Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Tooz Technologies Gmbh

Michael Patra

Markus Deguenther

Michael Layh

Johannes Wangler

Manfred Maul

Damian Fiolka

Johannes Eisenmenger

Markus Schwab

Andras G Major

Yim-Bun Patrick Kwan

Stefan Xalter

Jan Horn

Florian Bach

Frank Schlesener

Alexander Kohl

Stig Bieling

Gerhard-Wilhelm Ziegler

Erich Schubert

Gundula Weiss

Hans-Juergen Dobschal

Martin Endres

Karsten Lindig

Guenter Rudolph

Ralf Mueller

Frank Widulle

Ersun Kartal

Lisa Riedel

Toralf Gruner

Hubert Holderer

Johannes Ruoff

Aksel Goehnermeier

Ingo Saenger

Joachim Hartjes

Thomas Korb

Thomas Schicketanz

Axel Scholz

Wolfgang Emer

Alexandra Pazidis

Alexander Wolf

Olaf Dittmann

Willi Heintel

Yim-Bun-Patrick Kwan

Thomas Fischer

Martin Meier

Stefanie Hilt

Lars Wischmeier

Henner Baitinger

Markus Degünther

Alexander Winkler

Ralf Müller

Paul Buettner

András G Major

Michael Ramolla

Annie Isaac

A micromirror array is a constituent part of an illumination-optical component of a projection exposure apparatus for projection lithography. A multiplicity of micromirrors are in groups in a plurality of mirror modules, each of which has a rectangular module border. The mirror modules are in module columns. At least some of the module columns are displaced with respect to one another along a column boundary line so that at least some of the mirror modules adjacent to one another over the boundary line are arranged displaced with respect to one another. Their module border sides running transversely to the boundary line are not aligned flush with one another. This micromirror array can have a relatively standardized production and can have a relatively small reflection folding angle on the object if the micromirror array represents a final illumination-optical component upstream of a reflective object to be illuminated.

Digital micromirror device for an illumination optical component of a projection exposure system

A measurement illumination optical unit guides illumination light into an object field of a projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography. The illumination optical unit has a field facet mirror with a plurality of field facets and a pupil facet mirror with a plurality of pupil facets. The latter serve for overlaid imaging in the object field of field facet images of the field facets. A field facet imaging channel of the illumination light is guided via any one field facet and any one pupil facet. A field stop specifies a field boundary of an illumination field in the object plane. The illumination field has a greater extent along one field dimension than any one of the field facet images. At least some of the field facets include tilt actuators which help guide the illumination light into the illumination field via various field facets and one and the same pupil facet.

Measurement illumination optical unit for guiding illumination light into an object field of a projection exposure system for EUV lithography

A stop is configured to be arranged in a constriction of an EUV illumination light beam between an EUV light source for EUV illumination light and an EUV illumination optical unit. The stop has a beam entrance section, a beam exit section and an intervening beam tube section. The entrance section has a cross section that decreases in the propagation direction of the EUV illumination light beam. The cross section of the exit section increases in the propagation direction. The cross section of the tube section is constant. An inner wall of the beam tube section is embodied as reflective for the EUV illumination light. The result is a stop that can have a defined predetermination of the illumination light beam in conjunction with a good thermal loading capacity of the stop.

Stop for arrangement in a constriction of an EUV illumination beam

An optical system transfers original structure portions () of a lithography mask (), which have an x/y-aspect ratio of greater than 4:1, and are aligned on the lithography mask, separated respectively by separating portions () that carry no structures to be imaged. The optical system transfers the original structure portions onto image portions () of a substrate (). Each of the original structure portions is transferred to a separate image portion. The image portions onto which the original structure portions are transferred are arranged in a line next to one another. An associated projection optical unit may have an anamorphic embodiment with different imaging scales for two mutually perpendicular field coordinates specifically, one that is reducing for one of the field coordinates and the other is magnifying for the other field coordinates.

Optical system for transferring original structure portions of a lithography mask, projection optical unit for imaging an object field in which at least one original structure portion of the lithography mask is arrangeable, and lithography mask

An illumination optical unit for projection lithography illuminates an object field with illumination light along an illumination beam path. The arrangement of field facets of a field facet mirror and also of pupil facets of a pupil facet mirror is such that an illumination channel is guided over each of them. The field facet mirror images a light source image along in each case one illumination channel onto one of the pupil facets. The pupil facet mirror superimposedly images of the field facets into the object field. The illumination optical unit is designed for the settable specification of a spatial resolution of an illumination light illumination of an entrance pupil of a projection optical unit arranged downstream of the object field in the illumination light beam path. The result of this is an illumination optical unit with which illumination light can be used efficiently for high-contrast imaging of the structures to be projected.

Illumination optic for projection lithography

An optical assembly guides an output beam of a free electron laser to a downstream illumination-optical assembly of an EUV projection exposure apparatus. The optical assembly has first and a second GI mirrors, each with a structured reflection surface to be impinged upon by the output beam. A first angle of incidence on the first GI mirror is between one mrd and 10 mrad. A maximum first scattering angle is produced, amounting to between 50% and 100% of the first angle of incidence. A second angle of incidence on the second GI mirror is at least twice as large as the first angle of incidence. A maximum second scattering angle of the output beam amounts to between 30% and 100% of the second angle of incidence. The two planes of incidence on the two GI mirrors include an angle with respect to one another that is greater than 45&#xb0;.

