Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Helmut Haidner

Ulrich Wegmann

Martin Schriever

Markus Goeppert

Albrecht Ehrmann

Joachim Stuehler

Wolfgang Emer

Uwe Schellhorn

Rainer Hoch

Michael Samaniego

Markus Deguenther

Michael Totzeck

Rolf Freimann

Michael Hartl

Stig Bieling

Markus Mengel

Christoph Striebel

Gordon Doering

Manfred Dahl

Uwe Shellhorn

Markus Gobppert

Ralf Frese

A measurement apparatus () for measuring a wavefront aberration of an imaging optical system () includes (i) a measurement wave generating module () which generates a measurement wave () radiated onto the optical system and which includes an illumination system () illuminating a mask plane () with an illumination radiation (), as well as coherence structures () arranged in the mask plane, and (ii) a wavefront measurement module () which measures the measurement wave after passing through the optical system and determines from the measurement result, with an evaluation device (), a deviation of the wavefront of the measurement wave from a desired wavefront. The evaluation device () determines an influence of an intensity distribution () of the illumination radiation in the region of the mask plane on the measurement result and, when determining the deviation of the wavefront, utilizes the influence of the intensity distribution.

Measurement apparatus for measuring a wavefront aberration of an imaging optical system

A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus () includes a projection lens () that images an object field () arranged in a mask plane () onto a substrate () during exposure operation of the projection exposure apparatus, and an illumination system () that has: an exposure illumination beam path () for radiating illumination radiation () onto the object field on the illumination side with respect to the mask plane, a measurement illumination beam path () for irradiating a measurement structure () arranged in the mask plane with the illumination radiation, and a scattering structure () arranged on the illumination side with respect to the mask plane and outside the exposure illumination beam path. The measurement illumination beam path extends via the scattering structure and runs rectilinearly between the scattering structure and the mask plane.

Projection exposure apparatus and method for measuring an imaging aberration

An apparatus () determining an optical property of an imaging system () includes an illumination system () directing electromagnetic radiation () onto an object plane () of the imaging system, a utilization detector () determining the optical property, an output coupling device (), and an intensity sensor (). The detector captures the radiation after it has traveled along a utilized beam path () extending to the utilization detector. The output coupling device couples sensor radiation () out of the utilized beam path and into a sensor beam path () that differs from the utilized beam path. The intensity sensor records an angularly resolved intensity distribution present at least at one point in the object plane of the optical imaging system, which intensity distribution reproduces the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation in dependence on the angle of incidence with respect to the object plane.

Apparatus for determining an optical property of an optical imaging system

A measuring system () for measuring an imaging quality of an EUV lens () includes a diffractive test structure (), a measurement light radiating device () which is configured to radiate measurement light () in the EUV wavelength range onto the test structure, a variation device () for varying at least one image-determining parameter of an imaging of the test structure that is effected by a lens, a detector () for recording an image stack including a plurality of images generated with different image-determining parameters being set, and an evaluation device () which is configured to determine the imaging quality of the lens from the image stack.

Measuring system for measuring an imaging quality of an EUV lens

An objective for a projection exposure apparatus includes a metrology stage arranged on the frame of the objective. The objective includes at least one optical component, an objective mount for mounting the optical component, and a positioning device for holding at least one measuring device. The positioning device is connected to the objective mount and has at least one degree of freedom of displacement for displacing the measuring device.

Measuring system

A device for the optical measurement of an optical system, in particular an optical imaging system, is provided. The device includes at least one test optics component arranged on an object side or an image side of the optical system. An immersion fluid is adjacent to at least one of the test optics components. A container for use in this device, a microlithography projection exposure machine equipped with this device, and a method which can be carried out with the aid of this device are also provided. The device and method provide for optical measurement of microlithography projection objectives with high numerical apertures by using wavefront detection with shearing or point diffraction interferometry, or a Moir&#xe9; measuring technique.

Device and method for the optical measurement of an optical system by using an immersion fluid

A method and apparatus for spatially resolved wavefront measurement on a test specimen, a method and apparatus for spatially resolved scattered light determination, a diffraction structure support and a coherent structure support therefor, and also an objective or other radiation exposure device manufactured using such a method, and an associated manufacturing method. An embodiment involves carrying out, for the wavefront measurement, a first shearing measuring operation, which includes a plurality of individual measurements with at least two first shearing directions and spatially resolved detection of shearing interferograms generated, and an analogous second shearing measuring operation with at least one second shearing direction, the at least one second shearing direction being non-parallel to at least one first shearing direction. From the shearing interferograms detected, it is possible e.g. to determine a wavefront spatial frequency spectrum and/or a point response of the test specimen and to carry out a spatially resolved scattered light determination with a point spread function. The embodiment may be used, e.g., for spatially resolved scattered light determination of projection objectives for microlithography.

