| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090279063 | IMMERSION LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, DRYING DEVICE, IMMERSION METROLOGY APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An immersion lithographic apparatus is described in which a liquid removal device is arranged to remove liquid from the substrate, e.g. during exposures, through a plurality of elongate slots arranged along a line and angled to that line. The liquid removal device may act as a meniscus pinning device in an immersion hood or may be used in a drying device to remove a droplet from the substrate. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20100044917 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY - An imprint lithography apparatus is disclosed that has a first support structure arranged to support an imprint template, and a first actuator attached to the first support structure, and arranged in use to be located between the first support structure and the imprint template. The first actuator is configured to apply a force to the imprint template. The imprint lithography apparatus further includes a second support structure and a second actuator located between the second support structure and the first support structure. The second actuator is configured to apply a force to the second support structure, wherein a range of movement of the second actuator is greater than a range of movement of the first actuator. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100044943 | SPLIT AXES STAGE DESIGN FOR SEMICONDUCTOR APPLICATIONS - A stage assembly ( | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100060868 | FLUID HANDLING STRUCTURE, LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTUIRNG METHOD - A fluid handling structure is disclosed which is designed for all wet immersion lithography. The fluid handling structure has a first opening to provide fluid to a space between a final element of a projection system and a substrate and/or substrate table, a barrier to resist the flow of liquid out of the space between the fluid handling structure and the substrate, and a second opening, which opens into an area radially outwardly of the space, to provide a flow of fluid from the fluid handling structure onto a top surface of the substrate and/or substrate table radially outwardly of the space. A controller may be provided such that flow of fluid towards a center of the substrate table is greater than the flow of fluid in a direction away from the center of the substrate table. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100065987 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY - A method of determining a position of a substrate relative to an imprint template is described, wherein the imprint template has at least three gratings and the substrate has at least three gratings positioned such that each imprint template grating forms a composite grating with an associated substrate grating, the at least three imprint template gratings and associated substrate gratings having offsets relative to one another. The method includes detecting an intensity of radiation which is reflected by the three composite gratings, and using the detected intensities to determine displacement of the substrate or imprint template from a position. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100096774 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS AND METHOD - An imprint lithography apparatus and manufacturing method can lead to mechanical stress being formed in a substrate to which an imprint pattern is being applied. This may cause strain within the substrate leading to misalignment of a subsequent pattern with an earlier pattern in a part of the substrate, which is strained. An apparatus and method is disclosed which allows for stress relaxation in the substrate prior to further patterning to reduce, minimize or prevent such misalignment from residual strain. This is achieved by locally unclamping a portion of substrate (including optionally the entire substrate) from a corresponding portion of substrate holder so that mechanical stress leading to local strain may relax prior to further patterning. To overcome residual frictional force between the substrate and substrate holder, the substrate and substrate holder may be physically separated prior to further patterning. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100103390 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic projection apparatus arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate. The apparatus is provided with a clamp, including a support part configured to support the patterning device or the substrate and a temperature control part configured to control the temperature of the patterning device or the substrate. The clamp is constructed to mechanically isolate the temperature control part from the support part with a flexible connector so that vibrations, shrink and expansion of the temperature control part will not influence the patterning device and/or the substrate. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100157263 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, AND PATTERNING DEVICE FOR USE IN A LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS - The invention relates to a lithographic apparatus including an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam, a patterning device 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 support constructed to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate, and an encoder-type measurement system configured to at least during projection of the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate continuously determine a position quantity of a patterning device supported on the patterning device support using a grid or grating provided on the patterning device. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100157273 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - 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 including a substrate holder constructed to hold a substrate; and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate, wherein the substrate table is constructed and arranged to reduce or eliminate slip and hysteresis in position and orientation between the substrate table and the substrate holder. | 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 |
