Apparatus for determining an optical property of an optical imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016202118-A1
Application number	US-201615075369-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus ( 10 ) determining an optical property of an imaging system ( 12 ) includes an illumination system ( 20 ) directing electromagnetic radiation ( 18 ) onto an object plane ( 22 ) of the imaging system, a utilization detector ( 42 ) determining the optical property, an output coupling device ( 46 ), and an intensity sensor ( 50 ). The detector captures the radiation after it has traveled along a utilized beam path ( 45 ) extending to the utilization detector. The output coupling device couples sensor radiation ( 48 ) out of the utilized beam path and into a sensor beam path ( 49 ) that differs from the utilized beam path. The intensity sensor records an angularly resolved intensity distribution present at least at one point in the object plane of the optical imaging system, which intensity distribution reproduces the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation in dependence on the angle of incidence with respect to the object plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus configured to determine an optical property of an optical imaging system, comprising:
an illumination system configured to direct electromagnetic radiation generated by a radiation source onto an object plane of the imaging system, a utilization detector configured to determine the optical property, the detector being configured to capture the electromagnetic radiation after the electromagnetic radiation has traveled along a utilized beam path, wherein the utilized beam path extends from the radiation source via the imaging system to the utilization detector, an output coupling device arranged in the utilized beam path and configured to couple sensor radiation out of the utilized beam path and into a sensor beam path that differs from the utilized beam path, and an intensity sensor arranged in the sensor beam path and configured to record an angularly resolved intensity distribution at least at one point in the object plane of the optical imaging system, which intensity distribution reproduces electromagnetic radiation intensities with respect to angles of incidence in the object plane.

2 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device is arranged within a region of the utilized beam path that is located upstream of the imaging system.

3 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device is arranged in the illumination system.

4 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device comprises an at least partially reflective element.

5 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a test mask arranged in the object plane and comprising the output coupling device.

6 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the illumination system is arranged to irradiate the object plane obliquely with the electromagnetic radiation.

7 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device comprises a radiation-converting element configured to generate the sensor radiation from part of the electromagnetic radiation traveling along the utilized beam path by changing a wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation.

8 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device is configured to couple radiation having a wavelength that differs from an operating wavelength of the optical imaging system out of the electromagnetic radiation of the utilized beam path as sensor radiation.

9 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device is configured to couple the sensor radiation out of the utilized beam path by way of +/−4th order of diffraction or an order of diffraction which is higher in absolute value.

10 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device comprises a diffraction grating.

11 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output coupling device comprises an analysis grating configured to generate an interferogram on the utilization detector from a radiation component of the electromagnetic radiation having a first wavelength and to direct a radiation component of the electromagnetic radiation having a second wavelength in an order of diffraction other than the zeroth order of diffraction onto the intensity sensor.

12 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , in which the utilization detector and the intensity sensor are integrated in a unipartite detector.

13 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , and configured to periodically interrupt the radiation emitted by the illumination system such that the radiation is incident on the object plane in packets of radiation of predetermined duration.

14 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , configured for an operating wavelength in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range.

15 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an evaluation device configured to correct the optical property of the optical imaging system, which is determined by the utilization detector, in accordance with the angularly resolved intensity distribution that is recorded by the intensity sensor.

16 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical property comprises a wavefront aberration behavior of the optical imaging system.

17 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an evaluation device configured to determine a pupil-resolved transmission behavior of the optical imaging system by evaluating measurement results of the utilization detector and the angularly resolved intensity distribution recorded by the intensity sensor.

18 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intensity sensor is configured also to record a spatially resolved intensity distribution in the object plane of the optical imaging system.

19 . A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 1 .

20 . A method for determining an optical property of an optical imaging system, comprising:
directing electromagnetic radiation onto an object plane of the imaging system, determining the optical property with a utilization detector from the electromagnetic radiation after the electromagnetic radiation has traveled along a utilized beam path, wherein the utilized beam path extends from a source for the electromagnetic radiation via the imaging system to the utilization detector, coupling sensor radiation out of the utilized beam path and into a sensor beam path that differs from the utilized beam path, and recording, with an intensity sensor arranged in the sensor beam path, an angularly resolved intensity distribution at least at one point in the object plane of the optical imaging system, which intensity distribution reproduces electromagnetic radiation intensities with respect to angles of incidence in the object plane.

21 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , further comprising correcting a measurement performed by the utilization detector when the optical property is determined, in accordance with the angularly resolved intensity distribution recorded by the intensity sensor.

22 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , further comprising determining a pupil-resolved transmission behavior of the optical imaging system as the optical property by evaluating a measurement result of the utilization detector and the angularly resolved intensity distribution recorded by the intensity sensor.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Ehrmann Albrecht
• Goeppert Markus
• Haidner Helmut

Classifications

• G01J3/18

  using diffraction elements, e.g. grating (gratings per se G02B) · CPC title

• G01J2001/444

  Compensating; Calibrating, e.g. dark current, temperature drift, noise reduction or baseline correction; Adjusting · CPC title

• G01J1/0407

  Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. manifolds, windows, holograms, gratings · CPC title

• G01J1/4228

  arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation · CPC title

• G01J1/44 Primary

  Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)} · CPC title