Methods and apparatus for measuring wavefronts and for determining scattered light, and related devices and manufacturing methods

A device and method for the interferometric measurement of phase masks, particularly from lithography. Radiation passing through a coherence mask is brought to interference by a diffraction grating. A phase mask is arranged in or near the pupil plane of the first imaging optics which can be positioned exactly in the x-y direction by which interferograms are generated which are phase-shifted in the x-y direction by translational displacement of the coherence mask or of the diffraction grating. The interferograms are imaged onto the spatially resolving detector by second imaging optic and the phase and transmission functions of the phase mask are determined by an evaluation unit. The invention can, of course, generally be applied to planar phase objects, such as biological structures, for example, points of establishment with respect to an interference microscope.

Device and method for the interferometric measurement of phase masks

A method of manufacturing a miniaturized device comprises disposing a patterning structure to be imaged in a region of an object plane of an imaging optics of the projection exposure system; disposing a substrate carrying a resist in a region of an image plane of the imaging optics and exposing portions of the substrate with images of the patterning structure using the projection exposure system; maintaining a flow of an immersion liquid to and from a space between the substrate and a front lens of the imaging optics closest to the substrate; measuring a physical property which is indicative of at least one of a refractive index of the immersion liquid and a change of the refractive index of the immersion liquid over time, wherein the physical property is measured using a beam of measuring light interacting with the immersion liquid; adjusting at least one optical property of the projection exposure system based on the measured physical property; exposing further portions of the substrate with images of the patterning structure using the projection exposure system with the at least one adjusted optical property of the projection exposure system; and developing the exposed resist and processing the substrate with the developed resist.

Method of manufacturing a miniaturized device

Device and method for wavefront measurement of an optical imaging system by means of phase-shifting interferometry, having a mask structure () to be arranged on the object side, and/or a grating structure () to be arranged on the image side. The object-side mask structure includes one or more one-dimensional mask structure patterns, and the image-side grating structure includes one or more two-dimensional grating structure patterns. Alternatively, conversely, the mask structure includes one or more two-dimensional patterns, and the grating structure includes one or more one-dimensional patterns. Additionally or alternatively, a pupil position offset caused by a lateral relative movement of the mask structure and detector element can be taken into account by back calculating the interferogram, respectively recorded by the detector element, using an associated phase-shift characteristic, or by a computational correction of wavefront derivatives, obtained from the recorded interferograms, in the direction of lateral movement. The method and/or the device can by used, for example, for determining aberration in the case of high-resolution projection objectives of microlithography exposure machines using shearing or point interferometry.

Device and method for wavefront measurement of an optical imaging system by means of phase-shifting interferometry

A wavefront source having a wavefront formation structure () and a diffuser with a scattering structure () in the beam path in front of or at the level of the wavefront formation structure; also a diffuser configured to be used therefor, and a wavefront sensor equipped therewith, as well as a corresponding projection exposure apparatus. The diffuser has a diffractive computer-generated hologram (CGH) scattering structure with a predetermined angular scattering profile. The wavefront source includes such a diffuser and/or a focusing element with a reflecting diffractive focusing structure () in the beam path at the level of the scattering structure or between the scattering structure () and the wavefront formation structure (). The disclosed structures are used, e.g., in the wavefront measurement of projection objectives in microlithography projection exposure apparatuses in the EUV wavelength range.

Diffuser, wavefront source, wavefront sensor and projection exposure apparatus

A device and a method for wavefront measurement of an optical system (), in particular by an interferometric measurement technique. A dynamic range correction element () is arranged in the beam path upstream of the detector arrangement () and is designed such that the variation in the spatially dependent characteristic of a phase of the wavefront forming the interference pattern is kept below a prescribed limit value throughout a detection area. In addition or as an alternative, a set of several diffraction structures of different period length can be used with a shearing interferometry technique and/or a set of several pairs of a reference pinhole and a signal passage opening with different hole spacings can be used with a point diffraction interferometry technique for different sub-areas of the detection area. A remaining distortion error can be taken into account by determining a corresponding distortion transformation and applying the inverse distortion transformation.

Apparatus and method for measuring the wavefront of an optical system

An apparatus for wavefront detection includes a wavefront source for the production of a wavefront, an optical system transforming the wavefront, a diffraction grating through which the transformed wavefront passes, and a spatially resolving detector following the diffraction grating. The wavefront source has a two-dimensional structure.

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Aalen, Germany

Helmut Haidner