An edge exposure tool may include a lens adjustment device that is capable of automatically adjusting various parameters of an edge exposure lens to account for changes in operating parameters of the edge exposure tool. In some implementations, the edge exposure tool may also include a controller that is capable of determining edge adjustment parameters for the edge exposure lens and exposure control parameters for the edge exposure tool using techniques such as big data mining, machine learning, and neural network processing. The lens adjustment device and the controller are capable of reducing and/or preventing the performance of the edge exposure tool from drifting out of tolerance, which may maintain the operation performance of the edge exposure tool and reduce the likelihood of wafer scratching, and may reduce the down-time of the edge exposure tool that would otherwise be caused by cleaning and calibration of the edge exposure lens.

A device for measuring reference points in real time during lithographic printing includes a light source providing an exposure beam; a light modulator modulating the exposure beam according to an exposure pattern; a measurement system configured to measure a position of a number of alignment marks previously arranged on a substrate; and an exposure optical system comprising a control unit. The exposure optical system delivers the modulated exposure beam as an image provided by the light modulator onto the substrate. The exposure system control unit is configured to calculate the orientation of the substrate based on the position of the alignment marks and control the delivering of the modulated exposure beam relative to the calculated orientation of the substrate.

A beam-forming and illuminating system for a lithography system, such an EUV lithography system, includes an optical element and an adjusting device. The adjusting device is configured so that, during a heat-up phase of the beam-forming and illuminating system, the adjusting device measures a field position and/or a pupil position of the beam-forming and illuminating system and adjusts the orientation and/or position of the optical element based on the measured field position and/or pupil position to keep the optical element in a desired position.

A method includes: a) measuring individual parts K1-KN of an optical system to provide measurement data, N being greater than one; b) using the measurement data to virtualize the individual parts K1-KN and using the virtualized individual parts K1-KN to generate an actual assembly model by geometrically stringing together a plurality of the virtualized individual parts K1-KN, the actual assembly model comprising virtual actual positions of the virtualized individual parts K1-KN in a virtually assembled state; c) using the actual assembly model and a target assembly model to determine a correction measure, the target assembly model comprising virtual target positions of one or more of the virtualized individual parts K1-KN in the virtually assembled state; and d) using the correction measure, assembling the individual parts K1-KN to form the optical system.

An arrangement for use in a microlithographic optical imaging device includes an optical unit and a supporting structure for supporting the optical unit. The optical unit includes an optical element, a carrier structure for carrying the optical element, and an active actuating device. The optical element is supported on the carrier structure via of the active actuating device. The active actuating device is configured to adjust the optical element during normal operation of the optical imaging device in a maximum movement range, which is predefined by the normal operation of the optical imaging device, with respect to a first reference assigned to the imaging device. The active actuating device is configured so that the maximum movement range is completely covered by actuating movements of the active actuating device with an actuating accuracy predefined by the normal operation of the optical imaging device.

A movable body apparatus has: a substrate holder holding a substrate and can move in the X and Y-axes directions; a Y coarse movement stage movable in the Y-axis direction; a first measurement system acquiring position information on the substrate holder by heads on the substrate holder and a scale on the Y coarse movement stage; a second measurement system acquiring position information on the Y coarse movement stage by heads on the Y coarse movement stage and a scale; and a control system controlling the position of the substrate holder based on position information acquired by the first and second measurement systems. The first measurement system irradiates a measurement beam while moving the heads in the X-axis direction with respect to the scale, and the second measurement system irradiates a measurement beam while moving the heads in the Y-axis direction with respect to the scale.

A metrology apparatus (302) includes a higher harmonic generation (HHG) radiation source for generating (310) EUV radiation. Operation of the HHG source is monitored using a wavefront sensor (420) which comprises an aperture array (424, 702) and an image sensor (426). A grating (706) disperses the radiation passing through each aperture so that the image detector captures positions and intensities of higher diffraction orders for different spectral components and different locations across the beam. In this way, the wavefront sensor can be arranged to measure a wavefront tilt for multiple harmonics at each location in said array. In one embodiment, the apertures are divided into two subsets (A) and (B), the gratings (706) of each subset having a different direction of dispersion. The spectrally resolved wavefront information (430) is used in feedback control (432) to stabilize operation of the HGG source, and/or to improve accuracy of metrology results.

An optical assembly and a method of making an optical assembly in which additive manufacturing techniques are used to form a support structure either directly on an optical element or on a carrier that is subsequently bonded to an optical element.

A projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor technology includes an optical arrangement with an optical element having an optically effective surface. The optical arrangement also includes an actuator embedded in the optical element. The actuator is outside the optically effective surface and outside the region located behind the optically effective surface. The optical arrangement is set up to deform the optically effective surface.

An edge exposure tool may include a lens adjustment device that is capable of automatically adjusting various parameters of an edge exposure lens to account for changes in operating parameters of the edge exposure tool. In some implementations, the edge exposure tool may also include a controller that is capable of determining edge adjustment parameters for the edge exposure lens and exposure control parameters for the edge exposure tool using techniques such as big data mining, machine learning, and neural network processing. The lens adjustment device and the controller are capable of reducing and/or preventing the performance of the edge exposure tool from drifting out of tolerance, which may maintain the operation performance of the edge exposure tool and reduce the likelihood of wafer scratching, and may reduce the down-time of the edge exposure tool that would otherwise be caused by cleaning and calibration of the edge exposure lens.