A substrate holder for a lithographic apparatus has a planarization layer provided on a surface thereof. The planarization layer provides a smooth surface for the formation of an electronic component such as a thin film electronic component. The planarization layer may be provided in multiple sub layers. The planarization layer may smooth over roughness caused by removal of material from a blank to form burls on the substrate holder.

A substrate holder for use in a lithographic apparatus and configured to support a substrate, the substrate holder including a main body having a main body surface; a plurality of burls projecting from the main body surface to support the substrate spaced apart from the main body surface; and a liquid control structure provided in a peripheral region of the main body surface and configured to cause liquid to preferentially flow toward the periphery of the main body surface.

An object, such as a sensor for an immersion lithographic apparatus, has an outer layer which comes in contact with immersion liquid and wherein the outer layer has a composition including a rare earth element. There is also provided an immersion lithographic apparatus having such an object and a method for manufacturing such an object.

An exposure apparatus has a stage having a substrate holder and a plate member around the substrate holder to surround a substrate on the substrate holder. A liquid supply mechanism includes a supply port above the stage at a more outward position than an optical path of light from a projection system and supplies liquid onto the stage from the supply port. A liquid recovery mechanism includes a recovery port above the stage at a more outward position than the supply port and recovers the liquid supplied from the supply port. The liquid supply and recovery mechanisms form a liquid immersion region that includes the optical path on part of the stage with the liquid supplied from the supply port. The stage has a passageway below the plate member and recovers the liquid from the liquid immersion region that infiltrates a gap between the plate member and the substrate.

An immersion liquid is provided comprising an ion-forming component, e.g. an acid or a base, which has a relatively high vapor pressure. Also provided are lithography processes and lithography systems using the immersion liquid.

While a wafer stage moves linearly in a Y-axis direction, surface position information of a wafer surface at a plurality of detection points set at a predetermined interval in an X-axis direction is detected by a multipoint AF system, and by a plurality of alignment systems arranged in a line along the X-axis direction, marks at different positions on the wafer are each detected, and a part of a chipped shot of the wafer is exposed by a periphery edge exposure system. This allows throughput to be improved when compared with the case when detection operation of the marks, detection operation of the surface position information (focus information), and periphery edge exposure operation are performed independently.

Exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by irradiating the substrate with exposure light via a projection optical system and a liquid. The exposure apparatus is provided with a liquid immersion mechanism for supplying the liquid and recovering the liquid. The liquid immersion mechanism has an inclined surface, which is opposite to a surface of the substrate and is inclined with respect to the surface of the substrate, and a liquid recovering port of the liquid immersion mechanism is formed in the inclined surface. A flat portion is provided between the substrate and the projection optical system. A liquid immersion area can be maintained to be small.

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with an illumination light via a projection optical system. The apparatus has a base member supported via a first isolating member below the projection optical system; a stage arranged on the base member, and having a holder configured to support the substrate; a metrology frame supported via a second isolating member; a drive system to drive the stage on the base member; a plurality of grating portions on the metrology frame and arranged substantially parallel to a predetermined plane orthogonal to an optical axis of the projection optical system above the stage; an encoder system on the stage and configured to obtain position information of the stage; and a controller configured to control the drive system based on the position information obtained by the encoder system.

Embodiments of a drain in a lithographic projection apparatus are described that have, for example, a feature which reduces inflow of gas into the drain during a period when no liquid is present in the drain. In one example, a passive liquid removal mechanism is provided such that the pressure of gas in the drain is equal to the ambient gas pressure and in another embodiment a flap is provided to close off a chamber during times when no liquid needs removing.

An acoustic scatterometer has an acoustic source operable to project acoustic radiation onto a periodic structure and formed on a substrate. An acoustic detector is operable to detect the −1st acoustic diffraction order diffracted by the periodic structure and while discriminating from specular reflection (0th order). Another acoustic detector is operable to detect the +1st acoustic diffraction order diffracted by the periodic structure, again while discriminating from the specular reflection (0th order). The acoustic source and acoustic detector may be piezo transducers. The angle of incidence of the projected acoustic radiation and location of the detectors and are arranged with respect to the periodic structure and such that the detection of the −1st and +1st acoustic diffraction orders and discriminates from the 0th order specular reflection.