of the frame. | 11-20-2014 |
20150062554 | MULTI-STAGE SYSTEM, A CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND A LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A multi-stage system includes a stator including a plurality of electric coils; a first stage including a first magnet assembly, the first stage moveable relative to the stator; a second stage including a second magnet assembly, the second stage moveable relative to the stator; a controller configured to position the first and the second stage relative to the stator by activating, respectively, a first subset of the plurality of electric coils to interact with the first magnet assembly and a second subset of the plurality of electric coils to interact with the second magnet assembly, the controller adapted to prevent at least one electric coil, to be simultaneously shared by the first and the second subset to position the first and the second stage on the stator, from activating. | 03-05-2015 |