The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 09, 2018
Filed:
Mar. 09, 2016
Asml Netherlands B.v., Veldhoven, NL;
Johannes Pieter Kroes, Eindhoven, NL;
Kevin Nicolas Stephan Couteau, Eindhoven, NL;
Rachid El Boubsi, The Hague, NL;
Rob Johan Theodoor Rutten, Heeze, NL;
Patrick Johannes Cornelus Hendrik Smulders, Boxtel, NL;
Martijn Lambertus Peter Visser, Roermond, NL;
Jan Steven Christiaan Westerlaken, Heesch, NL;
ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven, NL;
Abstract
An apparatus has a first component with a first surface and a second component with a second surface, wherein the first and second components can undergo relative movement. The first surface and the second surface face each other. The first surface accommodates a barrier system to provide a barrier to reduce or prevent an inflow of ambient gas into a protected volume of gas between the first and second surfaces. The barrier system includes a curtain opening adapted for a flow of curtain gas therefrom for establishing a gas curtain enclosing part of the protected volume, and an inner entrainment opening, located inward of the curtain opening with respect to the protected volume, adapted for a flow of inner entrainment gas therefrom for being entrained into the flow of curtain gas. The apparatus is configured such that the inner entrainment gas flow is less turbulent than the curtain gas flow.