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AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorTakaharu Miura
Estimating the term…
Holding devices are disclosed that are configured to hold an optical component of an optical system without actually contacting the optical component. An embodiment of such a holding device is operable in a vacuum environment, such as used in an Extreme UV (EUV) optical system, and effectively holds the optical component without imposing stress on the optical component. The embodiment includes a receptacle configured to receive a mounting portion of the optical component. The receptacle includes at least one gas bearing. At least one exhaust groove (or analogous feature) is situated and configured to scavenge gas discharged by the gas bearing and to exhaust the scavenged gas so as to avoid burdening the vacuum chamber with the discharged gas. Desirably, the receptacle defines multiple gas bearings each including a respective air pad, each desirably including at least one respective exhaust groove. As a result of the non-contacting gas bearings, stress and strain imposed on the holding device are not transmitted to the optical component being held by the device.
A device for holding an optical component relative to a mounting surface in an optical system, the holding device comprising:
A device for holding an optical component in an optical system that includes a mounting surface, the device comprising:
An optical system, comprising:
A lithographic exposure system, comprising:
In an optical system comprising a mounting surface and an optical component that includes a mounting portion, a method for mounting the optical component in the optical system, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.