Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Carl Zeiss Laser Optics Gmbh

Viessmann Werke Gmbh Co. Kg

Institut Fur Solarenergieforschung Gmbh

Alexandra Pazidis

Christoph Zaczek

Michael Totzeck

Aksel Goehnermeier

Karl-Stefan Weissenrieder

Toralf Gruner

Damian Fiolka

Heiko Feldmann

Daniel Kraehmer

Stephan Six

Horst Feldermann

Alexander Hirnet

Michael Ricker

Wolfgang Singer

Markus Deguenther

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Michael Patra

Hans-Juergen Rostalski

Frank Schlesener

Ulrich Loering

Ingo Saenger

Thomas Schicketanz

Paul Graeupner

Vladimir Kamenov

Vitaliy Shklover

Olaf Dittmann

Peter Huber

Jeffrey Erxmeyer

Markus Brotsack

Gennady Fedosenko

Stefan Wiesner

Herbert Fink

Konstantin Forcht

Michael Thier

Reiner Garreis

Dieter Schmerek

Jens Ullmann

Bruno Thome

Patrick Scheible

Birgit Kuerz

Achim Zirkel

Michael Lill

David Mercs

Roland Loercher

Ruediger Duesing

Guenter Scheible, Legal Representative

Harald Schink

Bernd Hafner

Annette Muehlpfordt

Christoph Zazcek

Jens Luedecke

A method for forming in particular reflection-reducing nanostructures () on a preferably polished surface () of a crystalline, in particular ionic, substrate () for transmission of radiation in the FUV/VUV wavelength range. The method includes: providing a surface (), which surface is not oriented along a lattice plane having a minimum surface energy, on the substrate () or on a layer () applied to the substrate () by a coating method, in particular vacuum vapor deposition, and introducing an energy input (E) into the surface () for rearranging the surface () to form the nanostructures (), wherein the energy input (E) is generated by irradiating the surface () with electromagnetic radiation (). Also, an optical element for transmission of radiation in the FUV/VUV wavelength range.

Method for forming nanostructures on a surface and optical element

Reflective optical element with extended service life for VUV wavelengths includes a substrate () and a metal layer () thereon. At least one metal fluoride layer () on the metal layer faces away from the substrate and at least one oxide layer () on the metal fluoride layer faces away from the substrate. The thicknesses of the layers on the metal layer facing away from the substrate are selected so that the electrical field of a standing wave, formed when a relevant wavelength is reflected, has a minimum in the region of the oxide layer. In addition, the relevant wavelength is selected so that, from a minimum VUV wavelength range to the relevant wavelengths, the integral over the extinction coefficients of the material of the at least one oxide layer is between 15% and 47% of the corresponding integral from the minimum wavelengths to a maximum wavelength.

Reflective optical element

The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, such as are used for the production of large-scale integrated electrical circuits and other microstructured components. The disclosure relates in particular to coatings of optical elements in order to increase or reduce the reflectivity.

Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

An optical element () transparent for radiation with a wavelength &#x3bb; in the ultraviolet wavelength range below 250 nm, in particular at 193 nm, comprises a substrate () with a refractive index nlarger than 1.6, and an antireflection coating () formed on at least part of the surface of the substrate () between the substrate () and an ambient medium with a refractive index n, preferably with n=1.0. The antireflection coating () consists of a single layer of a material with a refractive index nof about n=&#x221a;{square root over (nn)}, in particular n&#x3e;1.3, and the optical thickness dof the single layer is about &#x3bb;/4. The optical element () is preferably part of a projection objective () in a microlithography projection exposure apparatus () and located adjacent to a light-sensitive substrate ().

Optical element with an antireflection coating, projection objective, and exposure apparatus comprising such an element

A method of lithographically transferring a pattern on a light sensitive surface in a multiple exposure process comprises the following steps:

Method of lithographically transferring a pattern on a light sensitive surface and illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

A mirror with a dielectric coating () on a substrate (), wherein the dielectric coating () has exactly two layer stacks (), a first layer stack (), on the substrate, of layers () of high refractive index and low refractive index oxides in alternating arrangement and a second layer stack (), arranged thereon, of layers of fluorides () and oxides () in alternating arrangement, and wherein the number of fluoride layers () as a proportion of the total number of layers of the dielectric coating () is less than 0.45.

