Flexible actuator components and the manufacture thereof

Abstract

Systems and methods relating to components of an actuator and the manufacture thereof are disclosed. An actuator may include an actuator body having a hardness that is less than 12 GPa. An actuator may include a tip at a distal end of the actuator body, the tip including a flexible material that is softer than the actuator body, the flexible material configured to reduce a pressure between the object and the actuator body when the tip contacts the object.

Description

FLEXIBLE ACTUATOR COMPONENTS AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOFCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority of US application 63 / 728,886 which was filed on 06 December 2024 and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The description herein relates mitigating stresses on objects that are moved or secured via an actuation mechanism, for example an actuator for clamping a reticle in place such as used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. More particularly, the disclosure includes apparatuses (and methods for producing) that include flexible portions for reducing or distributing pressure on such secured objects.BACKGROUND

[0003] A lithographic projection apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, a patterning device (e.g., a mask or reticle) may contain or provide a pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC (“design layout”), and this pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (e.g., silicon wafer) that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material (“resist”), by methods such as irradiating the target portion through the pattern on the patterning device. In general, a single substrate contains a plurality of adjacent target portions to which the pattern is transferred successively by the lithographic projection apparatus, one target portion at a time. In one type of lithographic projection apparatuses, the pattern on the entire patterning device is transferred onto one target portion in one go; such an apparatus may also be referred to as a stepper. In an alternative apparatus, a step-and-scan apparatus can cause a projection beam to scan over the patterning device in a given reference direction (the “scanning” direction) while synchronously moving the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this reference direction. Different portions of the pattern on the patterning device are transferred to one target portion progressively. Since, in general, the lithographic projection apparatus will have a reduction ratio M, the speed F at which the substrate is moved will be 1 / M times that at which the projection beam scans the patterning device. More information with regard to lithographic devices can be found in, for example, US 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Prior to transferring the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures (“post-exposure procedures”), such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement / inspection of the transferred pattern. This array of procedures is used as a basis to make an individual layer of a device, e.g., an IC. The substrate may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallization,oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off the individual layer of the device. If several layers are required in the device, then the whole procedure, or a variant thereof, is repeated for each layer. Eventually, a device will be present in each target portion on the substrate. These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc.

[0005] Thus, manufacturing devices, such as semiconductor devices, typically involves processing a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) using a number of fabrication processes to form various features and multiple layers of the devices. Such layers and features are typically manufactured and processed using, e.g., deposition, lithography, etch, chemical-mechanical polishing, and ion implantation. Multiple devices may be fabricated on a plurality of dies on a substrate and then separated into individual devices. This device manufacturing process may be considered a patterning process. A patterning process involves a patterning step, such as optical and / or nanoimprint lithography using a patterning device in a lithographic apparatus, to transfer a pattern on the patterning device to a substrate and typically, but optionally, involves one or more related pattern processing steps, such as resist development by a development apparatus, baking of the substrate using a bake tool, etching using the pattern using an etch apparatus, etc.

[0006] As noted, lithography is a central step in the manufacturing of device such as ICs, where patterns formed on substrates define functional elements of the devices, such as microprocessors, memory chips, etc. Similar lithographic techniques are also used in the formation of flat panel displays, micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and other devices.SUMMARY

[0007] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator configured to contact an object, the actuator including: an actuator body having a hardness that is less than 12 GPa; and a tip at a distal end of the actuator body, the tip including a flexible material that is softer than the actuator body, the flexible material configured to reduce a pressure between the object and the actuator body when the tip contacts the object.

[0008] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the flexible material is softer than the object where the tip makes contact.

[0009] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the object contacted by the tip is a reticle.

[0010] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the object contacted by the tip is a lens or mirror.

[0011] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the flexible material has a hardness less than 9 GPa.

[0012] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein when the hardness of the actuator body is at least 7 GPa, the hardness of the flexible material is between 4 GPa and 7 GPa.

[0013] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the flexible material includes amorphous carbon (a-C).

[0014] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the amorphous carbon includes hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H).

[0015] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the flexible material has a thickness less than 10 microns.

[0016] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the thickness is between 400nm and 600nm.

[0017] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the flexible material is on a polymer tip body.

[0018] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the tip includes a material gradient where the tip has a material composition that varies throughout the tip.

[0019] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the material gradient is in a direction of the pressure.

[0020] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the material gradient is in a lateral direction to the pressure.

[0021] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the tip includes a bi-layer region having a first material and a second material.

[0022] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, the tip including a multilayer region having at least three materials.

[0023] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, the flexible material including a first material containing carbon and a second material not containing carbon.

[0024] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the flexible material includes a composite.

[0025] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the composite includes grains of carbide dispersed in the flexible material.

[0026] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, the tip including a contact surface that is curved.

[0027] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, the contact surface including a radius of curvature between 50 mm and 200 mm.

[0028] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the profile of the tip is barrel-shaped.

[0029] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, the tip including a contact surface that is flat.

[0030] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, the tip configured to rotate and vary where the contact surface contacts the object.

[0031] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an actuator, wherein the contact surface has an oval cross-section.

[0032] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method of fabricating a tip for use with an actuator, the method including: preconditioning a deposition chamber and a holder with a dielectric coating; precleaning a base that will receive the tip; adding an adhesive layer to the base; and generating a plasma including a process material, the plasma coating the base over the adhesive layer to build up a flexible material to form the tip.

[0033] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the precleaning includes cleaning the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder with a solvent or a detergent. Precleaning with plasma

[0034] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the precleaning includes generating a noble gas plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.

[0035] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the precleaning includes generating an oxygen plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.

[0036] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the precleaning includes generating a fluorine-based plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.

[0037] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the precleaning includes generating a combination of fluorine-based and oxygen-based plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.

