Disclosed is an actuator unit for positioning an optical element, comprising a first reluctance actuator comprising a first stator part and a first mover part separated by a gap in a first direction. The first mover part is constructed and arranged to be connected to the optical element and for moving the optical element. The first stator part is constructed and arranged to exert a magnetic force on the first mover part along a first line of actuation. The first mover part is movable relative to the first stator part in the first direction. The first stator part and the first mover part are constructed and arranged such that the first line of actuation is, in operational use, moving along with the first mover part in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, for at least a predetermined movement range of the first mover part in the second direction.

A method of patterning substrates using a lithographic apparatus. The method comprising providing a beam of radiation using an illumination system, using a patterning device to impart the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section, and using a projection system to project the patterned radiation beam onto target portions of a lot of substrates, wherein the method further comprises performing a radiation beam aberration measurement after projecting the patterned radiation beam onto a subset of the lot of substrates, performing an adjustment of the projection system using the results of the radiation beam aberration measurement, then projecting the patterned radiation beam onto a further subset of the lot of substrates.

Provided in the present invention is an adjustment and design method of an illumination system matched with multiple objective lenses in an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine; the illumination system to which the method is applied comprises a light source, a collection lens, a field compound eye, a pupil compound eye and a relay lens group; the method specifically comprises the steps: before a projection objective lens of an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine is replaced, calculating aperture angles of emergent ray of a relay lens A on a meridian plane and a sagittal plane by means of ray tracing; after the projection objective lens of the extreme ultraviolet lithography machine is replaced, taking out a central point of a exit pupil plane as an object point for ray tracing; adjusting inclination angles and positions of the relay lens A and a relay lens B, and adjusting inclination angles of central compound eye units of the pupil compound eye and the field compound eye, till an image plane of a current illumination system approximates to an arc-shaped image plane corresponding to the projection objective lens. By adjusting the illumination system on the basis of the adjustment method of the present invention, an illumination system matched with the projection objective lens system can be obtained, which dramatically reduces the cost of designing a projection lithography machine.

The disclosure provides a control device for controlling at least one manipulator of a microlithographic projection lens by generating a travel command, which defines a change to be undertaken, of an optical effect of at least one optical element of the projection lens by manipulating a property of the optical element via the at least one manipulator along a travel. The control device is configured to generate the travel command for the at least one manipulator from a state characterization of the projection lens by optimizing a merit function. Here, the merit function includes a linear combination of at least two exponential expressions, a setting of the at least one manipulator defining the manipulation of the property of the optical element is represented via a travel variable and the respective base of the at least two exponential expressions contains a function of the travel variable.

A method of reducing image placement errors in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes providing a mask, a light sensitive layer and a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus which images features of the mask onto the light sensitive surface using projection light. Subsequently, image placement errors associated with an image of the features formed on the light sensitive surface are determined either by simulation or metrologically. Then an input state of polarization of the projection light is changed to an elliptical output state of polarization which is selected such that the image placement errors are reduced.

A photolithography device includes: a fixed slot, configured to install and fix the light source; a sensing module, configured to sense the distance information between the light source and the fixed slot; a prompt module, configured to send prompt information according to the distance information; and a determination module, configured to determine the installation status of the light source according to the prompt information.

A lithography apparatus includes a formation unit that forms an alignment mark on a substrate by irradiating the substrate that includes a photosensitizer with light, and a transfer unit that aligns the substrate on the basis of the position of the alignment mark and that transfers a pattern to the substrate by illuminating the photosensitizer with exposure light. The formation unit irradiates a material of a grounding of the photosensitizer with irradiation light at a wavelength that differs from that of the exposure light and forms the alignment mark on the material by processing the material with energy of the irradiation light.

A lithographic apparatus includes an alignment sensor including a self-referencing interferometer for reading the position of a mark including a periodic structure. An illumination optical system focuses radiation of different colors and polarizations into a spot which scans said structure. Multiple position-dependent signals are detected in a detection optical system and processed to obtain multiple candidate position measurements. Each mark includes sub-structures of a size smaller than a resolution of the optical system. Each mark is formed with a positional offset between the sub-structures and larger structures that is a combination of both known and unknown components. A measured position of at least one mark is calculated using signals from a pair of marks, together with information on differences between the known offsets, in order to correct for said unknown component of said positional offset.

A photolithography device includes: a fixed slot, configured to install and fix the light source; a sensing module, configured to sense the distance information between the light source and the fixed slot; a prompt module, configured to send prompt information according to the distance information; and a determination module, configured to determine the installation status of the light source according to the prompt information.

An optical apparatus may include a housing having an opened front face, an optical unit freely movable into and out of an internal space of the housing through the front face, and a positioning portion disposed on a back side of the optical unit in the internal space. A base plate of the optical unit may include first and second convex portions disposed on a base end face of the base plate. The second convex portion may be disposed at a position different from the first convex portion in a width direction of the base plate. The positioning portion may include a V block having a V groove shape at a part contacting the first convex portion, and a flat block having a flat surface shape at a part contacting the second convex portion. The optical unit may be positioned in the internal space through the contact.