Mirror with dielectric coating

A micromirror arrangement () having: at least one micromirror () having a reflective surface () formed at a mirror substrate (), and an antireflective coating () formed at the mirror substrate () outside the reflective surface (). A reflective coating () is formed within the reflective surface () and has at least two layer subsystems, wherein the first layer subsystem has layers () composed of a periodic sequence of alternate high and low refractive index layers composed of a nonmetallic material and is optimized with regard to the reflectivity in respect of a used wavelength of the micromirror arrangement, and wherein the second layer subsystem is optimized with regard to the reflectivity in respect of a measurement wavelength of the micromirror arrangement, said measurement wavelength deviating from the used wavelength.

Micromirror arrangement having a coating and method for the production thereof

In a projection objective for imaging a pattern arranged in the object plane of the projection objective into the image plane of the projection objective, at least one optical component is provided which has a substrate in which at least one substrate surface is covered with an interference layer system having a great spatial modulation of the reflectance and/or of the transmittance over a usable cross section of the optical component, the modulation being adapted to a spatial transmission distribution of the remaining components of the projection objective in such a way that an intensity distribution of the radiation that is measured in a pupil surface has a substantially reduced spatial modulation in comparison with a projection objective without the interference layer system.

Projection system with compensation of intensity variations and compensation element therefor

An optical element () for reflecting UV radiation at an operating wavelength below 250 nm, preferably at 193 nm, which has a substrate (), a reflective layer () made of aluminum superimposed on the substrate (). The reflective aluminum layer () is not transparent to UV radiation and is (111)-plane oriented. The reflective optical element () has a reflectivity of more than 85%, preferably of more than 88%, and even more preferably of more than 92%, in a range of incident angles of at least 10&#xb0;, preferably of at least 15&#xb0;, at the operating wavelength. Also disclosed is an optical element having a reflective layer made from a material having a melting point higher than that of aluminum, as well as methods for producing such optical elements, and optical arrangements incorporating such optical elements.

Optical element for reflection of UV radiation, method for manufacturing the same and projection exposure apparatus comprising the same

A method of processing an optical element which has a substrate () and a layer system () applied to the substrate (), wherein the layer system () in a starting condition has a plurality of volume defects (), wherein the method includes at least partially filling at least one of the volume defects () with a filling material (). Also disclosed is an associated method of manufacturing an optical element.

Method of processing an optical element and an optical element, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, as well as related components and methods. In some embodiments, a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination system and a projection objective, where the illumination system can illuminate an object plane of the projection objective and the projection objective can produce the image of the object plane on an image plane. A polarization-dependent transmission can be produced in the illumination system such that, for at least one polarization distribution in respect of the light impinging on the object plane, a non-homogeneous intensity distribution in the object plane is obtained. The non-homogeneous intensity distribution can afford a homogeneous intensity distribution in the image plane by virtue of polarization-dependent transmission properties of the projection objective.

An objective and a method for operating an objective, in particular a projection objective or an illumination objective for microlithography for imaging a reticle onto a wafer, with a plurality of optical elements that are arranged along a ray path, wherein at least one optical element of a first kind () is provided, which is irradiated only partially by a ray bundle, wherein the one or more optical element(s) of the first kind are rotatably mounted or positionable about the optical axis or an axis parallel thereto, wherein, for each optical element of the first kind at least two mounting positions are provided, and wherein the rotation angle between the two mounting positions is defined by the surface () irradiated by the ray bundle such that, in the various mounting positions, the surfaces irradiated by the ray path do not overlap.

Off-axis objectives with rotatable optical element

An optical element () made of a material that is transparent to wavelengths in the UV region, which optical element () includes an oleophobic coating () outside of its optically free diameter whose disperse component of the surface energy is preferably 25 mN/m or less, particularly preferably 20 mN/m or less, in particular 15 mN/m or less. In addition or as an alternative, the optical element () within its optically free diameter comprises an oleophilic coating () that is transparent to wavelengths in the UV region, with the disperse component of the surface energy of this coating preferably being more than 25 mN/m, particularly preferably more than 30 mN/m, in particular more than 40 mN/m. The optical element may be provided in an arrangement in which it dips at least partially into an organic liquid.

Optical element, projection lens and associated projection exposure apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Aalen, Germany

Alexandra Pazidis