US 2006/0066833 A1 · Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus including a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate held on a substrate support, the patterned beam of radiation being patterned with a patterning device held by a patterning device support. The lithographic apparatus includes an exchangeable object handling apparatus for exchanging an exchangeable object with a exchangeable object station and a support, the exchangeable object being one of the substrate and the patterning device and the support being one of the substrate support and the patterning device support, the exchangeable object handling apparatus including an intermediate holding device for holding an exchangeable object, which intermediate holding device can interact with the support to place an exchangeable object on or take an exchangeable object from the support, and a robot which can exchange an exchangeable object with the support, the intermediate holding device and said exchangeable object station.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A lithographic apparatus comprising:

(a) an illumination system;
(b) a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam;
(c) an exchangeable object station configured to hold an exchangeable object;
(d) a support constructed to support an exchangeable object that is used during projection;
and,
(e) an exchangeable object handling apparatus including
(i) a manipulator;
and
(ii) an intermediate holding device,
wherein said manipulator and said intermediate holding device are each configured to hold the exchangeable object,
wherein said manipulator is configured to exchange the exchangeable object between said support, said intermediate holding device and said exchangeable object station,
wherein said intermediate holding device is configured to exchange the exchangeable object with said manipulator, and
wherein said intermediate holding device is positioned substantially closer to said support than said exchangeable object station.

10 more elements

A device manufacturing method comprising:

projecting a pattern from a patterning device placed on a patterning device support onto a substrate placed on a substrate support, and
exchanging an exchangeable object between one of said supports and an exchangeable object station by using a manipulator and an intermediate holding device, said intermediate holding device being positioned substantially closer to said one support than said exchangeable object station, said manipulator being configured to exchange said exchangeable object with said exchangeable object station, said one support and said intermediate holding device, and said intermediate holding device being configured to exchange said exchangeable object with said manipulator, wherein during exchange said exchangeable object is temporarily stored in said intermediate holding device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

Life of this patent

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35