GB2462151A - A projection exposure tool for microlithography - Google Patents
A projection exposure tool for microlithography Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2462151A GB2462151A GB0902104A GB0902104A GB2462151A GB 2462151 A GB2462151 A GB 2462151A GB 0902104 A GB0902104 A GB 0902104A GB 0902104 A GB0902104 A GB 0902104A GB 2462151 A GB2462151 A GB 2462151A
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- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- radiation
- exposure tool
- projection exposure
- projection optics
- imaging
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- 238000001393 microlithography Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 12
- 238000005286 illumination Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 71
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 51
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 claims description 118
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 claims description 73
- 210000001747 pupil Anatomy 0.000 claims description 22
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims description 13
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000001446 dark-field microscopy Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000007493 shaping process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000059 patterning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000644 propagated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000003376 silicon Chemical class 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
- G03F7/708—Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials
- G03F7/70908—Hygiene, e.g. preventing apparatus pollution, mitigating effect of pollution or removing pollutants from apparatus
- G03F7/70941—Stray fields and charges, e.g. stray light, scattered light, flare, transmission loss
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Epidemiology (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Atmospheric Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Exposure And Positioning Against Photoresist Photosensitive Materials (AREA)
Abstract
The microlithography apparatus has an illumination system (14, 18, 20, 22, 24) which directs light into projection optics 28. Stray light, such as the zeroth order diffraction order, directed towards the aperture plate 32 of the projection optics is fed back into the illumination system using a light guide 37 in the form of an optical fibre or a bundle of optical fibres. Mirrors may also be used as light feedback devices in place of the optical fibres (see fig 5). The light feedback arrangements increases the amount of light available for exposure.
Description
A projection exposure tool for microlithography
Field of the invention
The invention relates to a projection exposure tool for microlithography and a method of lithographically imaging a mask pattern onto a substrate.
Background of the invention
A projection exposure tool for microlithography is a machine which transfers a desired mask pattern onto a target portion of a substrate in the form of, for example, a silicon wafer. Such a projection exposure tool can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs).
For this purpose, a patterning device, which can be a mask or reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a substrate which has a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) coated thereon. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions, which are successively exposed. Conventional lithographic exposure tools include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern on the target portion at once, and so-called scanners. In scanners each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a beam of radiation in a given direction while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction.
During the imaging process a mask pattern on the reticle is illuminated by illumination radiation and projected by projection optics onto the substrate. This imaging can be conducted in a range of different imaging modes. In certain imaging modes, however, the radiation dose available for imaging the mask pattern is very limited.
Summary of the invention
It is an object of the invention to solve the above mentioned problems and in particular provide a projection exposure tool and a method of lithographically imaging a mask pattern onto a substrate, which allow an improvement of the imaging performance of the projection exposure tools.
The above object may be solved according to the invention by a projection exposure tool for microlithography comprising: projection optics for imaging a mask pattern onto a substrate and having a capture range, which capture range defines a range of propagation directions at which incoming radiation passes through the projection optics, an illumination system configured to illuminate the mask pattern with illumination radiation, wherein the illumination radiation is converted upon interaction with the mask pattern into an imaging radiation directed towards the projection optics such that an out of capture component of the imaging radiation has a propagation direction outside the capture range of the projection optics, and a feedback device configured to feed the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination system.
The above object may also be solved by a method of lithographically imaging a mask pattern onto a substrate using projection optics, which projection optics have a capture range defining a range of propagation directions at which incoming radiation passes through the projection optics.
The method comprises the steps of: illuminating the mask pattern with illumination radiation, wherein the illumination radiation is converted upon interaction with the mask pattern into an imaging radiation directed towards the projection optics such that an out of capture component of the imaging radiation has a propagation direction outside the capture range of the projection optics, and feeding the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination radiation.
The out of capture component of the imaging radiation can for example be a certain diffraction order of the imaging radiation resulting from the interaction of the illumination radiation with the mask pattern, which diffraction order propagates in a direction, which is not within the capture range of the projection optics. Typically the capture range of the projection optics is defined by the size of the aperture or pupil of the projection optics. An out of capture component has a propagation direction, which causes the radiation to not pass through the pupil.