[0038] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the oxide for preconditioning includes SiOx.

[0039] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the adhesive layer includes a silicon-based material, an organosilicon material, or an organic material.

[0040] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the adhesive layer includes the silicon-based material that includes SiC.

[0041] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a semiconductor device manufacturing method including: securing or moving an object with an actuator including a tip with a flexible material for contact with a reticle; receiving a substrate on a support surface, the substrate having a photoresist layer; controlling the actuator to contact the reticle to secure or move the reticle to a desired position; directing EUV or DUV radiation from a radiation source to transfer a pattern from the reticle onto the photoresist layer; and removing a portion of the photoresist layer to form the pattern over the substrate.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the drawings,

[0043] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of various subsystems of a lithographic projection apparatus, according to an embodiment.

[0044] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for simulating lithography in a lithographic projection apparatus, according to an embodiment.

[0045] Figure 3A illustrates an example of an object secured with actuators, according to an embodiment.

[0046] Figure 3B illustrates an example of a tip being compressed when contacting an object, according to an embodiment.

[0047] Figure 4A illustrates an example of a tip having a material gradient inline with the applied pressure, according to an embodiment.

[0048] Figure 4B illustrates an example of a tip having a material gradient in a lateral direction compared to the applied pressure, according to an embodiment.

[0049] Figure 5A illustrates an example of a tip including a bi-layer region, according to an embodiment.

[0050] Figure 5B illustrates an example of the actuation surface including a multi-layer region. , according to an embodiment.

[0051] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a tip with a curved contact surface, according to an embodiment.

[0052] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a tip that can be rotated to vary a contact location with an object, according to an embodiment.

[0053] Figure 8 illustrates the use of a gas buffer for an actuation surface, according to an embodiment.

[0054] Figure 9 illustrates a simplified system for plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, according to an embodiment.

[0055] Figure 10 illustrates an example of a process for utilizing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for fabricating a tip for use with an actuator, according to an embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] Although specific reference may be made in this text to the manufacture of ICs, it should be explicitly understood that the description herein has many other possible applications. For example, it may be employed in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, liquid-crystal display panels, thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms “reticle”,“wafer” or “die” in this text should be considered as interchangeable with the more general terms “mask”, “substrate” and “target portion”, respectively.

[0057] In the present document, the terms “radiation” and “beam” are used to encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet radiation (e.g. with a wavelength of 365, 248, 193, 157 or 126 nm) and EUV (extreme ultra-violet radiation, e.g. having a wavelength in the range of about 5- 100 nm).

[0058] The patterning device can comprise, or can form, one or more design layouts. The design layout can be generated utilizing CAD (computer-aided design) programs, this process often being referred to as EDA (electronic design automation). Most CAD programs follow a set of predetermined design rules in order to create functional design layouts / patterning devices. These rules are set by processing and design limitations. For example, design rules define the space tolerance between devices (such as gates, capacitors, etc.) or interconnect lines, so as to ensure that the devices or lines do not interact with one another in an undesirable way. One or more of the design rule limitations may be referred to as “critical dimension” (CD). A critical dimension of a device can be defined as the smallest width of a line or hole or the smallest space between two lines or two holes. Thus, the CD determines the overall size and density of the designed device. Of course, one of the goals in device fabrication is to faithfully reproduce the original design intent on the substrate (via the patterning device).

[0059] The term “mask” or “patterning device” as employed in this text may be broadly interpreted as referring to a generic patterning device that can be used to endow an incoming radiation beam with a patterned cross-section, corresponding to a pattern that is to be created in a target portion of the substrate; the term “light valve” can also be used in this context. Besides the classic mask (transmissive or reflective; binary, phase-shifting, hybrid, etc.), examples of other such patterning devices include a programmable mirror array and a programmable LCD array.

[0060] An example of a programmable mirror array can be a matrix-addressable surface having a viscoelastic control layer and a reflective surface. The basic principle behind such an apparatus is that (for example) addressed areas of the reflective surface reflect incident radiation as diffracted radiation, whereas unaddressed areas reflect incident radiation as undiffracted radiation. Using an appropriate filter, the said undiffracted radiation can be filtered out of the reflected beam, leaving only the diffracted radiation behind; in this manner, the beam becomes patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable surface. The required matrix addressing can be performed using suitable electronic methods.

[0061] An example of a programmable LCD array is given in U.S. Patent No. 5,229,872, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of various subsystems of a lithographic projection apparatus 10A, according to an embodiment. Major components are a radiation source 12A, which may be a deep-ultraviolet excimer laser source or other type of source including an extreme ultra violet (EUV) source (as discussed above, the lithographic projection apparatus itself need not have the radiationsource), illumination optics which, e.g., define the partial coherence (denoted as sigma) and which may include optics 14A, 16Aa and 16Ab that shape radiation from the source 12A; a patterning device 18A; and transmission optics 16Ac that project an image of the patterning device pattern onto a substrate plane 22A. An adjustable filter or aperture 20A at the pupil plane of the projection optics may restrict the range of beam angles that impinge on the substrate plane 22A, where the largest possible angle defines the numerical aperture of the projection optics NA= n sin(0max), wherein n is the refractive index of the media between the substrate and the last element of the projection optics, and ©max is the largest angle of the beam exiting from the projection optics that can still impinge on the substrate plane 22A.

