An apparatus for moving movable part on surface parallel to first and second directions includes single guide to constrain position of the movable part in the second direction and drive mechanism to drive the movable part. The movable part includes first movable member movable in the first direction while being guided by the guide, second movable member having first and second ends, the first end being connected to the first movable member via rotation bearing and moving above the surface, and third movable member movable within range between the first and second ends while being guided by the second movable member. The drive mechanism includes first driver to drive the first end of the second movable member in the first direction, and second driver to drive the second end of the second movable member in the first direction.

A substrate holder, for a lithographic apparatus, having a main body, a plurality of support elements to support a substrate and a seal unit. The seal unit may include a first seal positioned outward of and surrounding the plurality of support elements. A position of a substrate contact region of an upper surface of the first seal may be arranged at a distance from the plurality of support elements sufficient enough such that during the loading/unloading of the substrate, a force applied to the first seal by the substrate is greater than a force applied to the plurality of support elements by the substrate. A profile of the contact region, in a cross section through the seal, may have a shape which is configured such that during the loading/unloading of the substrate, the substrate contacts the seal via at least two different points of the profile.

Implementations described herein relate to a platform apparatus for post exposure processing. In one implementation, a platform apparatus includes a plumbing module and a process module. The process module further includes a central region having a robot disposed therein, and a plurality of process stations disposed about the central region and sharing the plumbing module. Each process station includes a process chamber and a post process chamber in a stacked arrangement. The process chamber includes a chamber body defining a process volume, a door coupled to the chamber body, a first electrode coupled to the door, and a power source communicatively coupled to the first electrode.

Provided herein are approaches for processing reticle blanks. In one approach, a reticle processing system includes a support assembly having a plate coupled to a frame, and a carrier assembly coupled to the support assembly. In one approach, the carrier assembly includes a carrier base coupled to the plate, a reticle disposed over the carrier base, and a carrier shield disposed over the reticle, wherein the carrier shield may include a central opening formed therein, allowing for placement and extraction of the reticle. In one approach, when the carrier assembly is placed atop the support assembly, a plurality of pins extend from the plate through corresponding openings in the carrier base, the plurality of pins supporting the carrier assembly so the carrier base, the reticle, and the carrier shield are each independently supported and vertically separated from one another.

A linear motor with high heat recovery efficiency that inhibits the rise in surface temperature is offered. The linear motor is disposed in a surrounding member (142) and facing a flow passage (142a) of a liquid for regulating temperature, and is provided with a coil unit (141) having at least a part thereof in contact with the liquid. The coil unit (141) is provided with a coil body (144), a mold layer (143) that covers the coil body and holds it in specific form, and a liquid protection layer (150) that covers the mold layer (143) and has liquid protection properties.

An exposure apparatus can mitigate the impact of fluctuations in the refractive index of ambient gas, and improve, for example, stage positioning accuracy. An exposure apparatus radiates an exposure illumination light to a wafer on a wafer stage through a projection optical system, and forms a prescribed pattern on the wafer, and comprises: a scale, which is provided to the wafer stage; a plurality of X heads, which detect information related to the position of the scale; a measurement frame that integrally supports the plurality of X heads and has a coefficient of linear thermal expansion that is smaller than that of the main body of the wafer stage (portions excepting a plate wherein the scale is formed); and a control apparatus that derives information related to the displacement of the wafer stage based on the detection results of the plurality of X heads.

An apparatus for reticle sub-field thermal control in a lithography system is disclosed. The apparatus includes a clamp configured to fix an object. The clamp includes a plurality of gas distribution features that are spatially arranged in a pattern. The apparatus further includes a gas pressure controller configured to individually control a gas flow rate through each of the plurality of gas distribution features to spatially modulate a gas pressure distribution in a space between the clamp and the object. The gas distribution features include a plurality of trenches or holes arranged in an array form.

A movable table system comprising two identical tables on a common rail arrangement having a linear rail region underneath a detection unit and a processing unit, and therefore the tables can be alternatingly moved in a straight line along the common rail arrangement, in the same table-movement direction, fully underneath the detection unit and processing unit, and can be independently controlled by a computer unit. The movable table system provides a new option for processing planar workpieces, in which a particularly high throughput rate and improved precision can be achieved using merely one processing unit.

Provided is a stage apparatus that includes a first movable unit; a linear motor that includes a stator coil array arranged over a stroke range in a predetermined direction of the first movable unit and a mover magnet fixed to the first movable unit; a second movable unit that is arranged to face the first movable unit via a space and relatively moves with respect to the first movable unit in the predetermined direction; and a switch unit that forms a closed circuit including coils in the stator coil array and a resistance during operation of a dynamic brake, wherein the resistance value of a first coil located at a center region of the stroke range in the stator coil array is larger than that of a second coil located toward an end side of the stroke range rather than the center region in the stator coil array.

A method of manufacturing an object holder for use in a lithographic apparatus, the object holder including one or more electrically functional components, the method including: using a composite structure including a carrier sheet different from a main body of the object holder and a layered structure including one or a plurality of layers and formed on the carrier sheet; connecting the composite structure to a surface of the main body such that the layered structure is between the carrier sheet and the surface of the main body; and removing the carrier sheet from the composite structure, leaving the layered structure connected to the main body.