An imprint apparatus includes a mold holder for holding a mold, a substrate holder for holding a substrate, a dispenser for arranging imprint material on the substrate, and a scope for capturing an image of a mark. The substrate holder includes a reference plate having a reference mark whose image is captured by the scope, the dispenser is arranged in a first direction when viewed from the mold holder, and the reference plate is arranged between a virtual straight line which is parallel to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed from the mold holder and passes through a center of the substrate holder, and an edge of the substrate holder located in the first direction when viewed from the virtual straight line.

An electromagnetic actuator includes a coil assembly including a coil; a magnet assembly including a first and a second magnet unit, each magnet unit including a magnetic yoke and a plurality of permanent magnets mounted to the magnetic yoke, the first and second magnet unit forming a magnetic circuit for receiving the coil assembly and, upon energizing the coil, generating a force in a first direction; and a holder for holding the magnet units, wherein a weight ratio of the magnet assembly over the coil assembly is smaller than the weight ratio of the magnet assembly over the coil assembly when the ratio of force over electrical power is maximized.

A detection apparatus that detects a mark formed on a substrate is provided. The detection apparatus includes a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate, an optical system accommodated in the substrate holder, an image sensor configured to capture an image of the mark from the reverse surface side of the substrate through the optical system, and a processor configured to perform detection processing for the mark based on the image of the mark captured by the image sensor. The processor corrects a detection value of the mark based on the position of the mark on the substrate in the height direction and information concerning the telecentricity of the optical system.

A method for pattern transfer to a silicone-based microstructure device comprises the steps of molding a silicone-based negative replica from a lithography patterned master mold. An epoxy resin-based master mold is molded from the silicone-based replica. A surface of the epoxy resin-based master mold is coated with a layer of Cr and then with a layer of Au on the CR layer to facilitate demolding of a silicone-based material. The silicone-based microstructure device is then molded from the coated epoxy resin-based master mold, wherein the silicone-based microstructure device has a dimensional pattern that substantially corresponds to the dimensional pattern of the lithography patterned master mold.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for performing photolithography processes. In one embodiment, laminar gas flow is provided inside a photolithography system during operation. With laminar gas flow instead of turbulent gas flow inside the system, accuracy of the measurement of the location of a substrate disposed inside the system is improved due to the improved signal integrity of interferometers.

While a wafer stage linearly moves in a Y-axis direction, a multipoint AF system detects surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points that are set at a predetermined distance in an X-axis direction and also a plurality of alignment systems that are arrayed in a line along the X-axis direction detect each of marks at positions different from one another on the wafer. That is, detection of surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points and detection of the marks at positions different from one another on the wafer are finished, only by the wafer stage (wafer) linearly passing through the array of the plurality of detection points of the multipoint AF system and the plurality of alignment systems, and therefore, the throughput can be improved.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for performing photolithography processes. In one embodiment, laminar gas flow is provided inside a photolithography system during operation. With laminar gas flow instead of turbulent gas flow inside the system, accuracy of the measurement of the location of a substrate disposed inside the system is improved due to the improved signal integrity of interferometers.

A lithography apparatus includes a measuring station that includes a first measuring device configured to measure a height of a substrate holder, and a second measuring device configured to measure a height of a surface of a substrate held by the holder, and a patterning station that includes a third measuring device configured to measure a height of the holder, and patterns the substrate held by the holder based on an output of the second measuring device. The patterning station includes a fourth measuring device configured to measure a height of a surface of a substrate held by the holder. The lithography apparatus includes a controller configured to obtain a correction value for an output obtained from at least one of the first and third measuring devices based on outputs of the second and fourth measuring devices with respect to a substrate held by the holder.

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus which exposes each of a plurality of shot regions on a substrate, comprising a substrate stage configured to be movable while holding the substrate, and a control unit, wherein the plurality of shot regions include a first shot region, and a second shot region which is exposed next to the first shot region, and the control unit drives the substrate stage in accordance with drive information of the substrate stage in a period until exposure of the second shot region starts after an end of exposing the first shot region, and when an exposure condition for exposing the second shot region is not satisfied in the period, the control unit drives again the substrate stage in accordance with the drive information and then exposes the second shot region.