Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Carl Zeiss Semiconductor

Hans-Juergen Mann

Wilhelm Ulrich

Wolfgang Singer

Aurelian Dodoc

Alexander Epple

David R Shafer

Rudolf Von Buenau

Johannes Zellner

Susanne Beder

Johannes Wangler

Udo Dinger

Martin Antoni

Stephan Muellender

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Michael Totzeck

Hartmut Enkisch

Marco Pretorius

Johann Trenkler

Joerg Schultz

Toralf Gruner

Heiko Feldmann

Sascha Migura

Russell M Hudyma

Martin Endres

Daniel Kraehmer

Armin Schoeppach

Christoph Menke

Danny Chan

Udo Nothelfer

Johannes Hubertus Josephina Moors

Aksel Goehnermeier

Jochen Hetzler

Helmut Beierl

Ralf Mueller

Martin Lowisch

Guenther Seitz

Erik Roelof Loopstra

Yim-Bun Patrick Kwan

Rolf Freimann

Dirk Heinrich Ehm

Hans-Juergen Rostalski

Ulrich Loering

Thomas Schicketanz

Christoph Zaczek

Uwe Mickan

Bastiaan Theodoor Wolschrijn

Franz-Josef Stickel

Olaf Dittmann

Oliver Natt

Winfried M Kaiser

Hans-Jochen Paul

Bernhard Kneer

Hermann Bieg

Jörg Schultz

Norbert Kerwien

Norman Baer

Gerhard Braun

Frank Eisert

Siegfried Rennon

Andreas Kirchner

Martin Rocktaeschel

Russel Hudyma

Jean-Noel Fehr

Karl-Hein Schuster

Wilheim Ulrich

Claus Zahlten

Harmut Enkisch

Vladimir Kamenow

An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors which image an object field in an object plane in an image field in an image plane. The imaging optical system has a pupil obscuration. The last mirror in the beam path of the imaging light between the object field and the image field has a through-opening for the passage of the imaging light. A penultimate mirror of the imaging optical system in the beam path of the imaging light between the object field and the image field has no through-opening for the passage of the imaging light. The result is an imaging optical system that provides a combination of small imaging errors, manageable production and a good throughput for the imaging light.

Imaging optical system and projection exposure installation for microlithography with an imaging optical system of this type

A magnifying imaging optical unit serves for inspecting lithography masks which are used in EUV projection exposure. The imaging optical unit comprises at least two mirrors (Mto M) which can be displaced relative to one another for changing a magnification value. According to a further aspect, a magnifying imaging optical unit comprises at least one mirror (Mto M) and a magnification value, which can be changed by displacement of at least two mirrors (Mto M) relative to one another. Here, the magnification value can be changed between a minimum magnification value, which is greater than 100, and a maximum magnification value, which is greater than 200. An imaging optical unit emerges, which can be adapted to, in particular, mask structures with different sizes.

Magnifying imaging optical unit and EUV mask inspection system with such an imaging optical unit

An imaging optical system for a projection exposure system has at least one anamorphically imaging optical element. This allows a complete illumination of an image field in a first direction with a large object-side numerical aperture in this direction, without the extent of the reticle to be imaged having to be enlarged and without a reduction in the throughput of the projection exposure system occurring.

Imaging optical system

A reflective optical element and an EUV lithography appliance containing one such element are provided, the appliance displaying a low propensity to contamination. The reflective optical element has a protective layer system includes at least two layers. The optical characteristics of the protective layer system are between those of a spacer and an absorber, or correspond to those of a spacer. The selection of a material with the smallest possible imaginary part and a real part which is as close to 1 as possible in terms of the refractive index leads to a plateau-type reflectivity course according to the thickness of the protective layer system between two thicknesses dand d. The thickness of the protective layer system is selected in such a way that it is less than d.

Reflective optical element and EUV lithography appliance

A projection objective configured to image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image field plane includes a reflective unit, a first refractive unit, and a second refractive unit. An optical axis of the first refractive unit is parallel to but displaced from an optical axis of the second refractive unit. The reflective unit includes a first curved mirror and a second curved mirror. The second curved mirror is immediately downstream from the first curved mirror in a path of light from the object plane to the image plane. The projection objective is a microlithography projection objective.

Catadioptric projection objective with parallel, offset optical axes

The invention concerns a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus designed for EUV, for imaging an object plane illuminated in operation of the projection exposure apparatus into an image plane. The projection objective has at least one mirror segment arrangement comprising a plurality of separate mirror segments. Associated with the mirror segments of the same mirror segment arrangement are partial beam paths which are different from each other and which respectively provide for imaging of the object plane (OP) into the image plane (IP). The partial beam paths are superposed in the image plane (IP). At least two partial beams which are superposed in the same point in the image plane (IP) were reflected by different mirror segments of the same mirror segment arrangement.

Projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

An imaging optics has at least six mirrors, which image an object field in an object plane in an image field in an image plane. An entry pupil of the imaging optics is arranged in the imaging beam path in front of the object field. At least one of the mirrors has a through-opening for the passage of imaging light. A mechanically accessible pupil, in which an obscuration stop is arranged for the central shading of the pupil of the imaging optics, is located in a pupil plane in the imaging beam path between the object field and a first of the through-openings. A first imaging part beam directly after a second mirror in the imaging beam path after the object field and a second imaging part beam directly after a fourth mirror in the imaging beam path after the object field intersect one another in an intersection region. The result is an imaging optics, in which a handleable combination of small imaging errors, manageable production and a good throughput for the imaging light is achieved.

Imaging optics and projection exposure installation for microlithography with an imaging optics

Anamorphically imaging projection lens system and related optical systems, projection exposure systems and methods

A mirror including a substrate and a reflective coating that includes a first group of layers and a second group of layers arranged between the substrate and the first group of layers. Both the first and second groups of layers include a plurality of alternating first material layers and second material layers, arranged one above another. The refractive index of the first material for radiation in the range of 5-30 nm is greater than the refractive index of the second material in that wavelength range. The first group of layers is configured to have a number of layers that is greater than 20, such that, upon irradiation with radiation having a wavelength in the range of 5-30 nm, less than 20% of the radiation reaches the second group of layers, which has a layer thickness variation for correcting the surface form of the mirror.

Mirror for use in a microlithography projection exposure apparatus

An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors which image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The imaging optical system has a pupil obscuration. The last mirror in the beam path of the imaging light between the object field and the image field has a through-opening for the passage of the imaging light. A penultimate mirror of the imaging optical system in the beam path of the imaging light between the object field and the image field has no through-opening for the passage of the imaging light. The imaging optical system has precisely eight mirrors. The result is an imaging optical system which exhibits a favorable combination of small imaging errors, manageable production and good throughput.

Imaging optical system and projection exposure installation for microlithography including same

An imaging optics has a plurality of mirrors to image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The imaging optics includes a first partial objective to image the object field onto an intermediate image, and the imaging optics includes a second partial objective to image the intermediate image onto the image field. The second partial objective includes a penultimate mirror in the beam path of imaging light between the object field and the image field, and the second partial objective includes a last mirror in the beam path. The penultimate mirror images the intermediate image onto a further intermediate image, and the last mirror images the further intermediate image onto the image field.

Imaging optics, microlithography projection exposure apparatus having same and related methods

A microlithography projection exposure apparatus for producing microelectronic components has at least two operating states. The microlithography projection exposure apparatus includes a reflective mask in an object plane. In the first operating state, a first partial region of the mask is illuminated by a first radiation, which has an assigned first centroid direction having a first centroid direction vector at each point of the first partial region. In the second operating state, a second partial region of the mask is illuminated by a second radiation, which has an assigned second centroid direction having a second centroid direction vector at each point of the second partial region. The first and the second partial region have a common overlap region. Furthermore, the microlithography projection exposure apparatus can be configured in such a way that at each point of at least one partial region of the overlap region the scalar triple product of the normalized first centroid direction vector, the normalized second centroid direction vector and a normalized vector that is perpendicular to the mask is less than 0.05.

Microlithography projection exposure apparatus having at least two operating states

An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors, which via a beam path for imaging light, image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The imaging optical system has an exit pupil obscuration. At least one of the mirrors has no opening for passage of the imaging light. The fourth to last mirror in the beam path is concave, resulting in an imaging optical system having improved imaging properties without compromise in throughput.

A magnifying imaging optical unit has at least four mirrors to image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. An absolute value of the Petzval radius of the image field is greater than 500 mm. The imaging optical unit can be used to inspect with sufficient imaging quality relatively large mask sections of lithography masks used during projection exposure to produce large scale integrated semiconductor components.

Magnifying imaging optical unit and metrology system including same

A microlithography projection optical system is disclosed. The system can include a plurality of optical elements arranged to image radiation having a wavelength &#x3bb; from an object field in an object plane to an image field in an image plane. The plurality of optical elements can have an entrance pupil located more than 2.8 m from the object plane. A path of radiation through the optical system can be characterized by chief rays having an angle of 3&#xb0; or more with respect to the normal to the object plane. This can allow the use of face shifting masks as objects to be imaged, in particular for EUV wavelengths.

Microlithography projection optical system, tool and method of production

Growing community of inventors

Oberkochen, Germany

Hans-Juergen Mann