Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Gerhard-Wilhelm Ziegler

Markus Deguenther

Michael Patra

Michael Layh

Alexander Kohl

Thomas Bischoff

Erich Schubert

Manfred Maul

Nils Haverkamp

Michael Gerhard

Frank Schlesener

Vladimir Davydenko

Axel Scholz

Thomas Stammler

Daniel Walldorf

Stephan Kellner

Mirco Kern

Igor Hurevich

Damian Fiolka

Markus Degünther

An illumination system of a micro-lithographic projection exposure apparatus is provided, which is configured to illuminate a mask positioned in a mask plane. The system includes a pupil shaping optical subsystem and illuminator optics that illuminate a beam deflecting component. For determining a property of the beam deflecting component, an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of the illumination system is determined. Then the property of the beam deflecting component is determined such that the intensity distribution produced by the pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined before. At least one of the following aberrations are taken into account in this determination: (i) an aberration produced by the illuminator optics; (ii) an aberration produced by the pupil shaping optical subsystem; (iii) an aberration produced by an optical element arranged between the system pupil surface and the mask plane.

Illumination system for illuminating a mask in a microlithographic exposure apparatus

A raster arrangement includes at least one raster element of a first type and at least one raster element of a second type. Each raster element of the first type has a first bundle-influencing effect. Each raster element of the second type has a second bundle-influencing effect which is different from the first bundle-influencing effect. Each raster element of the first type is located in a first area of the raster arrangement. Each raster element of the second type is located in a second area of the raster arrangement which is different from the first area of the raster arrangement.

Illumination system for microlithography

An illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a spatial light modulator which varies an intensity distribution in a pupil surface. The modulator includes an array of mirrors that reflect impinging projection light into directions that depend on control signals applied to the mirrors. A prism, which directs the projection light towards the spatial light modulator, has a double pass surface on which the projection light impinges twice, namely a first time when leaving the prism and before it is reflected by the mirrors, and a second time when entering the prism and after it has been reflected by the mirrors. A pupil perturbation suppressing mechanism is provided that reduces reflections of projection light when it impinges the first time on the double pass surface, and/or prevents that light portions being a result of such reflections contribute to the intensity distribution in the pupil surface.

Illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

There is provided a facet mirror device comprising a facet element and a support unit, the support unit supporting the facet element. The support unit comprises a first support element and a second support element, the second support element being connected to the facet element to support the facet element. The first support element is connected to the second support element to support the second support element, the first support element being connected to the second support element via at least one flexure unit, the flexure unit comprising at least one flexure.

Facet mirror device

A microlithography illumination system includes a first raster arrangement including a first plurality of bundle-forming raster elements arranged in or adjacent a first plane of the illumination system. The first plurality of bundle-forming raster elements is configured to generate a raster arrangement of secondary light sources. The illumination system also includes a transmission optics configured to superimpose transmission of the illumination light of the secondary light sources into the object field. The transmission optics includes a second raster arrangement comprising a second plurality of bundle-forming raster elements. The illumination system further includes a displacement device configured to displace a displaceable segment of the first raster arrangement relative to the second raster arrangement. The displaceable segment includes exactly one of the raster elements, a group of several raster elements, a raster column, a raster area, or several groups of raster elements.

A raster arrangement includes first and second types of raster elements which have different bundle-influencing effects. There is a distance step between a first raster area and a second raster area. The first raster area comprises a raster element of the first raster element type. The second raster area includes a raster element of the second raster element type. The raster arrangement is configured to be used in a microlithography illumination system.

An illumination system for microlithography serves to illuminate an illumination field with illumination light of a primary light source. A first raster arrangement has bundle-forming first raster elements which are arranged in a first plane of the illumination system or adjacent to the plane. The first raster arrangement serves to generate a raster arrangement of secondary light sources. A transmission optics serves for superimposed transmission of the illumination light of the secondary light sources into the illumination field. The transmission optics has a second raster arrangement with bundle-forming second raster elements. In each case one of the raster elements of the first raster arrangement is allocated to one of the raster elements of the second raster arrangement for guiding a partial bundle of an entire bundle of illumination light. The first raster arrangement for example has at least two types (I, II, III) of the first raster elements which have different bundle-influencing effects. The raster elements of the two raster arrangements are arranged relative to one another in such a way that to each raster element type (I to III) is allocated at least one individual distance (&#x394;, &#x394;, &#x394;) between the first raster element of this type (I to III) and the allocated second raster element of the second raster arrangement. As a result, an illumination system is obtained which allows particular illumination parameters to be influenced in such a way that undesirable influences on other illumination parameters are avoided to the greatest extent possible.

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Aalen, Germany

Gerhard-Wilhelm Ziegler