Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of manufacturing a device using a lithographic apparatus, comprising:providing a substrate which is at least partially covered by a layer of energy-sensitive material; generating an electromagnetic field to act upon a projection beam generated by said lithographic apparatus, wherein an optical axis of said electromagnetic field is displaced by an action of a multipole magnetic field in at least one direction perpendicular to said optical axis in synchronism with a scanning motion of the lithographic apparatus; and irradiating portions of said layer of energy-sensitive material with a projection beam of radiation which has been affected by said displaced optical axis of said electromagnetic field.  2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said optical axis of said electromagnetic field is displaced by an action of at least one quadrupole magnetic field which acts substantially perpendicularly to a stationary magnetic field. 3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein an array of selectable coils are provided, arranged in pairs on opposite sides of a space through which a projection beam is scanned, to generate at least one quadrupole field, and where individual pairs of said selectable coils are selectively energized to displace said optical axis. 4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein two groups of selectable coils, each group comprising at least one pair of coils, are simultaneously energized to form a field having an axis at a position between two pairs of coils. 5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein an electron-optical element comprising two arrays of selectable coils, arranged in lines on opposite sides of space through which a projection beam is scanned, are used in combination with conductors to generate a magnetic field in a plane perpendicular to a direction of propagation of said projection beam, and wherein said coils are selectively energized to form the multipole field at an arbitrary position in space, which multipole field acts as a beam deflector. 6. A method of manufacturing a device by employing a lithographic apparatus including a sliding electron-optical element, said method comprising:providing a projection beam of radiation; generating a multipole electromagnetic field using said sliding electron-optical element, to displace an optical axis of said projection beam by acting upon said projection beam from at least one direction perpendicular to said optical axis of said beam, in synchronism with a scanning action of said lithographic apparatus; and projecting at least a portion of said beam which has passed through said electromagnetic field onto a target portion of a substrate.  7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said sliding electron-optical element employs a magnetic lens formed by a sum of a magnetic field operating substantially parallel to said optical axis and a quadrupole magnetic field operating substantially perpendicular to said optical axis. 8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said magnetic field substantially parallel to said axis is stationary and said quadrupole magnetic field is displaced in synchronism with said scanning action. 9. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein said sliding electron-optical element employs a pair of slit coils provided with yokes to generate said magnetic field substantially parallel to said axis, and employs an array of selectable coils, arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the space through which said projection beam is scanned, to generate said quadrupole field, said pair of slit coils being static and individual pairs of said selectable coils being selectively energized to displace an axis of said magnetic lens. 10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein two groups of said selectable coils, each group comprising at least one pair of coils, are simultaneously energized to form a field having an axis at a position between two pairs of coils. 11. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein each of said selectable coils comprise first and second parts spaced apart in a direction parallel to the direction of propagation of said projection beam, and wherein said first and second parts are energized separately. 12. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said electron-optical element comprises two arrays of selectable coils arranged in lines on opposite sides of a space through which said projection beam is scanned and having conductors which generate a magnetic field in a plane perpendicular to a direction of propagation of said projection beam, wherein said coils are selectively energized to form a deflector, the multipole field, or both, at an arbitrary position in space. 13. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said electron-optical element is displaced physically in synchronism with said scanning action. 14. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said electron-optical element is displaced electronically in synchronism with said scanning action. 15. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said projection system comprises two sliding electron-optical elements functioning as lenses. 16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein one of said sliding electron-optical elements is arranged on an object side and another of said sliding electron-optical elements is arranged on a image side of a beam cross-over. 17. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said sliding electron-optical element is arranged to displace said optical axis along a substantially linear path substantially perpendicular to the axis of said projection beam. 18. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said sliding electron-optical element is arranged to displace said optical axis along a substantially arcuate path. 19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising additional electromagnets before and after said sliding optical element to deflect said projection beam. 20. A method according to claim 6, comprising generating a plurality of projection beams which are spaced apart and scanned simultaneously. 21. A method according to claim 20, wherein one or more of said projection beams is scanned along each of a plurality of substantially parallel slots.