Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Osamu Kakuchi

Eiichi Murakami

Yoshiyuki Kuramoto

Mikichi Ban

Hironori Yamamoto

Masaru Ohtsuka

Kazuhiko Hara

Eiji Aoki

Michiko Aizawa

Osamu Shiba

A measurement method of measuring a wavefront aberration of an optical system to be measured, comprising a first measurement step of measuring wavefronts of the optical system to be measured with respect to linearly polarized light beams along at least three different azimuths, a first calculation step of calculating a wavefront of the optical system to be measured with respect to non-polarized light and a birefringent characteristic of the optical system to be measured, based on the wavefronts of the optical system to be measured, which are measured in the first measurement step, and a second calculation step of calculating a wavefront of the optical system to be measured with respect to arbitrary polarized light, based on the wavefront and the birefringent characteristic of the optical system to be measured, which are calculated in the first calculation step.

Measurement method, measurement apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device fabrication method

The present invention provides a method including measuring a wavefront aberration of the optical system to be measured on a measurement surface, measuring a pupil transmittance distribution of the optical system determining a pupil function of the optical system based on the wavefront aberration and the pupil transmittance distribution, and performing imaging computation using the pupil function to obtain a light intensity distribution formed on an image plane of the optical system, and calculating a flare, generated in the optical system, from the light intensity distribution.

Apparatuses and methods using measurement of a flare generated in an optical system

Method of measuring wavefront retardance aberration based on wavefront and birefringent characteristics

A measuring apparatus for measuring optical performance of a target optical system to be measured includes an optical unit for splitting light from a light source into measuring light and reference light so that the measuring light can be introduced into the target optical system, a reflection unit for reflecting the measuring light from the target optical system toward the target optical system via a fluid, and a detector for detecting an interference fringe generated between interference between the measuring light that has emitted from the target optical system after being reflected by the reflection unit and the reference light that does not pass the target optical system.

Measuring apparatus, exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

A projection exposure apparatus includes an exposure light source, an illumination system for illuminating a pattern, formed on a first object, with light from the exposure light source and passing through the illumination system, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern, as illuminated with the light, onto a second object for exposure of the same with the pattern, and an interferometer for use in measurement of an optical characteristic of the projection optical system, wherein the interferometer is operable to perform the measurement by use of light from the exposure light source.

Exposure apparatus with interferometer

A method disclosed in this specification is an aberration measuring method in which a light flux converged by a condensing optical system is made incident on a optical system to be measured, the light flux that has passed through the optical system to be measured is reflected by a reflecting optical system having a center of curvature at a light convergence point on a light emergence side of the optical system to be measured is made incident on the optical system to be measure again, and wavefront aberration of the optical system to be measured is detected as interference fringes using the light flux that has passed through the optical system to be measured again. Measurement is carried out while changing the numerical aperture of the optical system to be measured to a numerical aperture larger than a numerical aperture in the actual use, thereby realizing highly precise measurement of the wavefront aberration all over the effective numerical aperture of the optical system to be measured.

Aberration measuring method for projection optical system with a variable numerical aperture in an exposure apparatus

A projection exposure apparatus includes an exposure light source, an illumination system for illuminating a pattern, formed on a first object, with light from the exposure light source, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern, as illuminated with the light, onto a second object, and an interferometer for use in measurement of an optical characteristic of the projection optical system, wherein the interferometer is operable to perform the measurement by use of light from the exposure light source.

A projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a pattern formed on a first object, with light, a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the first object, illuminated by the illumination optical system, onto a second object for exposure of the same with the pattern, a main system including the illumination optical system and the projection optical system, and an interferometer for use in measurement of an optical characteristic of the projection optical system and being mounted on the main system.

Projection exposure apparatus

A projection exposure apparatus includes an exposure light source, an illumination system for illuminating a pattern, formed on a first object, with light from the exposure light source and passing through the illumination system, a projection optical system for projecting the pattern, as illuminated with the light, onto a second object for exposure of the same with the pattern and an interferometer for use in measurement of an optical characteristic of the projection optical system, wherein the interferometer is operable to perform the measurement by use of light from the exposure light source.

A device for measuring depth of a groove formed on an article includes a light source for illuminating the article, a first detector for receiving light from a portion of the article having a groove and being illuminated by the light source, and for detecting a spectral reflectance in relation to the received light, a second detector for receiving light from the article illuminated by the light source and for detecting a spectral reflectance in relation to the received light, the second detector being effective to detect the spectral reflectance in a way not affected or substantially not affected by the groove of the article as compared with the detection by the first detector, and a depth detector for detecting the depth of the groove on the basis of the results of detection by the first and second detectors.

Depth/height measuring device

Fabri-Perot spectroscopy method comprises a step of directing a light beam at a first refraction angle to a first Fabri-Perot interference plate and a step of directing a light beam transmitted through the first Fabri-Perot interference plate to a second Fabri-Perot interference plate at a second refraction angle, and Fabri-Perot spectroscopy apparatus comprises Fabri-Perot interference plates, a control device for changing a spacing between the Fabri-Perot interference plates, a first optical device for directing a light beam to the first Fabri-Perot interference plate at a first refraction angle, a second optical device for directing the light beam transmitted through the Fabri-Perot interference plate at a second refraction angle different from the first refraction angle to the second Fabri-Perot interference plate, and a seal for externally sealing the Fabri-Perot interference plates. Gas for protecting the Fabri-Perot interference plates is filled in the sealed space.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Osamu Kakuchi