Asml Netherlands B.v.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Yin Tim Tso

Ramidin Izair Kamidi

Youssef Karel Maria De Vos

Marcel François Heertjes

Ronald Casper Kunst

Petrus Marinus Christianus Maria Van Den Biggelaar

Dennis Andreas Petrus Hubertina Houben

Sjoerd Nicolaas Lambertus Donders

Henrikus Herman Marie Cox

Mark Constant Johannes Baggen

Marinus Jacobus Gerardus Van De Molengraft

Rob Tousain

Theodorus Knoops

Constant Paul Marie Jozef Baggen

Ramidln Izair Kamidi

In a lithographic apparatus, a feedforward transfer function of a control system is determined by: a) iteratively learning a feedforward output signal of the control system by iterative learning control for a given setpoint signal; b) determining a relation between the learned feedforward output signal and the setpoint signal; and c) applying the relation as the feedforward transfer function of the control system. A learned feedforward, which has been learned for one or more specific setpoint signals only, can be adapted to provide a setpoint signal dependent feedforward output signal. The learned feedforward can be made more robust against setpoint variations.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

A lithographic apparatus includes a movable part and a controller to control a position quantity of the movable part. The controller includes a first controller transfer function and a second controller transfer function. A selector selects the first controller transfer function or the second controller transfer function depending on a state of the movable part. The first controller transfer function may be chosen in a substantially stationary state of the movable part, while in a substantially non-stationary state of the movable part, the second controller transfer function may be chosen.

Lithographic apparatus and control method

A lithographic apparatus includes a movable object and a control system to control the position of the movable object. The control system includes a position measurement system configured to measure the position of the movable object, a comparative unit configured to generate a servo error signal by subtracting a position signal representative of an actual position of the movable object from a reference signal, a control unit configured to generate a first control signal based on the servo error signal, a feed-forward unit configured to generate a feed-forward signal based on the reference signal, an addition unit configured to generate a second control signal by adding the first control signal and the feed-forward signal, and an actuator unit configured to actuate the movable object. A gain of the feed-forward unit is dependent on the position of the movable object.

In a method for controlling a positioning device, the positioning device has a stator and mover, the mover being movable relative to the stator; a position sensor configured to generate a position signal indicative of a position of the mover relative to the stator; a controller configured to receive the position signal, compare it to a setpoint signal to obtain an error signal, and generate a mover control signal on the basis of a signal component of the position signal, the controller having a variable gain. The positioning device, including the position sensor and the controller, defines a control loop. For error signals having a magnitude in a predefined range, the gain is selectively set to a value higher than a value for error signals having a magnitude outside the range.

Method for controlling a positioning device, positioning device, and lithographic apparatus provided with a positioning device

A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system for conditioning a radiation beam. A support structure supports a patterning device, which is capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam. A substrate table holds a substrate. A projection system projects the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. A motion control system includes a controller having a transfer function. The controller controls a position of the support structure and or the substrate table along a series of positions. The transfer function consists of a sum of a plurality of positional transfer functions, each determined in one of the positions, and each multiplied by a weighing function.

In a lithographic projection apparatus and a device manufacturing method, a movable part is controlled to produce a motion, an absolute value of at least one of a fourth and a higher derivative to time of the position of the motion being limited to less than a maximal value. Specifying at least one of a fourth and a higher derivative to time of the position may help to improve settling behavior to obtain more accurate positioning. Further, a movable part may be controlled to produce an acceleration of the movable part having a high at least one of a third and a higher derivative to time of the position of the motion at a start portion of the acceleration and a corresponding low at least one of a third and a higher derivative to time of the position of the motion at an end portion of the acceleration, the absolute value of the high at least one of the third and the higher derivative to time of the position of the motion being larger than the absolute value of the corresponding low at least one of the third and the higher derivative to time of the position of the motion.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Yin Tim Tso