Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Olaf Dittmann

Michael Totzeck

Toralf Gruner

Daniel Kraehmer

Markus Schwab

Wolfgang Singer

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Damian Fiolka

Manfred Maul

Heiko Feldmann

Susanne Beder

Ingo Saenger

Wolfgang Seitz

Markus Deguenther

Vladimir Kamenov

Wilfried Clauss

Hans-Juergen Mann

Johannes Wangler

Michael Patra

David R Shafer

Aksel Goehnermeier

Frank Schlesener

Thomas Korb

Thomas Schicketanz

Hans-Jürgen Mann

Bernd Geh

Olaf Conradi

Alexandra Pazidis

Nils Dieckmann

Andras G Major

Severin Waldis

Joerg Zimmermann

Ralf Scharnweber

Gundula Weiss

Ulrich Stroessner

Joern Greif-Wuestenbecker

Martin Vogt

Beate Boehme

Gerhart Fuerter

An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and a microlithographic exposure method are disclosed. In an embodiment an optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes at least one mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements which are displaceable independently of each other for altering an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement. The optical system also includes at least one manipulator downstream of the mirror arrangement in the light propagation direction. The manipulator has a raster arrangement of manipulator elements so that light incident on the manipulator during operation of the optical system is influenced differently in its polarization state and/or in its intensity in dependence on the incidence location.

Optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and microlithographic exposure method

A method of lithographically transferring a pattern on a light sensitive surface in a multiple exposure process comprises the following steps:

Method of lithographically transferring a pattern on a light sensitive surface and illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

An optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes at least one mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements which are displaceable independently of each other for altering an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement. The optical system also includes a polarization-influencing optical arrangement including a first lambda/2 plate and at least one additional lambda/2 plate.

Optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

The disclosure relates to an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The illumination system can include a depolarizer which in conjunction with a light mixing system disposed downstream in the light propagation direction at least partially causes effective depolarization of polarized light impinging on the depolarizer. The illumination system can also include a microlens array which is arranged upstream of the light mixing system in the light propagation direction. The microlens array can include a plurality of microlenses arranged with a periodicity. The depolarizer can be configured so that a contribution afforded by interaction of the depolarizer with the periodicity of the microlens array to a residual polarization distribution occurring in a pupil plane arranged downstream of the microlens array in the light propagation direction has a maximum degree of polarization of not more than 5%.

Illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprising a depolarizing element

Illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

The invention relates to a projection exposure system, in particular for micro-lithography. The projection exposure system according to the invention comprises a light source for producing light in the EUV region. The projection exposure system further comprises a first optical system for illuminating a mask by the light of the light source and a second optical system for imaging the mask on a component. At least one polarization-optical element is disposed on the beam path between the light source and the component.

Projection exposure system, method for manufacturing a micro-structured structural member by the aid of such a projection exposure system and polarization-optical element adapted for use in such a system

A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has a high index refractive optical element with an index of refraction greater than 1.6. This element has a volume and a material related optical property which varies over the volume. Variations of this optical property cause an aberration of the objective. In one embodiment at least 4 optical surfaces are provided that are arranged in at least one volume which is optically conjugate with the volume of the refractive optical element. Each optical surface comprises at least one correction means, for example a surface deformation or a birefringent layer with locally varying properties, which at least partially corrects the aberration caused by the variation of the optical property.

Projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

The disclosure relates to an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The illumination system can include a depolariser which in conjunction with a light mixing system disposed downstream in the light propagation direction at least partially causes effective depolarisation of polarised light impinging on the depolariser. The illumination system can also include a microlens array which is arranged upstream of the light mixing system in the light propagation direction. The microlens array can include a plurality of microlenses arranged with a periodicity. The depolariser can be configured so that a contribution afforded by interaction of the depolariser with the periodicity of the microlens array to a residual polarisation distribution occurring in a pupil plane arranged downstream of the microlens array in the light propagation direction has a maximum degree of polarisation of not more than 5%.

A method for determining intensity distribution in the focal plane of a projection exposure arrangement, in which a large aperture imaging system is emulated and a light from a sample is represented on a local resolution detector by an emulation imaging system. A device for carrying out the method and emulated devices are also described. The invention makes it possible to improve a reproduction quality since the system apodisation is taken into consideration. The inventive method includes determining the integrated amplitude distribution in an output pupil, combining the integrated amplitude distribution with a predetermined apodization correction and calculating a corrected apodization image according to the modified amplitude distribution.

Method for determining intensity distribution in the image plane of a projection exposure arrangement

The invention concerns a method for operating a projection exposure apparatus to project the image of a structure of an object () arranged in an object plane () onto a substrate () arranged in an image plane (). The object () is illuminated with light of an operating wavelength of the projection exposure apparatus according to one of several adjustable exposure modes. The light produces changes in at least one optical element () of the projection exposure apparatus, by which the optical properties of the projection exposure apparatus are influenced. The operation of the projection exposure apparatus makes allowance for the influencing of the optical properties of the projection exposure apparatus or a quantity dependent on the former, being calculated approximately on the basis of the exposure mode used and the structure of the object ().

Projection exposure apparatus and method for operating the same

In a method for describing, evaluating and improving optical polarization properties of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, the Jones or Stokes vectors are firstly determined at one or more points in the exit pupil of the projection objective. These are then described at least approximately as a linear superposition of predetermined vector modes with scalar superposition coefficients. The optical polarization properties can subsequently be evaluated on the basis of the superposition coefficients.

Method for describing, evaluating and improving optical polarization properties of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

The invention relates to an arrangement of optical elements in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, particularly in a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The arrangement comprises a rigid first optical element, a rigid second optical element with a first optical surface and a second optical surface on opposite sides and a first liquid. The first optical element has a concave optical surface. The first side of the second optical element is facing the concave optical surface of the first optical element. The first liquid is at least partially filling the space between the first optical element and the second optical element.

Arrangement of optical elements in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

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Bopfingen, Germany

Olaf Dittmann