Asml Netherlands B.v.

Asml Holding N.v.

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Hendrikus Robertus Marie Van Greevenbroek

Heine Melle Mulder

Markus Franciscus Antonius Eurlings

Marcel Mathijs Theodore Marie Dierichs

Hans Van Der Laan

Johannes Jacobus Matheus Baselmans

Paul Van Der Veen

Adrianus Franciscus Petrus Engelen

Michel Fransois Hubert Klaassen

Marcus Adrianus Van De Kerkhof

Patricius Aloysius Jacobus Tinnemans

Tammo Uitterdijk

Wilhelmus Petrus De Boeij

Richard Carl Zimmerman

Wilfred Edward Endendijk

Martijn Gerard Dominique Wehrens

Vadim Yevgenyevich Banine

Johan Frederik Dijksman

Andrei Mikhailovich Yakunin

Haico Victor Kok

Peter Conrad Kochersperger

Roberto B Wiener

Bernd Geh

Emil Peter Schmitt-Weaver

Antonius Theodorus Wilhelmus Kempen

Eric Brian Catey

Ramin Badie

Antonie Hendrik Verweij

Alexander Kremer

Koen Gerhardus Winkels

Todd R Downey

Frederick Kubick

David A Hult

Wilhelmus Jacobus Maria Rooijakkers

Elizabeth Stone

Michel François Hubert Klaassen

Marcel Dierichs

Szilard Istvan Csiszar

Olga Vladimirsky

Erik Martijn Greijdanus

A laser beam monitoring system configured to monitor an attribute of an incident laser beam (), the laser beam monitoring system comprising a beam separating element () and a plurality of sensors (-), wherein the beam separating element is configured to form a plurality of sub-beams (-) from the incident laser beam (), a first sub-beam being directed towards a first sensor of the plurality of sensors and a second sub-beam being directed towards a second sensor of the plurality of sensors, wherein relative intensities of the first and second sub-beams are determined by a spatial position at which the incident laser beam is incident upon the beam separating element.

Laser beam monitoring system

A device manufacturing method includes conditioning a beam of radiation using an illumination system. The conditioning includes controlling an array of individually controllable elements and associated optical components of the illumination system to convert the radiation beam into a desired illumination mode, the controlling including allocating different individually controllable elements to different parts of the illumination mode in accordance with an allocation scheme, the allocation scheme selected to provide a desired modification of one or more properties of the illumination mode, the radiation beam or both. The method also includes patterning the radiation beam having the desired illumination mode with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned beam of radiation, and projecting the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate.

Lithographic apparatus and method

A radiation source (e.g., LPP&#x2014;laser produced plasma source) for generation of extreme UV (EUV) radiation has at least two fuel particle streams having different trajectories. Each stream is directed to cross the path of an excitation (laser) beam focused at a plasma formation region, but the trajectories are spaced apart at the plasma formation region, and the streams phased, so that only one stream has a fuel particle in the plasma formation region at any time, and so that when a fuel particle from one stream is generating plasma and EUV radiation at the plasma generation region, other fuel particles are sufficiently spaced so as to be substantially unaffected by the plasma. The arrangement permits potential doubling of the radiation intensity achievable for a particular fuel particle size.

Method and apparatus for generating radiation

A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system for providing a beam of extreme ultra-violet radiation, a masking device for controlling the illumination of a patterning device by the beam of radiation, a support for supporting the patterning device, the patterning device configured to impart a pattern to the beam of radiation, a substrate table for holding a substrate, and a projection system for projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of the substrate. The masking device includes a masking blade including a masking edge configured to delimit a boundary of an illumination region on the patterning device. The masking blade is configured to reflect extreme ultra-violet radiation incident on the masking blade such that at least a portion of the reflected radiation is not captured by the projection system.

Lithographic apparatus and method for reducing stray radiation

A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system, support constructed to support patterning device, a projection system, an interferometric sensor and a detector. The interferometric sensor is designed to measure one or more wavefronts of a radiation beam projected by the projection system from an adjustable polarizer. The interferometric sensor includes a diffractive element disposed at a level of a substrate in the lithographic apparatus and a detector spaced apart from the diffractive element, the diffractive element being arranged to provide shearing interferometry between at least two wavefronts mutually displaced in a direction of shear. The detector is designed to determine, from the wavefront measurements, information on polarization affecting properties of the projection system.