By providing a feedback device according to the invention configured to feed the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination system, the radiation, which would otherwise be lost for the imaging process, can be "re-used". By feeding the illumination back into the illumination system, the illumination radiation can be enhanced correspondingly. The otherwise lost out of capture component of the imaging radiation can therefore be redirected as illumination radiation onto the mask pattern and in this course be converted at least to a certain extent into imaging radiation passing through the projection optics. The inventive solution therefore improves the illumination intensity available in the projection exposure tool, which in turn leads to an improved imaging performance.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the illumination system is configured to illuminate the mask pattern with the illumination radiation in a dark field illumination mode, in which mode at least two diffraction orders of the imaging radiation have propagation directions within the capture range of the projection optics, and the out of capture component is a lower diffraction order of the imaging radiation in comparison to the captured diffraction orders. In order to allow imaging by the projection optics, at least two diffraction orders of the imaging radiation need to be captured. In conventional imaging modes these diffraction orders usually comprise the zeroth diffraction order and the plus first and/or minus first diffraction order of the imaging radiation.
In the dark field illumination mode, the zerotl diffraction order is not captured by the projection optics, rather higher diffraction orders, for example the plus first and plus second diffraction orders, are captured. It is also possible, that the plus second and plus third diffraction orders are captured in the dark field illumination mode. This type of imaging is named analogously to dark field microscopy, in reference to the fact that the zerot diffraction order is not collected by the projection system. It is to be noted that in the present application the concept "dark field illumination" is defined independently from the commonly used concepts of dark field reticle patterns and bright field reticle patterns. According to the present embodiment of the invention the lower diffraction order of the imaging radiation, not captured by the projection optics, which can be, as detailed above, the zeroth diffraction order, is fed back into the illumination system using the feedback device.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the out of capture component is the zeroth diffraction order of the imaging radiation. The zeroth diffraction order of the imaging radiation generally carries the largest radiation intensity as compared to the higher diffraction orders.
Feeding back the zeroth diffraction order imaging radiation into the illumination system allows for a large improvement of the overall imaging performance of the projection exposure tool.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the feedback device comprises an exposed surface, which exposed surface is arranged such that it is exposed to the out of capture component of the imaging radiation. In one embodiment the exposed surface can for example function as a collection device for picking up the out of capture component of the imaging radiation.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the exposed surface is located between the mask pattern and the projection optics. The mask pattern is typically arranged on a reticle.
Therefore, the exposed surface is arranged between the reticle and the projection optics. At this location the out of capture component of the imaging radiation is available at a high radiation intensity. The arrangement of the exposed surface at this location therefore allows for a large intensity gain by feeding back to radiation into the illumination system.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the projection optics comprise several optical elements, one of which optical elements is arranged closest to the mask pattern, and the exposed surface is located between the mask pattern and the optical element, which is arranged closest to the mask pattern.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the feedback device comprises a mirror having a reflecting surface, which reflecting surface is the exposed surface. Therefore the reflecting surface reflects the out of capture component. This way the out of capture component can be efficiently reflected back into the illumination system.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the reflecting surface is configured to reflect the incoming out of capture component of the imaging radiation, such that the reflected radiation propagates back in the optical path of the incoming out of capture component. Therefore, the reflected radiation propagates in the opposite direction on the exact same optical path as the incoming out of capture component of the imaging radiation propagated. This way the reflected radiation travels back into the illumination system and possibly back into a resonator of a radiation source in the form of a laser. In the resonator the reflected radiation increases the intensity of the illumination produced by the radiation source.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the mirror is ring shaped. In a further embodiment according to the invention, the mirror is configured such that an opening delimited by the ring shaped mirror is dimensioned such that all imaging radiation within the capture range of the projection optics can pass through the opening. This way, the imaging operation of the projection exposure tool is not affected by the presence of the mirror.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the reflecting surface of the mirror is non-planar in shape. Therefore the shape of the mirror is either spherical or aspherical. If the mirror is arranged between the reticle in the projection optics, the shape of the reflecting surface is advantageously adapted to the shape of the wave front of the out of capture component radiation.
