Patent ID: 9117631
Filing Date: 2015-08-25
Classification: B82Y,H01J,H01L

Abstract:
1. Method of handling a substrate support structure for clamping a substrate on a surface thereof in a lithography system, the method comprising: a) providing a substrate support structure adapted to absorb energy from a substrate clamped thereon, the substrate support structure further adapted to follow a recirculating path between a preparation unit and a processing chamber of a lithography apparatus for reuse of the substrate support structure with different substrates, wherein the preparation unit is outside the processing chamber; b) providing a substrate, and clamping the substrate on a surface of the substrate support structure while the substrate support structure is at the preparation unit; c) transferring the substrate support structure with the substrate clamped thereon into the processing chamber of the lithography apparatus; d) performing a lithographic process on the substrate clamped onto the substrate support structure in the processing chamber of the lithography apparatus to obtain a processed substrate; e) removing the substrate support structure with the processed substrate clamped thereon from the processing chamber of the lithography apparatus; f) subsequently, removing the substrate from the substrate support structure, while the substrate support structure is outside the processing chamber; g) conditioning the substrate support structure, while the substrate support structure is outside the processing chamber, by removing energy stored in the substrate support structure before reuse of the substrate support structure with a new substrate; and h) repeating the steps b-f with the new substrate.