Lithographic apparatus and a method for determining a polarization property of a projection system using an adjustable polarizer and interferometric sensor

A device manufacturing method includes conditioning a beam of radiation using an illumination system. The conditioning includes controlling an array of individually controllable elements and associated optical components of the illumination system to convert the radiation beam into a desired illumination mode, the controlling including allocating different individually controllable elements to different parts of the illumination mode in accordance with an allocation scheme, the allocation scheme selected to provide a desired modification of one or more properties of the illumination mode, the radiation beam or both. The method also includes patterning the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned beam of radiation, and projecting the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate.

A lithographic apparatus including a uniformity correction system is disclosed. Fingers move into and out of intersection with a radiation beam to correct an intensity of the radiation beam. Actuating devices are coupled to the fingers. A width of a tip of each of the fingers is half that of a width of the actuating devices. Systems and methods compensate for uniformity drift. An illumination slit uniformity caused by system drift is measured. First positions of uniformity compensators are determined based on the uniformity. Uniformity compensators are moved to the first respective positions. A substrate is exposed.

Lithographic apparatus and method for illumination uniformity correction and uniformity drift compensation

A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that is configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a substrate, the lithographic apparatus including an illumination system configured to condition a beam of radiation, the illumination system having a uniformity correction system located in a plane which, in use, is illuminated with a substantially constant pupil by the illumination system.

A lithographic apparatus includes a radiation system having reflective optical elements constructed and arranged to condition a beam of radiation. The reflective optical elements include a first faceted mirror constructed and arranged to generate a plurality of source images on a second mirror. The lithographic apparatus also includes a facet mask constructed and arranged to selectively mask one or more of the facets of the first faceted mirror. The facet mask includes a masking blade selectively interposable into the beam.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

An illuminator for a lithographic apparatus, the illuminator including an illumination mode defining element and a plurality of polarization modifiers, the polarization modifiers being moveable into or out of partial intersection with a radiation beam having an angular and spatial distribution as governed by an illumination mode defining element.

Illuminator for a lithographic apparatus and method

A lithographic apparatus includes a polarization changing element including at least two wedge-shaped optically active members configured to rotate the polarization direction of at least a portion of the radiation beam with a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction and an optical propagation length adaptor associated with the wedge-shaped optically active members to adjust the predetermined angle.

A lithographic apparatus includes a device having a blade selectively insertable into the beam. The device is in a first plane intermediate a second plane conjugate to a plane of the substrate and a third plane conjugate to a pupil plane of the projection system. The blade may include a partially opaque blade and a solid blade or have a predetermined transmissibility pattern. The transmissibility may vary in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in which the substrate and the patterning device are movable. In an illumination system including a field faceted mirror and a pupil faceted mirror, a reflecting blade is selectively insertable into the beam to reflect a portion of the beam to a beam dump that may be cooled to reduce a heat load. The reflecting element may have a coating that scatters the portion of radiation or changes the phase.

A system and method for uniformity correction is provided. The system includes a plurality of winged correction elements inserted into the illumination field in a defined configuration. Adjacent winged correction elements are overlapped to minimize induced uniformity ripple. Each winged correction element has a first protrusion on a longitudinal edge of the correction element and a second protrusion on the opposite longitudinal edge. The slope of a sloped edge of the first protrusion and the slope of a sloped edge of the second protrusion are tied to the slope of a gradient in the non-uniformity profile of the illumination field. In addition, the angles defined by the flat tip of the correction element and the sloped edge of the first and second protrusions are tied to the angle of a gradient of the illumination field.

System and method for uniformity correction

A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; and a detector for measuring the intensity of the radiation after it has passed through the projection system. The apparatus further includes a polarization changing element, such as a quarter-wave plate, that is adjustable; and a polarization analyzer, such as a linear polarizer, wherein the polarization changing element and the polarization analyzer are arranged in order in the radiation beam path at the level at which a patterning device would be held by the support. By taking intensity measurements, using the detector, for different rotational orientations of the polarization changing element, information on the state of polarization of the radiation at the level of the patterning device can be obtained. Because the polarization analyzer is located before the projection system, the measurements are not affected by the fact that the detector is located after the projection system, such as at the level of the substrate.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Hendrikus Robertus Marie Van Greevenbroek