The invention relates to support structure, comprising: a first body; a second body; a first support having a first stiffness; a second support having a second stiffness, wherein the second body supports the first body at a first location via the first support, wherein the second body supports the first body at a second location via the second support; a position measurement system arranged to generate a deformation signal representative of a difference of deformation of the first body and the second body relative to each other; a first actuator to apply a force between the first body and the second body at or near the first location; a second actuator to apply a force between the first body and the second and body at or near the second location; wherein the support structure comprises a controller arranged to determine a deformation compensation signal on the basis of the first stiffness, the second stiffness and the deformation signal and to drive at least one of the first actuator and the second actuator on the basis of the deformation compensation signal to prevent or at least reduce deformation of the first body.

The invention pertains to a stage system, and to a lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device in which a stage system is used. In the stage system a positioning system is provided comprising an actuator adapted to position an object table. The actuator comprises a magnet assembly and a coil assembly. The magnet assembly comprises a first magnetic body and a second magnetic body, which are in use subjected to a internal magnetic force. The magnet assembly has a separate interface for connecting each magnetic body to the object table separately. The magnet assembly further comprises a spacer device, which holds the first and second magnetic body at a relative distance to each other in at least the direction of the internal magnetic force.

An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate by exposure light via liquid between an optical member and the substrate, the exposure apparatus includes: an apparatus frame, an optical system including the optical member, a liquid immersion member that is configured to form an immersion liquid space and that includes a first member disposed at at least a portion of surrounding of the optical member and a second member disposed at at least a portion of surrounding of the optical member, a driving apparatus configured to relatively move the second member with respect to the first member, and a vibration isolator by which the first member is supported to the apparatus frame.

A vibration attenuation structure includes: a detection component covering an outer surface of a pipe and configured to detect a vibration frequency of the pipe, and an attenuation component covering the outer surface of the pipe; wherein, the pipe being configured to transmit fluid, the detection component and the attenuation component are arranged in parallel along a direction parallel to an axis of the pipe, and the attenuation component is capable of adjusting a vibration-absorbing frequency of the attenuation component according to the vibration frequency to attenuate vibration of the pipe.

The vibration-suppressing mechanism includes: a first arcuate member that has an inner wall surface shaped along an outer wall of a column of a charged particle beam device; a second arcuate member that has an inner wall surface shaped along an outer wall of a column of the charged particle beam device and is connected to the first arcuate member to form an annular member surrounding the outer wall of the column of the charged particle beam device; a fastening member fastening both the first arcuate member and the second arcuate member together; a vibration sensor attached to the arcuate member; and an actuator that operates in response to an output of the vibration sensor, and can be detached by releasing connection obtained by a connecting member.

A lithographic apparatus comprises a base frame constructed to form a supporting structure of the lithographic apparatus, an active base frame support arranged between the base frame and a ground floor. The active base frame support is configured to support the base frame on the ground floor. The active base frame support comprises an actuator configured to exert a force in a horizontal direction between the base frame and the ground plane. The lithographic apparatus further comprises a control device configured to drive the actuator, a signal representative of a disturbance force on the base frame being provided to the control device, the control device being configured to drive the actuator using the force sensor signal.

The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus, comprising: a primary frame (10) which is provided with a functional unit (11, 12, 14), a secondary frame (20), a primary frame support (30), which is adapted to support the primary frame onto the secondary frame, a flexible utility connection (40), adapted to connect the functional unit to an auxiliary system (51, 52, 53), a vibration isolation body (60) having a body mass, which is moveably connected to the secondary frame by a flexible passive body support (61) having a body support stiffness, wherein the flexible utility connection is fixed to the vibration isolation body at a distance from the primary frame.

The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus, comprising: a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate, comprising optical elements, a sensor frame, a first position measurement system configured to measure a position of an optical element relative to the sensor frame, comprising a sensor adapted to monitor an optical element, with a sensor element mounted to the sensor frame, a sensor frame support supporting the sensor frame on a reference, a force measurement device adapted to generate force measurement data relating to force exerted on the sensor frame by the sensor frame support, a position control device adapted to control the relative position of the substrate and the patterned radiation beam wherein the position control device is configured to receive the force measurement data and to control said relative position based on at least the force measurement data.

The invention relates to a bearing device arranged to support in a vertical direction a first part of an apparatus with respect to a second part of the apparatus, comprising a magnetic gravity compensator. The magnetic gravity compensator comprises:

a first permanent magnet assembly mounted to one of the first part and the second part and comprising at least a first column of permanent magnets, the first column extending in the vertical direction, wherein the permanent magnets have a polarization direction in a first horizontal direction or in a second horizontal direction opposite to the first horizontal direction, wherein vertically adjacent permanent magnets have opposite polarization directions,

a second permanent magnet assembly mounted to the other of the first part and the second part and comprising at least one other column of permanent magnets, the at least one other column extending in the vertical direction, wherein vertically adjacent permanent magnets of the at least one other column have opposite polarization directions in the first horizontal direction or the second horizontal direction,

wherein the first permanent magnet assembly at least partially encloses the second permanent magnet assembly.

A lithography apparatus and device manufacturing methods are disclosed. A lithography apparatus includes a support stage, and a measurement system including a sensor part and a reference part, the measurement system being configured to determine the position and/or orientation of the support stage, or of a component mounted on the support stage, relative to a reference frame by using the sensor part to interact with the reference part, wherein: the reference frame comprises N sub-frames coupled together so as to behave predominantly as a single rigid body with respect to vibrations below a first reference frequency and predominantly as an N-body system with respect to vibrations above a second reference frequency, where N is an integer greater than 1.