[0063] In a lithographic projection apparatus, a source provides illumination (i.e. radiation) to a patterning device and projection optics direct and shape the illumination, via the patterning device, onto a substrate. The projection optics may include at least some of the components 14A, 16Aa, 16Ab and 16Ac. An aerial image (Al) is the radiation intensity distribution at substrate level. A resist model can be used to calculate the resist image from the aerial image, an example of which can be found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2009-0157630, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The resist model is related only to properties of the resist layer (e.g., effects of chemical processes which occur during exposure, post-exposure bake (PEB) and development). Optical properties of the lithographic projection apparatus (e.g., properties of the illumination, the patterning device and the projection optics) dictate the aerial image and can be defined in an optical model. Since the patterning device used in the lithographic projection apparatus can be changed, it is desirable to separate the optical properties of the patterning device from the optical properties of the rest of the lithographic projection apparatus including at least the source and the projection optics. Details of techniques and models used to transform a design layout into various lithographic images (e.g., an aerial image, a resist image, etc.), apply OPC using those techniques and models and evaluate performance (e.g., in terms of process window) are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2008-0301620, 2007-0050749, 2007-0031745, 2008-0309897, 2010-0162197, and 2010- 0180251, the disclosure of each which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0064] One aspect of understanding a lithographic process is understanding the interaction of the radiation and the patterning device. The electromagnetic field of the radiation after the radiation passes the patterning device may be determined from the electromagnetic field of the radiation before the radiation reaches the patterning device and a function that characterizes the interaction. This function may be referred to as the mask transmission function (which can be used to describe the interaction by a transmissive patterning device and / or a reflective patterning device).

[0065] The mask transmission function may have a variety of different forms. One form is binary. A binary mask transmission function has either of two values (e.g., zero and a positive constant) at any given location on the patterning device. A mask transmission function in the binary form may be referred to as a binary mask. Another form is continuous. Namely, the modulus of the transmittance(or reflectance) of the patterning device is a continuous function of the location on the patterning device. The phase of the transmittance (or reflectance) may also be a continuous function of the location on the patterning device. A mask transmission function in the continuous form may be referred to as a continuous tone mask or a continuous transmission mask (CTM). For example, the CTM may be represented as a pixelated image, where each pixel may be assigned a value between 0 and 1 (e.g., 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, etc.) instead of binary value of either 0 or 1. In an embodiment, CTM may be a pixelated gray scale image, where each pixel having values (e.g., within a range [-255, 255], normalized values within a range [0, 1] or [-1, 1] or other appropriate ranges).

[0066] The thin-mask approximation, also called the Kirchhoff boundary condition, is widely used to simplify the determination of the interaction of the radiation and the patterning device. The thin-mask approximation assumes that the thickness of the structures on the patterning device is very small compared with the wavelength and that the widths of the structures on the mask are very large compared with the wavelength. Therefore, the thin-mask approximation assumes the electromagnetic field after the patterning device is the multiplication of the incident electromagnetic field with the mask transmission function. However, as lithographic processes use radiation of shorter and shorter wavelengths, and the structures on the patterning device become smaller and smaller, the assumption of the thin-mask approximation can break down. For example, interaction of the radiation with the structures (e.g., edges between the top surface and a sidewall) because of their finite thicknesses (“mask 3D effect” or “M3D”) may become significant. Encompassing this scattering in the mask transmission function may enable the mask transmission function to better capture the interaction of the radiation with the patterning device. A mask transmission function under the thin-mask approximation may be referred to as a thin-mask transmission function. A mask transmission function encompassing M3D may be referred to as a M3D mask transmission function.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more images may be generated. The images includes various types of signal that may be characterized by pixel values or intensity values of each pixel. Depending on the relative values of the pixel within the image, the signal may be referred as, for example, a weak signal or a strong signal, as may be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The term “strong” and “weak” are relative terms based on intensity values of pixels within an image and specific values of intensity may not limit scope of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the strong and weak signal may be identified based on a selected threshold value. In an embodiment, the threshold value may be fixed (e.g., a midpoint of a highest intensity and a lowest intensity of pixel within the image. In an embodiment, a strong signal may refer to a signal with values greater than or equal to an average signal value across the image and a weak signal may refer to signal with values less than the average signal value. In an embodiment, the relative intensity value may be based on percentage. For example, the weak signal may be signal having intensity less than 50% of the highest intensity of the pixel (e.g., pixels corresponding to target pattern may be considered pixels with highest intensity) within the image. Furthermore, each pixel within an image may considered as a variable.According to the present embodiment, derivatives or partial derivative may be determined with respect to each pixel within the image and the values of each pixel may be determined or modified according to a cost function based evaluation and / or gradient based computation of the cost function. For example, a CTM image may include pixels, where each pixel is a variable that can take any real value.

[0068] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for simulating lithography in a lithographic projection apparatus, according to an embodiment. Source model 31 represents optical characteristics (including radiation intensity distribution and / or phase distribution) of the source. Projection optics model 32 represents optical characteristics (including changes to the radiation intensity distribution and / or the phase distribution caused by the projection optics) of the projection optics. Design layout model 35 represents optical characteristics of a design layout (including changes to the radiation intensity distribution and / or the phase distribution caused by a design layout), which is the representation of an arrangement of features on or formed by a patterning device. Aerial image 36 can be simulated from design layout model 35, projection optics model 32, and design layout model 35. Resist image 38 can be simulated from aerial image 36 using resist model 37. Simulation of lithography can, for example, predict contours and CDs in the resist image.

[0069] More specifically, it is noted that source model 31 can represent the optical characteristics of the source that include, but not limited to, numerical aperture settings, illumination sigma (o) settings as well as any particular illumination shape (e.g. off-axis radiation sources such as annular, quadrupole, dipole, etc.). Projection optics model 32 can represent the optical characteristics of the projection optics, including aberration, distortion, one or more refractive indexes, one or more physical sizes, one or more physical dimensions, etc. Design layout model 35 can represent one or more physical properties of a physical patterning device, as described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 7,587,704, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The objective of the simulation is to accurately predict, for example, edge placement, aerial image intensity slope and / or CD, which can then be compared against an intended design. The intended design is generally defined as a pre-OPC design layout which can be provided in a standardized digital file format such as GDSII or OASIS or other file format.

