Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Nikon Corporation

Nikon Precision Incorporated

Other

Kyoichi Suwa

Kazuo Ushida

Shigeru Hirukawa

Toshio Matsuura

Ilya Grodnensky

Masaichi Murakami

Akikazu Tanimoto

Koichi Matsumoto

Satoru Anzai

John H McCoy

Eric R Johnson

Hiroshi Tanaka

Arun Ananth Aiyer

Makoto Uehara

Hidemi Kawai

Hiroki Tateno

Kiwao Nakazawa

Hisayuki Shimizu

Shinichi Nakamura

Takashi Mori

Michael R Sogard

Kinya Kato

Nobutaka Magome

Yuji Imai

Kazuaki Suzuki

Toru Iwane

Martin E Lee

Naoyuki Kobayashi

Tomoki Ito

Takeshi Kato

Masaomi Kameyama

Seiro Murakami

Norihiko Takatsu

John K Eaton

Masaya Komatsu

Koichi Ohno

Henry K Chau

Shinjiro Kondo

Takeshi Suto

Koji Kaise

Etsuya Morita

Kyoya Tokunaga

Toshiyuki Namikawa

Hiroaki Hosokawa

Shoichiro Yoshida

Kazuo Kuramochi

Tsutomu Takai

There are provided an optical system having high resolution and high optical performance and reduced in size, an optical apparatus including the optical system, an imaging apparatus, and a method for manufacturing the optical system and imaging apparatus. An optical system UL of a camera module, which is incorporated in an optical apparatus, such as a camera, is an optical system that forms an image of an object, includes a correction member having a correction surface, a first reflection surface, which reflects light having passed through the correction surface, and a second reflection surface, which reflects the light reflected off the first reflection surface, and satisfies predetermined conditions.

Optical system, optical apparatus, imaging apparatus, and method for manufacturing optical system and imaging apparatus

A mask of the present invention has a circuit pattern to be transferred to a substrate via an optical system, and an inspection pattern to be used for a measurement of a line width of the pattern transferred to the substrate. By using such a mask, the time for proceeding from inspection to actual device exposure can be shortened.

Mask, exposure method, line width measuring method, and method for manufacturing semiconductor devices

Apparatus for performing measurement of a dimension of a test marked formed by overlapping feature imaged onto a an image forming layer of a semiconductor wafer and the calculation of the critical dimensions of the features from test mark. This is used in semiconductor processing. Also included is software configured to program a measurement device to perform the measurement and calculation of the dimension of a test mark.

Apparatus for preforming measurement of a dimension of a test mark for semiconductor processing

An exposure method comprises the steps of: providing a resist-coated substrate; providing a first mask including first and second regions having respective patterns formed therein; conducting a first exposure process in which the patterns in the first and second regions of the first mask are projected onto the substrate so as to expose first and second regions of the substrate which correspond to the patterns, respectively; and conducting a second exposure process after completion of said first exposure process so as to make an additional exposure of the second region of the substrate. By virtue of the incorporation of the second exposure process so as to make an additional exposure of the second region of the substrate, the resist linewidth which would be otherwise produced in the second region of the substrate by the first exposure process can be compensated through the second exposure process.

Exposure method

A method for forming a critical dimension test mark, and the use of the mark to characterize and monitor imaging performance is provided. Methods in accordance with the present invention encompass an exposure of an essentially standard critical dimension bar at each of two overlapping orientations that are rotated about an axis with respect to each other. The overlapped portion forming a critical dimension test mark that is useful for enabling low cost, rapid determination of sub-micron critical dimensions for characterizing exposure tool imaging performance and in-process performance monitoring using optical measurement systems.

Method for use of a critical dimensional test structure

Improvements in a focusing apparatus having an objective optical system for optically manufacturing a workpiece, forming a desired pattern on a surface of a workpiece or inspecting a pattern on a workpiece and used to adjust the state of focusing between the surface of the workpiece and the objective optical system. The focusing apparatus has a first detection system having a detection area at a first position located outside the field of the objective optical system, a second detection system having a detection area at a second position located outside the field of the objective optical system and spaced apart from the first position, and a third detection system having a detection area at a third position located outside the field of the objective optical system and spaced apart from each of the first and second positions. A calculator calculates a deviation between a first focus position and a target focus position and temporarily stores a second focus position at the time of detection made by the first detection system. A controller controls focusing on the surface of the workpiece on the basis of the calculated deviation, the stored second focus position and a third focus position when the area on the workpiece corresponding to the detection area of the first detection system is positioned in the field of the objective optical system by relative movement of the workpiece and the objective optical system.

