Methods to clean a surface, a device manufacturing method, a cleaning assembly, cleaning apparatus, and lithographic apparatus
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorMandeep Singh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An embodiment of the invention provides a method to clean a surface. The method includes at least partly liberating contaminants from the surface with a contaminant liberating device, and capturing the contaminants that have been at least partly liberated with a contaminant removal device, the contaminant removal device generating at least one optical trap to trap the contaminants that have been at least partly liberated. Embodiments of the invention also provide a device manufacturing method, a method to clean a surface of an optical element, a cleaning assembly and cleaning apparatus, and a lithographic apparatus.
Claims38
A method to clean a surface, the method comprising:
- at least partly liberating contaminants from the surface with a contaminant liberating device;
- capturing the contaminants that have been at least partly liberated with a contaminant removal device, the contaminant removal device generating an optical trap to trap the contaminants that have been at least partly liberated;
- and
- moving the optical trap along the surface, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of the contaminants on the surface.
A method to clean a surface, the method comprising:
- moving an optical trap along the surface to at least partly liberate and/or capture contaminant particles without knowing positional coordinates of such particles.
A device manufacturing method, comprising:
- transferring a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate;
- generating an optical trap to optically liberate, trap and/or capture particles from a surface;
- and
- moving the optical trap along the surface, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of the particles on the surface.
A method to clean a surface of an optical element, the method comprising:
- at least partly liberating and/or capturing contaminant particles, present on the surface of the optical element with an optical trap;
- and
- moving the optical trap along the surface, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of the contaminant particles on the surface.
An assembly for cleaning a surface, the assembly comprising:
- a contaminant liberating device constructed and arranged to at least partly liberate contaminants from the surface to be cleaned;
- and
- a particle trapping apparatus configured to generate an optical trap,
- wherein the optical trap is configured to be moved along the surface, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of the contaminants on the surface.
A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface, the apparatus being configured to generate an optical trap, and to move the ene optical trap, or the surface, or both, with respect to each other, to at least partly liberate and/or capture one or more contaminant particles that are present on the surface, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of such particles prior to liberating and/or capture of such particles.
A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface, the apparatus being configured to generate an optical trap, and to move the optical trap along the surface, such that the optical trap reaches substantially each part of the surface within a certain cleaning period, and such that the optical trap can encounter one or more contaminant particles that are present on the surface, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of such particles prior to liberating and/or capture of such particles.
An assembly comprising at least an optical element, as well as a particle trapping apparatus being configured to generate an optical trap, the assembly being configured such that the particle trapping apparatus can clean at least part of the optical element using the optical trap, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of contaminants prior to liberating and/or capture of such contaminants.
A lithographic apparatus arranged to transfer a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, the apparatus comprising an optical trap generator configured to generate an optical trap to liberate and/or capture particles in the lithographic apparatus, without having obtained and/or obtaining positional coordinates of such particles prior to liberating and/or capture of such particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.