An apparatus for cleaning an electrostatic reticle holder used in a lithography system includes a chamber for providing a low pressure environment for the electrostatic reticle holder and an ultrasound transducer configured to apply ultrasound waves to the electrostatic reticle holder. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to control the ultrasound transducer and a gas flow controller. The gas flow controller is configured to enable pressurizing or depressurizing the chamber.

A system designed to couple a patterning device to a support structure having a plurality of burls includes a camera module, an actuator, and a controller. The camera module is designed to capture image data of a backside of the patterning device. The actuator is coupled to at least one burl of the plurality of burls and is designed to move the at least one burl. The controller is designed to receive the image data captured from the camera module and determine one or more locations of contamination on the backside of the patterning device from the image data. The controller is also designed to control the actuator to move the at least one burl of the plurality of burls away from the one or more locations of contamination on the backside of the patterning device, based on the determined locations of contamination.

A reticle stage is provided, including an electrostatic chuck and an acoustic wave transducer. The electrostatic chuck includes multiple chucking electrodes embedded in a dielectric body and configured to secure a reticle to a chuck surface of the dielectric body by electrostatic attraction. The acoustic wave transducer is disposed on the chuck surface and configured to impart a surface acoustic wave to the chuck surface to vibrate the chuck surface, thereby removing the reticle from the reticle stage.

A mask includes a substrate, a light-reflecting structure, a patterned layer, and a plurality of bumps. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface. The light-reflecting structure is located on the first surface of the substrate. The patterned layer is located on the light-reflecting structure. The bumps are located on the second surface of the substrate. The bumps define a plurality of voids therebetween and protrude in a direction away from the second surface of the substrate.

An object holder for a lithographic apparatus has a main body having a surface. A plurality of burls to support an object are formed on the surface or in apertures of a thin-film stack. At least one of the burls is formed by laser-sintering. At least one of the burls formed by laser-sintering may be a repair of a damaged burl previously formed by laser-sintering or another method.

An object table configured to hold an object on a holding surface, the object table including: a main body; a plurality of burls extending from the main body, end surfaces of the burls defining the holding surface; an actuator assembly; and a further actuator assembly, wherein the actuator assembly is configured to deform the main body to generate a long stroke out-of-plane deformation of the holding surface based on shape information of the object that is to be held and the further actuator assembly is configured to generate a short stroke out-of-plane deformation of the holding surface.

A process for manufacturing a flat, polymer-coated electrostatic chuck platen involves imposing forces on the chuck to compensate for platen warpage induced during shrinkage of the polymer coating as it is cured.

A reticle stage is provided, including an electrostatic chuck and an acoustic wave transducer. The electrostatic chuck includes multiple chucking electrodes embedded in a dielectric body and configured to secure a reticle to a chuck surface of the dielectric body by electrostatic attraction. The acoustic wave transducer is disposed on the chuck surface and configured to impart a surface acoustic wave to the chuck surface to vibrate the chuck surface, thereby removing the reticle from the reticle stage.

Semiconductor systems, apparatuses and methods are provided. In one embodiment, an extreme ultraviolet lithography system includes a substrate stage configured to secure a substrate at a first vertical level, wherein the substrate is deposited with a resist layer thereon; at least one electrode positioned at a second vertical level above the first vertical level; and a power source configured to apply an electric field across the at least one electrode and the substrate stage, including across a thickness of the resist layer when the substrate is secured on the substrate stage.

A holding mechanism includes a suction section and a sealing section. The suction section includes a suction area where a substrate is subjected to vacuum suction. The sealing section includes an elastic section having a plurality of sides arranged to surround the suction area and a plurality of corners each formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of sides, and a repulsive-force-suppressing section provided in at least one of the plurality of corners.