In a method of cleaning a lithography system, during idle mode, a stream of air is directed, through a first opening, into a chamber of a wafer table of an EUV lithography system. One or more particles is extracted by the directed stream of air from surfaces of one or more wafer chucks in the chamber of the wafer table. The stream of air and the extracted one or more particle are drawn, through a second opening, out of the chamber of the wafer table.

A lithography system includes an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source, a reticle stage, a reflection layer, and a plurality of light permeable protrusions. The EUV light source is configured for generating an EUV light beam. The reticle stage is configured for holding a reticle with a front surface of the reticle facing in a downward direction. The reflection layer is below the reticle stage. The light permeable protrusions are formed on the reflection layer. Each of the light permeable protrusions includes a bouncing surface facing in a direction that forms an acute angle with the downward direction. A first portion of the EUV light beam from the EUV light source passes through the bouncing surface of each of the light permeable protrusions to the reflection layer and is reflected to the reticle by the reflection layer.

Systems and methods for mitigating and reducing contamination of one or more components of overlay inspection systems are disclosed. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure may utilize a counterflow of purge gas through a counterflow nozzle to reduce the presence of contaminants within one or more portions of an inspection system. The system may include a source chamber, one or more vacuum chambers, an intermediate focus housing having an aperture, an illumination source configured to generate and direct illumination through the aperture in an illumination direction, and a counterflow nozzle configured to direct a counterflow of purge gas into the source chamber in a direction opposite the illumination direction.

In a method of cleaning a lithography system, during idle mode, a stream of air is directed, through a first opening, into a chamber of a wafer table of an EUV lithography system. One or more particles is extracted by the directed stream of air from surfaces of one or more wafer chucks in the chamber of the wafer table. The stream of air and the extracted one or more particle are drawn, through a second opening, out of the chamber of the wafer table.

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate, comprising: an optical system configured to emit, in a first direction, light for exposing the substrate; a first supplier configured to supply a gas into a chamber where the optical system is arranged; and a second supplier configured to supply a gas to an optical path space where the light from the optical system passes through, wherein the second supplier includes a gas blower including a blowing port from which a gas is blown out in a second direction, and the guide member configured to guide the gas blown out from the blowing port to the optical path space, and the guide member includes a plate member extended on a side of the first direction of the blowing port so as to be arranged along the second direction.

A photolithography system utilizes tin droplets to generate extreme ultraviolet radiation for photolithography. The photolithography system irradiates the droplets with a laser. The droplets become a plasma and emit extreme ultraviolet radiation. The photolithography system senses contamination of a collector mirror by the tin droplets and adjusts the flow of a buffer fluid to reduce the contamination.

An exposure tool is configured to remove contaminants and/or prevent contamination of mirrors and/or other optical components included in the exposure tool. In some implementations, the exposure tool is configured to flush and/or otherwise remove contaminants from an illuminator, a projection optics box, and/or one or more other subsystems of the exposure tool using a heated gas such as ozone (O.sub.3) or extra clean dry air (XCDA), among other examples. In some implementations, the exposure tool is configured to provide a gas curtain (or gas wall) that includes hydrogen (H.sub.2) or another type of gas to reduce the likelihood of contaminants reaching the mirrors included in the exposure tool. In this way, the mirrors and one or more other components of the exposure tool are cleaned and maintained in a clean environment in which radiation absorbing contaminants are controlled to increase the performance of the exposure tool.

A metal-containing photoresist film may be deposited on a semiconductor substrate using a dry deposition technique. Unintended metal-containing photoresist material may form on internal surfaces of a process chamber during deposition, bevel and backside cleaning, baking, development, or etch operations. An in situ dry chamber clean may be performed to remove the unintended metal-containing photoresist material by exposure to an etch gas. The dry chamber clean may be performed at elevated temperatures without striking a plasma. In some embodiments, the dry chamber clean may include pumping/purging and conditioning operations.

A chamber device may include a concentrating mirror, a central gas supply port, an inner wall, an exhaust port, a recessed portion, and a lateral gas supply port. The recessed portion may be on a side lateral to the focal line and recessed outward from the inner wall when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the focal line. The lateral gas supply port is formed at the recessed portion and may supply gas toward gas supplied from the central gas supply port so that a flow direction of the gas supplied from the central gas supply port is bent from a direction along the focal line toward the exhaust port and an internal space of the recessed portion.

Reticle pods include interfacing surfaces to secure segments of the reticle pod to one another. At least one of the interfacing surfaces is a ramped surface, such that when the reticle pods are secured to one another, the reticle is clamped between reticle contacts provided on the segments of the reticle pod. When the reticle pod is assembled and contains a reticle, a purge gas flow passage can be formed in the reticle pod. The height of the reticle contacts and the thickness of the reticle can be such that the reticle pod segments are spaced apart from one another by a gap, with the gap providing the purge gas flow passage. The reticle pod can be a stocker pod for the transportation and storage of reticles.