Mapper Lithography IP B.v.

Johnny Joannes Jacobus Van Baar

Guido De Boer

Stijn Willem Herman Karel Steenbrink

Niels Vergeer

Kaustubh Prabodh Padhye

Robert Mossel

The invention relates to a lithography system. The lithography system has a projection lens system and a capacitive sensing system. The projection lens system is provided with a final projection lens. The capacitive sensing system is arranged for making a measurement related to a distance between the final projection lens and a target. The capacitive sensing system includes at least one capacitive sensor. Additional, the capacitive sensing system is provided with a flexible printed circuit structure and at least one integrated flex print connector. The at least one sensor is located in the flexible printed circuit structure. The flexible printed circuit structure has a flexible base provided with conductive electrodes for the at least one sensor and conductive tracks. The conductive tracks extend from the electrodes along the at least one integrated flex print connector.

Capacitive sensing system

A capacitive sensing system having two or more capacitive sensors, one or more AC power sources for energizing the capacitive sensors, and a signal processing circuit for processing signals from the sensors. The sensors are arranged in pairs, wherein the one or more AC power sources are arranged to energize a first sensor of a pair of the sensors with an alternating current or voltage 180 degrees out of phase to a current or voltage for a second sensor of the pair of sensors, and wherein a pair of the sensors provides a measuring unit for a single measured distance value, the signal processing circuit receiving an output signal from each sensor of the pair and generating a measured value related to the average distance between the sensors of the pair and the target.

Capacitive sensing system with differential pairs

A capacitive sensing system with a sensor having a thin film structure. The thin film structure includes a first insulating layer and a first conductive film having a sensing electrode formed on a first surface of the first insulating layer and a second conductive film having a back guard electrode. The back guard electrode is formed in a single plane and has a peripheral portion in the same plane, and is disposed on a second surface of the first insulating layer and a first surface of a second insulating layer or protective layer. The peripheral portion of the back guard electrode extends beyond the sensing electrode to form a side guard electrode which substantially or completely surrounds the sensing electrode.

An integrated sensory system for a lithography machine with a projection lens system () for focusing one or more exposure beams onto a target, a moveable table () for carrying the target (), a capacitive sensing system () for making a measurement related to a distance between a final focusing element of the projection lens system () and a surface of a target (), and a control unit () for controlling movement of the moveable table () to adjust a position of the target () based at least in part on a signal from the capacitive sensing system. The capacitive sensing system () has a plurality of capacitive sensors (), each having a thin film structure. The capacitive sensors and the final focusing element () of the projection lens system are mounted directly to a common base (), and the sensors are located in close proximity to an edge of the final focusing element of the projection lens system.

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Hengelo, Netherlands

Johnny Joannes Jacobus Van Baar