Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Carl-zeiss-stiftung

Schott Glas

Carl Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technologies Ag

Carl-zeiss-stiftung Trading As Carl Zeiss

Michael Gerhard

Manfred Maul

Markus Deguenther

Christian Wagner

Nils Haverkamp

Axel Scholz

Wilhelm Ulrich

Toralf Gruner

Winfried M Kaiser

Daniel Krähmer

Michael Layh

Frank Schlesener

Vladimir Davydenko

Thomas Bischoff

Gerhard-Wilhelm Ziegler

Thomas Stammler

Birgit Enkisch

Martin Brunotte

Daniel Walldorf

Stephan Kellner

Christof Zaczek

Mirco Kern

Igor Hurevich

Wolfgang Singer

Johannes Wangler

Ralf Scharnweber

Gerald Richter

Heiko Siekmann

Siegfried Rennon

Bruno Thome

Andre Bresan

Stefan Burkart

Oliver Wolf

Eva Kalchbrenner

Cristian Wagner

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Hubert Holderer

Frank-Thomas Lentes

Bernd Doerband

Martin Schriever

Julian Kaller

Nils Dieckmann

Vitaliy Shklover

Wilfried Clauss

Hans-Jochen Paul

Jochen Becker

Gerhard Fuerter

Erich Merz

Gundula Weiss

Daniel Runde

Peter Vogt

Ralf Kuschnereit

Reinhard Voelkel

Gerd Reisinger

Ewald Moersen

Erwin Gaber

Harry Bauer

Thure Boehm

Kenneth Weible

Gerhard F&uuml;rter

Arie Cornelis Scheiberlich

Christian Kusch

Markus Degünther

Daniel Kr&auml;hmer

Bernhard Wergl

Dietrich Klaassen

J&uuml;rgen Hartmaier

Jens Spanuth

Florian Doll

Sebastian Brueck

Christine Sieler

Marcus Zehetbauer

Oliver Beyer

A method for detecting deposited particles (P) on a surface () of an object () includes: irradiating a partial region of the surface () of the object () with measurement radiation; detecting measurement radiation scattered on the irradiated partial region, and detecting particles in the partial region of the surface of the object () based on the detected measurement radiation. In the steps of irradiating and detecting, the surface () of the object () has an anti-reflective coating () and/or a surface structure () for reducing the reflectivity of the surface () for the measurement radiation (), wherein the particle detection limit is lowered due to the anti-reflective coating () and/or the surface structure (). Also disclosed are a wafer () and a mask blank for carrying out the method.

Method for detecting particles on the surface of an object, wafer, and mask blank

An optical grating () includes a substrate (), on the surface () of which a periodic structure () is formed that is embodied to diffract incident radiation (), in particular incident EUV radiation, with a specified wavelength (&#x3bb;) into a predetermined order of diffraction, in particular into the first order of diffraction (m=+). The optical grating also has a coating () applied onto the periodic structure with at least one layer () that is embodied to suppress the diffraction of the incident radiation into at least one higher order of diffraction (m=+, . . . ) than the predetermined order of diffraction.

Optical grating and optical assembly for same

A raster arrangement includes at least one raster element of a first type and at least one raster element of a second type. Each raster element of the first type has a first bundle-influencing effect. Each raster element of the second type has a second bundle-influencing effect which is different from the first bundle-influencing effect. Each raster element of the first type is located in a first area of the raster arrangement. Each raster element of the second type is located in a second area of the raster arrangement which is different from the first area of the raster arrangement.

Illumination system for microlithography

A method and associated EUV lithography apparatus for determining the phase angle at a free interface () of an optical element () provided with a multilayer coating () that reflects EUV radiation and/or for determining the thickness (d) of a contamination layer () formed on the multilayer coating (). The multilayer coating () is irradiated with EUV radiation, a photocurrent (I) generated during the irradiation is measured, and the phase angle at the free interface () and/or the thickness (d) of the contamination layer () is determined on the basis of a predefined relationship between the phase angle and/or the thickness (d) and the measured photocurrent (I). The measured photocurrent (I) is generated from the entire wavelength and angle-of-incidence distribution of the EUV radiation impinging on the multilayer coating ().

Method for determining the phase angle and/or the thickness of a contamination layer at an optical element and EUV lithography apparatus

A microlithography illumination system includes a first raster arrangement including a first plurality of bundle-forming raster elements arranged in or adjacent a first plane of the illumination system. The first plurality of bundle-forming raster elements is configured to generate a raster arrangement of secondary light sources. The illumination system also includes a transmission optics configured to superimpose transmission of the illumination light of the secondary light sources into the object field. The transmission optics includes a second raster arrangement comprising a second plurality of bundle-forming raster elements. The illumination system further includes a displacement device configured to displace a displaceable segment of the first raster arrangement relative to the second raster arrangement. The displaceable segment includes exactly one of the raster elements, a group of several raster elements, a raster column, a raster area, or several groups of raster elements.

