Method for reproducing a target wavefront of an imaging optical production system, and metrology system for carrying out the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023130187-A1
Application number	US-202217969967-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2022
Priority date	Oct 25, 2021
Publication date	Apr 27, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optical measuring system is used to reproduce a target wavefront of an imaging optical production system when an object is illuminated with illumination light. The optical measuring system comprises an object holder displaceable by actuator means and at least one optical component displaceable by actuator means. Within the scope of the target wavefront reproduction, a starting actuator position set (X 0 ), in which each actuator is assigned a starting actuator position, is initially specified. An expected design wavefront (W D ) which approximates the target wavefront and which the optical measuring system produces as a set wavefront is determined. A coarse measurement of a starting wavefront (W 0 ) which the optical measuring system produces as actual wavefront after actually setting the starting actuator position set (X 0 ) is carried out. Then, the object holder is adjusted by actuator means until a coarse target wavefront (W 1 ) is obtained for a coarse actuator position set (X 1 ) in the case of a minimum wavefront deviation between the actual wavefront and the design wavefront (W D ). Said coarse target wavefront is then subjected to a fine measurement and the at least one optical component is displaced until a fine target wavefront (W 2 ) is obtained for a fine actuator position set (X 2 ) in the case of a minimum deviation between the actual wavefront setting-in in that case and the design wavefront (W D ). This reproduction method allows wavefront deviations of the optical measuring system generated by way of targeted misalignment to provide a good approximation of corresponding deviations of the optical production system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for reproducing a target wavefront (W T ) of an imaging optical production system when an object is illuminated with illumination light using an optical measuring system,
the optical measuring system being designed to image the object in an object plane into an image field in an image plane, the optical measuring system comprising an object holder which serves to hold the object and which can be displaced by translation by use of at least one actuator, the optical measuring system comprising at least one optical component which can be displaced by use of at least one actuator, including the following steps: specifying a starting actuator position set (X 0 ), in which each actuator (is assigned a starting actuator position, determining an expected design wavefront (W D ) which approximates the target wavefront (W T ) and which the optical measuring system produces as a set wavefront, carrying out a coarse measurement of a starting wavefront (W 0 ) which the optical measuring system produces as actual wavefront (W) after actually setting the starting actuator position set (X 0 ), minimizing a deviation between an actual wavefront (W) emerging from the starting wavefront (W 0 ) and the design wavefront (W D ) by translating the object holder and measuring the respectively resulting actual wavefront (W) at the respective object holder position until a coarse target wavefront (W 1 ) has been obtained for a coarse actuator position set (X 1 ) in the case of a minimal wavefront deviation, carrying out a fine measurement of the coarse target wavefront (W 1 ) which the optical measuring system produces as actual wavefront (W) after actually setting the coarse actuator position set (X 1 ), and minimizing a deviation between an actual wavefront (W) emerging from the coarse target wavefront (W 1 ) and the design wavefront (W D ) by displacing the at least one optical component and monitoring the respectively resulting actual wavefront (W) at the respective component position until a fine target wavefront (W 2 ) has been obtained for a fine actuator position set (X 2 ) in the case of a minimal wavefront deviation.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront is expanded according to a function set during the coarse measurement, with only orders of the expansion smaller than a limit order being taken into account during the coarse measurement.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of the fine measurement and the subsequent minimization of the deviation are carried out iteratively.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a phase retrieval is carried out when carrying out the fine measurement and the subsequent minimization of the deviation.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the target wavefront (W T ) of an anamorphic optical production system is reproduced using an isomorphic optical measuring system.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the target wavefront (W T ) of an isomorphic optical production system is reproduced using an isomorphic optical measuring system.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront is expanded according to a function set when specifying the target wavefront (W T ), with only at least one selected order of the expansion being taken into account when specifying the target wavefront.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an illumination setting for illuminating the object by actuating at least one actuator of the optical measuring system is specified prior to the specification of the starting actuator position set (X 0 ) and the determination of the design wavefront (W D ) which has been approximated to the target wavefront (W T ), with the target wavefront (W T ) and the design wavefront (W D ) being specified on the basis of the illumination setting.

9 . A metrology system for carrying out the method of claim 1 ,
comprising an illumination optical unit for illuminating the object, comprising an optical measuring system for reproducing the target wavefront (W T ), comprising an object holder with an object holder actuator for displacing the object holder, comprising at least one optical component of the optical measuring system which has a component actuator for displacing the optical component, comprising a spatially resolving detection device for wavefront measurement, arranged in the region of an image plane of the optical measuring system, and comprising a central open-loop/closed-loop control device signal-connected to the actuators.

10 . The metrology system of claim 9 , comprising a light source for producing the illumination light.

11 . The metrology system of claim 9 , comprising an actuator for specifying an illumination setting for illuminating the object.

12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the steps of the fine measurement and the subsequent minimization of the deviation are carried out iteratively.

13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a phase retrieval is carried out when carrying out the fine measurement and the subsequent minimization of the deviation.

14 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the target wavefront (W T ) of an anamorphic optical production system is reproduced using an isomorphic optical measuring system.

15 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the target wavefront (W T ) of an isomorphic optical production system is reproduced using an isomorphic optical measuring system.

16 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the wavefront is expanded according to a function set when specifying the target wavefront (W T ), with only at least one selected order of the expansion being taken into account when specifying the target wavefront.

17 . The method of claim 2 , wherein an illumination setting for illuminating the object by actuating at least one actuator of the optical measuring system is specified prior to the specification of the starting actuator position set (X 0 ) and the determination of the design wavefront (W D ) which has been approximated to the target wavefront (W T ), with the target wavefront (W T ) and the design wavefront (W D ) being specified on the basis of the illumination setting.

18 . The metrology system of claim 10 , comprising an actuator for specifying an illumination setting for illuminating the object.

19 . The metrology system of claim 9 , wherein the wavefront is expanded according to a function set during the coarse measurement, with only orders of the expansion smaller than a limit order being taken into account during the coarse measurement.

20 . The metrology system of claim 9 , wherein the steps of the fine measurement and the subsequent minimization of the deviation are carried out iteratively.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Fischer Lukas
• Gwosch Klaus
• Koch Markus
• Laengle Mario
• Pagel Daniel

Classifications

• G03F7/706849

  Irradiation branch, e.g. optical system details, illumination mode or polarisation control · CPC title

• G03F7/706

  Aberration measurement · CPC title

• G03F7/70666 Primary

  Aerial image, i.e. measuring the image of the patterned exposure light at the image plane of the projection system · CPC title

• G03F1/84 Primary

  Inspecting · CPC title

• G01N21/84

  Systems specially adapted for particular applications · CPC title