The present application relates to a film mask including: a transparent substrate; a darkened light-shielding pattern layer provided on the transparent substrate; and a release force enhancement layer provided on the darkened light-shielding pattern layer and having surface energy of 30 dynes/cm or less, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for forming a pattern using the film mask.

The present disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for processing a web-based substrate. As the substrate travels between rollers, the substrate may be stretched and thus distorted. Once the substrate reaches the roller, the substrate distortion is fixed. By adjusting the processing parameters, the distorted substrate is processed without correcting the distortion.

A lithography method comprises: providing a substrate with a target region; determining a topology of the substrate within the target region; determining a correcting telecentricity profile based on the topology of the substrate within the target region; providing a radiation beam; and projecting the radiation beam onto the target region of the substrate so as to form an image on the substrate. The radiation beam is such that a net direction of the total radiation received by one or more points in the target region of the substrate is chosen in dependence on the determined correcting telecentricity. The correcting telecentricity profile is such that the net direction of the total radiation received by at least one point in the target region of the substrate is chosen so as to at least partially correct for an overlay error introduced by a curvature of a surface of the substrate at said point.

An extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) system is disclosed. The system includes an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask with three states having respective reflection coefficient is r.sub.1, r.sub.2 and r.sub.3, wherein r.sub.3 is a pre-specified value that is a function of r1 and r2. The system also includes a nearly on-axis illumination (ONI) with partial coherence less than 0.3 to expose the EUV mask to produce diffracted light and non-diffracted light. The system further includes a projection optics box (PUB) to remove a portion of the non-diffracted light and to collect and direct the diffracted light and the remaining non-diffracted light to expose a target.

A projection objective for imaging a pattern arranged in an object surface of the projection objective into an image surface of the projection objective with a demagnified imaging scale has a plurality of optical elements which are arranged along an optical axis of the projection objective and are configured in such a way that a defined image field curvature of the projection objective is set in such a way that an object surface that is curved convexly with respect to the projection objective can be imaged into a planar image surface. What can be achieved given a suitable setting of the object surface curvature is that a gravitation-dictated bending of a mask does not have a disturbing effect on the imaging quality.

Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and apparatus useful in the nanopatterning of large area substrates, where a rotatable mask is used to image a radiation-sensitive material. Typically the rotatable mask comprises a cylinder. The nanopatterning technique makes use of Near-Field photolithography, where the mask used to pattern the substrate is in contact or close proximity with the substrate. The Near-Field photolithography may make use of an elastomeric phase-shifting mask, or may employ surface plasmon technology, where a rotating cylinder surface comprises metal nano holes or nanoparticles.

A system and method that bends a reticle and senses a curvature of a bent reticle in real-time. The system includes movable reticle stage, reticle vacuum clamps, sensor systems, and reticle bender. The reticle bender comprises piezo actuators. The sensor systems comprises measurement targets and corresponding sensors. The sensors are attached to the movable reticle stage and the measurement targets are attached to the reticle clamps, the reticle bender, or on reticle surfaces. The system is configured to determine a width of the reticle or distance between measurement targets at opposing ends of the reticle, measure a first rotational angle at a first end of the reticle, and measure a second local rotational angle at a second end of the reticle that is opposite to the first end. Based on the width or distance and the first and second angles, a field curvature of the reticle is determined.

Various non-planar reflective lithography masks, systems using such lithography masks, and methods are disclosed. An embodiment is a lithography mask comprising a transparent substrate, a reflective material, and a reticle pattern. The transparent substrate comprises a curved surface. The reflective material adjoins the curved surface of the transparent substrate, and an interface between the reflective material and the transparent substrate is a reflective surface. The reticle pattern is on a second surface of the transparent substrate. A reflectivity of the reticle pattern is less than a reflectivity of the reflective material. Methods for forming similar lithography masks and for using similar lithography masks are disclosed.

A projection objective for imaging a pattern arranged in an object surface of the projection objective into an image surface of the projection objective with a demagnified imaging scale has a plurality of optical elements which are arranged along an optical axis of the projection objective and are configured in such a way that a defined image field curvature of the projection objective is set in such a way that an object surface that is curved convexly with respect to the projection objective can be imaged into a planar image surface. What can be achieved given a suitable setting of the object surface curvature is that a gravitation-dictated bending of a mask does not have a disturbing effect on the imaging quality.

A circular cylinder-shaped mask is used to form an image of a pattern on a substrate via a projection optical system. The mask has a pattern formation surface on which the pattern is formed and that is placed around a predetermined axis, and the mask is able to rotate, with the predetermined axis taken as an axis of rotation, in synchronization with a movement of the substrate in at least a predetermined one-dimensional direction. When a diameter of the mask on the pattern formation surface is taken as D, and a maximum length of the substrate in the one-dimensional direction is taken as L, and a projection ratio of the projection optical system is taken as , and circumference ratio is taken as , then the conditions for D(L)/ are satisfied.