Nikon Corporation

Masayuki Shiraishi

Katsuhiko Murakami

Yosuke Tatsuzaki

Yuichi Shibazaki

Yoshio Kawabe

Hiroyuki Kondo

Kenta Sudo

Noriaki Kandaka

Takaharu Komiya

Shigeki Egami

Katsumi Sugisaki

Takuro Ono

Baku Ogasawara

A processing apparatus has: a light irradiation apparatus that irradiates a surface of an object with a processing light; a first position change apparatus that changes a position of at least one of the object and an irradiation area that is formed on the surface of the object by the light irradiation apparatus; and a control apparatus that controls the first position change apparatus to form a structure for reducing a frictional resistance of the surface of the object to a fluid by irradiating the surface of the object with the processing light while changing the position of at least one of the irradiation area and the object to change a thickness of a part of the object.

Processing apparatus, and manufacturing method of movable body

A processing apparatus has: a light irradiation apparatus that irradiates a surface of an object with a processing light; and a partition member that surrounds a space including an optical path between the surface of the object and an optical member that is disposed at the most object side in an optical system of the light irradiation apparatus that allows the processing light to pass therethrough.

Processing apparatus and method using irradiation apparatus having a partition member

A processing apparatus has: a light irradiation apparatus that irradiates a surface of an object with a plurality of processing lights; and a first change apparatus that changes an intensity distribution of the plurality of processing lights from the light irradiation apparatus on the surface of the object, the processing apparatus changes a thickness of a part of the object by irradiating the surface of the object with the plurality of processing lights.

A processing apparatus has: a light irradiation apparatus that irradiates a surface of an object with a processing light; and a measurement apparatus that measures a position of an irradiation area, which is formed on the surface of the object by the light irradiation apparatus, relative to the object.

A method for measuring flare information of a projection optical system includes arranging, on an object plane of the projection optical system, a sectoral pattern surrounded by a first side, a second side which is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first side, and an inner diameter portion and an outer diameter portion which connect both ends of the first side and both ends of the second side; projecting an image of the sectoral pattern via the projection optical system; and determining the flare information based on a light amount of the image of the sectoral pattern and a light amount provided at a position away from the image. With the flare measuring method, it possible to correctly measure the flare information in an arbitrary angle range.

Flare-measuring mask, flare-measuring method, and exposure method

In an illumination optical system, a light flux from a light source is made to come into a first fly's eye optical system, and an illumination area is illuminated, via a second fly's eye optical system and a condenser optical system, with light fluxes from a plurality of mirror elements which construct the first fly's eye optical system, wherein a reflecting surface of each of the mirror elements has a width in one direction narrower than a width of each of the mirror elements in a direction perpendicular to the one direction, and a reflectance distribution in the one direction of each of the mirror elements is trapezoidal. The intensity distribution of the illumination area can be set to be a nonuniform distribution, and respective points in the illumination area can be illuminated with the light fluxes having an approximately same aperture angle distribution.

Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and exposure method

A method for measuring flare information of a projection optical system includes arranging, on an object plane of the projection optical system, a sectoral pattern surrounded by a first side, a second side which is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first side, and an inner diameter portion and an outer diameter portion which connect both ends of the first side and both ends of the second side; projecting an image of the sectoral pattern via the projection optical system; and determining the flare information based on a light amount of the image of the sectoral pattern and a light amount provided at a position away from the image. With the flare measuring method, it is possible to correctly measure the flare information in an arbitrary angle range of the sectoral pattern.

A measuring member has a first face and a plurality of first marks arranged on the first face. The first marks have respective orientations corresponding to their positions in a first direction.

Measuring member, sensor, measuring method, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device producing method

An aperture diaphragm plate is provided to define a light flux on a pupil plane of an optical system or a plane or surface disposed in the vicinity of the pupil plane. An aperture, which is formed in the aperture diaphragm plate, has a three-dimensional shape corresponding to an optimum pupil shape of the optical system. It is possible to improve the imaging characteristic brought about by the optical system by providing the optimum pupil shape of the optical system.

