Measurement illumination optical unit for guiding illumination light into an object field of a projection exposure system for EUV lithography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11720028-B2
Application number	US-202117511234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2021
Priority date	Apr 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

A measurement illumination optical unit guides illumination light into an object field of a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography. The illumination optical unit has a field facet mirror with a plurality of field facets and a pupil facet mirror with a plurality of pupil facets. The latter serve for overlaid imaging in the object field of field facet images of the field facets. A field facet imaging channel of the illumination light is guided via any one field facet and any one pupil facet. A field stop specifies a field boundary of an illumination field in the object plane. The illumination field has a greater extent along one field dimension than any one of the field facet images. At least some of the field facets include tilt actuators which help guide the illumination light into the illumination field via various field facets and one and the same pupil facet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illumination optical unit configured to guide illumination light into an object field, the illumination optical unit comprising:
a field facet mirror comprising a plurality of field facets;
a pupil facet mirror comprising a plurality of pupil facets configured to overlay field facet images of the field facets in the object field and so that a field facet imaging channel of the illumination light is guided via any one field facet and any one pupil facet; and
a measurement field illumination device comprising a displacement actuator,
wherein:
the illumination optical unit is configured so that a measurement field has a greater extent along one first field dimension than any one of the field facet images;
the measurement field illumination device is configured to influence guidance of the illumination light via the field facet imaging channels so that the entire measurement field is illuminated via the field facet imaging channels; and
the displacement actuator is configured to displace an optical component configured to guide the illumination light between an illumination light source and the object field to sequentially illuminate the entire measurement field via the field facet imaging channels.

2. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , wherein the object field is an object field of a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography.

3. The illumination optical unit of claim 2 , wherein the illumination optical unit is a production illumination optical unit of the projection exposure apparatus.

4. The illumination optical unit of claim 2 , wherein:
the object field is an object field of a projection optical unit of the projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography;
the object field is downstream of the illumination optical unit;
the projection optical unit is configured to image the object field into an image field; and
the displacement actuator is configured to displace the illumination optical unit relative to the object field.

5. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , wherein the displacement actuator is configured to displace at least some of the field facet images together along the one field dimension relative to the measurement field.

6. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , wherein the displacement actuator is configured to interact with a portion of the field facet mirror which carries a field facet group to displace the field facet mirror or the portion of the field facet mirror.

7. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , wherein the displacement actuator is configured to interact with a portion of the pupil facet mirror which carries a pupil facet group to displace the pupil facet mirror or the portion of the pupil facet mirror.

8. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , further comprising a mirror component configured to guide the illumination light between the pupil facet mirror and the object field, wherein the displacement actuator is configured to displace the mirror component.

9. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , wherein the object field is downstream of the optical unit, and the displacement actuator is configured to displace the optical unit relative to the object field.

10. The illumination optical unit of claim 1 , wherein the displacement actuator is configured to displace an object holder relative to the remainder of the optical unit.

11. An illumination system, comprising:
an illumination optical unit according to claim 1 ; and
a light source configured to provide the illumination light.

12. An illumination system, comprising:
an illumination optical unit according to claim 1 ; and
a projection optical unit configured to image the object field into an image field.

13. An illumination system, comprising:
an illumination optical unit according to claim 1 ; and
a projection optical unit configured to image the object field into an image field,
wherein the displacement actuator is configured to translate the illumination optical unit relative to the projection optical unit.

14. An apparatus, comprising:
an illumination system which comprises an illumination optical unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the apparatus is a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography.

15. A method of using a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography comprising an illumination optical unit and a projection optical unit, the method comprising:
using the illumination optical unit to illuminate an object field of the projection optical unit; and
using the projection optical unit to image a portion of the object field into an image field,
wherein the illumination optical unit comprises an illumination optical unit according to claim 1 .

16. An illumination optical unit configured to guide illumination light to an object field, the illumination optical unit comprising:
a field facet mirror comprising a plurality of field facets;
a pupil facet mirror comprising a plurality of pupil facets configured to overlay field facet images of the field facets in the object field and so that a field facet imaging channel of the illumination light is guided via any one field facet and any one pupil facet; and
a field stop configured to define a field boundary of an illumination field of the illumination light in the object field,
wherein:
the illumination field has a greater extent along one field dimension than any one of the field facet images; and
at least some of the field facets comprise tilt actuators configured so that the illumination light is guided into the illumination field via various field facets and one and the same pupil facet.

17. The illumination optical unit of claim 16 , wherein:
the field facets comprise a reflection surface with an aspect ratio of greater than two; and
the tilt actuators are configured so that the illumination light is guided into the illumination field via field facets which are adjacent to one another via one field facet longitudinal side and via one and the same pupil facet.

18. The illumination optical unit of claim 16 , wherein the object field is an object field of a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography.

19. The illumination optical unit of claim 18 , wherein the illumination optical unit is a production illumination optical unit of the projection exposure apparatus.

20. An apparatus, comprising:
an illumination system which comprises an illumination optical unit according to claim 16 ,
wherein the apparatus is a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Fischer Thomas
• Wischmeier Lars
• Patra Michael
• Holderer Hubert

Classifications

• G03F7/7015 Primary

  Details of optical elements · CPC title

• G03F7/70133

  Measurement of illumination distribution, in pupil plane or field plane · CPC title

• G03F7/70075 Primary

  Homogenization of illumination intensity in the mask plane by using an integrator, e.g. fly's eye lens, facet mirror or glass rod, by using a diffusing optical element or by beam deflection · CPC title

• G02B7/1827

  Motorised alignment · 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