| 20100272846 | ACTUATOR - An actuator is disclosed that includes a body, the body having a face, and a plurality of conduits located in the body, each conduit deformable in response to a change of pressure within the conduit, the deformation of the conduit configured to cause a deformation of the face. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100297282 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS - An arrangement suitable for use in an imprint lithography apparatus is disclosed. The arrangement includes a support structure arranged to support an imprint template arrangement, a first actuator configured to apply a force to the imprint template arrangement, and a second actuator attached to the support structure, and arranged in use to extend between the support structure and the imprint template arrangement, the second actuator configured to apply a force to the imprint template arrangement, a range of movement of the second actuator being greater than a range of movement of the first actuator. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100297561 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A lithographic apparatus is provided with an optical encoder measurement system having an irradiation system to direct an irradiation beam to a first scale. The system has optics to direct a primary diffracted beam diffracted from the first scale upon irradiation by the irradiation beam to a second scale and a detector to detect a secondary diffracted beam after interference and a second diffraction of the primary diffracted irradiation beam on the second scale to measure the position of the first scale with respect to the second scale. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100302518 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - The invention relates to a lithographic apparatus arranged to transfer a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, including a cooling system to cool a part of the lithographic apparatus, the cooling system including a droplet ejector to form droplets and fire the droplets towards a cooling surface of the part of the lithographic apparatus to cool the part by evaporation of the droplets. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110003023 | IMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY APPARATUS - An imprint lithography apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an electromagnetic Lorentz actuator arrangement configured to move an imprint template arrangement, the electromagnetic Lorentz actuator arrangement comprising: an array of magnets; and an array of conductors, each conductor configured to carry an electric current, one of the array of magnets or the array of conductors being moveable and connected to the imprint template arrangement, and the other of the array of magnets or the array of conductors extending at least partially around or forming a part of a substrate holder; the array of magnets and the array of conductors together being in a configuration which facilitates moving of the moveable one of the array of magnets or the array of conductors in six degrees of freedom, such that the imprint template arrangement is also movable in six degrees of freedom. | 01-06-2011 |
| 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 |
| 20110026004 | POSITIONING SYSTEM, LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD - A positioning system to position a movable object having a body, the positioning system includes an object position measurement system, an object actuator, and an object controller, wherein the positioning system further includes a stiffener to increase the stiffness and/or to damp relative movements within the body of the object, the stiffener including; one or more sensors, wherein each sensor is arranged to determine a measurement signal representative of an internal strain or relative displacement in the body, one or more actuators, wherein each actuator is arranged to exert an actuation force on a part of the body, and at least one controller, configured to provide on the basis of the measurement signal of at least one of the sensors, an actuation signal to at least one of the actuators to increase the stiffness and/or to damp movements within the body. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110075122 | POSITIONING SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR POSITIONING A SUBSTAGE WITH RESPECT TO A FRAME - A method for positioning a substage, supported by a main stage, relative to a reference object, the substage moveable in a direction between a first and second position relative to the main stage. The method includes positioning the first stage using a passive force system that is activated by positioning the main stage. The passive force system includes two magnet systems, each magnet system being configured to apply a force in the direction to the first stage with respect to the second stage in a non-contact manner, the forces resulting in a resultant force applied to the first stage in the direction by the passive force system. A magnitude and/or a direction of the resultant force depends on the position of the first stage relative to the second stage, and the first stage has a zero-force position between the first and second position in which the resultant force is zero. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110085180 | LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - A position measurement system configured to measure a position quantity of a movable object in a measurement direction, the system including a radiation source, a beam splitter to split the radiation beam in a measurement beam and a reference beam, a first reflective surface mounted on the movable object to receive the measurement beam, a second reflective surface mounted on a reference object to receive the reference beam, and a detector arranged to receive a first and second reflected beam reflected by the first and second reflective surface, respectively, and configured to provide a signal representative of the position quantity of the movable object based on the first and the second beam, wherein the radiation source and detector are mounted on an object that is different from the movable object and the reference object. | 04-14-2011 |
| 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 |
