Author(s): Sjef Box
ASML’s current IC production machines operate with such accuracy that positioning precision requirements are in the order of a nanometre. This makes very high demands on the stiffness and dynamics but certainly also on the thermo-mechanics of the design. Besides thermal expansion, other thermal and thermo-mechanical charac-teristics must be taken into account. It is also important that the method of thermal conditioning is tuned to the thermo-mechanical behaviour and vice versa. Only then can a good assessment be made and the best concept be chosen.