In this case the out of capture component radiation can be sent back by the mirror such that the wave reflects back in itself. In an embodiment according to the invention, the mirror is of the Lieberkuehn-type as known to the person skilled in the art.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the exposed surface of the feedback device is arranged in the region of a pupil plane of the projection optics. In particular, the feedback device is arranged exactly in the mentioned pupil plane. The projection optics can have several pupil planes. In an embodiment according to the invention, the exposed surface is arranged at the first pupil plane of the projection optics in the optical path. In this pupil plane the intensity of the out of capture component radiation is comparatively large.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the reflecting surface of the mirror is planar in shape. In case the mirror is arranged in the region of a pupil plane of the projection optics, the planar shape allows the incoming rays of the out of capture component radiation to be reflected back in itself. Therefore the out of capture component radiation is reflected back on the same path into the illumination system as the incoming out of capture component was travelling.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the feedback device comprises an optical waveguide or optical lightguide for guiding the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination system. In an embodiment according to the invention, the optical waveguide has an end face, which is the exposed surface of the feedback device. The end face acts as a collection element for picking up the out of capture component radiation such that the radiation can travel within the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide can for example be configured as a bundle of fibers or as a single fiber.
In a further embodiment according to the invention, the feedback device comprises a coupling element for coupling the radiation from the optical waveguide into the optical path within the illumination system. Such a coupling element can for example comprise a collimation lens and a beam merger configured for merging the beam delivered by the optical waveguide with an illumination radiation beam within the illumination system.
The features specified above with respect to the projection exposure tool according to the invention can be transferred correspondingly to the method according to the invention.
Embodiments of the method according to the invention resulting there from shall explicitly be
covered by the disclosure of the invention.
Brief description of the drawings
The foregoing as well as other features of the invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the following diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a projection exposure tool for microlithography according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a top-down view of a radiation distribution in a pupil plane of a projection exposure tool, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of a projection exposure tool for microlithography according to the invention, Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of a third embodiment of a projection exposure tool for microlithography according to the invention comprising a ring shaped mirror, Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view of a forth embodiment of a projection exposure tool for microlithography according to the invention, and Fig. 6 is a top-down view of the ring shaped mirror of the projection exposure tool shown in Fig. 5.
Detailed description of exemplary embodiments
In the embodiments of the invention described below, components that are alike in function and structure are designated as far as possible by the same or alike reference numerals. Therefore, to understand the features of the individual components of a specific embodiment, the descriptions of other embodiments or the summary of the invention should be referred to.
Fig. 1 shows a sectional side view of a first embodiment of a projection exposure tool 10 for microlithography, which can be configured for example as a stepper or a step and scan exposure system, also referred to as scanner. The projection exposure tool 10 comprises an illumination system 12 and projection optics 28. The illumination system 12 is configured to illuminate a mask pattern 26 on a reticle 24 in order to image the mask pattern 26 using the projection optics 28 onto a substrate 35, for example in the form of a silicon wafer.
The illumination system 12 comprises a radiation source 14, for example in the form of a laser for generating illumination radiation 16. The illumination radiation 16 can for example have a wavelength in the ultraviolet wavelength range, such as 365 nm, 248 nm or 193 nm. The wavelength of the illumination radiation 16 can also be in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range (EUV), for example 13,4 nm. The illumination radiation 16 passes consecutively through beam shaping optics 18, a condenser 20 and relay optics 22 of the illumination system 12 before it irradiates the mask pattern 26 on the reticle 24.
The projection optics 28 comprise an optical axis 29 and several optical elements 30, a number of which are shown in Fig. 1. The projection optics 28, however, can have more or less optical elements 30 than shown in Fig. 1. The projection optics 28 have a first pupil plane 34, in which an aperture plate 32 is arranged in order to delimit the optical path through the projection optics 28. For this purpose, the aperture plate 32 comprises a circular opening also referred to as pupil 33. The optical elements 30 are depicted in the drawing as transmissive optical elements.