Optical system, exposure apparatus, and method of manufacturing electronic device

Multilayer-film reflective mirrors are disclosed. An exemplary such mirror has a base and a multilayer film formed on the base. The multilayer film includes multiple layer pairs. Each layer pair includes a respective first layer and a respective second layer, wherein the first and second layers are laminated together in an alternating manner. The multilayer film has first and second regions that reflect extreme ultraviolet light. A first group of layers is disposed in the first and second regions and has a first periodic length. A second group disposed in the first region has a second periodic length different from the first periodic length, and a third group disposed in the second region has a substantially same periodic length as the first periodic length.

Multilayer-film reflective mirror, exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, and manufacturing method of multilayer-film reflective mirror

Multilayer-film reflective mirrors are disclosed that exhibit desired optical characteristics and resistance to reflective-surface degradation. An exemplary multilayer-film mirror includes a base and a multilayer film on the base. The multilayer film is made of first and second layers alternatingly laminated at a prescribed period length. The surface of the multilayer film has an irregular surface profile, relative to the surface profile of the base. The multilayer film reflects incident extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. A third layer, situated on and covering the surface of the multilayer film, is formed of a substance having substantially the same refractive index to EUV light as the refractive index of a vacuum. The third layer has a surface profile substantially the same as the surface contour of the base. The third layer is covered with a protective layer.

Surface-corrected multilayer-film mirrors with protected reflective surfaces, exposure systems comprising same, and associated methods

An exposure apparatus that exposes an object to be exposed with light from an EUV light source. The light has an exposure wavelength component and a non-exposure wavelength component. The exposure apparatus has a detector that independently detects the quantity of light of the exposure wavelength component and the quantity of light of the non-exposure wavelength component of the light. Therefore, for example, even if the quantity of light of the exposure wavelength component and the quantity of light of the non-exposure wavelength component individually fluctuate, it is possible to accurately ascertain fluctuations in the characteristics of the optical system resulting from irradiation heat. As a result, it is also possible to achieve a high performance mirror adjustment system.

Exposure apparatus

A multilayer mirror aims to reduce incidence angle dependence of reflectivity. A substrate is made of low thermal polished expansion glass with 0.2 nm RMS or less roughness of the surface. On the surface thereof formed is a Ru/Si multilayer having a wide full-width half maximum of peak reflectivity, and on the Ru/Si multilayer formed is a Mo/Si multilayer having a high peak reflectivity value. This enables higher reflectivity than when Ru/Si alone provided and a reflectivity peak having a wider full-width half maximum than when the Mo/Si multilayer alone provided. Since Ru absorbs EUV ray more than Mo does, higher reflectivity is obtainable than that of a structure having the Ru/Si multilayer formed on the Mo/Si multilayer. The multilayer with a wide full-width half maximum has small incidence angle dependence of reflectivity in spectral reflectivity, thereby achieving high imaging performance in projection optical system.

Multilayer mirror, method for manufacturing the same, and exposure equipment

Multilayer-film (MLF) reflective mirrors are disclosed that have a highly precise surface profile. An exemplary MLF reflective mirror includes multilayer film in which layers of molybdenum (Mo) and layers of silicon (Si) are periodically deposited in an alternating manner on the surface of a mirror substrate. One or more selected regions of the multilayer film have been 'shaved' away layer-wise as required to impart an in-plane distribution of removed material sufficient to correct a wavefront error in light reflected from the mirror. After such 'layer-machining,' a single-layer film of Si (or Si-containing material) is applied to fill in the machined areas and restore the original contour, as designed, for the surface of the multilayer film. I.e., the Si film has a thickness distribution corresponding to the depth profile of material removed from the multilayer film. A capping layer can be deposited uniformly on the surface of the single-layer film.

Multilayer-film mirrors, lithography systems comprising same, and methods for manufacturing same

An Sn&#x2014;Ga type alloy having a composition in which the atomic % of Sn is 15% or less is accommodated inside a heated tankThe Sn alloy pressurized by the pressurizing pump is conducted to a nozzleso that a liquid-form Sn alloy is caused to jet from the tip end of this nozzledisposed inside a vacuum chamberThe liquid-form Sn alloy that is caused to jet from the nozzlehas a spherical shape as a result of surface tension, and forms a targetLaser light generated by an Nd:YAG laser light sourcedisposed on the outside of the vacuum chamberis focused by a lensand introduced into the vacuum chamberThe targetthat is irradiated by the laser is converted into a plasma, and radiates light that includes EUV light.

Growing community of inventors

Kumagaya, Japan

Masayuki Shiraishi