Optical apparatus, method for setting a target deformation, and lithography system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024103381-A1
Application number	US-202318512298-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 17, 2023
Priority date	May 27, 2021
Publication date	Mar 28, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optical apparatus for a lithography system has at least one optical element comprising an optical surface. The optical apparatus also has one or more actuators for deforming the optical surface. The optical element comprises a strain gauge device for determining the deformation of the optical surface. The gauge device comprises: a) at least one path length device for generating a measurement spectrum of a measurement radiation, wherein the path length device comprises a grating device for the measurement radiation and/or a resonator device for the measurement radiation; and/or b) at least one waveguide, wherein the at least one waveguide and/or the at least one grating device and/or the at least one resonator device are formed by the substrate element.

First claim

1 . An optical apparatus, comprising:
an optical element comprising a substrate element and an optical surface supported by the substrate element; an actuator configured to deform the optical surface; and a closed-loop control device, wherein:
the optical element comprises a strain gauge device configured to determine a deformation of the optical surface;
the strain gauge device comprises:
a length device configured to generate a measurement spectrum of a measurement radiation, the path length device comprising a grating device configured to measure the measurement radiation and/or a resonator device configured to measure the the measurement radiation; and/or

a waveguide;
the substrate comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of the waveguide, the grating device and the resonator device; the strain gauge device is configured to determine a strain in a measurement region of the optical element; the measurement region is configured so that a strain of the measurement region is determined by a deformation of the optical surface; the strain gauge device is at least partly arranged in the substrate element; the closed-loop control device comprises a closed loop configured to set a target strain of the measurement region via the actuator taking into account an actual strain of the measurement region determined by the strain gauge device; the closed-loop control device is configured to correct a temperature-induced deviation of the actual deformation from the target deformation and/or a strain-induced deviation of the actual deformation from the target deformation of the optical surface.

2 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the strain gauge device is at least partly arranged within the measurement region.

3 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the strain gauge device comprises a plurality of path length devices, and the waveguide is configured to guide the measurement radiation to the plurality of path length devices.

4 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grating device comprises a fiber Bragg grating.

5 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber.

6 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of measurement regions at different depths in the substrate element, and/or the measurement region is in a strain-neutral plane of the substrate element.

7 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the closed-loop control device is configured to set a target deformation of the optical surface via the actuator taking into account the actual strain of the measurement region determined by the strain gauge device.

8 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the measurement region comprises a plurality of measurement regions on the optical element configured so that deformations of the optical surface that are relevant to an optical effect caused by the optical element are measurable.

9 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a computing device configured to determine an actual deformation of the optical surface and/or a suitable force of the actuator to set a target deformation of the optical surface from the actual strain of the measurement region.

10 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of actuators and a plurality of measurement regions, each actuator assigned to a measurement region which comprises an effective region of the respective actuator.

11 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the straining gauge device is configured to regularly determine the strain of the measurement region and/or vibrations of the optical surface.

12 . The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more measurement regions are arranged on and/or in the optical element so that one or more vibration modes of the optical surface and/or of the optical element are determinable.

13 . An apparatus, comprising:
a radiation source; an optical unit comprising the optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a semiconductor lithography projection exposure apparatus.

14 . A method for setting a target deformation of an optical surface of an optical element for a lithography system via one or more actuators, the method comprising:
determining an actual deformation of the optical surface by virtue of at least one actual strain of at least one measurement region of the optical element, wherein:
the at least one measurement region so that the actual deformation of the optical surface is deducible from the actual strain;
the actual strain is determined in one or more measurement regions in at least one substrate element supporting the optical surface; and
the respective actual strain in a plurality of measurement regions is determined at different depths in the substrate element, and/or the actual strain is determined in a strain-neutral plane of the substrate element in at least one of a plurality of measurement regions.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein a strain gauge device is arranged so that at least one measurement spectrum is influenced in at least one path length device as a result of the actual strain of the at least one measurement region.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the actual strain is determined by detecting at least one measurement spectrum of at least one measurement radiation.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising detecting a shift of the at least one measurement spectrum.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the path length device comprises a grating device and/or a resonator device.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining and/or applying a force of the at least one actuator to set a target deformation of the optical surface, based on the determined actual deformation of the optical surface.

20 .- 22 . (canceled)

23 . A production method for an optical element of a lithography system an optical surface that is deformable via an actuator, the optical element comprising a strain gauge device configured to determine a deformation of the optical surface, the strain gauge device comprising a path length device configured to generate a measurement spectrum of a measurement radiation, the path length device comprising a grating device for the measurement radiation and/or a resonator device for the measurement radiation, and/or a waveguide, a substrate element supporting the optical surface, the method comprising:
using a local change in a refractive index to direct write the waveguide and/or the grating device and/or the resonator device in the substrate element.

24 .- 26 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Gwosch Klaus
• Heller Pascal
• Manger Matthias
• Koeniger Andreas

Classifications

• G03F7/70266 Primary

  Adaptive optics, e.g. deformable optical elements for wavefront control, e.g. for aberration adjustment or correction · CPC title

• G03F7/7085 Primary

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