Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Olaf Conradi

Toralf Gruner

Sascha Bleidistel

Heiko Feldmann

Wolfgang Hummel

Arif Kazi

Aurelian Dodoc

Michael Totzeck

Daniel Kraehmer

Boris Bittner

Vladimir Kamenov

Gerald Richter

Andreas Frommeyer

Alexander Epple

Markus Hauf

Hubert Holderer

Ulrich Loering

Ralf Mueller

Julian Kaller

Jochen Weber

Dirk Juergens

Payam Tayebati

Christian Wald

Baerbel Schwaer

Thomas Okon

Jean-Claude Perrin

Wilhelm Ulrich

Norbert Wabra

Markus Schwab

Hartmut Enkisch

Helmut Beierl

Christoph Zaczek

Paul Graeupner

Nils Dieckmann

Stephan Muellender

Olaf Dittmann

Ralf Stuetzle

Joerg Zimmermann

Martin Von Hodenberg

Paul Gräupner

Volker Graeschus

Stephan Müllender

Microlithography projection objectives for imaging into an image plane a pattern arranged in an object plane are described with respect to suppressing false light in such projection objectives.

Microlithography projection objective

A method of operating a projection exposure tool for microlithography is provided. The projection exposure tool has a projection objective for imaging object structures on a mask into an image plane using electromagnetic radiation, during which imaging the electromagnetic radiation causes a change in optical properties of the projection objective. The method comprises the steps of: providing the layout of the object structures on the mask to be imaged and classifying the object structures according to their type of structure, calculating the change in the optical properties of the projection objective effected during the imaging process on the basis of the classification of the object structures, and using the projection exposure tool for imaging the object structures into the image plane, wherein the imaging behavior of the projection exposure tool is adjusted on the basis of the calculated change of the optical properties in order to at least partly compensate for the change of the optical properties of the projection objective caused by the electromagnetic radiation during the imaging process.

Method of operating a projection exposure tool for microlithography

A method for improving imaging properties of an optical system and an optical system of this type having improved imaging properties are described. The optical system can have a plurality of optical elements. In some embodiments, an optical element is positioned and/or deformed by mechanical force action and by thermal action. In certain embodiments, one optical element is positioned and/or deformed by mechanical force action and another optical element is deformed by thermal action.

Optical system and method of use

Method for setting an illumination setting in an illumination optical unit comprising at least one controllable correction device, which includes a multiplicity of adjustable correction elements for influencing the transmission, wherein the illumination setting is varied for adapting a predetermined imaging parameter in the region of an image field.

Method for adjusting an illumination setting

A reflective optical element of an optical system for EUV lithography and an associated manufacturing method. The reflective optical element () includes a multilayer system () for reflecting an incident electromagnetic wave having an operating wavelength in the EUV range, the reflected wave having a phase &#x3c6;, and a capping layer () made from a capping layer material. The method includes determining a dependency according to which the phase of the reflected wave varies with the thickness d of the capping layer, determining a linearity-region in the dependency in which the phase of the reflected wave varies substantially linearly with the thickness of the capping layer, and creating a thickness profile in the capping layer such that both the maximum thickness and the minimum thickness in the thickness profile are in the linearity-region.

Reflective optical element for EUV lithography and method of manufacturing a reflective optical element

The invention relates to a method for improving the imaging properties of a micro lithography projection objective, wherein the projection objective has a plurality of lenses between an object plane and an image plane, a first lens of the plurality of lenses being assigned a first manipulator for actively deforming the lens, the first lens being deformed for at least partially correcting an aberration, at least one second lens of the plurality of lenses furthermore being assigned at least one second manipulator, and the second lens being deformed in addition to the first lens. Furthermore, a method is described for selecting at least one lens of a plurality of lenses of a projection objective as actively deformable element, and a projection objective.

Method for improving the imaging properties of a projection objective, and such a projection objective

The disclosure relates to an optical correction arrangement including at least one optical element and at least one irradiation mechanism for the targeted local irradiation of the optical element with electromagnetic heating radiation for the targeted local heating of the optical element. The optical correction arrangement also includes a mechanism for dissipating the thermal energy introduced into the optical element by the at least one irradiation mechanism. The disclosure furthermore relates to a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography including an optical correction arrangement according to the disclosure.

Semiconductor microlithography projection exposure apparatus

A projection exposure system includes an illumination system configured to illuminate a mask with radiation. The projection exposure system also includes a projection objective configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto a radiation-sensitive substrate. The projection exposure system further includes an angle-selective filter arrangement arranged at or close to a field surface of the projection objective in a projection beam path optically downstream of the object surface. The angle-selective filter arrangement is effective to filter radiation incident on the filter arrangement according to an angle-selective filter function.

Projection exposure system and projection exposure method

The invention relates to a method for improving the imaging properties of a micro lithography projection objective, wherein the projection objective has a plurality of lenses between an object plane and an image plane, a first lens of the plurality of lenses being assigned a first manipulator (ml, Mn) for actively deforming the lens, the first lens being deformed for at least partially correcting an aberration, at least one second lens of the plurality of lenses furthermore being assigned at least one second manipulator, and the second lens being deformed in addition to the first lens. Furthermore, a method is described for selecting at least one lens of a plurality of lenses of a projection objective as actively deformable element, and a projection objective.

A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a primary illumination system producing projection light, a projection objective and a correction optical system. The correction optical system includes a secondary illumination system, which produces an intensity distribution of correction light in a reference surface, and a correction element which includes a heating material and is arranged in a plane that is at least substantially optically conjugate to the reference surface such that the correction light and the projection light pass through at least one lens contained in the projection objective before they impinge on the correction element. All lenses through which both the correction light and the projection light pass are made of a lens material which has a lower coefficient of absorption for the correction light than the heating material contained in the correction element.

Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus with correction optical system that heats projection objective element

The disclosure relates to a method for compensating image errors, generated by intensity distributions in optical systems, such as in projection lens arrays of microlithography systems, and to respective optical systems, such as projection lens arrays of microlithography systems.

Method and system for correcting image changes

Growing community of inventors

Westhausen/Westerhofen, Germany

Olaf Conradi