Vacuum system for immersion photolithography

摘要

A vacuum system for extracting a stream of a multi-phase fluid from a photolithography tool comprises a pumping arrangement for drawing the fluid from the tool, and an extraction tank located upstream from the pumping arrangement for separating the fluid drawn from the tool into gas and liquid phases. The pumping arrangement comprises a first pump for extracting gas from the tank, and a second pump for extracting liquid from the tank. In order to minimize any pressure fluctuations transmitted from the vacuum system back to the fluid within the tool, a pressure control system maintains a substantially constant pressure in the tank by regulating the amounts of liquid and gas within the tank.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a projection device configured to project a beam of radiation onto a substrate; an outlet configured to remove a multi-phase fluid from a space; a pump configured to draw the multi-phase fluid through the outlet; a separator that is fluidly connected to the outlet and the pump, the separator located downstream from the outlet in the fluid path to the pump, and the separator configured to separate a liquid phase from the fluid drawn through the outlet; and a control system configured to control the pressure within the separator by regulating the amount of gas and/or liquid therein.