Projection exposure apparatus and method with workpiece area detection

Method for forming a critical dimension test structure and its use

A local air duct directs a temperature-controlled stream of air across two perpendicular sets of interferometer beams which are used to measure the two dimension (X-Y) position of a precision stage in e.g. an optical lithography stepper or step and scan system, or in any other precision coordinate measuring machine. By thereby providing an additional single air flow which is azimuthally directed across both the X and Y direction interferometer beams, the precision of the interferometric measurement is maximized. In addition, a second flow of air is directed downwards from the local air duct, thus providing sufficient air circulation onto the stage when the stage is directly beneath the local duct, even though in that location the stage is otherwise blocked from receiving the main air flow through the chamber.

Precision stage interferometer system with local single air duct

A mask alignment system for integrated circuit lithography achieves reticle to wafer referencing. A detection system located below the main projection lens detects the image of reticle alignment marks while also detecting wafer alignment marks. The reticle marks are imaged in light at the exposure wavelength. A first detection method images the fluorescence produced in the photoresist by the reticle mark images. A microscope located below the main projection lens produces the image and also images the wafer marks with broadband non-actinic illumination. The second method images the reticle marks in exposure light using a microscope which images and detects the exposure wavelength while maintaining the illumination and detection of the wafer marks. The third method collects directly both the exposure light and fluorescent light that is scattered and reflected from the wafer surface; the presence of wafer alignment marks changes this light collection. Scanning the wafer relative to the reticle produces a signal indicating the relative position of reticle and wafer alignment marks. All three methods provide information for complete field-by-field alignment including offsets, reticle-to-wafer magnification, rotation, and skew for both step-and-repeat and scanning exposure systems.

Direct reticle to wafer alignment using fluorescence for integrated

A method and apparatus for determining performance characteristics in lithographic tools includes projecting a predetermined image with a projection system having a known predetermined performance characteristic to obtain data indicative of the relationship between the size of the projected image and the predetermined performance characteristic. The same image is then projected in a system having an unknown value for the predetermined performance characteristic. The predetermined performance characteristic for the system under consideration is then determined based on the data obtained when the image was projected in the system having the known predetermined performance characteristic.

Method and apparatus for determining performance characteristics in

Focusing and tilting adjustment system for lithography aligner,

Defects in a processed or partly processed semiconductor wafer, or other similar three-dimensional periodic pattern formed on a substrate surface, are detected by light diffraction. Incident monochromatic light is provided from an elongated and extended source to illuminate the entire wafer surface. By use of automated image processing techniques, wafer macro inspection is thereby automated. The elongated and extended light source allows light at different angles to be incident upon each point of the wafer surface, thereby allowing defect detection for an entire wafer surface in a single field of view and reducing inspection time. The particular wavelength of the incident monochromatic light is predetermined to allow optimum detection of defects in the periodic pattern on the wafer, depending on the width and pitch of the features of the periodic pattern.

Wafer inspection method and apparatus using diffracted light

Accurate measurement of the sidewalls of photoresist features formed on a semiconductor substrate is achieved by a double mask exposure process. This allows probing the sidewalls of closely spaced photoresist features with the probe tip of an atomic force microscope, in spite of the small (submicron) physical dimensions involved. First a conventional line/space pattern is exposed onto the photoresist using the desired mask. Then a second exposure is made using a second mask which has a special space pattern to effectively remove the already exposed photoresist features along at least one side of one of the previously exposed features. Hence, at least that one side of that one feature is clear of any adjoining photoresist features when the photoresist is then developed after the two exposures. This allows easy access to the sidewall of that one photoresist feature by tilting the probe tip of the atomic force microscope. This allows the measurement of the photoresist feature sidewall characteristics, including for instance angle, curvature and any artifacts present.

Atomic force microscope measurement process for dense photoresist

A method of detecting particles on a wafer support surface comprising positioning a wafer in a first position on the surface with the wafer in the first position, generating a first pattern on the wafer, and moving the wafer. Then, after moving the wafer, generating a second pattern on the wafer to generate a moire pattern by the interaction of the second pattern with the first pattern. The moire pattern is inspected to identify any visual distortion in the moire pattern due to physical distortion of the wafer caused by a particle on the support surface during the generation of the first pattern. The patterns may be ruled parallel lines, and the second pattern may be moved during inspection to shift the moire pattern to reveal distortions over a wide area.

Technique for detecting particles on a wafer support surface

A measuring method comprises a first step to expose by the irradiation of a predetermined energy ray onto the resist layer of a photosensitive board a first mask pattern having at least two linear pattern portions arranged substantially in axial symmetry with respect to a straight line in a predetermined first direction and inclined at a predetermined angle to the straight line in the first direction, a second step to overlap with the first mask pattern image exposed on the resist layer a second mask pattern formed by the linear patterns which extend in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction by relatively driving the second mask pattern in a predetermined amount in the first direction for exposure, and a third step to measure an interval in the second direction between at least two wedge-shaped resist images formed by the overlapped portions of the first mask pattern and the second mask pattern. The difference between the measured value and a predetermined standard value of the interval in the second direction may be obtained to determined a positional deviation.

Measuring method and exposure apparatus

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Tokyo, Japan

Kyoichi Suwa