Asml Holding N.v.

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Asml Holding B.v.

Diane Czop McCafferty

Harry Sewell

Louis John Markoya

Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus Donders

Erik Roelof Loopstra

Johannes Catharinus Hubertus Mulkens

Martinus Hendrikus Antonius Leenders

Justin Lloyd Kreuzer

Erik Theodorus Maria Bijlaart

Marcus Martinus Petrus Adrianus Vermeulen

Aleksandr Khmelichek

Ralph Joseph Meijers

A new way of drying and/or wetting a surface, such as a top surface of a substrate, which is useful in immersion lithography. The surface is placed under a single phase extractor and a priming liquid is delivered between the single phase extractor and the surface. The single phase extractor is only activated after the priming liquid has been provided between the single phase extractor and the surface. Priming liquid is delivered to the single phase extractor during the whole of the drying and/or wetting process.

Lithographic apparatus, a dryer and a method of removing liquid from a surface

Immersion lithography aberration control systems and methods that compensate for a heating effect of exposure energy in an immersion fluid across an exposure zone are provided. An aberration control system includes actuators that adjust optical elements within the immersion lithography system and a fluid heating compensation module coupled to the actuators. The fluid heating adjustment module determines actuator commands to make aberration adjustments to optical elements within the immersion lithography system based on changes in one or more of a flow rate of the immersion liquid, an exposure dose and a reticle pattern image. In an embodiment, the aberration control system includes an interferometric sensor that pre-calibrates aberrations based on changes in operating characteristics related to the immersion fluid. Methods are provided that calibrate aberrations, determine actuator adjustments and implement actuator adjustments upon changes in operating characteristics to control aberration effects.

Systems and methods for thermally-induced aberration correction in immersion lithography

A lithographic apparatus includes a projection system, a fluid handling structure, a metrology device, and a recycling control device. The projection system is configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate, the substrate being supported on a substrate table. The fluid handling structure is configured to provide an immersion fluid to a space between the projection system and the substrate and/or substrate table. The metrology device is configured to monitor a parameter of the immersion fluid. The recycling control device regulates a routing of the immersion fluid either to be reused by the fluid handling structure or to be reconditioned based on the quality of immersion fluid indicated by the metrology device.

Immersion lithographic apparatus with immersion fluid re-circulating system

A system is disclosed to isolate an environmental chamber of an immersion lithographic apparatus, to which an immersion fluid comprising liquid, is provided from an external environment. Further, there is disclosed a system for measuring flow rate and/or vapor concentration of a gas using a transducer to send and/or receive an acoustic signal.

Re-flow and buffer system for immersion lithography

A lithographic projection apparatus includes an illumination system, an interchangeable upper optics module, and a lower optics module. The illumination system provides a beam of radiation. The interchangeable upper optics module receives the beam and includes, sequentially, a beam splitter that splits the beam into portions, an aperture plate, and a plurality of reflecting surfaces. The lower optics module receives portions of the beam from respective ones the reflecting surfaces and directs the portions of the beam onto a substrate. Interference fringes or contact hole patterns are formed on the substrate using the portions of the beam.

Interferometric lithographic projection apparatus

A lithographic apparatus is presented. The lithographic apparatus includes a beam splitter configured to split a radiation beam into a plurality of radiation beams; a substrate stage configured to support a substrate; a beam combiner adapted to redirect and combine at least a portion of the plurality of radiation beams to form an interference pattern on the substrate; and a control unit in communication with the substrate stage and a radiation source configured to output the beam of radiation, the control unit configured to synchronize a motion of the substrate stage with a repetition rate at which the beam of radiation is output by the radiation source.

Growing community of inventors

Sandy Hook, CT, United States of America

Diane Czop McCafferty