Abstract:
A sensor (100) for use in lithographic apparatus of an immersion type and which, in use, comes into contact with the immersion liquid (11) is arranged so that the thermal resistance of a first heat path from a transducer (104) of the sensor to a temperature conditioning device (107) is less than the thermal resistance of a second heat flow path from the transducer to the immersion liquid. Thus, heat flow is preferentially towards the temperature conditioning device and not the immersion liquid so that temperature-induced disturbance in the immersion liquid is reduced or minimized.
Abstract:
An illumination system (IL) for a lithographic apparatus comprising a polarization adjustment apparatus (15) arranged to receive linearly polarized radiation, the polarization adjustment apparatus comprising regions which are configured to rotate the polarization orientation by different amounts, a directing apparatus (6) operable to direct the radiation through one or more regions of the polarization adjustment apparatus, a controller (CN) configured to control the directing apparatus so as to control which of the one or more regions of the polarization adjustment apparatus radiation is directed through, wherein the controller is configured to limit which of the regions radiation is directed through to one or more regions which rotate the orientation of the linear polarization by substantially the same amount, and a diffuser configured to receive radiation output from the polarization adjustment apparatus and increase a range of angles at which the radiation propagates whilst substantially conserving the polarization state of the radiation.
Abstract:
A patterning device comprising a reflective marker, wherein the marker comprises: a plurality of reflective regions configured to preferentially reflect radiation having a given wavelength; and a plurality of absorbing regions configured to preferentially absorb radiation having the given wavelength; wherein the absorbing and reflective regions are arranged to form a patterned radiation beam reflected from the marker when illuminated with radiation, and wherein the reflective regions comprise a roughened reflective surface, the roughened reflective surface being configured to diffuse radiation reflected from the reflective regions, and wherein the roughened reflective surface has a root mean squared roughness of about an eighth of the given wavelength or more.
Abstract:
Controlling, based on characteristics, a lithographic apparatus having an exposure mode configured to expose a wafer held by a substrate table to an image of a pattern on a production reticle via a projection system, wherein in the exposure mode the production reticle is held at a reticle stage and is protected by a pellicle, the method comprising determining the characteristics of the projecting in a calibration mode, and the controlling comprising moving in the exposure mode at least one of the projection system, the reticle stage and the substrate table during the exposing in dependence on the characteristics.
Abstract:
A method of forming a radiation filter for use in a lithographic system comprises obtaining a filter body and forming at least one structure in or on the body, wherein the at least one structure provides a filtering effect and least one of a), b), c) or d):- a) the at least one structure comprises a plurality of transmissive, reflective, absorbing or fluorescent structures, and the method comprises providing a desired distribution of the structures to provide a desired filtering effect; b) forming the at least one structure comprises forming at least one transmissive, absorbing, reflective or fluorescent layer that has a variable thickness; c) forming the at least one structure comprises altering at least one optical property to provide a variation of the optical property with position; d) the structure comprises a fluorescent layer that provides variation of at least one fluorescence property with position and/or angle of incidence.
Abstract:
A phase stepping method for determining an aberration map for a projection system and an apparatus for carrying out said method. The method uses first patterned region arranged in an object plane of the projection system and a second patterned region arranged in an image plane of the projection system. At least one of the first and second patterning regions is moved in a shearing direction to generate an oscillating phase stepping signal. A set of coefficients that characterize the aberration map of the projection system are determined by equating the phase of a harmonic of the oscillating signal at each of the plurality of positions on the radiation detector to a combination of a plurality of differences in the aberration map between a pair of positions in a pupil plane of the projection system and solving to find the set of coefficients.
Abstract:
A patterning device comprising a reflective marker, wherein the marker comprises: a plurality of reflective regions configured to preferentially reflect radiation having a given wavelength; and a plurality of absorbing regions configured to preferentially absorb radiation having the given wavelength; wherein the absorbing and reflective regions are arranged to form a patterned radiation beam reflected from the marker when illuminated with radiation, and wherein the reflective regions comprise a roughened reflective surface, the roughened reflective surface being configured to diffuse radiation reflected from the reflective regions, and wherein the roughened reflective surface has a root mean squared roughness of about an eighth of the given wavelength or more.
Abstract:
A sensor system to measure a physical quantity, the system including a parallel detection arrangement with multiple detectors to allow measurements in parallel at different spatial locations, wherein the multiple detectors share a noise source, wherein the sensor system is configured such that the multiple detectors each output a signal as a function of the physical quantity, and wherein the sensor system is configured such that at least one detector responds differently to noise originating from the shared noise source than the one or more other detectors.
Abstract:
A sensor system to measure a physical quantity, the system including a parallel detection arrangement with multiple detectors to allow measurements in parallel at different spatial locations, wherein the multiple detectors share a noise source, wherein the sensor system is configured such that the multiple detectors each output a signal as a function of the physical quantity, and wherein the sensor system is configured such that at least one detector responds differently to noise originating from the shared noise source than the one or more other detectors.