Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Rolf Freimann

Bernd Doerband

Bernhard Geuppert

Stefan Schulte

Frank Schillke

Ulrich Wegmann

Jochen Hetzler

Ulrich Mueller

Joachim Stuehler

Steffen Fritzsche

Oswald Gromer

Juergen Baier

Paul Kaufmann

Wilhelm Ulrich

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Russell M Hudyma

Jens Kugler

Boris Bittner

Hans-Juergen Rostalski

Albrecht Hof

Bernd Dörband

Matthias Dreher

Dietmar Neugebauer

Ulrich Wagemann

Bernhard Fellner

Hans-Juergen Mann

Heiko Feldmann

Bernhard Gellrich

Hartmut Enkisch

Matthias Manger

Sonja Schneider

Bernd Geh

Guido Limbach

Helmut Haidner

Stephan Muellender

Thomas Ittner

Norman Baer

Olaf Rogalsky

Markus Goeppert

Gero Wittich

Guenther Seitz

Thure Boehm

Christoph Striebel

Armin Bich

Frank Riepenhausen

Hartmut Brandenburg

Helmut Issler

Jens Philipps

Hans-Guenther Sachs

Maximilian Mayer

Stephan Reichelt

The disclosure provides an optical system, having a first optical control loop, which is set up to regulate a position and/or spatial orientation of a first optical element relative to a first module sensor frame, and a first module control loop, which is set up to regulate a position and/or spatial orientation of the first module sensor frame relative to a base sensor frame. Related components and methods are also provided.

Optical system

A measurement apparatus () for interferometrically determining a surface shape of a test object (). A radiation source provides an input wave (), a multiply-encoded diffractive optical element (), which is configured to produce by diffraction from the input wave a test wave () that is directed at the test object and has a wavefront in the form of a free-form surface and at least one calibration wave (), and a capture device (). The calibration wave has a wavefront with a non-rotationally symmetric shape (), wherein cross sections through the wavefront of the calibration wave along cross-sectional surfaces each aligned transversely to one another have a curved shape. The curved shapes in the different cross-sectional surfaces differ in terms of an opening parameter. The capture device () captures a calibration interferogram formed by superimposing a reference wave () with the calibration wave after interaction with a calibration object ().

Measuring apparatus for interferometrically determining a surface shape

A method for analyzing the wavefront effect of an optical system includes: illuminating a measurement mask () with illumination light, producing an interferogram in a specified plane using a diffraction grating () from a wavefront from the illuminated measurement mask and traveling through the optical system; and capturing the interferogram with a detector (). Different angular distributions of the illumination light incident on the measurement mask are produced via a mirror arrangement of independently settable mirror elements. A plurality of interferograms are captured in a plurality of measurement steps, wherein these measurement steps differ respectively in angular distribution of the illumination light that is incident on the measurement mask. A matching wavefront deviation portion in the measurement results obtained respectively in the measurement steps is ascertained to determine the respective system wavefront deviations of the optical system for the pupil regions illuminated respectively in the individual measurement steps.

Method and assembly for analysing the wavefront effect of an optical system

A wafer holding device () is configured to hold a wafer () during operation of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and includes at least one sensor that is positionable in different rotational positions.

Wafer holding device and projection microlithography system

An imaging optical system, in particular a projection objective, for microlithography, includes optical elements to guide electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in a path to image an object field into an image plane. The imaging optical system includes a pupil, having coordinates (p, q), which, together with the image field, having coordinates (x, y) of the optical system, spans an extended 4-dimensional pupil space, having coordinates (x, y, p, q), as a function of which a wavefront W(x, y, p, q) of the radiation passing through the optical system is defined. The wavefront W can therefore be defined in the pupil plane as a function of an extended 4-dimensional pupil space spanned by the image field (x, y) and the pupil (p, q) as W(x, y, p, q)=W(t), with t=(x, y, p, q).

Imaging optical system for microlithography

A method for aligning a mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, according to one formulation, involves: recording a first partial interferogram between a wave reflected at a first mirror segment () and a reference wave reflected at a reference surface (), recording a second partial interferogram between a wave reflected at a second mirror segment () and a reference wave reflected at the reference surface, determining a phase offset between the first partial interferogram and the second partial interferogram, and aligning the first mirror segment and the second mirror segment in relation to one another in accordance with the determined phase offset, so that the distance of the relevant mirror segments () from a respective predetermined, hypothetical surface in the direction of the respective surface normal is less than &#x3bb;/10 at each point on the mirror segments, where &#x3bb; denotes the operating wavelength of the mirror.

