Patent ID: 8436324

Claim:
A charged particle lithography system comprising a preparation unit configured to clamp a substrate on a surface of a substrate support structure by means of a capillary liquid layer, and a lithography apparatus for performing a lithographic process on the substrate clamped onto the substrate support structure, the preparation unit comprising: a housing having a first load port for loading and/or unloading a substrate into or out of the housing; a substrate transfer unit for locating the substrate onto a substrate support structure within the housing so as to enable preparation of a substrate support structure with a substrate clamped thereon; and a second load port for loading and/or unloading the substrate support structure with the substrate clamped thereon into or out of the housing; and the lithography apparatus comprising a substrate processing compartment, the substrate processing compartment of the lithography apparatus being arranged to receive the substrate support structure with the substrate clamped thereon via the second load port.