However, depending on the design of the projection optics 28, several or all of the optical elements 30 can also be reflective optical elements or mirrors. In case the projection exposure tool 10 is configured as an EUV-exposure tool, all of the optical elements 30 are typically reflective optical elements.
The illumination radiation 16 interacts with the mask pattern 26 when passing through the reticle 24 and is thereby converted into so-called imaging radiation 42. The projection optics 28 has a limited capture range for the imaging radiation 42. The capture range is determined by the size of the pupil 33 and defines a range of propagation directions for rays of the imaging radiation 42, which can pass through the projection optics 28. These rays are referred to as captured imaging radiation 42a. The rays 42a indicated in Fig. I by dashed lines show the maximum rays which can pass through the pupil 33.
A component of the imaging radiation 42 referred to as out of capture component 42b, which has a propagation direction outside the capture range of the projection optics 28, cannot pass through the pupil 33. Such an out of capture component 42b is produced according to an embodiment of the invention by operating the illumination system 12 in a so-called dark field illumination mode.
The principle of the dark field illumination mode is illustrated in Fig. 2. In the dark field illumination mode the mask pattern 26, which can be a periodic pattern, like a line and space pattern is illuminated such, that a zeroth diffraction order of the imaging radiation 42 generated by the interaction of the illumination radiation 16 with the mask pattern 26 is tilted with respect to the optical axis 29 of the projection optics 28, such that it falls outside the capture range of the projection optics 28.
The zerotl diffraction order is designated by the reference numeral 42b in Fig. 2. A first diffraction order 42a-I and a second diffraction order 42a-2 of the imaging radiation 42 fall within the capture range of the pupil 33 and are therefore referred to as captured imaging radiation 42a. This dark field illumination mode is named analogously to dark field microscopy, in reference to the fact that the zeroth diffraction order is not collected by the projection optics 28.
It is to be noted that in the present application the concept "dark field illumination" is defined independently from the commonly used concepts of dark field reticle patterns and bright field reticle patterns.
The projection exposure tool shown in Fig. 1 further comprises a feedback device 36 configured to feed the out of capture component 42b in the form of the zeroth diffraction order back into the illumination system 12. The feedback device 36 comprises an optical waveguide 37 or lightguide as well as a coupling element 39 for coupling the radiation from the optical waveguide 37 into the optical path of the illumination system 12. The optical waveguide 37 can for example be configured as a bundle of fibers or as a single fiber. One of two end-faces of the optical waveguide 37 is located in the pupil plane 34 of the projection optics 28 such that it is exposed to the out of capture component 42b. This end-face of the optical waveguide 37 is therefore referred to as exposed surface 38. For this purpose the aperture plate 32 can be provided with a hole in the area, in which the exposed surface 38 is arranged. The out of capture component 42b is therewith picked up by the optical waveguide 37 and fed back into the illumination system by the coupling element 39 which comprises a collimation lens 40 and a beam merger 41.
Fig. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the projection exposure tool according to the invention which differs from the projection exposure tool 10 according to Fig. I only in the location, at which the exposed surface 38 of the optical waveguide 37 is arranged. The optical waveguide 37 is arranged such, that its end-face functioning as the exposed surface 38 is located in the area between the reticle 24 and the projection optics 28, more specifically, between the reticle 24 or the mask pattern 26 and the first optical element 30-1 of the projection optics 28. The first optical element 30-1 is the optical element of the projection optics 28, which is closest to the reticle 24.
The out of capture component 42b is in this area tilted with respect to the optical axis 29.
Therefore, the surface normal of the exposed surface 38 is tilted accordingly. Fig. 3 further shows another embodiment of the coupling element 39, which can be used alternatively to the coupling element 39 shown in Fig. 1. Tn this coupling element 38 the beam merger 41 is configured such that the out of capture component 42b is redirected by 90° in order to be merged into the illumination radiation 16.
Fig. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the projection exposure tool 10 according to the invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiments according to Figs. 1 and 3 only in the configuration of the feedback device, which is in this embodiment designated by the reference numeral 136. The embodiment according to Fig. 4 differs from the embodiment according to Fig. 1 in that the feedback device 136 is configured as a planar ring shaped mirror.
