A vacuum system for extracting a stream of a multi-phase fluid from a
photolithography tool comprises a pumping arrangement for drawing the
fluid from the tool, and an extraction tank located upstream from the
pumping arrangement for separating the fluid drawn from the tool into gas
and liquid phases. The pumping arrangement comprises a first pump for
extracting gas from the tank, and a second pump for extracting liquid
from the tank. In order to minimize any pressure fluctuations transmitted
from the vacuum system back to the fluid within the tool, a pressure
control system maintains a substantially constant pressure in the tank by
regulating the amounts of liquid and gas within the tank.