A control method for a line narrowed gas laser apparatus is a control method for a line narrowed gas laser apparatus configured to emit a pulse laser beam including a first wavelength component and a second wavelength component. The apparatus includes a laser chamber including a pair of electrodes, an optical resonator including an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a parameter of an energy ratio of the first and second wavelength components, and a processor in which relation data indicating a relation of the parameter of the energy ratio with a control parameter of the adjustment mechanism is stored. The control method includes receiving a command value of the parameter of the energy ratio from an external device, and acquiring, based on the relation data, a value of the control parameter corresponding to the command value and controlling the adjustment mechanism based on the value of the control parameter.

A line narrowing device includes a first prism; first and second gratings arranged on the optical path of the light beam having passed through the first prism at positions different in a direction of grooves of either the first grating or the second grating; a beam adjustment optical system arranged on the optical path of the light beam between the first prism and at least one grating of the first and second gratings, and causing a first portion of the light beam to be incident on the first grating and causing a second portion of the light beam to be incident on the second grating; a first actuator adjusting an incident angle of the first portion on the first grating; a second actuator adjusting an incident angle of the second portion on the second grating; and a third actuator adjusting an energy ratio of the first and second portions.

A laser device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a chamber into which laser gas is introduced; a pair of electrodes arranged in the chamber; a power source configured to apply a voltage between the electrodes; a nozzle structure which includes an internal passage for receiving the laser gas and a slit connected to the internal passage and is configured to generate flow of the laser gas between the electrodes due to the laser gas blowing out from the slit; a gas flow path which has a suction port through which the laser gas in the chamber is suctioned and introduces, to the nozzle structure, the laser gas suctioned through the suction port; and a blower device configured to cause the laser gas to blow toward the internal passage of the nozzle structure through the gas flow path.

A control apparatus for performing position control of a moving object is provided. The apparatus includes a feedforward controller configured to perform feedforward control by giving a feedforward manipulated variable to the moving object. In a case that a duration of the feedforward control exceeds a predetermined time, the feedforward controller continues the feedforward control using a feedforward manipulated variable obtained based on a feedforward manipulated variable used in a predetermined section including an end of the predetermined time.

A method of operating a semiconductor apparatus includes generating an electric field in peripheral areas of a first covering structure and a second covering structure; causing a photomask to move to a position between the first and second covering structures such that the photomask at least partially vertically overlaps the first and second covering structures and such that particles attached to the photomask are attracted to the first and second covering structures by the electric field; and irradiating the photomask with light through light transmission regions of the first and second covering structures.

In a method executed in an exposure apparatus, a focus control effective region and a focus control exclusion region are set based on an exposure map and a chip area layout within an exposure area. Focus-leveling data are measured over a wafer. A photo resist layer on the wafer is exposed with an exposure light. When a chip area of a plurality of chip areas of the exposure area is located within an effective region of a wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control effective region, and when a part of or all of a chip area of the plurality of chip areas is located on or outside a periphery of the effective region of the wafer, the chip area is included in the focus control exclusion region In the exposing, a focus-leveling is controlled by using the focus-leveling data measured at the focus control effective region.

An object of the present invention is to provide: a compound containing an imide group which is not only cured under film formation conditions of inert gas as well as air and has excellent heat resistance and properties of filling and planarizing a pattern formed on a substrate, but can also form an organic underlayer film with favorable adhesion to a substrate, and a material for forming an organic film containing the compound. A material for forming an organic film, including: (A) a compound for forming an organic film shown by the following general formula (1A); and (B) an organic solvent, ##STR00001## noting that in the general formula (1B), when W.sub.1 represents ##STR00002##  R.sub.1 does not represent any of ##STR00003##

A positive resist composition comprising a base polymer comprising recurring units having a nitrogen-containing tertiary ester structure exhibits a high sensitivity, high resolution, low edge roughness (LER, LWR) and small size variation, and forms a pattern of good profile after exposure and development.

A resist underlayer composition and a method of forming patterns, the composition including a solvent; and a polymer that includes a structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 1 and a structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 2, ##STR00001##

A resist composition comprising a base polymer and a quencher in the form of an ammonium salt consisting of an ammonium cation having an iodized aromatic ring bonded to the nitrogen atom via a C.sub.1-C.sub.20 hydrocarbylene group which may contain an ester bond or ether bond and a carboxylate anion having an iodized or brominated hydrocarbyl group offers a high sensitivity and minimal LWR or improved CDU, independent of whether it is of positive or negative tone.