An immersion lithographic apparatus is provided having a substrate table including a drain configured to receive immersion fluid which leaks into a gap between an edge of a substrate on the substrate table and an edge of a recess in which the substrate is located. A thermal conditioning system is provided to thermally condition at least the portion of the recess supporting the substrate by directing one or more jets of fluid onto a reverse side of the section supporting the substrate.

Provided are a washout processor and a washing method in which a device configuration is small and processing such as development can be stably performed on a flexographic printing plate precursor. There is provided a washout processor that performs development using a washing solution while transporting an imagewise exposed flexographic printing plate precursor, the washout processor having a leader that fixes both of a leading end and a trailing end of the flexographic printing plate precursor and a tension applying unit that applies tension to the flexographic printing plate precursor.

A fluid heating device includes an outer cylindrical member, and inner cylindrical members arranged inside the outer cylindrical member, a container in which fluid is supplied to a fluid space between an inner surface of the outer cylindrical member and outer surfaces of the inner cylindrical members, lamp heaters arranged in the inner cylindrical members, a first nozzle member arranged on a leading end side of the lamp heaters and having an air supply port, and a first guide mechanism that guides first gas supplied from the air supply port of the first nozzle member. The inner cylindrical members include a central inner cylindrical member arranged at a center of the outer cylindrical member in a plane orthogonal to a central axis of the outer cylindrical member, and a plurality of peripheral inner cylindrical members arranged around the central inner cylindrical member. The lamp heaters include a central lamp heater arranged in the central inner cylindrical member and peripheral lamp heaters respectively arranged in the plurality of peripheral inner cylindrical members. The first guide mechanism guides the first gas to a leading end side of the central lamp heater.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention encompass self-imagable polymer compositions containing a colorant which are useful for forming films that can be patterned to create structures for color filters and microlens having applications in a variety of microelectronic devices, optoelectronic devices and displays, such as for example image sensors. The compositions of this invention can be tailored to form positive tone images for forming an array of images, which can be thermally transformed into an array of microlens. The images thus formed can then be used in color filter applications.

An immersion lithographic apparatus is provided with a liquid confinement structure which defines at least in part a space configured to contain liquid between the projection system and the substrate. In order to reduce the crossing of the edge of the substrate which is being imaged (which can lead to inclusion of bubbles in the immersion liquid), the cross-sectional area of the space in a plane parallel to the substrate is made as small as possible. The smallest theoretical size is the size of the target portion which is imaged by the projection system. In an embodiment, the shape of a final element of the projection system is also changed to have a similar size and/or shape in a cross-section parallel to the substrate to that of the target portion.

An immersion lithographic apparatus is provided with a liquid confinement structure which defines at least in part a space configured to contain liquid between the projection system and the substrate. In order to reduce the crossing of the edge of the substrate which is being imaged (which can lead to inclusion of bubbles in the immersion liquid), the cross-sectional area of the space in a plane parallel to the substrate is made as small as possible. The smallest theoretical size is the size of the target portion which is imaged by the projection system. In an embodiment, the shape of a final element of the projection system is also changed to have a similar size and/or shape in a cross-section parallel to the substrate to that of the target portion.

A fluid heating device includes a container in which fluid is supplied between an inner surface of an outer cylindrical member and outer surfaces of the inner cylindrical members, lamp heaters arranged in an inner cylindrical members, a nozzle member arranged on a leading end side of the lamp heaters and having an air supply port, and a guide mechanism that guides gas supplied from the air supply port of the nozzle member. The inner cylindrical members include a central inner cylindrical member arranged at a center of the outer cylindrical member, and peripheral inner cylindrical members arranged around the central inner cylindrical member. The lamp heaters include a central lamp heater arranged in the central inner cylindrical member and peripheral lamp heaters respectively arranged in the peripheral inner cylindrical members. The guide mechanism guides the gas to a leading end side of the central lamp heater.

There are provided a washout processor and a washing method that suppress generation of a brush mark and that suppress generation of development unevenness. There is provided a washout processor that develops an imagewise exposed flexographic printing plate precursor using a washing solution with a developing brush, the washout processor including a development unit that performs development using the washing solution by simultaneously performing circular movement and linear reciprocation of the developing brush on the flexographic printing plate precursor, in which the circular movement and the linear reciprocation of the developing brush by the development unit satisfy at least one of the following condition (a) or (b). Condition (a) In a case where a stop time in a case of switching between directions of the linear reciprocation of the developing brush is t seconds and a rotation speed of the circular movement of the developing brush is R times per second, t<R is satisfied. Condition (b) In a case where the number of times of linear reciprocation per unit time in the linear reciprocation of the developing brush is f times per second and the rotation speed of the circular movement of the developing brush is R times per second, f<R is satisfied.

A photo-curable and thermo-curable resin composition includes an epoxy resin including an epoxy group; a carboxyl group-containing photosensitive resin; a photopolymerization initiator; and a filler, wherein a value of an equivalent number of the epoxy group/an equivalent number of the carboxyl group is from more than 1 to less than 2.

An immersion lithographic apparatus is provided having a substrate table including a drain configured to receive immersion fluid which leaks into a gap between an edge of a substrate on the substrate table and an edge of a recess in which the substrate is located. A thermal conditioning system is provided to thermally condition at least the portion of the recess supporting the substrate by directing one or more jets of fluid onto a reverse side of the section supporting the substrate.