A liquid crystal exposure apparatus that moves a substrate supported in a noncontact manner by a noncontact holder to a projection optical system, and performs scanning exposure to the substrate equipped with: holding pads that hold a part of the substrate located at a first position above the noncontact holder; adsorption pads that hold another part of the substrate; a first drive section moves the holding pads from below the substrate direction intersecting a vertical direction, where the substrate is located at the first position held by the adsorption pads; and a second drive section that moves the adsorption pads holding the substrate, to a second position where the substrate is supported in a noncontact manner by the noncontact holder, wherein the scanning exposure, the second drive section moves the adsorption pads holding the substrate supported in a noncontact manner by the noncontact holder to the projection optical system.

Disclosed is an inspection apparatus for use in lithography. It comprises a support for a substrate carrying a plurality of metrology targets; an optical system for illuminating the targets under predetermined illumination conditions and for detecting predetermined portions of radiation diffracted by the targets under the illumination conditions; a processor arranged to calculate from said detected portions of diffracted radiation a measurement of asymmetry for a specific target; and a controller for causing the optical system and processor to measure asymmetry in at least two of said targets which have different known components of positional offset between structures and smaller sub-structures within a layer on the substrate and calculate from the results of said asymmetry measurements a measurement of a performance parameter of the lithographic process for structures of said smaller size. Also disclosed are substrates provided with a plurality of novel metrology targets formed by a lithographic process.

Disclosed is an inspection apparatus for use in lithography. It comprises a support for a substrate carrying a plurality of metrology targets; an optical system for illuminating the targets under predetermined illumination conditions and for detecting predetermined portions of radiation diffracted by the targets under the illumination conditions; a processor arranged to calculate from said detected portions of diffracted radiation a measurement of asymmetry for a specific target; and a controller for causing the optical system and processor to measure asymmetry in at least two of said targets which have different known components of positional offset between structures and smaller sub-structures within a layer on the substrate and calculate from the results of said asymmetry measurements a measurement of a performance parameter of the lithographic process for structures of said smaller size. Also disclosed are substrates provided with a plurality of novel metrology targets formed by a lithographic process.

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a method of performing a photolithography process. The method includes forming a photosensitive material over a substantially flat upper surface of a substrate. The substantially flat upper surface of the substrate extends between opposing sides of the substrate. The photosensitive material is exposed to electromagnetic radiation at a plurality of depths of focus that are centered at different heights over the substrate. The photosensitive material is developed to remove a part of the photosensitive material.

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a method of performing a photolithography process. The method includes forming a photosensitive material over a substantially flat upper surface of a substrate. The substantially flat upper surface of the substrate extends between opposing sides of the substrate. The photosensitive material is exposed to electromagnetic radiation at a plurality of depths of focus that are centered at different heights over the substrate. The photosensitive material is developed to remove a part of the photosensitive material.

A digital exposure machine and an exposure control method thereof are disclosed. The exposure control method of the digital exposure machine includes: determining a scanning direction of the digital exposure machine, wherein a plurality of sub-pixels in an array include multiple rows of sub-pixels arranged in the scanning direction, the multiple rows of sub-pixels including a first row of sub-pixels in the scanning direction; determining a starting scanning position, the starting scanning position being located on an outer side of the first row of sub-pixels in the scanning direction; and performing a plurality of scannings to expose a display region of the first display substrate to be exposed, wherein a scanning pitch for each of the plurality of scannings is integer times of a pitch of two adjacent rows of sub-pixels of the first display substrate in the scanning direction.

A digital exposure machine and an exposure control method thereof are disclosed. The exposure control method of the digital exposure machine includes: determining a scanning direction of the digital exposure machine, wherein a plurality of sub-pixels in an array include multiple rows of sub-pixels arranged in the scanning direction, the multiple rows of sub-pixels including a first row of sub-pixels in the scanning direction; determining a starting scanning position, the starting scanning position being located on an outer side of the first row of sub-pixels in the scanning direction; and performing a plurality of scannings to expose a display region of the first display substrate to be exposed, wherein a scanning pitch for each of the plurality of scannings is integer times of a pitch of two adjacent rows of sub-pixels of the first display substrate in the scanning direction.

An application liquid for an optical member comprises a component (A) consisting of metal fine particles (A-1) and/or a metal compound (A-2) including a constituent unit represented by the following general formula (1-A), a stabilizer (B) consisting of a polysiloxane compound including a constituent unit represented by the following general formula (1); and a solvent (C),

[(R.sup.1).sub.bMO.sub.c/2](1-A)

[(R.sup.2).sub.d(R.sup.3).sub.e(OR.sup.4).sub.fSiO.sub.g/2](1)

A system and method of fabricating a plurality of devices with reduced isolation regions there between, is provided. The method includes obtaining a substrate with a dielectric layer and a resist layer stacked thereupon. The resist layer has a sensitivity to a radiant energy and has a first exposure time. The method also includes identifying a plurality of device locations on the substrate corresponding to the plurality of devices. The plurality of device locations are separated from one another by a plurality of sub-lithographic isolation regions such that the plurality of devices is electrically insulated from one another. The method includes fabricating the plurality of isolation regions by partially exposing the resist layer to the radiant energy a plurality of times, removing fully exposed portions of the resist layer, and creating sub-lithographic isolation regions by depositing a dielectric material in the openings in the substrate.

A system and method of fabricating a plurality of devices with reduced isolation regions there between, is provided. The method includes obtaining a substrate with a dielectric layer and a resist layer stacked thereupon. The resist layer has a sensitivity to a radiant energy and has a first exposure time. The method also includes identifying a plurality of device locations on the substrate corresponding to the plurality of devices. The plurality of device locations are separated from one another by a plurality of sub-lithographic isolation regions such that the plurality of devices is electrically insulated from one another. The method includes fabricating the plurality of isolation regions by partially exposing the resist layer to the radiant energy a plurality of times, removing fully exposed portions of the resist layer, and creating sub-lithographic isolation regions by depositing a dielectric material in the openings in the substrate.