Projection exposure apparatus for projection lithography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9235136-B2
Application number	US-201414540201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 29, 2012
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A projection exposure apparatus for projection lithography comprises a light source for generating illumination light. An illumination optical unit guides the light to an object field. A catadioptric projection optical unit with at least one curved mirror images an object in the object field onto a substrate in an image field. An object displacement drive- and a substrate displacement drive serve to displace the object and the substrate. A compensation device serves to compensate aberrations of the projection optical unit, which are caused by an arching of the object or the substrate. The compensation device comprises a wavelength manipulation device for manipulating a wavelength of the illumination light during the projection exposure. The result of this is a projection exposure apparatus in which the imaging quality of the projection optical unit is optimized, particularly taking into account a field curvature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
an illumination optical unit configured to guide illumination light to an object field;
a catadioptric projection optical unit comprising a curved mirror configured to image an object in the object field onto a substrate in an image field; and
a compensation device configured to compensate aberrations of the projection optical unit caused by a curvature of at least one field selected from the group consisting of the object field and the image field,
wherein:
the compensation device comprising a wavelength manipulation device configured to manipulate a wavelength of the illumination light during use of the apparatus;
the wavelength manipulation device is configured to change a Petzval sum of the catadioptric projection optical unit; and
the apparatus is a lithography projection exposure apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light source configured to provide the illumination light.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an object holder configured to hold the object;
an object displacement drive configured to displace the object through the object field during use of the apparatus;
a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate; and
a substrate displacement drive configured to displace the substrate through the image field during use of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device is configured to tune the illumination light in the region of less than 0.1 nm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device is configured so that a time constant of the wavelength manipulation is at most one minute.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device is configured so that a wavelength manipulation occurs within less than one second.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light source configured to provide the illumination light, wherein the wavelength manipulation device is part of the light source.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device comprises a displacement drive configured to displace a wavelength tuning unit for used light during use of the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device comprises a wavelength tunable laser resonator.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light source configured to provide the illumination light, wherein the wavelength manipulation device comprises a unit arranged separately from the light source.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compensation device comprises a displacement manipulator configured to displace a component during use of the apparatus, and the component is selected from the group consisting of the object, the substrate, and an optical component of the projection optical unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein only refractive optical components of the projection optical unit have displacement manipulators.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compensation device comprises a displacement manipulator configured to displace a component along an optical axis of the projection optical unit during use of the apparatus, and the component is selected from the group consisting of the object, the substrate, and an optical component of the projection optical unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device is configured to tune the illumination light in the region of less than 0.1 nm, and the wavelength manipulation device is configured so that a time constant of the wavelength manipulation is at most one minute.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device is configured so that a wavelength manipulation occurs within less than one second.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising a light source configured to provide the illumination light, wherein the wavelength manipulation device is part of the light source.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength manipulation device is configured to tune the illumination light in the region of less than 0.1 nm, and the wavelength manipulation device is configured so that a wavelength manipulation occurs within less than one second.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising a light source configured to provide the illumination light, wherein the wavelength manipulation device is part of the light source.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising a light source configured to provide the illumination light, wherein the wavelength manipulation device is part of the light source, and the wavelength manipulation device is configured to tune the illumination light in the region of less than 0.1 nm.

20. A, comprising:
using the apparatus of claim 1 to project a structure of a reticle onto a light-sensitive material supported by a wafer while scanning the reticle and the wafer in a synchronized fashion; and
using the compensation device to readjust while scanning.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Epple Alexander

Classifications

• G03F7/70258 Primary

  Projection system adjustments, e.g. adjustments during exposure or alignment during assembly of projection system · CPC title

• G03F7/70225 Primary

  Optical aspects of catadioptric systems, i.e. comprising reflective and refractive elements · CPC title

• G03F7/70308

  Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for manipulating imaging light, e.g. intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or image shift · CPC title

• G03F7/70341

  Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply (chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041) · CPC title

• G03F7/70575

  Wavelength control, e.g. control of bandwidth, multiple wavelength, selection of wavelength or matching of optical components to wavelength · CPC title