Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Illumination systems or details
Reexamination Certificate
2005-01-04
2005-01-04
Mathews, Alan (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Illumination systems or details
C355S053000, C355S071000, C355S077000, C703S013000, C430S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06839125
ABSTRACT:
A method for optimizing the illumination conditions of a lithographic apparatus by computer simulation using full resist calculation, the lithographic apparatus comprising an illuminator, a projection system, and a mask having a pattern to be printed in a layer of photoresist material formed on a substrate. This method includes defining a lithographic 0problem, which may include a lithographic pattern to be printed on a wafer; choosing a resist model of a resist process to be used to print a pattern in the layer of photoresist material; selecting a grid of source points in a pupil plane of the illuminator; calculating separate responses for individual source points, each of the responses representing a result of a single or series of simulations using the resist model; and adjusting an illumination arrangement based on analysis of accumulated results of the separate calculations.
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ASML Netherlands B.V.
Mathews Alan
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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