Lithographic projection apparatus, device manufacturing method and device manufactured thereby
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsVadim Y. Banine, Jeroen Jonkers
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Abstract
A lithographic projection apparatus comprising a radiation system for supplying a projection beam of radiation, a mask table for holding a mask, a substrate table for holding a substrate and a projection system for imaging an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate. Either or both of the radiation system and the projection system is supplied with an inert gas at a pressure of from 0.1 to 10 Pa in order to suppress contamination, for example by hydrocarbon molecules, of any optical components in the system(s).
Claims15
A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:
- a radiation system to supply a projection beam of radiation;
- a support structure to support patterning structure, the patterning structure serving to pattern the projection beam according to a desired pattern;
- a substrate table to hold a substrate;
- and
- a projection system disposed in an optical path between said patterning structure and said substrate table to project the patterned beam onto a target of the substrate,
- wherein a space containing at least part of said projection system is at a pressure of about 0.1 to 10 Pa and contains argon, nitrogen, helium or a mixture thereof.
A method of manufacturing a device using a lithographic projection apparatus comprising:
- projecting a patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a layer of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate with a projection system, said projection system being disposed in an optical path between a patterning structure and said substrate;
- and
- supplying a continuous flow of argon, nitrogen, helium or a mixture thereof to a space containing at least a part of said projection system, wherein the pressure in said space is from 0.1 to 10 Pa.
A semiconductor device manufactured in accordance with a method comprising:
- projecting a patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a layer of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate with a projection system, said projection system being disposed in an optical path between a patterning structure and said substrate;
- and
- supplying a continuous flow of argon, nitrogen, helium or a mixture thereof to a space containing at least a part of said projection system, wherein the pressure in said space is from 0.1 to 10 Pa.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.