Patent ID: 8953141
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
1. A lithographic apparatus comprising: a support configured to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table configured to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; a liquid supply system configured to supply an immersion liquid between a downstream optical element of the projection system and the substrate; and a control system configured to drive the substrate table so as to perform an acceleration profile to accelerate the substrate table from a first velocity in a first direction to a second velocity in a second direction that is different from the first direction, the acceleration profile being asymmetric in time and being dimensioned so that when the substrate table is accelerated according to the acceleration profile, a force to break a meniscus of the immersion liquid remains lower than a force to maintain the meniscus of the immersion liquid, wherein the acceleration profile comprises a first phase in which the acceleration increases in absolute sense with a rate of increase, a second phase in which the acceleration decreases in absolute sense with a rate of decrease and a third phase between the first phase and the second phase, the acceleration in the third phase being substantially constant, a time length of the third phase being smaller than the time length of each of the first and second phases.