[0070] From this design layout, one or more portions may be identified, which are referred to as “clips.” In an embodiment, a set of clips is extracted, which represents the complicated patterns in the design layout (typically about 50 to 1000 clips, although any number of clips may be used). These patterns or clips represent small portions (i.e. circuits, cells or patterns) of the design and more specifically, the clips typically represent small portions for which particular attention and / or verification is needed. In other words, clips may be the portions of the design layout, or may be similar or have a similar behavior of portions of the design layout, where one or more critical features are identified either by experience (including clips provided by a customer), by trial and error, or by running a full-chip simulation. Clips may contain one or more test patterns or gauge patterns.

[0071] An initial larger set of clips may be provided a priori by a customer based on one or more known critical feature areas in a design layout which require particular image optimization.Alternatively, in another embodiment, an initial larger set of clips may be extracted from the entire design layout by using some kind of automated (such as machine vision) or manual algorithm that identifies the one or more critical feature areas.

[0072] In a lithographic projection apparatus, as an example, a cost function may be expressed aswhere (z1;z2, ••• , zN) are N design variables or values thereof. fp(z-[, z2, -" , zN) can be a function of the design variables (z1;z2, • • • , zw) such as a difference between an actual value and an intended value of a characteristic for a set of values of the design variables of (z1;z2, ••• , zN). wpis a weight constant associated with / p(z1, z2, --- , zN). For example, the characteristic may be a position of an edge of a pattern, measured at a given point on the edge. Different fp(z1;z2, • • • , zw) may have different weight wp. For example, if a particular edge has a narrow range of permitted positions, the weight wpfor the fp z , z2, ••• , zN) representing the difference between the actual position and the intended position of the edge may be given a higher value. fp(z1, z2, --- , zN') can also be a function of an interlayer characteristic, which is in turn a function of the design variables (z1;z2, ■■■ , zN') . Of course, CF(z1, z2, ••• , zw) is not limited to the form in Eq. 1. CF(z1, z2, --- , zw) can be in any other suitable form.

[0073] The cost function may represent any one or more suitable characteristics of the lithographic projection apparatus, lithographic process or the substrate, for instance, focus, CD, image shift, image distortion, image rotation, stochastic variation, throughput, local CD variation, process window, an interlayer characteristic, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the design variables (z1, z2, --- , zw) comprise one or more selected from dose, global bias of the patterning device, and / or shape of illumination. Since it is the resist image that often dictates the pattern on a substrate, the cost function may include a function that represents one or more characteristics of the resist image. For example, fp(z1;z2, • • • , zw) can be simply a distance between a point in the resist image to an intended position of that point (i.e., edge placement error EPEp(z1, z2, ••• , zw). The design variables can include any adjustable parameter such as an adjustable parameter of the source, the patterning device, the projection optics, dose, focus, etc.

[0074] The lithographic apparatus may include components collectively called a “wavefront manipulator” that can be used to adjust the shape of a wavefront and intensity distribution and / or phase shift of a radiation beam. In an embodiment, the lithographic apparatus can adjust a wavefront and intensity distribution at any location along an optical path of the lithographic projection apparatus, such as before the patterning device, near a pupil plane, near an image plane, and / or near a focal plane. The wavefront manipulator can be used to correct or compensate for certain distortions of the wavefront and intensity distribution and / or phase shift caused by, for example, the source, the patterning device,temperature variation in the lithographic projection apparatus, thermal expansion of components of the lithographic projection apparatus, etc. Adjusting the wavefront and intensity distribution and / or phase shift can change values of the characteristics represented by the cost function. Such changes can be simulated from a model or actually measured. The design variables can include parameters of the wavefront manipulator.

[0075] The design variables may have constraints, which can be expressed as (z1, z2, >ZN) G Z, where Z is a set of possible values of the design variables. One possible constraint on the design variables may be imposed by a desired throughput of the lithographic projection apparatus. Without such a constraint imposed by the desired throughput, the optimization may yield a set of values of the design variables that are unrealistic. For example, if the dose is a design variable, without such a constraint, the optimization may yield a dose value that makes the throughput economically impossible. However, the usefulness of constraints should not be interpreted as a necessity. For example, the throughput may be affected by the pupil fill ratio. For some illumination designs, a low pupil fill ratio may discard radiation, leading to lower throughput. Throughput may also be affected by the resist chemistry. Slower resist (e.g., a resist that requires higher amount of radiation to be properly exposed) leads to lower throughput.

[0076] Figure 3A illustrates an example of an object secured with actuators. One or more actuators 300 can be utilized to hold or adjust the positions of objects that may undergo movement, including being subjected to very high accelerations. Because of the large transient forces that may develop between the actuator and the object, there can be substantial pressure placed on the object where the actuator(s) make contact. As shown by the specific example of Figure 3A, object 110 can be a reticle (e.g., reticle 18A) that may be clamped (e.g., vacuum clamped) to chuck 120. The rapid movement of the chuck to translate the reticle to different places over a lithographic substrate can sometimes result in slippage of the reticle even with the vacuum clamping. To maintain proper positioning of the reticle during such accelerations, actuators 300 can provide counteracting forces on reticle 18 A. Actuator 300 can include a tip where the actuator contacts reticle 18 A. This counteracting force causes resulting pressure on the sidewall of the reticle, which if not mitigated, can result in damage to the reticle. The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for the production of actuator tips that can safely interact with the reticle to address this and other technical problems. While one contemplated application is to secure a reticle, the present disclosure is not intended to limit the application of the disclosed apparatuses or methods to reticle securing. As used herein, the general term “object” can refer to, for example, a reticle, a lens, a mirror, a wafer, or any other object that can be pressed upon by actuator 300. Also, while Figure 3A depicts an embodiment having four actuators, the disclosed embodiments can be used with any number of actuators, including a single actuator.

