X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Specific application – Lithography
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-29
2002-08-20
Kim, Robert H. (Department: 2882)
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Specific application
Lithography
C378S145000, C378S146000, C378S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06438199
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an illumination system for wavelengths ≦193 nm as well as a projection exposure apparatus with such an illumination system.
In order to be able to further reduce the structural widths of electronic components, particularly in the submicron range, it is necessary to reduce the wavelengths of the light utilized for microlithography. Lithography with very deep UV radiation, so called VUV (Very deep UV) lithography or with soft x-ray radiation, so-called EUV (extreme UV) lithography, is conceivable at wavelengths smaller than 193 nm, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An illumination system for a lithographic device, which uses EUV radiation, has been made known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,346. For uniform illumination in the reticle plane and filling of the pupil, U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,346 proposes a condenser, which is constructed as a collector lens and comprises at least 4 pairs of mirror facets, which are arranged symmetrically. A plasma light source is used as the light source.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,137, an illumination system with a plasma light source comprising a condenser mirror is shown, in which an illumination of a mask or a reticle to be illuminated is achieved by means of spherical mirrors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,292 shows an illumination system, in which a plasma light source is provided, and the point plasma light source is imaged in an annular illuminated surface by means of a condenser, which has five aspherical mirrors arranged off-center.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,605, an illumination system has been made known, in which a photon beam is split into a multiple number of secondary light sources by means of a plate with concave raster elements. In this way, a homogeneous or uniform illumination is achieved in the reticle plane. The imaging of the reticle on the wafer to be exposed is produced by means of a conventional reduction optics. A gridded mirror is precisely provided with equally curved elements in the illumination beam path. The contents of the above-mentioned patents are incorporated by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an illumination system for microlithography that fulfills the requirements for advanced lithography with wavelength less or equal to 193 nm.
The system illuminates a structured reticle arranged in the image plane of the illumination system, which will be imaged by a projection objective onto a light sensitive substrate. In stepper-type lithography systems the reticle is illuminated with a rectangular field, wherein a pregiven uniformity of the light intensity inside the field is required, for example better than ±5%. In scanner-type lithography systems the reticle is illuminated with a rectangular or arc-shaped field, wherein a pregiven uniformity of the scanning energy distribution inside the field is required, for example better than ±5%. The scanning energy is defined as the line integral over the light intensity in the scanning direction. The shape of the field is dependent on the type of projection objective. All reflective projection objectives typically have an arc-shaped field, which is given by a segment of an annulus. A further requirement is the illumination of the exit pupil of the illumination system, which is located at the entrance pupil of the projection objective. A nearly field-independent illumination of the exit pupil is required.
Typical light sources for wavelengths between 100 nm and 200 nm are excimer lasers, for example an ArF-Laser for 193 nm, an F
2
-Laser for 157 nm, an Ar
2
-Laser for 126nm and an NeF-Laser for 109 nm. For systems in this wavelength region refractive components of SiO
2
, CaF
2
, BaF
2
or other crystallites are used. Since the transmission of the optical materials deteriorates with decreasing wavelength, the illumination systems are designed with a combination of refractive and reflective components. For wavelengths in the EUV wavelength region, between 10 nm and 20 nm, the projection exposure apparatus is designed as all-reflective. A typical EUV light source is a Laser-Produced-Plasma-source, a Pinch-Plasma-Source, a Wiggler-Source or an Undulator-Source.
The light of this primary light source is collected by a collector unit and directed to a first optical element, wherein the collector unit and the first optical element form a first optical component. The first optical element is organized as a plurality of first raster elements and transforms, together with the collector unit, the primary light source into a plurality of secondary light sources. Each first raster element corresponds to one secondary light source and focuses an incoming ray bundle, defined by all rays intersecting the first raster element, to the corresponding secondary light source. The secondary light sources are arranged in a pupil plane of the illumination system or nearby this plane. A field lens forming a second optical component is arranged between the pupil plane and the image plane of the illumination system to image the secondary light sources into an exit pupil of the illumination system, which corresponds to the entrance pupil of a following projection objective. The images of the secondary light sources in the exit pupil of the illumination system are therefore called tertiary light sources.
The first raster elements are imaged into the image plane, wherein their images are at least partially superimposed on a field that must be illuminated. Therefore, they are known as field raster elements or field honeycombs. If the light source is a point-like source, the secondary light sources are also point-like. In this case the imaging of each of the field raster elements can be explained visually with the principle of a “camera obscura”, with the small hole of the camera obscura at the position of each corresponding secondary light source, respectively.
To superimpose the images of the field raster elements in the image plane of the illumination system the incoming ray bundles are deflected by the field raster elements with first deflection angles, which are not equal for each of the field raster elements but at least different for two of the field raster elements. Therefore individual deflection angles for the field raster elements are designed.
For each field raster element a plane of incidence is defined by the incoming and deflected centroid ray selected from the incoming ray. bundle. Due to the individual deflection angles, at least two of the incidence planes are not parallel.
In advanced microlithography systems the light distribution in the entrance pupil of a projection objective must fulfill special requirements such as having an overall shape or uniformity. Since the secondary light sources are imaged into the exit pupil, their arrangement in the pupil plane of the illumination system determines the light distribution in the exit pupil. With the individual deflection angles of the field raster elements a predetermined arrangement of the secondary light sources can be achieved, independent of the directions of the incoming ray bundles.
For reflective field raster elements the deflection angles are generated by the tilt angles of the field raster elements. The tilt axes and the tilt angles are determined by the directions of the incoming ray bundles and the positions of the secondary light sources, to which the reflected ray bundles are directed.
For refractive field raster element the deflection angles are generated by lenslets, which have a prismatic optical power. The refractive field, raster elements can be lenslets with an optical power having a prismatic contribution or they can be a combination of a single prism and a lenslet. The prismatic optical power is determined by the directions of the incoming ray bundles and the positions of the corresponding secondary light sources.
Given the individual deflection angles of the first raster elements, the beam path to the plate with the raster elements can be either convergent or divergent. The slope values of the field raster elements a
Antoni Martin
Dinger Udo
Schultz Jörg
Schuster Karl-Heinz
Singer Wolfgang
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
Ohlandt Greeley Ruggiero & Perle LLP
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