Supersonic gas jets are provided near the immediate focus of a lithography apparatus in order to deflect tin debris generated by the lithography process away from a scanner side and towards a debris collection device. The gas jets can be positioned in a variety of useful orientations, with adjustable gas flow velocity and gas density in order to prevent up to nearly 100% of the tin debris from migrating to the reticle on the scanner side.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a photoresist layer comprising a photoresist composition over a substrate to form a photoresist-coated substrate. The photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern in the photoresist layer. The latent pattern is developed by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer exposing a portion of the substrate, and a purge gas is applied to the patterned photoresist layer.

An apparatus for reducing hydrogen permeation of a mask is provided when generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. The apparatus includes a mask stage configured to hold the mask, a hydrogen dispensing nozzle configured to eject hydrogen below the mask, and a trajectory correcting assembly. The trajectory correcting assembly includes a correcting nozzle and a gas flow detector. The correcting nozzle is configured to dispense at least one flow adjusting gas to adjust a trajectory of the hydrogen away from the mask to reduce hydrogen permeation at an edge of the mask. The gas flow detector is configured to measure a variation of an airflow of the hydrogen adjusted by the at least one flow adjusting gas.

Systems for cleaning optical surfaces of overlay inspection systems are disclosed. In particular, systems for optical-path coupling of light for in-situ photochemical cleaning in projection imaging systems are disclosed. A system for cleaning optical surfaces of overlay inspection systems includes a first illumination source, a detector, a set of illumination optics, and a set of imaging optics. In some embodiments, the system may include at least one of a second illumination source and a third illumination source, each of which may be configured to cause or aid the removal of contaminants from one or more optical surfaces of the system.

The present invention provides a fluid purging system (100) for an optical element (30), comprising a ring and a fluid supply system (40). The ring being formed of a body entirely surrounding the optical element, the ring defining a space (5) radially inwards thereof and adjacent to the optical element. The ring is formed by at least one first wall portion (10) and at least one second wall portion (20A;20B), wherein an average height of the first wall portion is greater than an average height of the second wall portion. The fluid supply system is positioned radially outwards of the ring and configured to supply fluid to pass over the at least one second wall portion to the space.

An apparatus for use in a metrology process or a lithographic process, the apparatus including: an object support module adapted to hold an object; and a first gas shower arranged on a first side of the object support module and adapted to emit a gas with a first velocity in a first gas direction which is a horizontal direction to cause a net gas flow in the apparatus to be a substantially horizontal gas flow in the first gas direction at least above the object support module.

A lithographic apparatus injects gas between a patterning device and a patterning device masking blade to help protect the patterning device from contamination. The gas may be injected into the space defined between the patterning device and the patterning device blade by one or more gas supply nozzles that are arranged on at least one side of the patterning device. The one or more gas supply nozzles are coupled to a frame which a patterning device support structure moves relative to. Each nozzle may be constructed and arranged to supply gas over at least the patterning region of the reflective patterning device.

In situ dynamic protection of an optical element surface against degradation includes disposing the optical element in an interior of an optical assembly for the FUV/VUV wavelength range and supplying at least one volatile fluorine-containing compound (A, B) to the interior for dynamic deposition of a fluorine-containing protective layer on the surface. The protective layer (7) is deposited on the surface layer by layer via a molecular layer deposition process. The compound includes a fluorine-containing reactant (A) supplied to the interior in a pulsed manner. A further reactant (B) is supplied to the interior also in a pulsed manner. An associated optical assembly includes an interior in which a surface is disposed, and at least one metering apparatus (123) that supplies a reactant to the interior. The metering apparatus provides a pulsed supply of the compound as a reactant (A, B) for layer by layer molecular layer deposition.

An encoder includes an optical component and an enclosing device having a first surface portion and a second surface portion. The first surface portion is arranged to receive from an ambient environment a first radiation beam. The second surface portion is arranged to receive from the ambient environment a second radiation beam. The optical component is arranged to combine the first and second radiation beams. The enclosing device is arranged to propagate the first radiation beam along a first path. The first path is between the first surface portion and the optical component. The enclosing device is arranged to propagate the second radiation beam along a second path. The second path is between the second surface portion and the optical component. The enclosing device is arranged to enclose a space, so as to isolate the first path and the second path from the ambient environment.

Supersonic gas jets are provided near the immediate focus of a lithography apparatus in order to deflect tin debris generated by the lithography process away from a scanner side and towards a debris collection device. The gas jets can be positioned in a variety of useful orientations, with adjustable gas flow velocity and gas density in order to prevent up to nearly 100% of the tin debris from migrating to the reticle on the scanner side.