[0077] The expanded inset in Figure 3A shows a simplified view of an actuator configured to contact an object. Actuator 300 can include actuator body 305. Actuator body 305 can include, for example, a threaded rod driven in the direction of actuation, a frame or base driven by a threaded rod or otherdriving mechanism, a piezoelectric structure configured to expand in the actuation direction, etc. Actuator body 305 can have at least some portions with a particular hardness, which may be harder than that desired to come into contact with object 110. For example, the hardness of actuator body can be up to 12 GPa, 10 GPa, etc. In some embodiments, actuator 300 can include tip 310 at a distal end 302 of actuator body 305. Tip 310 can include a flexible material 312, which can be deposited, coated, or otherwise disposed on tip body 314. Flexible material 312 can be configured to reduce the pressure between object 110 and actuator body 305 when tip 310 contacts object 110. While tip 310 can be utilized with an actuator, various embodiments may only include the tip 310 itself. For example, tip 310 can be a stand-alone component that can be manufactured and then later attached to actuator 300.

[0078] Figure 3B illustrates an example of a tip being compressed when contacting an object. Figure 3B is based on the inset in Figure 3 A and shows how tip 310 deforms from its initial state (shown in Figure 3A) and spreads out to distribute the compressive force over a larger surface area, thereby reducing the pressure on object 110. To facilitate reducing the contact pressure, various embodiments can have flexible material 312 being softer than object 110 where tip 310 makes contact. By being softer than object 110, flexible material 312 can compress, elastically deform, etc. and thereby reduce or eliminate damaging object 110. In some embodiments, flexible material 312 can have a hardness of less than 12 GPa. In various embodiments, this hardness can be rated based on the material(s) being international standards ISO materials and a particular testing method (e.g., an ISO nanoindentation hardness test). In some embodiments, flexible material 312 can have a hardness less than 9 GPa. In some embodiments, when the hardness of actuator body 305 is at least 7 GPA, the hardness of flexible material 312 can be between 4 GPa and 7 GPa. Various embodiments utilizing different materials and designs for the tip with the flexible material are described in greater detail herein.

[0079] In some embodiments, flexible material 312 can be added by a coating process, for example chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). In some embodiments, flexible material 312 on the tip can include amorphous carbon (a-C), for example, this can include a coating of amorphous carbon which may optionally be on a yet harder material forming part of tip 310. This a-C material can include other subclasses of materials, for example hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H), also referred to as “diamond-like carbon” (DLC).

[0080] In other embodiments, flexible material 312 can comprise poly ether ether ketone (PEEK), POM C, POM H (POM: polyacetal or polyoxymethylene, where polyacetal is a formaldehyde-based, semicrystalline engineering thermoplastic), carbon fibers, glass fibers, rubber, polysiloxane, polyurethane, magnesium alloy, sapphire, ruby, graphite, crosslinked hydrogels / aerogel, diamond, Ta-C(:H) (tetrahedral carbon, hydrogenated or hydrogen-free), chromium-based materials (e.g., CrN, Cr, CrO, etc.), titanium-based materials (e.g., Ti, TiOz, TiN, etc.), silicon-based materials (e.g., Si, SiCh. SiC, SiCN, etc.), DLC coating modification by doping (such as Si, N, or F), etc.

[0081] In some embodiments, the thickness of tip 310 can vary based on the hardness of flexible material 312 (e.g., at least thick enough to have a maximum of elastic deformation) and the intendedpressures during use. In some examples, flexible material 312 can have a thickness less than 10 microns, between 400nm and 600nm, etc. Rather than having tip 310 formed (e.g., manufactured) directly on actuator 300, in some embodiments tip 310 can be formed tip body 314 or other structure that can then be mounted on actuator 300. In some embodiments, flexible material 312 can be disposed on a polymer tip body, e.g., a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) base, POM H base, etc.

[0082] Surface roughness can be another aspect of various embodiments of tip 310. In some embodiments, tip 310 can have a roughness parameter Sq<= 2 nm, valley <= 100 nm, and peaks <=70 nm. These values may be different when using a polymer-based flexible material at the surface. In some embodiments, the surface roughness above can be obtained by measurement with white light interferometry (WLI).

[0083] Figure 4A illustrates an example of a tip having a material gradient inline with the applied pressure. To provide varying resistance to compression, the flexible material can comprise different materials, layers, etc. that can have differing hardnesses. An example of such is shown in Figure 4A depicting three different materials (or material structures) that together provide a material gradient where tip 410 has a material composition that varies throughout tip 410. As shown, the material gradient can be in the direction of the applied pressure. For example, the most distal portion of tip 410 can include a first material 412 for contacting the object. Adjacent first material 412, and aligned with the direction of force, second material 414 can be included and can have a hardness higher than first material 412. Similarly, third material 416 can be included and can be yet harder than second material 414. While three example materials are shown with increasing hardness, the present disclosure contemplates embodiments where there can be two, four, five, etc. types of materials and they can be in any order of hardness.

[0084] Figure 4B illustrates an example of a tip having a material gradient in a lateral direction compared to the applied pressure. The material gradient shown in Figure 4B can also impart varying pressure to the object, based on the amount of compression of tip 410. In this embodiment, first material 452 can be the softest of the materials and provide a particular resistance until compressed sufficiently for the object to also contact second material 454, which can be of a harder material than first material 452. The combination of additional material and / or higher hardness can further increase the resistance to compression. Third material 456 similarly can further increase the resistance to compression, when reached. In various embodiments, the lateral direction can be radial, cartesian, etc. while remaining orthogonal to the direction of pressure. As with the example of Figure 4A, while three materials are shown, there can be any number or types of materials used in such embodiments.

