A beam guide guides a laser beam on a device for extreme ultraviolet lithography. The beam guide has a scraper mirror for coupling out laser radiation and a positioning device for positioning the scraper mirror in a positioning plane defined by first and second positioning axes. The positioning device contains first and second positioning units assigned to the first and second positioning axes, respectively. The first positioning unit has a first linear guide and a first positioning drive. By the first positioning drive, the scraper mirror is moved together with the mirror-side guide element of the first linear guide relative to the mirror-remote guide element of the first linear guide along the first positioning axis into a target position. The second positioning unit has a second linear guide and a second positioning drive, the second linear guide has a mirror-side guide element and a mirror-remote guide element.

A projection exposure device projects exposure light onto a substrate via a microlens array. The projection exposure device includes a scanning exposure unit that moves the microlens array along a scanning direction from one end toward another end of the substrate, and a microlens array shift unit that moves the microlens array in a shift direction intersecting with the scanning direction during movement of the microlens array caused by the scanning exposure unit.

A chamber device may include a chamber, and a target generation device assembled into the chamber and configured to supply a target material into the chamber, the target generation device including a tank configured to store the target material, a temperature variable device configured to vary temperature of the target material in the tank, and a nozzle section in which a nozzle hole configured to output the target material in a liquid form is formed, and the chamber device may further include a gas nozzle having an inlet port facing the nozzle section and configured to introduce gas into the chamber, a gas supply source configured to supply gas containing hydrogen to the gas nozzle to supply the gas containing the hydrogen to at least periphery of the nozzle section, and a moisture remover configured to remove moisture at least in the periphery of the nozzle section in the chamber.

To uniformize the light intensity distribution on an irradiated surface in a light source device including a light-emitting diode (LED) array, a light source device includes a light-emitting diode (LED) array including a circuit having a substrate, a plurality of LED chips on the substrate, and a power supply. A predetermined plane is illuminated with light from the LED array. The plurality of LED chips includes first LED chips and second LED chips different from the first LED chips placed in a same column of the circuit, and the first LED chips have a placement angle different from a placement angle of the second LED chips.

A control method for a spatial light modulator for an exposure apparatus having a projection optical system having an optical elements a state of each of which is allowed to be changed, the method sets states of optical elements located in a first area to a first distribution in which a first optical element in a first state and a second optical element in a second state are distributed in a first distribution pattern so that one portion of a light from the optical elements located in the first area enters the projection optical system and setting states of optical elements located in a second area to a second distribution in which the first optical element and the second optical element are distributed in a second distribution pattern to reduce a deterioration of the pattern image caused by a light that enters the projection optical system from the first area.

A lithographic method for making an out-of-plane optical coupler includes forming a photoresist layer of positive photoresist material over a substrate. The positive photoresist layer undergoes a flood exposure to light through a binary mask to pattern a latent image of a mirror blank in the photoresist layer. A laser beam is scanned over the latent image of the mirror blank to apply controlled dosages of light at specified locations to form a latent image of a planar mirror surface that is oriented at a prescribed non-zero angle to a plane in which the substrate extends. The positive photoresist material is developed so that a remaining portion of the developed positive photoresist material forms an out-of-plane optical coupler having a planar mirror surface that is oriented at the prescribed angle.

A mask characterization method comprises measuring an interference signal of a reflection or transmission mask for use in lithography; and determining a quality metric for the reflection or transmission mask based on the interference signal. A mask characterization apparatus comprises a light source arranged to illuminate a reflective or transmissive mask with light whereby mask-reflected or mask-transmitted light is generated; an optical grating arranged to convert the mask-reflected or mask-transmitted light into an interference pattern; and an optical detector array arranged to generate an interference signal by measuring the interference pattern.

In a method of pattern formation information including a pattern size on a reticle is received. A width of an EUV radiation beam is adjusted in accordance with the information. The EUV radiation beam is scanned on the reticle. A photo resist layer is exposed with a reflected EUV radiation beam from the reticle. An increase of intensity per unit area of the EUV radiation beam on the reticle after the adjusting the width is greater when the width before adjustment is W1 compared to an increase of intensity per unit area of the EUV radiation beam on the reticle after the adjusting the width when the width before adjustment is W2 when W1>W2.

Methods and systems for photopatterning and miniaturization. In some examples, a method for patterning a substrate includes irradiating a pattern onto the substrate with ultraviolet light and heating the substrate, causing the substrate and the pattern to shrink in at least one dimension to form a miniaturized pattern on the substrate. In some examples, a system for patterning a substrate includes an ultraviolet light source, a heater, and a controller configured for irradiating a pattern onto the substrate with ultraviolet light and heating the substrate, causing the substrate and the pattern to shrink in at least one dimension to form a miniaturized pattern on the substrate.

A light irradiation device for an exposure apparatus allowing implementation of photo-alignment process with a simple configuration is provided. The light irradiation device is configured using a light source with a plurality of LEDs, and a polarizing element that receives light from the light source and applies the light transmitted through the polarizing element to a workpiece. An optical axis of each of the LEDs is set in such a manner as to have a first angle θ1 to the workpiece. A second angle θ2 as an angle half of a light distribution angle of the light emitted from each of the LEDs is set smaller than the first angle θ1.