Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Carl Zeiss Meditec Ag

Christoph Zaczek

Alexandra Pazidis

Toralf Gruner

Hans-Jochen Paul

Jens Ullmann

Aurelian Dodoc

Sascha Bleidistel

Ralf Mueller

Christian Beder

Herbert Fink

Sascha Migura

Matthias Heller

Gerhard Braun

Harry Bauer

Erwin Gaber

Alexander Hirnet

Patrick Scheible

Diana Tonova

Michael Sundermann

Wilhelm Ulrich

Hans-Juergen Mann

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Hubert Holderer

Bernhard Gellrich

Daniel Kraehmer

Dirk Heinrich Ehm

Ulrich Weber

Aksel Goehnermeier

Alexander Kohl

Ulrich Loering

Thomas Schicketanz

Helmut Beierl

Markus Weiss

Eric Eva

Olaf Conradi

Julian Kaller

Stephan Muellender

Wilfried Clauss

Martin Weiser

Peter Huber

Markus Brotsack

Gisela Von Blanckenhagen

Joern Weber

Konstantin Forcht

Horst Feldermann

Karl-Stefan Weissenrieder

Hartmut Muenker

Dieter Schmerek

Volker Graeschus

Paul Gräupner

Wolfgang Seitz

Michael Lill

Birgit Kuerz

Harald Schink

Erik Loopstra

Guenter Scheible, Legal Representative

Tobias Hackl

Roland Loercher

Wolfgang Rupp

Drew Chieda

Victor Perez-falcon

Moshe Shemesh

Birgit Kürz

Christian Wagner

This disclosure relates to a method for producing a mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, a first mirror part and a second mirror part being provided, which are in contact in the region of a first connecting surface of the first mirror part and a second connecting surface of the second mirror part. For forming a durable connection between the first mirror part and the second mirror part, the first mirror part and the second mirror part are heated up to a holding temperature of at least 400° C. and are kept at the holding temperature during a holding time. After the holding time has elapsed, the first mirror part and the second mirror part are cooled down to a first cooling temperature at a first cooling rate of less than or equal to 100 K/h.

Method for producing a mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

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

A method for producing an optical element having a main body with a first side surface, which has a first optical coating, and at least one second side surface, which is not plane-parallel to the first side surface and has a second optical coating, is proposed. The method includes the steps of: determining the stress induced in the optical element by the first optical coating of the first side surface; determining a counter-stress, so that the resultant overall stress induced in the optical element is as small as possible; determining the second optical coating while taking into account the determined counter-stress and the optical parameters of the second optical coating; applying the first optical coating on the first side surface; and, applying the second optical coating on the at least one second side surface.

Optical element and method of making an optical element

A catadioptric projection objective for images an object field onto an image field via imaging radiation. The projection objective includes at least one reflective optical component and a measuring device. The reflective optical component, during the operation of the projection objective, reflects a first part of the imaging radiation and transmits a second part of the imaging radiation. The reflected, first part of the imaging radiation at least partly contributes to the imaging of the object field. The transmitted, second part of the imaging radiation is at least partly fed to a measuring device. This allows a simultaneous exposure of the photosensitive layer at the location of the image field with the imaging radiation and monitoring of the imaging radiation with the aid of the measuring device.

Catadioptric projection objective including a reflective optical component and a measuring device

An EUV mirror with a substrate and a multilayer arrangement including: a periodic first layer group having N&#x3e;1 first layer pairs of period thickness Pand arranged on a radiation entrance side of the multilayer arrangement; a periodic second layer group having N&#x3e;1 second layer pairs of period thickness Pand arranged between the first layer group and the substrate; and a third layer group having Nthird layer pairs arranged between the first and second layer groups. N&#x3e;N. The third layer group has a third period thickness Pwhich deviates from an average period thickness P=(P+P)/2 by a period thickness difference &#x394;P. &#x394;P corresponds to the quotient of the optical layer thickness (&#x3bb;/4) of a quarter-wave layer and the product of Nand cos(AOI), AOIbeing the mean incidence angle for which the multilayer arrangement is designed.

EUV mirror and optical system comprising EUV mirror

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 mirror (') for the EUV wavelength range and having a substrate (S) and a layer arrangement, wherein the layer arrangement includes at least one surface layer system (P&#x2032;&#x2033;) consisting of a periodic sequence of at least two periods (P) of individual layers, wherein the periods (P) include two individual layers composed of different materials for a high refractive index layer (H&#x2032;&#x2033;) and a low refractive index layer (L&#x2032;&#x2033;), wherein the layer arrangement includes at least one surface protecting layer (SPL, L) or at least one surface protecting layer system (SPLS) having a thickness of greater than 20 nm, and preferably greater than 50 nm.

Mirror for the EUV wavelength range, substrate for such a mirror, projection objective for microlithography comprising such a mirror or such a substrate, and projection exposure apparatus for microlithography comprising such a projection objective

An optical imaging system serving for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane of the imaging system into an image plane of the imaging system with the aid of electromagnetic radiation from a wavelength range around a main wavelength &#x3bb;has a multiplicity of mirrors. Each mirror has a mirror surface having a reflective layer arrangement having a sequence of individual layers.

Reflective optical imaging system

A projection exposure system includes an illumination system configured to illuminate a mask with radiation. The projection exposure system also includes a projection objective configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto a radiation-sensitive substrate. The projection exposure system further includes an angle-selective filter arrangement arranged at or close to a field surface of the projection objective in a projection beam path optically downstream of the object surface. The angle-selective filter arrangement is effective to filter radiation incident on the filter arrangement according to an angle-selective filter function.

Projection exposure system and projection exposure method

To prevent reflective optical elements () for EUV lithography from becoming electrically charged as they are irradiated with EUV radiation (), an optical system for EUV lithography is proposed, having a reflective optical element (), including a substrate () with a highly reflective coating () emitting secondary electrons when irradiated with EUV radiation (), and a source () of electrically charged particles, which is arranged in such a manner that electrically charged particles are applied to the reflective optical element (), wherein the source () for the charge carrier compensation is exclusively a flood gun applying electrons to the reflective optical element ().

Optical system for EUV lithography with a charged-particle source

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

Growing community of inventors

Heubach, Germany

Christoph Zaczek