Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Alexander Wolf

Toralf Gruner

Joachim Hartjes

Markus Schwab

Johannes Ruoff

Hans-Juergen Rostalski

Michael Patra

Markus Hauf

Norbert Wabra

Boris Bittner

Sascha Bleidistel

Susanne Beder

Ulrich Loering

Franz Sorg

Thomas Schicketanz

Holger Walter

Nils Dieckmann

Michael Carl

Steffen Siegler

Christian Holland

A projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography includes a mirror and a temperature-regulating device for regulating temperature on the basis of radiation. The mirror includes at least one cutout. The temperature-regulating device includes a temperature-regulating body arranged without contact in the cutout of the mirror. The temperature-regulating body has a cavity. A fluid for temperature regulation of the temperature-regulating body is present in the cavity.

Projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography

A facet assembly is a constituent part of a facet mirror for an illumination optical unit for projection lithography. The facet assembly has a facet with a reflection surface for reflecting illumination light. A facet main body of the facet assembly has at least one hollow chamber. A reflection surface chamber wall of the hollow chamber forms at least one portion of the reflection surface. An actuator control apparatus of the facet assembly is operatively connected to the hollow chamber for the controlled deformation of the reflection surface chamber wall. The result is a facet assembly that is usable flexibly as a constituent part of a facet mirror equipped therewith within an illumination optical unit for projection lithography.

Facet assembly for a facet mirror

Methods for characterizing the surface shapes of optical elements include the following steps: carrying out, in an interferometric test arrangement, at least a first interferogram measurement on the optical element by superimposing a test wave, which has been generated by diffraction of electromagnetic radiation on a diffractive element and has been reflected at the optical element, carrying out at least one additional interferogram measurement on in each case one calibrating mirror for determining calibration corrections, and determining the deviation from the target shape of the optical element based on the first interferogram measurement carried out on the optical element and the determined calibration corrections. At least two interferogram measurements are carried out for the at least one calibrating mirror, which differ from one another with regard to the polarization state of the electromagnetic radiation.

Method and device for characterizing the surface shape of an optical element

A measurement method for interferometrically measuring the shape of a surface () of a test object (). A test wave (--) directed at the test object has a wavefront that is at least partially adapted to the desired shape of the surface, and a reference wave (--) directed at a reflective optical element (-) has a propagation direction that deviates from the propagation direction of the test wave (--) for each of two input waves by diffraction at a diffractive element (). For each wavelength, the test wave is superimposed after interaction with the test object with the associated reference wave after the back-reflection at the first reflective optical element. The test and reference waves are diffracted again at the diffractive element for superposition. An interferogram produced by the superposition is captured in a capture plane (--). The interferograms are jointly evaluated.

Interferometric measurement method and interferometric measurement arrangement

A projection exposure method and apparatus are disclosed for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask under the control of an operating control system of a projection exposure apparatus, part of the pattern lying in an illumination region is imaged onto the image field on the substrate with the aid of a projection lens, wherein all rays of the projection radiation contributing to the image generation in the image field form a projection beam path.

Projection exposure method and projection exposure apparatus for microlithography

An imaging optical unit includes a plurality of mirrors to guide imaging light along an imaging beam path. The plurality of mirrors includes a number of mirrors for grazing incidence (GI mirrors), which deflect a chief ray of a central object field point with an angle of incidence of more than 45&#xb0;. At least two of the GI mirrors are in the imaging beam path as basic GI mirrors so that the deflection effect thereof adds up for the chief ray. At least one further GI mirror is arranged in the imaging beam path as a counter GI mirror so that the deflection effect thereof acts in subtractive fashion for the chief ray in relation to the deflection effect of the basic GI mirrors. This can yield an imaging optical unit having enhanced flexibility in relation to an installation space used for mirror bodies of the mirrors of the imaging optical unit.