[0085] Figure 5A illustrates an example of a tip including a bi-layer region. Some embodiments can include tip 510 having a bi-layer region with first material 512 and second material 514. The two materials can be built up during a coating process, bonded with adhesives, etc. The bi-layer material can also have differing hardnesses, for example a more durable first material 512 to improve durabilityover repeated contacts with the object. Underneath first material 512, second material 514 can be softer to provide the reduced pressures discussed herein.

[0086] Figure 5B illustrates an example of the actuation surface including a multi-layer region. The depicted embodiment is similar to the bi-layer embodiment of Figure 5A, extended to include a third layer 516. As shown, tip 550 can include a multi-layer region having at least three materials (e.g., first material 552, second material 554, and third material 556). The present disclosure contemplates embodiments having any number of layers (e.g., one, two, three, four, etc.) with one or more materials arranged in any order, either in line with the applied pressure, laterally, or a combination thereof.

[0087] The multi-material embodiments disclosed herein can include a wide range of materials. In some embodiments, the flexible material can include a first material containing carbon (e.g., carbon fiber, diamond, DLC, etc.) and a second material not containing carbon (e.g. Si, SiN, SiCh. etc.). In some embodiments, the non-carbon material can include plastics such as POM plastic (e.g., polyacetal, which is a formaldehyde -based, semi-crystalline engineering thermoplastic). The flexible material can be filled with carbon or can also include a top coating (containing carbon). The flexible material can include a composite, which can be described as a substrate material with other (generally smaller amounts) of materials interspersed throughout, either semi-randomly or uniformly such as in a matrix. This can include, for example, filled or reinforced polymers such as PEEK or polysiloxane, where they can be filled with carbon fibers, carbon black, etc. In some embodiments, the composite can include grains (e.g., carbide, nitride, or an oxide) dispersed in the flexible material (e.g., DLC).

[0088] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a tip with a curved contact surface. While some depicted actuation surfaces are shown as flat (rather than rounded as in Figure 3B) it is contemplated that the actuation surfaces in any embodiment can be implemented as rounded or otherwise have curved / non- flat portions. For example, in some embodiments, tip 610 can include contact surface 612 that is curved. The term “contact surface” includes the most distal surface and the one that is intended to contact object 110. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 3 A, this can include some or all of rounded surface of tip 310. In some embodiments, the contact surface can have a radius of curvature, for example, between 50 mm and 200 mm, approximately 75 mm, 100 mm, 125 mm, 150 mm, etc.

[0089] In some embodiments, the tip shape can be asymmetric in one or more dimensions, for example, with a curved contact surface, the profile of the tip can be barrel-shaped (narrowing towards the contact surface). In other embodiments, a flat contact surface can be oval-shaped (rather than circular or rectangular).

[0090] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a tip that can be rotated to vary a contact location with an object. In some embodiments, such as in Figure 7, the tip can include a contact surface 712 that is flat, for example similar to those in the simplified illustrations in Figures 4A-5B. One example application of such a flat surface can be one where tip 710 is configured to rotate and vary where contact surface 712 contacts the object. As one example embodiment, the actuator can be driven to rotate at a prescribed rate, or intermittently when desired, by a stepper and gear or screw arrangement that rotates tip 710about axis 714. By having axis 714 offset from an edge of object 110, different regions of contact surface 712 can be brought into contact with object 110. This can be beneficial in maintaining uniform wear on contact surface 712 or reducing the rate at which contact surface is eroded, worn, or damaged by providing numerous fresh surfaces for contact.

[0091] Figure 8 illustrates the use of a gas buffer for an actuation surface. In some embodiments, a gas buffer or layer can be utilized rather than a physical actuation surface. For example, gas 810 can be delivered via actuator 820 (which may contain the appropriate gas lines), to one or more apertures 830 that distribute the gas before object 110. When actuator 820 is advanced towards object 110, the high-pressure gas 810 can flexibly (e.g., in a compressible or displaceable manner) push against object 110 to keep it in place, similar to the operation of other embodiments herein. In another embodiment, gas 810 can be at a sufficiently high pressure that gas 810 itself pushes against object 110. In yet another embodiment, a combination of the inherent gas pressure and movement of actuator 820 can provide the pressure against object 110.

[0092] Figure 9 illustrates a simplified system for plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The layers / coatings described herein can, in some embodiments, be manufactured by a chemical vapor deposition process. This can include, for example, a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. In various embodiments, PVCVD systems can be a cathode-type capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) RF PECVD, an anode-type CCP RF PECVD, an inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) PECVD, etc. The Figure 9 system for PECVD can include a deposition chamber 910 having an anode 920 (e.g., connected to ground or other low potential), with gas delivered through a gas distributor 930 having one or more apertures 932 to distribute the gas through a discharge region. Cathode 940 can be connected to a voltage source (e.g., RF source 950) to ionize the gas generate plasma 960. Plasma 960 can comprise the process gas (e.g., a gaseous state of the desired material for forming the actuation surface, which can be one or a mixture of hydrocarbon precursors), and may optionally include an inert gas. One or more tip(s) 970 can receive coats or layers on a tip body and / or base(s) 980 by successive depositions of the process material. In some embodiments, multiple actuation surfaces can be prepared at the same time by utilizing holder 990 that can hold numerous bases 980.

