An imprint lithography system that pressurizes and depressurizes an air cavity behind a retained imprint template or substrate so as to deflect the template or substrate to aid in filling the template pattern with fluid resist and/or separating the template from the cured resist on the substrate. The system includes a controller, pressure sensors, and an impedance valve for modulating the air cavity pressure so as to reduce pressure wave oscillations within the cavity that otherwise negatively impact overlay accuracy control, fluid spread control and separation control.

A mask container for storing a mask for photolithography, includes a cover and a base having a plurality of tapered corners. The tapered corners taper outward and downward from a top major surface of the base. The cover having the tapered corners extends downward that covers the tapered corners of the base when the cover is attached to the base. The tapered corners of the cover are tapered at about the same angle as the tapered corners of the base so that a surface of the tapered corners of the cover is substantially parallel to a corresponding surface of the tapered corner of the base when the cover is attached to the base. A recess is located in the tapered corners of the cover. A biasing member and a ball-shaped member are located in the tapered corners of the base to mate with the recess when the cover is attached to the base.

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.

A piezoelectric positioning device (1) has at least one piezoelectric actuator (3) having a first connection contact (4) and a second connection contact (5). A control device (6) with digital/analog converters (12, 16) connected to the connection contacts (4, 5) is used to control the at least one piezoelectric actuator (3). In comparison with a coarse converter (12), a fine converter (16) has a comparatively smaller voltage range and lower voltage levels, with the result that a high degree of positioning accuracy can be achieved.

A reticle shape regulation device includes: an adsorption device having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a limit mechanism having a limit surface. The adsorption device is movable relative to the limit mechanism at least in a vertical direction. The upper surface of the adsorption device faces toward and is engagable with the limit surface. The lower surface of the adsorption device defines a vacuum chamber that is configured for communication with a negative-pressure source so as to adsorb the reticle by a negative pressure. The lower surface of the adsorption device further defines at least one positive-pressure outlet that is in communication with a positive-pressure source and is configured to supply a continuous positive-pressure air flow between the lower surface of the adsorption device and the reticle during the adsorption of the reticle. The positive-pressure air flow is so controlled as to form an air cushion between the lower surface of the adsorption device and the reticle while allowing the adsorption of the reticle by the adsorption device. This can correct deformations of the reticle, thus enabling satisfactory flatness thereof during an exposure process, and can easily create vacuum and an air cushion between a deformed reticle and the adsorption device.

A metrology system is disclosed, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The metrology system includes a stage configured to secure a sample, one or more diffraction-based overlay (DBO) metrology targets disposed on the sample. The metrology system includes a light source and one or more sensors. The metrology system includes a set of optics configured to direct illumination light from the light source to the one or more DBO metrology targets of the sample, the set of optics including a half-wave plate, the half-wave plate selectively insertable into an optical path such that the half-wave plate selectively passes both illumination light from an illumination channel and collection light from a collection channel, the half-wave plate being configured to selectively align an orientation of linearly polarized illumination light from the light source to an orientation of a grating of the one or more DBO metrology targets.

The present invention provides an exposure method of exposing a substrate while moving an original and the substrate in a scanning direction, the method including performing a step of specifying a position of a concave-convex portion present in the substrate, and performing a step of driving the substrate, based on the position of the concave-convex portion specified and a measurement value of the position in the height direction of each measurement point obtained by causing a light beam to obliquely enter each of a plurality of measurement points while moving the substrate in the scanning direction, so that the position in the height direction of the substrate will be a target position, when exposing the substrate.

A metrology system is disclosed, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The metrology system includes a stage configured to secure a sample, one or more diffraction-based overlay (DBO) metrology targets disposed on the sample. The metrology system includes a light source and one or more sensors. The metrology system includes a set of optics configured to direct illumination light from the light source to the one or more DBO metrology targets of the sample, the set of optics including a half-wave plate, the half-wave plate selectively insertable into an optical path such that the half-wave plate selectively passes both illumination light from an illumination channel and collection light from a collection channel, the half-wave plate being configured to selectively align an orientation of linearly polarized illumination light from the light source to an orientation of a grating of the one or more DBO metrology targets.

A mask container for storing a mask for photolithography, includes a cover and a base having a plurality of tapered corners. The tapered corners taper outward and downward from a top major surface of the base. The cover having the tapered corners extends downward that covers the tapered corners of the base when the cover is attached to the base. The tapered corners of the cover are tapered at about the same angle as the tapered corners of the base so that a surface of the tapered corners of the cover is substantially parallel to a corresponding surface of the tapered corner of the base when the cover is attached to the base. A recess is located in the tapered corners of the cover. A biasing member and a ball-shaped member are located in the tapered corners of the base to mate with the recess when the cover is attached to the base.

There is provided a method for molding a substrate storing container 1 including a container main body molding step of molding a container main body 2 in a state where a direction P2 perpendicular to a plane P1 passing through the entire periphery of an end edge of an opening circumferential portion 28 of the container main body 2 is inclined in a direction forming a predetermined angle a2, with respect to a horizontal direction L1 which is a movement direction of the movable die M1 with respect to the fixed die M2, and a pullout step of pulling the container main body 2 molded in the mold space M0 out from the movable die M1 by moving the movable die M1 so as to retreat from the fixed die M2.