Asml Netherlands B.v.

Asml Holding N.v.

Matthew McCarthy

Arno Jan Bleeker

Pieter Willem Herman De Jager

Stanislav Y Smirnov

Karel Diederick Van Der Mast

Huibert Visser

Mark L Oskotsky

Lev Ryzhikov

Jason Douglas Hintersteiner

Borgert Kruizinga

Lev Sakin

Bart Snijders

A polarization control device for a lithography system selectively polarizes light in horizontal, vertical and/or circular orientations. A pair of relatively rotatable quarter-wave plates move to provide the desired polarization. When the quarter-wave plates are at a relative angle of 45 degrees, the polarization is circular. When the quarter-wave plates are both at zero or 45 degrees, the resulting polarization is vertical or horizontal. The polarization is selected based on the orientation of an image to be projected. Horizontal polarization is preferably used for images with a strong horizontal orientation, and vertical polarization is selected for images with a strong vertical orientation. Circular orientation is selected when the image has no strong horizontal or vertical orientation.

Method and apparatus for variable polarization control in a lithography system

An imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention includes a programmable patterning structure configured to pattern a projection beam of radiation according to a desired pattern. The programmable patterning structure includes a plurality of separate patterning sub-elements, each sub-element being configured to generate a patterned sub-beam. At least one of the separate patterning sub-elements is configured to generate a patterned sub-beam whose cross-section contains regions of different intensities. The imaging apparatus also includes a combining structure configured to combine the plurality of patterned sub-beams into a single patterned image, and a projection system configured to project the patterned image onto a target portion of a substrate.

Imaging apparatus

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Brookfield, CT, United States of America

Matthew McCarthy