[0093] Figure 10 illustrates an example of a process for utilizing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for fabricating a tip for use with an actuator. As shown by the flow chart in Figure 10, a process can include, at 1010, preconditioning a deposition chamber and a holder with a dielectric coating, e.g., an oxide. In some embodiments, the oxide for preconditioning can include silicon oxide (SiOx). The preconditioning can be utilized to remove impurities from surfaces in the chamber and / or holder so as not to contaminate the following deposition process.

[0094] At 1020, the process can include precleaning a base that will receive the tip. The base may be an actuator body, a tip body, or a transfer device where the flexible material will be deposited and then transferred. In some embodiments, precleaning can include cleaning the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder with a solvent or a detergent. In some embodiments, the precleaning can includegenerating a plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder. The plasma can be, for example, a noble gas plasma, an oxygen plasma, a mixed oxygen and noble gas plasma, a fluorine- based plasma, a combination fluorine -based and oxygen-based plasma, etc. The precleaning can ensure that the base is as clean as possible before use during the deposition process.

[0095] At 1030, the process can include adding an adhesive layer to the base. In some embodiments, the adhesive layer can include a silicon-based material (e.g., Si, SiC, SiC:H, etc.), an organosilicon material (e.g., SiOxCyHz, etc.), or an organic material (e.g., CxHy, CxHyOz, etc.).

[0096] At 1040, the process can include generating a plasma comprising a process material. The plasma can coat the base over the adhesive layer to build up the flexible material to form the tip. The process material here refers to the flexible material in a plasma state or within a plasma.

[0097] Examples of deposition parameters can include one or more of the following, in any combination:Precursors: high purity ( >99.9% ) saturated, unsaturated (e.g., cyclic hydrocarbons, olefins, or alkynes), or aromatic hydrocarbon gas / vapor (e.g. n-hexane, cyclo-hexane, methane, acetylene, benzene, toluene, etc.).Gas mixture: pure or mixed with inert gases (e.g., Ar), with inert gas / hydrocarbon ratio = 0 to 100, e.g., 5 / 2.Process pressure (0.1 Pa - 200 Pa, e.g., 5 Pa).Power source: LF (low frequency), MW(medium wave - e.g., 300+ KHz), or any source which can cover (1 kHz -2.45 GHz, e.g., 13.56 MHz ); Pulsed (0 - 10 kHz, e.g., 0 Hz; duty cycle 10%-100%).Deposition power: 10 W -1500 W, e.g., 500 W.Bias power supply: frequency 1 kHz - 1 MHz, typically 400 kHz; power: 0 - 500 W, typically 0 W.Deposition temperature: 20 C- 200 C, e.g., 150 C.Electrodes size; > 50 mm, dia., e.g., > 300 mm dia.Electrodes gaps: 2 mm - 50 mm, e.g., 8 mm.Deposition time: 1 min - 120 min, e.g., 6 min.

[0098] The lithographic apparatus and radiation source along with embodiments of the actuation surface described herein can be used in a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprises securing or moving a reticle with an actuator comprising a tip with a flexible material for contact with the reticle. The method can also include receiving the substrate, which can have a photoresist layer. The actuator can be controlled to contact the reticle to secure or move the reticle to a desired position. The method further can also include directing a EUV or DUV radiation from a radiation source to transfer a pattern from the reticle onto the photoresist layer. This can be achieved by a patterning device which is configured to form a patterned radiation beam, imparting the patterned radiation beam onto the photoresist layer. The method formanufacturing a semiconductor device can further include removing a portion of the photoresist layer to form the pattern over the substrate.

[0099] The substrate may be made of silicon or other semiconductor materials. Alternatively or additionally, the substrate may include other semiconductor materials such as germanium (Ge) or carbon (C). In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate is made of a compound semiconductor such as III-V compound semiconductors, II- V compound semiconductors, and / or any suitable integration of Group IV materials. In some embodiments, the substrate may be a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or a germanium-on-insulator (GOI) substrate.

[0100] The semiconductor device made from the substrate may have various device elements. Examples of semiconductor device elements that are formed over the substrate include transistors (e.g., planar or non-planar metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET), bipolar junction transistors (BJT), high-voltage transistors, high-frequency transistors, etc.), diodes, CMOS image sensors, passive devices, and / or other applicable elements. Various processes may be performed to form the semiconductor device elements, such as deposition, etching, implantation, epitaxial growth, polishing, thermal treatment, and / or other suitable processes. In some embodiments, the substrate is coated with a photoresist layer sensitive to the EUV light.

