Asml Netherlands B.v.

Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Asml Holding N.v.

Stichting Nederlandse Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Instituten

Henri Johannes Petrus Vink

Huibert Visser

Pieter Willem Herman De Jager

Johannes Jacobus Matheus Baselmans

Oscar Franciscus Jozephus Noordman

Anastasius Jacobus Anicetus Bruinsma

Marcus Gerhardus Hendrikus Meijerink

Justin Lloyd Kreuzer

Robert-Han Munnig Schmidt

Teunis Cornelis Van Den Dool

Koenraad Remi André Maria Schreel

Cornelis Cornelia De Bruijn

Aaldert Hidde Van Amerongen

Kees Moddemeyer

Daniel Perez Calero

Jerome Caron

A spectral imager () may use an entrance telescope () to spatially image an object (O), at least in the across-slit direction (X), onto a physical slit (Se) of a spectrometer (). The spectrometer () may include a slit homogenizer () such as a rod lens configured to spatially image an aperture stop (AS) in the across-slit direction (X) as a virtual slit image (Ih). Formation of a detection image (Id) which is spectrally resolved along a spectral axis (X') may includes spatially imaging the virtual slit image (Ih), at least in the across-slit direction (X), at a detector plane (Pd). This may achieve a more homogeneous illumination of the spectrometer slit and improve measurement accuracy and reproducibility.

Slit homogenizer for spectral imaging

A manufacturing method for a grating is disclosed for the angular dispersion of light impinging the grating. The grating comprises tapered structures and cavities. A cavity width and/or corrugation amplitude is varied for achieving a desired grating efficiency according to calculation. A method is disclosed for conveniently creating gratings with variable cavity width and/or corrugation amplitude. The method comprises the step of anisotropically etching a groove pattern into a grating master. Optionally a replica is produced that is complementary to the grating master. By variation of an etching resist pattern, the cavity width of the grating may be varied allowing the optimization towards different efficiency goals.

Method for producing a diffraction grating

A system and method are used to form incoherent beams from at least a partially coherent beam, such that interference or speckle patterns are substantially eliminated. A rotating optical element directs the partially coherent beam to reflect from an angular distribution changing element to form an incoherent beam. The partially coherent beam can be directed at varying angles or positions onto the angular distribution changing element through rotation of the rotating optical element. The angles can vary as a function of time.

Moving beam with respect to diffractive optics in order to reduce interference patterns

A system and method provides high speed variable attenuators. The attenuators can be used within a lithographic apparatus to control intensity of radiation in one or more correction pulses used to correct a dose of the radiation following an initial pulse of radiation.

Using an interferometer as a high speed variable attenuator

An apparatus is described for scanning a circuit structure. The apparatus has a linear sensor () for detecting light intensity as a function of position along the sensor. A transport mechanism () moves a circuit structure (), such as a PCB or a wafer relative to the sensor. The circuit structure is illuminated with an illumination system () that comprises a hollow cylinder () with a mainly diffusively and/or specularly reflecting inner wall surface. The cylinder is arranged in parallel with the sensor and has a first slit () and a second slit () located so that a virtual plane runs through the sensor, the first and second slit to a location for the circuit structure under inspection. The illumination system furthermore comprises a linear light source () in the cylinder or the inner wall of the cylinder. In an embodiment the illumination system comprises a splitting mirror () in the cylinder to reflect light to the circuit structure.

Apparatus and method for inspecting circuit structures

A system is used to perform fast and slow applications, for example fast application can be pulse trimming. The system includes a radiation source, an electro-optical modulator, and a beam splitter. The radiation source is configured to generate a polarized beam of radiation. The electro-optical modulator, formed of crystalline quartz, is configured to modulate the beam of radiation. The beam splitter is configured to direct a first portion of the beam to a beam dump and to form an output beam from a second portion of the beam.

Radiation beam pulse trimming

A radiation beam conditioning system comprising at least three optical paths in which the radiation is conditioned.

Laser beam conditioning system comprising multiple optical paths allowing for dose control

A lithographic illumination apparatus and method includes receiving a plurality of source radiation beams from a plurality of corresponding radiation sources, deflecting the plurality of source radiation beams along a common beam path, thereby generating a projection beam of radiation, imparting the projection beam of radiation with a cross-section pattern, and projecting the patterned projection beam of radiation onto a target portion of a substrate.

Methods and systems for lithographic beam generation

A system and method utilize a lithographic apparatus comprising an illumination system, an array of individually controllable elements, and a projection system. The illumination system conditions a radiation beam. The array of individually controllable elements modulates the beam. At least one group of elements in the array of individually controllable elements being tilted to at least a same tilt direction with a same tilt sign. For example, the tilting can form one or more blazing portions (e.g., blazing super-pixel portions) in the array of individually controllable elements. The projection system projects the modulated beam onto a target portion of a substrate. The projection system includes an aperture that filters out undesired diffraction orders of the modulated beam.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing a blazing portion of a contrast device

Use of a refraction grating to divide a beam of radiation into a plurality of sub-beams that are each directed onto an array of individually controllable elements, modulated thereby and projected onto a substrate as an array of spots.

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Delft, Netherlands

Henri Johannes Petrus Vink