Device and method for controlling positioning of multiple adjustable mirror elements in a multi-mirror arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10018803-B2
Application number	US-201615332187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	Apr 25, 2014
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

An external facility is used to control positioning of multiple displaceable mirror elements of a multi-mirror arrangement. The external facility is to a multi-mirror arrangement via a data channel having a bandwidth of at least 1 kHz per controlled degree of freedom of displacement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device configured to control positioning of multiple displaceable mirror elements of a multi-mirror arrangement, the device comprising:
a control facility separate from the multi-mirror arrangement, the control facility connected to the multi-mirror arrangement in a data-transmitting manner via a first data channel; and
a supervisory unit connected to at least two inputs in a signal-transmitting manner, the first data channel being the single, common output of the supervisory unit,
wherein the first data channel for each of the displaceable mirror elements has in each case a bandwidth of at least 1 kHz, and
comprising a second data channel for signal transmission to the multi-mirror arrangement, the second data channel having a bandwidth of at most 500 Hz.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a digital-to-analog converter, wherein the first data channel is connected to a digital-to-analog converter in a signal-transmitting manner.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor facility having a sampling frequency of at least 1 kHz for each controlled degree of freedom of displacement of the mirror elements.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first data channel has a bit depth of at most 32 bits.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a number of first data channels that is at least of the same magnitude as a number of displaceable mirror elements.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein, for a given mirror element, the bandwidth of the first data channel is at least double the bandwidth of the second data channel.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein, for a given mirror element, a bit depth of the first data channel is at most half a bit depth of the second data channel.

8. An optical component, comprising:
a multi-mirror arrangement comprising multiple mirror elements; and
a device according to claim 1 .

9. The optical component of claim 8 , further comprising analog circuits configured to actuate actuating the mirror elements, wherein the analog circuits are without feedback with respect to the position control.

10. An illumination optical unit, comprising:
an optical component, comprising:
a multi-mirror arrangement comprising multiple mirror elements; and
a device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the illumination optical unit is a lithography illumination optical unit.

11. An illumination system, comprising:
an illumination optical unit comprising an optical component which comprises:
a multi-mirror arrangement comprising multiple mirror elements; and
a device according to claim 1 ; and

a radiation source,
wherein the illumination optical unit is a lithography illumination optical unit.

12. An apparatus, comprising:
an illumination optical unit comprising an optical component which comprises:
a multi-mirror arrangement comprising multiple mirror elements; and
a device according to claim 1 ; and

a projection optical unit,
wherein the apparatus is a microlithography projection exposure apparatus.

13. A method of using a microlithography projection exposure apparatus comprising an illumination optical unit and a projection optical unit, the method comprising:
using the illumination optical unit to illuminate part of a reticle; and
using the projection optical unit to project at least part of the illuminated part of the reticle onto a light sensitive material,
wherein the illumination optical unit comprises an optical component which comprises:
a multi-mirror arrangement comprising multiple mirror elements; and
a device according to claim 1 .

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising making a component.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second data channel has a bandwidth of at most 200 Hz.

16. A method of controlling positioning of multiple mirror elements of a multi-mirror arrangement, the multiple mirror elements being displaceable via actuators, the method comprising:
generating a data stream with signals from a control facility for activating the actuators via the control facility, the control facility being separate from the multi-mirror arrangement; and
transmitting the data stream via at least one first data channel to the multi-mirror arrangement,
wherein the at least one first data channel has a data rate which supports a bandwidth which is at least double a magnitude of a resonant frequency of one of the mirror elements, and each data channel has a maximum data flow of at most 40 kbit/s per mirror element.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising using a sensor facility to detect: a) positioning the mirror elements; and/or b) changes of the mirror elements.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one data channel comprises a channel structure having at least two communication channels.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the data stream generated by the control facility is coded.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein each data channel has a maximum data flow of at most 30 kbit/s per mirror element.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Horn Jan
• Holz Markus
• Specht Joerg
• Eisenmenger Johannes
• Krone Stefan

Classifications

• G03F7/7085

  Detection arrangement, e.g. detectors of apparatus alignment possibly mounted on wafers, exposure dose, photo-cleaning flux, stray light, thermal load · CPC title

• G03F7/70116

  Off-axis setting using a programmable means, e.g. liquid crystal display [LCD], digital micromirror device [DMD] or pupil facets · CPC title

• G02B26/0841 Primary

  the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means · CPC title

• G02B7/1827 Primary

  Motorised alignment · CPC title

• G02B17/008

  Systems specially adapted to form image relays or chained systems · CPC title