Optical assembly for guiding an output beam of a free electron laser

An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus for operation in the EUV includes a polarization-influencing arrangement having first and one second double reflection surface units, each having first and second reflection surfaces, in each case arranged directly adjacent at a distance dand at an angle of 0&#xb0;&#xb1;10&#xb0; relative to one another. The first reflection surface of the first double reflection surface unit and the second reflection surface of the second double reflection surface unit are arranged directly adjacent at a distance dand at an angle of 0&#xb0;&#xb1;10&#xb0; relative to one another, with d&#x3e;5*d. Light incident on the first reflection surfaces forms an angle of 43&#xb0;&#xb1;10&#xb0; with the first reflection surfaces. Light incident on the first reflection surface of the first double reflection surface unit is reflected toward the second reflection surface of the second double reflection surface unit.

Optical system for a projection exposure apparatus

A method for the microlithographic production of microstructured components, includes: providing a wafer, to which a photoresist is applied at least partly; providing a mask having structures to be imaged; providing a projection exposure apparatus having an illumination unit and a projection lens; exposing the photoresist by projecting at least one part of the mask onto a region of the photoresist with the aid of the projection exposure apparatus; and ascertaining a deviation between a structure property of the structures produced on the exposed wafer from a predefined desired structure property. Ascertaining includes: determining at least one property of a light field used for exposing the photoresist applied to the wafer. The method further includes aftertreating the wafer on the basis of the ascertained deviation, and chemically developing the after treated wafer.

Method for the microlithographic production of microstructured components

The disclosure provides a projection exposure method for exposing a substrate arranged in the region of an image plane of a projection lens with at least one image of a pattern of a mask arranged in the region of an object plane of the projection lens. A substrate is coated with a radiation-sensitive multilayer system including a first photoresist layer composed of a first photoresist material and, between the first photoresist layer and the substrate and a separately applied second photoresist layer composed of a second photoresist material. The first photoresist material has a relatively high first sensitivity in a first wavelength range and a second sensitivity, which is lower relative to the first sensitivity, in a second wavelength range separate from the first wavelength range. The second photoresist material has an exposure-suitable second sensitivity in the second wavelength range.

Projection exposure method and projection exposure apparatus for microlithography

An illumination system for EUV projection lithography has a beam shaping optical unit for generating an EUV collective output beam from an EUV raw beam of a synchrotron-radiation-based light source. An output coupling optical unit serves for generating a plurality of EUV individual output beams from the EUV collective output beam. In each case a beam guiding optical unit serves for guiding the respective EUV individual output beam toward an object field in which a lithography mask is arrangable. The result is an illumination system with which EUV light of a synchrotron-radiation-based light source is guided to the greatest possible extent without losses and at the same time flexibly.

Illumination system for EUV projection lithography

An optical component for coupling out an individual output beam from a collective output beam includes a plurality of radiation-reflecting regions which are grouped in such a way that regions of the same group serve for guiding different partial beams of the individual output beam to the same scanner.

Optical component for use in a radiation source module of a projection exposure system

A facet mirror for an illumination optical unit for projection lithography has a plurality of used facets, which in each case reflect an illumination light partial beam. The facet mirror has at least one change subunit having a plurality of change facets arranged jointly on a facet carrier, which change facets can be positioned alternatively at the used location of exactly one used facet. This results in a facet mirror with which different illumination geometries or illumination settings can be set operationally reliably and stably.

Facet mirror for an illumination optical unit for projection lithography

An illumination system of a micro-lithographic projection exposure apparatus is provided, which is configured to illuminate a mask positioned in a mask plane. The system includes a pupil shaping optical subsystem and illuminator optics that illuminate a beam deflecting component. For determining a property of the beam deflecting component, an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of the illumination system is determined. Then the property of the beam deflecting component is determined such that the intensity distribution produced by the pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined before. At least one of the following aberrations are taken into account in this determination: (i) an aberration produced by the illuminator optics; (ii) an aberration produced by the pupil shaping optical subsystem; (iii) an aberration produced by an optical element arranged between the system pupil surface and the mask plane.

Illumination system for illuminating a mask in a microlithographic exposure apparatus

A microlithography projection exposure apparatus includes illumination optics configured to illuminate object field points of an object field in an object plane, and projection optics configured to image the object field onto an image field in an image plane. The illumination optics includes a multi-mirror array which includes a plurality of mirrors configured to adjust an intensity distribution in exit pupils associated with the object field points. The illumination optics also includes an optical system configured to produce, via an incoherent superposition of illumination rays, a temporal modification of a temporal stabilization of an illumination of the multi-mirror array. The optical system includes a mirror which includes a mirror surface. In addition, the optical system includes an actuator configured to produce a tilt of at least a portion of the mirror surface.

Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus having a multi-mirror array with temporal stabilisation

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Oberkochen, Germany

Michael Patra