[0101] Various embodiments of the present systems and methods are disclosed in the subsequent list of numbered clauses. In the following, further features, characteristics, and exemplary technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described in terms of clauses that may be optionally claimed in any combination:1. An actuator configured to contact an object, the actuator comprising: an actuator body having a hardness that is less than 12 GPa; and a tip at a distal end of the actuator body, the tip including a flexible material that is softer than the actuator body, the flexible material configured to reduce a pressure between the object and the actuator body when the tip contacts the object.2. The actuator of clause 1, wherein the flexible material is softer than the object where the tip makes contact.3. The actuator of clause 1, wherein the object contacted by the tip is a reticle.4. The actuator of clause 1, wherein the object contacted by the tip is a lens or mirror.5. The actuator of clause 1, wherein the flexible material has a hardness less than 9 GPa.6. The actuator of clause 5, wherein when the hardness of the actuator body is at least 7 GPa, the hardness of the flexible material is between 4 GPa and 7 GPa.7. The actuator of clause 5, wherein the flexible material comprises amorphous carbon (a-C).8. The actuator of clause 7, wherein the amorphous carbon comprises hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H).9. The actuator of clause 5, wherein the flexible material has a thickness less than 10 microns.10. The actuator of clause 9, wherein the thickness is between 400nm and 600nm.11. The actuator of clause 1 , wherein the flexible material is on a polymer tip body.12. The actuator of clause 1, wherein the tip comprises a material gradient where the tip has a material composition that varies throughout the tip.13. The actuator of clause 12, wherein the material gradient is in a direction of the pressure.14. The actuator of clause 12, wherein the material gradient is in a lateral direction to the pressure.15. The actuator of clause 12, wherein the tip comprises a bi-layer region having a first material and a second material.16. The actuator of clause 12, the tip comprising a multi-layer region having at least three materials.17. The actuator of clause 12, the flexible material comprising a first material containing carbon and a second material not containing carbon.18. The actuator of clause 1, wherein the flexible material comprises a composite.19. The actuator of clause 18, wherein the composite comprises grains of carbide dispersed in the flexible material.20. The actuator of clause 1 , the tip comprising a contact surface that is curved.21. The actuator of clause 20, the contact surface comprising a radius of curvature between 50 mm and 200 mm.22. The actuator of clause 20, wherein the profile of the tip is barrel-shaped.23. The actuator of clause 1, the tip comprising a contact surface that is flat.24. The actuator of clause 23, the tip configured to rotate and vary where the contact surface contacts the object.25. The actuator of clause 23, wherein the contact surface has an oval cross-section.26. A plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method of fabricating a tip for use with an actuator, the method comprising: preconditioning a deposition chamber and a holder with a dielectric coating; precleaning a base that will receive the tip; adding an adhesive layer to the base; and generating a plasma comprising a process material, the plasma coating the base over the adhesive layer to build up a flexible material to form the tip.27. The method of clause 26, wherein the precleaning comprises cleaning the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder with a solvent or a detergent.28. The method of clause 26, wherein the precleaning comprises generating a noble gas plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.29. The method of clause 26, wherein the precleaning comprises generating an oxygen plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.30. The method of clause 26, wherein the precleaning comprises generating a fluorine-based plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.31. The method of clause26, wherein the precleaning comprises generating a combination of fluorine- based and oxygen-based plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and / or holder.32. The method of clause 26, wherein the oxide for preconditioning comprises SiOx.33. The method of clause 26, wherein the adhesive layer comprises a silicon-based material, an organosilicon material, or an organic material.34. The method of clause 33, wherein the adhesive layer includes the silicon-based material that comprises SiC.35. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising: securing or moving an object with an actuator comprising a tip with a flexible material for contact with a reticle; receiving a substrate on a support surface, the substrate having a photoresist layer; controlling the actuator to contact the reticle to secure or move the reticle to a desired position; directing EUV or DUV radiation from a radiation source to transfer a pattern from the reticle onto the photoresist layer; and removing a portion of the photoresist layer to form the pattern over the substrate.

[0102] The combinations and sub-combinations of the elements disclosed herein constitute separate embodiments and are provided as examples only. Also, the descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An actuator configured to contact an object, the actuator comprising: an actuator body having a hardness that is less than 12 GPa; and a tip at a distal end of the actuator body, the tip including a flexible material that is softer than the actuator body, the flexible material configured to reduce a pressure between the object and the actuator body when the tip contacts the object.

2. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the flexible material is softer than the object where the tip makes contact.

3. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the object contacted by the tip is a reticle, lens, or mirror.

4. The actuator of claim 1, wherein: the flexible material has a hardness less than 9 GPa; when the hardness of the actuator body is at least 7 GPa, the hardness of the flexible material is between 4 GPa and 7 GPa; the flexible material comprises amorphous carbon (a-C), wherein the amorphous carbon comprises hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H).

5. The actuator of claim 4, wherein: the flexible material has a thickness less than 10 microns; and the thickness is between 400nm and 600nm.

6. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the flexible material is on a polymer tip body.

7. The actuator of claim 1, wherein: the tip comprises a material gradient where the tip has a material composition that varies throughout the tip; the material gradient is in a direction of the pressure or is in a lateral direction to the pressure; the tip comprises a bi-layer region having a first material and a second material or the tip comprises a multi-layer region having at least three materials; and the flexible material comprises a first material containing carbon and a second material not containing carbon.

8. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the flexible material comprises a composite, wherein the composite comprises grains of carbide dispersed in the flexible material.

9. The actuator of claim 1, the tip comprising a contact surface that is curved, the contact surface comprising a radius of curvature between 50 mm and 200 mm, wherein the profile of the tip is barrelshaped.

10. The actuator of claim 1, the tip comprising a contact surface that is flat, wherein the tip is configured to rotate and vary where the contact surface contacts the object, and wherein the contact surface has an oval cross-section.

11. A plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method of fabricating a tip for use with an actuator, the method comprising: preconditioning a deposition chamber and a holder with a dielectric coating; precleaning a base that will receive the tip; adding an adhesive layer to the base; and generating a plasma comprising a process material, the plasma coating the base over the adhesive layer to build up a flexible material to form the tip.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the precleaning comprises: cleaning the base, deposition chamber, and holder with a solvent or a detergent; generating a noble gas plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and holder; or generating an oxygen plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and holder.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the precleaning comprises: generating a fluorine-based plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and holder; or generating a combination of fluorine-based and oxygen-based plasma to clean the base, deposition chamber, and holder.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein: the oxide for preconditioning comprises SiOx; and the adhesive layer comprises a silicon-based material, an organosilicon material, or an organic material or the adhesive layer includes the silicon-based material that comprises SiC.

15. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising: securing or moving an object with an actuator comprising a tip with a flexible material for contact with a reticle; receiving a substrate on a support surface, the substrate having a photoresist layer;controlling the actuator to contact the reticle to secure or move the reticle to a desired position; directing EUV or DUV radiation from a radiation source to transfer a pattern from the reticle onto the photoresist layer; and removing a portion of the photoresist layer to form the pattern over the substrate.

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