The planar ring shaped mirror 136 can be configured as a reflective coating in a respective area of the aperture plate 32. Alternatively, the ring shaped mirror can be a separate element having a circular opening corresponding to the pupil 33 and being arranged on the aperture plate 32.
Thereby the mirror 136 is arranged in the pupil plane 34 and reflects the incoming out of capture component 42b. The out of capture component 42b has a propagation direction at the pupil plane 33 parallel to the optical axis 29 of the projection optics 28 and is therefore perpendicular to the surface of the mirror 136. The incoming out of capture component 42b is therefore reflected such that the reflected out of capture radiation 46 returns in the same optical path as the incoming out of capture radiation 42b was travelling.
The reflected out of capture radiation 46 therefore enters back into the illumination system 12 and enhances the illumination radiation 16 being available for the imaging process. In an embodiment the reflected out of capture radiation 46 travels all the way back into the resonator of the radiation source 14 in form of a laser and enhances the available radiation intensity therein.
Fig. 5 illustrates a forth embodiment of the projection exposure tool 10 according to the invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 in that the feedback device 236 is configured as a non-planar mirror, which is arranged in the gap between the reticle 24 and the projection optics 28, in particular between the reticle 24 and the first optical element 30-1 of the projection optics 28.
The feedback device 236 configured in the form of a non-planar mirror is a mirror of the Lieberkuehn-type, which is known to the person skilled in the art and shown in a top down view in Fig. 6. The mirror 236 has a central opening 44 dimensioned such, that the captured imaging radiation 42a can pass into the projection optics 28. The reflecting surface 48 of the mirror is adapted in its shape to the wave front of the out of capture component 42b of the imaging radiation 42. In case the wave front of the out of capture component 42b is spherical, the reflecting surface 48 is also configured in a spherical shape. For a non-spherical wave front, non-spherical shapes of the reflecting surface 48 can be provided. As with the mirror 136 according to Fig. 4, also the mirror 236 according to Fig. 5 reflects the out of capture component 42b back into the illumination system 12.
List of reference numerals projection exposure tool 12 illumination system 14 radiation source 16 illumination radiation 18 beam shaping optics condenser 22 relay optics 24 reticle 26 mask pattern 28 projection optics 29 optical axis optical element 30-1 first optical element 32 aperture plate 33 pupil 34 first pupil plane substrate 36 feedback device 37 optical waveguide 38 exposed surface 39 coupling element collimation lens 41 beam merger 42 imaging radiation 42a captured imaging radiation 42a-1 first diffraction order of imaging radiation 42a-2 further diffraction order of imaging radiation 42b out of capture component 44 opening 46 reflected out of capture radiation 48 reflecting surface 136 feedback device 236 feedback device
Claims (16)
- Claims 1, A projection exposure tool for microlithography comprising: projection optics for imaging a mask pattern onto a substrate and having a capture range, which capture range defines a range of propagation directions at which incoming radiation passes through the projection optics, an illumination system configured to illuminate the mask pattern with illumination radiation, wherein the illumination radiation is converted upon interaction with the mask pattern into an imaging radiation directed towards the projection optics such that an out of capture component of the imaging radiation has a propagation direction outside the capture range of the projection optics, and a feedback device configured to feed the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination system.
- 2. The projection exposure tool according to claim 1, wherein the illumination system is configured to illuminate the mask pattern with the illumination radiation in a dark field illumination mode, in which mode at least two diffraction orders of the imaging radiation have propagation directions within the capture range of the projection optics and the out of capture component is a lower diffraction order of the imaging radiation in comparison to the captured diffraction orders.
- 3. The projection exposure tool according to claim 1, wherein the out of capture component is the zeroth diffraction order of the imaging radiation.
- 4. The projection exposure tool according to claim 1, wherein the feedback device comprises an exposed surface, which exposed surface is arranged such that it is exposed to the out of capture component of the imaging radiation.
- 5. The projection exposure tool according to claim 4, wherein the exposed surface is located between the mask pattern and the projection optics.
