A planarized layer forming apparatus operable to use a pressing member to form a planarized layer of a curable composition on a substrate is provided. The apparatus comprises a pressing member holder for holding the pressing member, a substrate holder for holding the substrate, a curing device for curing the curable composition on the substrate, and a chamber for containing the pressing member holder and the substrate holder, and form a sealed space. The curable composition is caused to come into contact with the pressing member. After the contact, holding of the pressing member is released, and a space inside the chamber is pressurized. In a state where holding of the pressing member is released and the space inside the chamber is pressurized, the planarized layer is formed by curing the curable composition by the curing device.

An EUV lithographic apparatus includes a wafer stage and a particle removing assembly for cleaning a wafer for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithographic apparatus. The wafer stage includes a measurement side and an exposure side. The particle removing assembly includes particle removing electrodes, an exhaust device and turbomolecular pumps. The particle removing electrodes is configured to direct debris from the chamber by suppressing turbulence such that the debris can be exhausted from the wafer stage to the outside of the processing apparatus. In some embodiments, turbomolecular pumps are turned off in the measurement side of the wafer stage so that an exhaust flow can be guided to an exposure side of the wafer stage. In some embodiments, the speed of voltage rise to the electrodes of the wafer chuck is adjusted.

An exposure device has a cylindrical peripheral wall member. The peripheral wall member forms a processing space in which a substrate is storable and has an upper opening and a lower opening. Further, a light emitter is provided in an upper portion of the peripheral wall member to close the upper opening. A lower lid member that is provided to be movable in an up-and-down direction and configured to be capable of closing and opening the lower opening is provided below the peripheral wall member. The atmosphere in the processing space is replaced with an inert gas with the substrate stored in the processing space and the lower opening closed by the lower lid member. In this state, vacuum ultraviolet rays are emitted to the substrate from the light emitter, and the substrate is exposed.

A method includes receiving an image formed in a metrology apparatus wherein the image comprises at least the resulting effect of at least two diffraction orders, and processing the image wherein the processing comprises at least a filtering step, for example a Fourier filter. The process of applying a filter may be obtained also by placing an aperture in the detection branch of the metrology apparatus.

Disclosed is a semiconductor device comprising a substrate, a first lower pattern group on the substrate and including a first key pattern and first lower test patterns horizontally spaced apart from the first key pattern, and a first upper pattern group on the first lower pattern group and including first pads horizontally spaced apart from each other and first upper test patterns between adjacent ones of the first pads. The first key pattern is configured to be used for a photography process associated with fabrication of the semiconductor device. The first pads are electrically connected to the first upper test patterns. One of the first pads vertically overlaps with the first key pattern.

A positioning system to position a structure comprises an actuator and a control unit to control the actuator in response to a position setpoint received by the control unit. The actuator comprises a magnet assembly comprises a magnet configured to provide a magnetic flux, and a coil assembly, wherein the coil assembly and the magnet assembly are movable relative to each other, the coil assembly comprising a coil, an actuation of the coil by a drive current providing for a force between the magnet assembly and the coil assembly. The magnet assembly comprises a further electric conductor, the further electric conductor comprising a non-ferromagnetic electrically conductive material, wherein the further electric conductor is magnetically coupled to the coil of the coil assembly and forms a short circuit path for an inductive electrical current induced in the further electric conductor as a result of an actuator current in the coil.

The disclosure provides a method and to an apparatus for determining the heating state of a mirror in an optical system, in particular in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. A method for determining the heating state of an optical element includes: measuring values of a first temperature that the optical element has at a first position using a temperature sensor; and estimating a second temperature that the optical element has at a second position, which is located at a distance from the first position, on the basis of the measured values, wherein estimating the second temperature is accomplished while taking into account a temporal change in the previously measured values.

A method for collecting information in image-error compensation is provided. The method includes providing a reticle having a first image structure and a second image structure; moving a light shading member to control a first exposure field; projecting a light over the first exposure field; recording an image of the first image structure after the light is projected; moving the light shading member to control a second exposure field; projecting the light over the second exposure field; and recording an image of the second image structure after the light is projected.

An EUV lithographic apparatus includes a wafer stage and a particle removing assembly for cleaning a wafer for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithographic apparatus. The wafer stage includes a measurement side and an exposure side. The particle removing assembly includes particle removing electrodes, an exhaust device and turbomolecular pumps. The particle removing electrodes is configured to direct debris from the chamber by suppressing turbulence such that the debris can be exhausted from the wafer stage to the outside of the processing apparatus. In some embodiments, turbomolecular pumps are turned off in the measurement side of the wafer stage so that an exhaust flow can be guided to an exposure side of the wafer stage. In some embodiments, the speed of voltage rise to the electrodes of the wafer chuck is adjusted.

A field-of-view at a first modeled target location of a first target disposed on a specimen can be configured, which can include moving the stage relative to the detector. The first modeled target location is determined by summing a first design target location and a navigational error provided by an online model. A first image of the field-of-view is grabbed using the detector. The field-of-view at a second modeled target location of a second target disposed on the specimen is configured. Concurrent with configuring the field-of-view at the second modeled target location, using a processor, the position of a first actual target location is determined using the first image. The online model is updated with a difference between the first design target location and the first actual target location.