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:
Jan. 17, 2017
Filed:
Oct. 21, 2014
Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Alex Ka Tim Poon, San Ramon, CA (US);
Leonard Wai Fung Kho, San Francisco, CA (US);
NIKON CORPORATION, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An immersion lithography system and method exposes a substrate through a liquid. The substrate is exposed through the liquid, which is provided between a final optical element of a projection lens and the substrate. The liquid is recovered from an upper surface of the substrate via a recovery opening of an immersion apparatus under which the substrate is positioned, the immersion apparatus being disposed around the final optical element of the projection lens. The a pressure for recovering the liquid from the upper surface of the substrate via the recovery opening is controlled by a pressure control system, the pressure control system having a first tank connected to the recovery opening via a recovery flow line and a vacuum regulator to control a pressure in the first tank.