A suction device includes an adapter having a supply passage to which a negative pressure fluid is supplied, a bellows connected to a lower end of the adapter, and a pad member formed at the distal end of the bellows. The pad member has plural first and second ribs on a suction surface that attracts a workpiece under suction. The first ribs are disposed on an outer circumferential side of an attachment provided in the center of the pad member and extend toward the outer circumferential side. The second ribs are provided on an outer circumferential side of the first ribs, and are disposed in a circumferentially offset manner with respect to the first ribs. Additionally, between the respective first ribs which are disposed alongside one another in the circumferential direction of a skirt, supply paths are formed to which the negative pressure fluid is supplied from the attachment.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a first holding part configured to hold a substrate; a second holding part configured to hold the substrate; a sliding member configured to rotate about a vertical axis so that the sliding member slides on a back surface of the substrate; a revolution mechanism configured to revolve the sliding member under rotation about a vertical revolution axis; and a relative movement mechanism configured to horizontally move a relative position between the substrate and a revolution trajectory of the sliding member so that when the substrate is held by the first holding part, the sliding member slides on a central portion of the back surface of the substrate, and when the substrate is held by the second holding part, the sliding member slides on the peripheral portion of the back surface of the substrate under rotation.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, the apparatus including a stage configured to hold and move the substrate, a conveying unit configured to hold and convey the substrate between conveying unit and the stage, an accumulation unit configured to accumulate control information concerning the stage and the conveying unit which is generated by processing the substrate, and a determination unit configured to determine a conveying procedure when conveying the substrate between the stage and the conveying unit by selecting one of a plurality of conveying procedures which can be set for the stage and the conveying unit based on control information accumulated in the accumulation unit.

A lift pin assembly includes a lift pin having a first longitudinal axis substantially parallel with a first direction, a pin connection block combined with a lower end portion of the lift pin and including a first guide recess in a lower end portion of the pin connection block, the first guide recess extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and a lift pin holder having a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel with the first direction and including a first sliding portion to be received movably in the second direction within the first guide recess by an eccentricity distance of the second longitudinal axis from the first longitudinal axis when the lift pin holder is connected to the lower end portion of the pin connection block.

Embodiments of semiconductor structures for wafer flatness control and methods for using and forming the same are disclosed. In an example, a model indicative of a flatness difference of a wafer between a first direction and a second direction is obtained. The flatness difference is associated with one of a plurality of fabrication stages of a plurality of semiconductor devices on a front side of the wafer. A compensation pattern is determined for reducing the flatness difference based on the model. At the one of the plurality of the fabrication stages, a compensation structure is formed on a backside opposite to the front side of the wafer based on the compensation pattern to reduce the flatness difference.

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure apparatus includes a chamber, an EUV source in the chamber and configured to generate an EUV beam, an optical system above the EUV source and configured to provide the EUV beam to a substrate, a substrate stage in the chamber and configured to receive the substrate, a reticle stage in the chamber and configured to hold a reticle that is configured to project the EUV beam onto the substrate, and a plasma source configured to provide plasma to the reticle to electrically neutralize the reticle charged by the EUV beam.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: providing a first photoresist pattern on a wafer; measuring an overlay of the first photoresist pattern; generating a first overlay model function by a first overlay regression analysis of the measured overlay; and generating a second overlay model function by a second overlay regression analysis of a difference between the measured overlay and the first overlay model function.

The invention relates to a method for detecting the position of a mask holder for photolithographic masks, said method including the following steps: positioning the mask holder with the mask on a measuring table of a measurement apparatus, measuring the mask holder by use of an algorithm, storing the absolute position of the mask holder on the measuring table, and recording and storing at least one reference image.

An imprint lithography system that pressurizes and depressurizes an air cavity behind a retained imprint template or substrate so as to deflect the template or substrate to aid in filling the template pattern with fluid resist and/or separating the template from the cured resist on the substrate. The system includes a controller, pressure sensors, and an impedance valve for modulating the air cavity pressure so as to reduce pressure wave oscillations within the cavity that otherwise negatively impact overlay accuracy control, fluid spread control and separation control.

A method, system and program for determining a position of a feature referenced to a substrate. The method includes measuring a position of the feature, receiving an intended placement of the feature and determining an estimate of a placement error based on knowledge of a relative position of a first reference feature referenced to a first layer on a substrate with respect to a second reference feature referenced to a second layer on a substrate. The updated position may be used to position the layer of the substrate having the feature, or another layer of the substrate, or another layer of another substrate.