A microlithographic illumination system can include a light distribution device that can generate a two-dimensional intensity distribution in a first illumination plane. A first raster array of optical raster elements can generates a raster array of secondary light sources. A device with an additional optical effect can be disposed spatially adjacent to the two raster arrays. The device can be configured as an illumination angle variation device. The device can influence the intensity and/or the phase and/or the beam direction of the illumination light. The influence can be such that an intensity contribution of raster elements to the total illumination intensity can vary across the illumination field. This can enable the illumination intensity to be influenced across the illumination field in a defined manner with respect to the total illumination intensity and/or with respect to the intensity contributions from different directions of illumination.

Microlithographic illumination system

A method for operating a projection exposure tool for microlithography is provided. The projection exposure tool includes an optical system which includes a number of optical elements which, during an imaging process, convey electromagnetic radiation. All of the surfaces of the optical elements interact with the electromagnetic radiation during the imaging process to form an overall optical surface of the optical system. The method includes: determining respective individual thermal expansion coefficients at least two different locations of the overall optical surface; calculating a change to an optical property of the optical system brought about by heat emission of the electromagnetic radiation (during the imaging process upon the basis of the thermal expansion coefficients; and imaging mask structures into an image plane via the projection exposure tool with adaptation of the imaging characteristics of the projection exposure tool so that the calculated change to the optical property is at least partially compensated.

Method for operating a projection exposure tool and control apparatus

A raster arrangement includes first and second types of raster elements which have different bundle-influencing effects. There is a distance step between a first raster area and a second raster area. The first raster area comprises a raster element of the first raster element type. The second raster area includes a raster element of the second raster element type. The raster arrangement is configured to be used in a microlithography illumination system.

An optical beam deflecting element may be used effectively as an energy distribution manipulator in an illumination system to vary the energy distribution within a given spatial intensity distribution in a pupil plane of the illumination system substantially without changing the shape and size and position of illuminated areas in the pupil plane.

Optical beam deflecting element, illumination system including same, and related method

An illumination system for microlithography serves to illuminate an illumination field with illumination light of a primary light source. A first raster arrangement has bundle-forming first raster elements which are arranged in a first plane of the illumination system or adjacent to the plane. The first raster arrangement serves to generate a raster arrangement of secondary light sources. A transmission optics serves for superimposed transmission of the illumination light of the secondary light sources into the illumination field. The transmission optics has a second raster arrangement with bundle-forming second raster elements. In each case one of the raster elements of the first raster arrangement is allocated to one of the raster elements of the second raster arrangement for guiding a partial bundle of an entire bundle of illumination light. The first raster arrangement for example has at least two types (I, II, III) of the first raster elements which have different bundle-influencing effects. The raster elements of the two raster arrangements are arranged relative to one another in such a way that to each raster element type (I to III) is allocated at least one individual distance (&#x394;, &#x394;, &#x394;) between the first raster element of this type (I to III) and the allocated second raster element of the second raster arrangement. As a result, an illumination system is obtained which allows particular illumination parameters to be influenced in such a way that undesirable influences on other illumination parameters are avoided to the greatest extent possible.

For the production of mirrors for EUV lithography, substrates are suggested having a mean relative thermal longitudinal expansion of no more than 10 ppb across a temperature difference &#x394;T of 15&#xb0; C. and a zero-crossing temperature in the range between 20&#xb0; C. and 40&#xb0; C. For this purpose, at least one first and one second material having low thermal expansion coefficients and opposite gradients of the relative thermal expansion as a function of temperature are selected and a substrate is produced by mixing and bonding these materials.

Substrates for mirrors for EUV lithography and their production

The disclosure relates to an optical integrator configured to produce a plurality of secondary light sources in an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing an array of elongated microlenses for use in such an illumination system. Arrays of elongated microlenses are often contained in optical integrators or scattering plates of such illumination systems.

Optical integrator for an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

The disclosure relates to an optical element and illumination optics for microlithography. The optical element can be configured to influence a nominal beam angle, preset over a beam cross-section, of a radiation beam hitting the optical element. Moreover, the disclosure relates to an illumination optics for the microlithography with at least one such optical element and an illumination system for the microlithography with such an illumination optics.

Optical element and illumination optics for microlithography

A polarization rotator and crystalline quartz plate for use with an optical imaging system. The system has several imaging optical components (L-L) sequentially arranged along an optical axis (), a means for creating radially polarized light arranged at a given location in that region extending up to the last of said imaging optical components, and a crystalline-quartz plate employable in such a system. A polarization rotator () for rotating the planes of polarization of radially polarized light and transforming same into tangentially polarized light, particularly in the form of a crystalline-quartz plate as noted above, is provided at a given location within a region commencing where those imaging optical components that follow said means for creating radially polarized light in the optical train are arranged. The optical imaging system is particularly advantageous when embodied as a microlithographic projection exposure system.

Polarization rotator and a crystalline-quartz plate for use in an optical imaging system

Growing community of inventors

Aalen, Germany

Michael Gerhard