- 6. The projection exposure tool according to claim 4, wherein the feedback device comprises a mirror having a reflecting surface, which reflecting surface is the exposed surface.
- 7. The projection exposure tool according to claim 6, wherein the reflecting surface is configured to reflect the incoming out of capture component of the imaging radiation, such that the reflected radiation propagates back in the optical path of the incoming out of capture component.
- 8. The projection exposure tool according to claim 6, wherein the mirror is ring shaped.
- 9. The projection exposure tool according to claim 8, wherein the ring shaped mirror is configured such that an opening delimited by the ring shaped mirror is dimensioned such that all imaging radiation within the capture range of the projection optics can pass through the opening.
- 10. The projection exposure tool according to claim 6, wherein the reflecting surface of the mirror is non-planar in shape.
- 11. The projection exposure tool according to claim 4, wherein the exposed surface of the feedback device is arranged in the region of a pupil plane of the projection optics.
- 12. The projection exposure tool according to claim 6, wherein the reflecting surface of the mirror is planar in shape.
- 13. The projection exposure tool according to claim 1, wherein the feedback device comprises an optical waveguide for guiding the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination system.
- 14. The projection exposure tool according to claim 1, wherein the feedback device comprises a coupling element for coupling the radiation from the optical waveguide into the optical path within the illumination system.
- 15. A method of lithographically imaging a mask pattern onto a substrate using projection optics, which projection optics have a capture range defining a range of propagation directions at which incoming radiation passes through the projection optics, the method comprising the steps of: -illuminating the mask pattern with illumination radiation, wherein the illumination radiation is converted upon interaction with the mask pattern into an imaging radiation directed towards the projection optics such that an out of capture component of the imaging radiation has a propagation direction outside the capture range of the projection optics, and -feeding the out of capture component of the imaging radiation back into the illumination radiation.
- 16. The method according to claim 15, which is performed using the projection exposure tool according to claim I
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US3457108P | 2008-03-07 | 2008-03-07 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB0902104D0 GB0902104D0 (en) | 2009-03-25 |
| GB2462151A true GB2462151A (en) | 2010-02-03 |
Family
ID=40527069
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0902104A Withdrawn GB2462151A (en) | 2008-03-07 | 2009-02-09 | A projection exposure tool for microlithography |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2462151A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104536146A (en) * | 2014-12-17 | 2015-04-22 | 中国科学院长春光学精密机械与物理研究所 | Polarization control method used in fiber point-diffraction interferometer wave surface reference source |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5247329A (en) * | 1990-12-25 | 1993-09-21 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Projection type exposure method and apparatus |
| US5662410A (en) * | 1994-07-21 | 1997-09-02 | Sony Corporation | Light exposure and illuminating device |
| US6549267B1 (en) * | 1996-02-22 | 2003-04-15 | Nikon Corporation | Pulse-width extending optical systems, projection-exposure apparatus comprising same, and manufacturing methods using same |
| WO2007137763A2 (en) * | 2006-05-26 | 2007-12-06 | Carl Zeiss Smt Ag | Illumination system for a microlithography projection exposure apparatus and projection exposure |
-
2009
- 2009-02-09 GB GB0902104A patent/GB2462151A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5247329A (en) * | 1990-12-25 | 1993-09-21 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Projection type exposure method and apparatus |
| US5662410A (en) * | 1994-07-21 | 1997-09-02 | Sony Corporation | Light exposure and illuminating device |
| US6549267B1 (en) * | 1996-02-22 | 2003-04-15 | Nikon Corporation | Pulse-width extending optical systems, projection-exposure apparatus comprising same, and manufacturing methods using same |
| WO2007137763A2 (en) * | 2006-05-26 | 2007-12-06 | Carl Zeiss Smt Ag | Illumination system for a microlithography projection exposure apparatus and projection exposure |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104536146A (en) * | 2014-12-17 | 2015-04-22 | 中国科学院长春光学精密机械与物理研究所 | Polarization control method used in fiber point-diffraction interferometer wave surface reference source |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB0902104D0 (en) | 2009-03-25 |
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