A linear motor with high heat recovery efficiency that inhibits the rise in surface temperature is offered. The linear motor is disposed in a surrounding member (142) and facing a flow passage (142a) of a liquid for regulating temperature, and is provided with a coil unit (141) having at least a part thereof in contact with the liquid. The coil unit (141) is provided with a coil body (144), a mold layer (143) that covers the coil body and holds it in specific form, and a liquid protection layer (150) that covers the mold layer (143) and has liquid protection properties.

Methods for reducing reticle transmission differences and for optimizing layer placement for overlay in MTRs and CTRs are disclosed. Embodiments include providing a reticle having a prime area and a frame area surrounding the prime area; determining RT differences across the prime area; and providing RT adjustment structures on the reticle to decrease the RT differences. Other embodiments include grouping multiple layers of a semiconductor production flow, the layers for each group having an RT difference less than a predetermined value; and placing the layers on plural ordered reticles of a reticle set, each reticle having multiple image fields, by selecting, for each reticle, layers from a single group and optimizing placement of the layers for overlay. Other embodiments include selectively rotating image fields on a reticle having multiple image fields to improve overlay, or optimizing placement of DDLs on CTRs by placing each design orientation on a different reticle.

A substrate with a multilayer reflective film capable of facilitating the discovery of contaminants, scratches and other critical defects by inhibiting the detection of pseudo defects attributable to surface roughness of a substrate or film in a defect inspection using a highly sensitive defect inspection apparatus. The substrate with a multilayer reflective film has a multilayer reflective film obtained by alternately laminating a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer on a main surface of a mask blank substrate used in lithography, wherein an integrated value I of the power spectrum density (PSD) at a spatial frequency of 1 μm.sup.−1 to 10 μm.sup.−1 of the surface of the substrate with a multilayer reflective film, obtained by measuring a region measuring 3 μm×3 μm with an atomic force microscope, is not more than 180×10.sup.−3 nm.sup.3, and the maximum value of the power spectrum density (PSD) at a spatial frequency of 1 μm.sup.−1 to 10 μm.sup.−1 is not more than 50 nm.sup.4.

There are provided a liquid processing method, a liquid processing apparatus and a recording medium for liquid processing which can enhance the uniformity of the coating state of a processing liquid on a substrate. A coating unit includes a rotary holder for rotating a wafer, a nozzle for supplying a processing liquid onto a surface of the wafer, and a controller for controlling the position of the nozzle with respect to the wafer. A liquid processing method includes: starting the supply of the processing liquid to the surface of the wafer at an eccentric position at a distance from the center of rotation of the wafer, and moving the position on the wafer to which the processing liquid is supplied toward the center of rotation of the wafer while rotating the wafer at a first rotational speed; and, after the processing liquid supply position has reached the center of rotation of the wafer, rotating the wafer at a second rotational speed which is higher than the first rotational speed, thereby allowing the processing liquid to spread toward the periphery of the wafer.

A stage assembly (10) that includes (i) a stage (14) that retains a device (26); (ii) a reaction assembly (18) that is spaced apart from the stage (14); (iii) a stage mover (16) that moves the stage (14), the stage mover (16) including a magnet array (38) that is coupled to the stage (14) and a conductor array (36) that is coupled to the reaction assembly (18); (iv) a temperature adjuster (20); and (v) a control system (22) that selectively controls the temperature adjuster (20). The conductor array (36) includes a set of first zone conductor units (250), and a set of second zone conductor units (252). The temperature adjuster (20) independently adjusts the temperature of the set of first zone conductor units (250), and the set of second zone conductor units (252).

A lithographic apparatus includes an alignment sensor including a self-referencing interferometer for reading the position of an alignment target comprising a periodic structure. An illumination optical system for focusing radiation into a spot on said structure. An asymmetry detection optical system receives a share of positive and negative orders of radiation diffracted by the periodic structure, and forms first and second images of said spot on first and second detectors respectively, wherein said negative order radiation is used to form the first image and said positive order radiation is used to form the second image. A processor for processing together signals from said first and second detectors representing intensities of said positive and negative orders to produce a measurement of asymmetry in the periodic structure. The asymmetry measurement can be used to improve accuracy of the position read by the alignment sensor.

Methods for calibrating a photolithographic system are disclosed. A cold lens contour for a reticle design and at least one hot lens contour for the reticle design are generated from which a process window is defined. Aberrations induced by a lens manipulator are characterized in a manipulator model and the process window is optimized using the manipulator model. Aberrations are characterized by identifying variations in critical dimensions caused by lens manipulation for a plurality of manipulator settings and by modeling behavior of the manipulator as a relationship between manipulator settings and aberrations. The process window may be optimized by minimizing a cost function for a set of critical locations.

The present invention is configured to: form, on a substrate, a neutral layer having an intermediate affinity to a hydrophilic polymer and a hydrophobic polymer; form a resist pattern by performing exposure processing on a resist film formed on the neutral layer and then developing the resist film after the exposure processing; perform a surface treatment on the resist pattern by supplying an organic solvent having a polarity to the resist pattern; apply the block copolymer onto the neutral layer; and phase-separate the block copolymer on the neutral layer into the hydrophilic polymer and the hydrophobic polymer.

Disclosed is a magnification device for use by blind and/or low vision individuals. The device includes an X-Y table upon which an item to be magnified can be placed. A stationary camera arm and a pivotal monitor arm are oriented over the X-Y table. The monitor arm includes a video monitor pivotally mounted at its distal end. The camera arm also includes two laterally disposed lighting arms. A series of controls are provided along a lower edge of the monitor via a mounting bracket.

A liquid treatment method includes: supplying a first organic solvent to a substrate with the substrate being held horizontally by a substrate holder; and thereafter supplying a second organic solvent to a substrate held by the substrate holder, the second solvent having a higher cleanliness than the first solvent.