An extreme ultraviolet light generation system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first actuator that changes a travel direction of prepulse laser light to be output from a first optical element arranged on an optical path of the prepulse laser light between a prepulse laser device and a beam combiner, and a second actuator that changes irradiation positions of the prepulse laser light and main pulse laser light to be output from a light concentrating optical system, a plurality of sensors that detect light radiated from a predetermined region by a target being irradiated with the main pulse laser light, and a controller. Here, the controller controls the first actuator so that an evaluation value calculated from output of the plurality of sensors approaches a target value, and thereafter, controls the second actuator so that the evaluation value approaches the target value.

An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus includes a disc-shaped cathode rotating about an axis, a disc-shaped anode rotating about an axis, an energy beam irradiation device irradiating a plasma raw material on the cathode with an energy beam to vaporize the plasma raw material, a power supply for causing a discharge between the cathode and the anode for generating a plasma in the gap between the cathode and the anode to emit extreme ultraviolet light, and an irradiation position adjusting mechanism for adjusting a position at which the cathode is irradiated with the energy beam. The cathode, the anode, and the irradiation position adjusting mechanism are accommodated in a housing. A photography device is disposed outside the housing and is configured to photograph a visible-light image of a vicinity of the cathode and the anode, the vicinity including visible light emitted from the plasma.

In accordance with some embodiments, a lithography method in semiconductor manufacturing is provided. The lithography method includes transmitting a main pulse laser to a zone of excitation through a first optic assembly. The lithography method further includes supplying a coolant to the first optic assembly and detecting a temperature of the coolant with a use of at least one sensor. The lithography method also includes adjusting a heat transfer rate between the coolant and the first optic assembly based on the temperature of the first optic assembly. In addition, the lithography method includes generating a droplet of a target material into the zone of excitation. The lithography method further includes exciting the droplet of the target material into plasma with the main pulse laser in the zone of excitation.

A beam-splitting apparatus arranged to receive an input radiation beam and split the input radiation beam into a plurality of output radiation beams. The beam-splitting apparatus comprising a plurality of reflective diffraction gratings arranged to receive a radiation beam and configured to form a diffraction pattern comprising a plurality of diffraction orders, at least some of the reflective diffraction gratings being arranged to receive a 0.sup.th diffraction order formed at another of the reflective diffraction gratings. The reflective diffraction gratings are arranged such that the optical path of each output radiation beam includes no more than one instance of a diffraction order which is not a 0.sup.th diffraction order.

An exposure apparatus and method. The exposure apparatus includes a control system, light source system, plurality of illumination systems and plurality of projection objective lenses. The light source system is configured to emit a plurality of first illumination beams incident on the illumination systems. Each illumination system includes a variable attenuator and branch energy detector. The branch energy detector is configured to detect an illuminance level of a second illumination beam generated in the corresponding illumination system and feed it back to the control system. The control system is configured to adjust the illuminance levels of the second illumination beams in the respective illumination systems by controlling the respective variable attenuators therein. The exposure apparatus and method have improved exposure performance and allow finer and faster energy adjustments, thus enabling precise control and higher exposure accuracy.

A method includes: producing a light beam made up of pulses having a wavelength in the deep ultraviolet range, each pulse having a first temporal coherence defined by a first temporal coherence length and each pulse being defined by a pulse duration; for one or more pulses, modulating the optical phase over the pulse duration of the pulse to produce a modified pulse having a second temporal coherence defined by a second temporal coherence length that is less than the first temporal coherence length of the pulse; forming a light beam of pulses at least from the modified pulses; and directing the formed light beam of pulses toward a substrate within a lithography exposure apparatus.

This application provides a method for generating an exposure compensation table, a method for photoresist exposure compensation, and an exposure machine. The method for generating an exposure compensation table includes: recording preset exposure parameters and a critical dimension value of a photoresist pattern; and exposing and developing until all preset exposure parameters have been tested.

A method for controlling a processing apparatus used in a semiconductor manufacturing process to form a structure on a substrate, the method including: obtaining a relationship between a geometric parameter of the structure and a performance characteristic of a device including the structure; and determining a process setting for the processing apparatus associated with a location on the substrate, wherein the process setting is at least partially based on an expected value of the geometric parameter of the structure when using the processing setting, a desired performance characteristic of the device and an expected physical yield margin or defect yield margin associated with the location on the substrate.

A method of assembling a facet mirror of an optical system, in which facets of the facet mirror are imaged onto a field plane of the optical system, includes: a) determining positions of the facets of the facet mirror relative to interfaces of the facet mirror, with the aid of which the facet mirror is able to be connected to a support structure; b) calculating an actual position of an object field of the optical system arising for the facet mirror in the field plane; and c) arranging spacers between the interfaces and the support structure so that the object field in the field plane is brought from the calculated actual position to a target position.

An exposure method includes acquiring first height information through detection of a height of an upper surface of a substrate subjected to exposure; acquiring first position information through detection of a relative position between the substrate and a first mask having a first pattern to be transferred on the substrate; converting the first height information to second position information; acquiring second height information through detection of a height of the upper surface of the substrate; acquiring third position information through detection of a relative position between the substrate and a second mask having a second pattern to be transferred on the substrate; converting the second height information to fourth position information; calculating differential position information, based on difference between the second position information and the fourth position information; and aligning the second mask and the substrate, based on the third position information and the differential position information.