Imaging optical unit for imaging an object field into an image field

The disclosure relates to an optical module with first and second components, a supporting structure and an anticollision device. The first component is supported by the supporting structure and is arranged adjacent to and at a distance from the second component to form a gap. The supporting structure defines a path of relative movement, on which the first and second components move in relation to one another under the influence of a disturbance, a collision between collision regions of the first and second components occurring if the anticollision device is inactive. The anticollision device includes a first anticollision unit on the first component, which produces a first field, and a second anticollision unit on the second component, which is assigned to the first anticollision unit and produces a second field.

Optical module with an anticollision device for module components

An imaging optical unit for projection lithography has a plurality of mirrors for guiding imaging light from an object field into an image field. The object field is spanned by a first, larger object field dimension and along a second, smaller object field dimension. The imaging optical unit has at least two GI mirrors and at least one NI mirror. The NI mirror is arranged between two GI mirrors in the imaging light beam path. A used reflection surface of the NI mirror has an aspect ratio between a surface dimension along a first reflection surface coordinate and a surface dimension along a second reflection coordinate parallel to the second object field dimension. The aspect ratio being less than 4.5. An imaging optical unit with reduced production costs emerges.

Imaging optical unit for imaging an object field into an image field, and projection exposure apparatus including such an imaging optical unit

An optical component for coupling out an individual output beam from a collective output beam includes a plurality of radiation-reflecting regions which are grouped in such a way that regions of the same group serve for guiding different partial beams of the individual output beam to the same scanner.

Optical component for use in a radiation source module of a projection exposure system

The invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography, comprising at least one manipulator for reducing image aberrations, wherein the manipulator has at least two optical elements that can be positioned relative to one another, wherein at least one of the optical elements is spatially dependent in terms of its effect on an optical wavefront passing therethrough such that a local phase change of a wavefront propagating in the optical system is produced in the case of a relative movement of the optical elements against one another. Here, the spatially dependent effect of the at least one optical element can be set in a reversible dynamic manner.

Projection exposure apparatus with a highly flexible manipulator

The invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography, comprising an illumination system for illuminating a mask arranged on a movable mask stage, and comprising a projection lens for imaging the mask onto a semiconductor substrate, wherein at least one means is present for at least partly decoupling at least parts of the illumination system and/or of the projection lens from the influence of pressure fluctuations in the medium surrounding the projection lens or the illuminated system, the pressure fluctuations being attributed to movements of the mask stage during the operation of the apparatus.

Projection exposure apparatus including mechanism to reduce influence of pressure fluctuations

A projection exposure apparatus () for microlithography has a plurality of optical components (M-M) forming an exposure beam path, as well as a distance measurement system () configured to measure a distance between at least one of the optical components and a reference element (). The distance measurement system comprises a frequency comb generator (), which is configured to generate electromagnetic radiation () having a comb-shaped frequency spectrum.

Projection exposure apparatus for microlithography comprising an optical distance measurement system

A microlithographic apparatus includes an objective that includes a transmission filter that is configured to variably modify a light irradiance distribution in a projection light path. The transmission filter includes a plurality of gas outlet apertures that are configured to emit gas flows that pass through a space through which projection light propagates during operation of the microlithographic apparatus. The transmission filter further includes a control unit which is configured to vary a number density of ozone molecules in the gas flows individually for each gas flow. In this manner it is possible to finally adjust the transmittance distribution of the transmission filter.

Microlithographic apparatus and method of varying a light irradiance distribution

An imaging optical unit serves for imaging an object field into an image field. An imaging beam path (AS) between the object field and the image field is subdivided into a plurality of partial imaging beam paths (TAS). The imaging optical unit is embodied such that the partial imaging beam paths (TAS) run between the object field and the image field in a manner completely separated from one another and guided by optical components (Mto M) of the imaging optical unit, that is to say that nowhere in the beam path between the object field and the image field do the partial imaging beam paths (TAS) impinge on identical regions of beam-guiding surfaces of the imaging optical unit. This results in an imaging optical unit in which a resolution capability, particularly in the production of micro- or nanostructured semiconductor components, is increased.

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Oberkochen, Germany

Alexander Wolf