The present invention provides a switching valve comprising: a housing including a first port, a second port, and a third port; a valve element configured to be movable in the housing so as to selectively allow one of the first port and the second port to communicate with the third port in accordance with a pressure difference between the first port and the second port; and a pressing member configured to press the valve element toward a side of the first port.

Imprint lithography template chucks and related systems and methods are provided that substantially maintain structural support functions while significantly enhancing imprint quality functions. The chucks incorporate dynamic vacuum seals to substantially reduce template contact during alignment and distortion correction while still providing good structural support upon separation.

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate, the apparatus including a convey unit configured to convey the substrate while chucking and holding a lower surface of the substrate, and a control unit configured to control a conveyance condition of the convey unit so that a conveyance acceleration is lower when the convey unit conveys the substrate in a vertical direction with downward acceleration than when the convey unit conveys the substrate in the vertical direction with upward acceleration.

An apparatus for transferring a target, such as a substrate or a substrate support structure onto which a substrate has been clamped, from a substrate transfer system to a vacuum chamber of a lithography system. The apparatus comprises a load lock chamber for transferring the target into and out of the vacuum chamber. The load lock chamber comprises a first wall with a first passage providing access between a robot space and the interior of the load lock chamber, a second wall with a second passage providing access between the interior of the load lock chamber and the vacuum chamber, and plurality of handling robots for transferring the targets comprising: a first handling robot movable within the robot space to access the substrate transfer system and the first passage; and a second handling robot movable within the load lock chamber to access the first passage and the second passage.

The present invention provides a switching valve comprising: a housing including a first port, a second port, and a third port; a valve element configured to be movable in the housing so as to selectively allow one of the first port and the second port to communicate with the third port in accordance with a pressure difference between the first port and the second port; and a pressing member configured to press the valve element toward a side of the first port.

A substrate holder (WT) for use in a lithographic apparatus and configured to support a substrate, the substrate holder comprising: a main body (20) having a main body surface; and a plurality of burls (21) projecting from the main body surface; wherein each burl has a distal end configured to engage with the substrate; the distal ends of the burls substantially conform to a support plane whereby a substrate can be supported in a substantially flat state on the burls; and a flow control feature (22, 22c, 22d) configured to form a gas cushion adjacent the periphery of the substrate holder when a substrate is being lowered onto the substrate holder.

A substrate holding device is equipped with a substrate holder that adsorbs and holds a substrate, and a plurality of vertical movement pin units that each have, at one end, an adsorption section to adsorb a rear surface of the substrate, and are movable relative to the substrate holder in a state of adsorbing the rear surface of the substrate with the adsorption section. The plurality of vertical movement pin units each have at least part including the adsorption section that is displaced in at least one direction, by an action of a force received from the adsorbed substrate.

An immersion lithographic apparatus is described in which a two-phase flow is separated into liquid-rich and gas-rich flows by causing the liquid-rich flow to preferentially flow along a surface.

A substrate holding device is equipped with a substrate holder that adsorbs and holds a substrate, and a plurality of vertical movement pin units that each have, at one end, an adsorption section to adsorb a rear surface of the substrate, and are movable relative to the substrate holder in a state of adsorbing the rear surface of the substrate with the adsorption section. The plurality of vertical movement pin units each have at least part including the adsorption section that is displaced in at least one direction, by an action of a force received from the adsorbed substrate.

The invention relates to a lithography system, for example for projecting an image or an image pattern on to a target (1) such as a wafer, said target being included in said system by means of a target table (2), clamping means being present for clamping said target on said table. Said clamping means comprises a layer of stationary liquid (3), included at such thickness between target and target table that, provided the material of the liquid (C) and of the respective contacting faces (A, B) of the target (1) and target table (2), a pressure drop (P.sub.Cap) arises.