A light source is provided capable of maintaining the temperature of a collector surface at or below a predetermined temperature. The light source in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure includes a processor, a droplet generator for generating a droplet to create extreme ultraviolet light, a collector for reflecting the extreme ultraviolet light into an intermediate focus point, a light generator for generating pre-pulse light and main pulse light, and a thermal image capture device for capturing a thermal image from a reflective surface of the collector.

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating an original including a periodic pattern, a projection optical system for forming an image of the original on a substrate, a controller configured to cause light from the illumination optical system to be obliquely incident on the original such that a light intensity distribution which is line-symmetric with respect to a line, passing through an origin of a pupil region of the projection optical system and orthogonal to a periodic direction of the periodic pattern, is formed in the pupil region by diffracted light beams including diffracted light of not lower than 2nd-order from the periodic pattern, and to control exposure of the substrate such that each point in a shot region of the substrate is exposed in not less than two focus states.

The present disclosure provides a method for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system that includes a radiation source having a laser device configured with a mechanism to generate an EUV radiation. The method includes collecting a laser beam profile of a laser beam from the laser device in a 3-dimensional (3D) mode; collecting an EUV energy distribution of the EUV radiation generated by the laser beam in the 3D mode; performing an analysis to the laser beam profile and the EUV energy distribution, resulting in an analysis data; and adjusting the radiation source according to the analysis data to enhance the EUV radiation.

An extreme ultra violet (EUV) light source apparatus includes a metal droplet generator, a collector mirror, an excitation laser inlet port for receiving an excitation laser, a first mirror configured to reflect the excitation laser that passes through a zone of excitation, and a second mirror configured to reflect the excitation laser reflected by the first mirror.

A lithographic apparatus including a projection system having an optical axis and configured to project a radiation beam. The apparatus includes a measurement unit arranged to measure the radiation beam projected by the projection system, the measurement unit having an opening through which the radiation beam passes in use, and a sensing surface extending transverse to the optical axis and arranged to measure the radiation beam passing through the opening. The apparatus is configured to move the sensing surface in a plane transverse to the optical axis between a plurality of measurement positions. The radiation beam defines a view in the plane, and the measurement unit is configured such that the sensing surface captures, in each measurement position, a portion of the view smaller than 100% of the view.

Apparatus for and method of aligning optical components such as mirrors to facilitate proper beam alignment using an image integration optical system is used to integrate images from multiple optical features such as from both left mirror bank and right mirror bank to present the images simultaneously to the camera system. A fluorescent material may be used to render a beam footprint visible and the relative positions of the footprint and an alignment feature may be used to align the optical feature.

A method to determine an exposure time and/or intensity to be used for obtaining a desired feature of a relief structure, in particular a desired floor thickness, includes exposing a first side of a relief precursor with electromagnetic radiation, where the exposure is done in an area having a first position A and a second position B and is performed such that for a plurality of points between said first and second positions A, B the values for the exposure time and the exposure intensity are known, wherein the exposure time and/or the exposure intensity are automatically controlled to be varied at said plurality of points; determining one or more points of said plurality of points representative for the desired feature; and determining the required exposure time and/or exposure intensity for the desired feature based on the determined one or more points and the known values.

A measuring system (MS) configured to measure a projection radiation property representing an aberration level at a plurality of spaced apart measuring points distributed in the image field; and an operating control system with at least one manipulator operatively connected to an optical element of a projection exposure system to modify imaging properties of the projection exposure system based on measurement results generated by the measuring system. In a measuring point distribution calculation (MPDC), a measuring point distribution defining a number and positions of measuring points is used. The MPDC is performed under boundary conditions representing at least: (i) manipulation capacities of the operating control system; (ii) measuring capacities of the measuring system; and (iii) predefined use case scenarios defining a set of representative use cases. Each use case corresponds to a specific aberration pattern generated by the projection exposure system under a predefined set of use conditions.

The present invention relates to a method (100) which enables to fabricate one-dimensionally (linear) and two-dimensionally (planar)-confined micro/nano-structures at a desired position and depth inside a silicon chip, as embedded (buried) inside the chip and without damaging the chip surface, by means of spatially-structured laser beams.

The present invention quickly calculates values of optimal excitation parameters which are set in lenses in multiple stages. A multi charged particle beam adjustment method includes forming a multi charged particle beam, calculating, for each of lenses in two or more stages disposed corresponding to object lenses in two or more stages, a first rate of change and a second rate of change in response to change in at least an excitation parameter, the first rate of change being a rate of change in a demagnification level of a beam image of the multi charged particle beam, the second rate of change being a rate of change in a rotation level of the beam image, and calculating a first amount of correction to the excitation parameter of each of the lenses based on an amount of correction to the demagnification level and the rotation level of the beam image, the first rate of change, and the second rate of change.