Abstract:
A contamination reduction system for reducing contamination of a patterning system in a plasma environment, comprising: a support arranged to hold a patterning system in a radiation beam; a shutter configured to shield a portion of the radiation beam from the patterning system; and an electrode positioned between the shutter and the support, the electrode connected to a voltage source and configured to generate an electric field between the electrode and the patterning system held by the support.
Abstract:
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for transferring fluid to a stage in a charged particle beam system are disclosed. In some embodiments, a stage may be configured to secure a wafer; a chamber may be configured to house the stage; and a tube may be provided within the chamber to transfer fluid between the stage and outside of the chamber. The tube may include a first tubular layer of first material, wherein the first material is a flexible polymer; and a second tubular layer of second material, wherein the second material is configured to reduce permeation of fluid or gas through the tube. In some embodiments, a system may include a degasser system outside of the chamber, where the degasser system may be configured to remove gases from the transfer fluid before the transfer fluid enters the tube.
Abstract:
An apparatus for determining a condition associated with a pellicle for use in a lithographic apparatus, the apparatus including a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a property associated with the pellicle, the property being indicative of the pellicle condition.
Abstract:
An apparatus for reducing a partially oxidized reticle and pellicle assembly, the apparatus including: a support; a hydrogen supply; and an electron source. The support is for supporting a reticle and pellicle assembly. The hydrogen supply is operable to supply hydrogen in the vicinity of a pellicle of a reticle and pellicle assembly when supported by the support. The electron source is operable to direct electrons so as to be incident on a pellicle of a reticle and pellicle assembly when supported by the support.
Abstract:
A membrane cleaning apparatus for removing particles from a membrane, the apparatus including a membrane support and an electric field generating mechanism. The membrane support is for supporting the membrane. The electric field generating mechanism is for generating an electric field in the vicinity of the membrane when supported by the membrane support. The electric field generating mechanism may include: one or more collector electrodes; and a mechanism for applying a voltage across a membrane supported by the membrane support and the or each of the one or more collector electrodes.
Abstract:
The overlay error of a target in a scribelane is measured. The overlay error of the required feature in the chip area may differ from this due to, for example, different responses to the exposure process. A model is used to simulate these differences and thus a more accurate measurement of the overlay error of the feature determined.
Abstract:
A system detects targets located within patterns. It operates in the pupil plane by filtering the received signal from the surrounding pattern. A method includes illuminating a target and a surrounding pattern with radiation, detecting the radiation reflected by the target and the surrounding pattern and forming a first set of data based on the detected radiation, removing portions of the first set of data which correspond to the target to form reduced data, interpolating the remaining portions of the reduced data over the removed portions to form product data, and subtracting the product data from the first set of data to form target data.
Abstract:
The present invention makes the use of measurement of a diffraction spectrum in or near an image plane in order to determine a property of an exposed substrate. In particular, the positive and negative first diffraction orders are separated or diverged, detected and their intensity measured to determine overlay (or other properties) of exposed layers on the substrate.
Abstract:
Membranes for EUV lithography are disclosed. In one arrangement, a membrane has a stack having layers in the following order: a first capping layer including an oxide of a first metal; a base layer including a compound having a second metal and an additional element selected from the group consisting of Si, B, C and N; and a second capping layer including an oxide of a third metal, wherein the first metal is different from the second metal and the third metal is the same as or different from the first metal.
Abstract:
An object holder configured to support an object, the object holder comprising: a core body comprising a plurality of burls having distal ends in a support plane for supporting the object; an electrostatic sheet between the burls, the electrostatic sheet comprising an electrode sandwiched between dielectric layers; and a circumferential barrier for reducing outflow of gas escaping from space between the object and the core body.