Method for aligning a mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

A method for producing a lens for a lithography apparatus is disclosed. A measurement system for ascertaining an optical characteristic of a partial lens for a lithography apparatus is also disclosed.

Method for producing a lens for a lithography apparatus, and measurement system

A projection exposure system () for microlithography which includes: a mask holding device () holding a mask () with mask structures () disposed on the mask, a substrate holding device () holding a substrate (), projection optics () imaging the mask structures () onto the substrate () during an exposure process, and a measurement structure () disposed in a defined position with respect to a reference element () of the projection exposure system (), which defined position is mechanically uncoupled from the position of the mask holding to device (). The projection exposure system () also includes a detector () arranged to record an image of the measurement structure () imaged by the projection optics (). The projection exposure system () is configured such that during operation of the projection exposure system () the imaging of the mask structures () and the imaging of the measurement structure () take place at the same time by the projection optics (. An evaluation device () is configured to establish a lateral position of the image of the measurement structure () in the area of the detector () during the exposure process.

Projection exposure system for microlithography with a measurement device

An optical imaging device, including an imaging unit and a measuring device. The imaging unit includes a first optical element group having at least one first optical element, which contributes to the imaging. The measuring device determines an imaging error, which occurs during the imaging, using a capturing signal. The measuring device includes a measurement light source, a second optical element group and a capturing unit. The measurement light source emits at least one measurement light bundle, The second optical element group includes an optical reference element and a second optical element, which guide the measurement light bundle onto the capturing unit, to generate the capturing signal. Each second optical element has a defined spatial relationship with a respective one of the first optical elements, The second optical elements differ from the first optical elements. The measuring device determines the imaging error with the capturing signal.

Optical imaging device with image defect determination

The invention concerns a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus designed for EUV, for imaging an object plane illuminated in operation of the projection exposure apparatus into an image plane. The projection objective has at least one mirror segment arrangement comprising a plurality of separate mirror segments. Associated with the mirror segments of the same mirror segment arrangement are partial beam paths which are different from each other and which respectively provide for imaging of the object plane (OP) into the image plane (IP). The partial beam paths are superposed in the image plane (IP). At least two partial beams which are superposed in the same point in the image plane (IP) were reflected by different mirror segments of the same mirror segment arrangement.

Projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

A projection exposure system () for microlithography which includes: a mask holding device () holding a mask () with mask structures () disposed on the mask, a substrate holding device () holding a substrate (), projection optics () imaging the mask structures () onto the substrate () during an exposure process, and a measurement structure () disposed in a defined position with respect to a reference element () of the projection exposure system (), which defined position is mechanically uncoupled from the position of the mask holding device (). The projection exposure system () also includes a detector () arranged to record an image of the measurement structure () imaged by the projection optics (). The projection exposure system () is configured such that during operation of the projection exposure system () the imaging of the mask structures () and the imaging of the measurement structure () take place at the same time by the projection optics (. An evaluation device () is configured to establish a lateral position of the image of the measurement structure () in the area of the detector () during the exposure process.

A mirror (') with a substrate (S) and a layer arrangement configured such that light () having a wavelength below 250 nm and incident on the mirror at at least an angle of incidence of between 0&#xb0; and 30&#xb0; is reflected with more than 20% of its intensity. The layer arrangement has at least one surface layer system (P&#x2032;&#x2033;) having a periodic sequence of at least two periods (P) of individual layers, wherein the periods (P) include a high refractive index layer (H&#x2032;&#x2033;) and a low refractive index layer (L&#x2032;&#x2033;). The layer arrangement has at least one graphene layer. Use of graphene (G, SPL, B) on optical elements reduces surface roughness to below 0.1 nm rms HSFR and/or protects the EUV element against a radiation-induced volume change of more than 1%. Graphene is also employed as a barrier layer to prevent layer interdiffusion.

Mirror, projection objective with such mirror, and projection exposure apparatus for microlithography with such projection objective

A device including an imaging optical unit () imaging an object field () in an image field (), a structured mask (), arranged in the region of the object field () via reticle holder () displaceable in a reticle scanning direction (), and a sensor apparatus (), arranged in the region of the image field () via a substrate holder () displaceable in a substrate scanning direction (). The mask () has at least one measurement structure () to be imaged on the sensor apparatus (), wherein the sensor apparatus () includes at least one line sensor () with a multiplicity of sensor elements (), and affords the possibility of testing the imaging optical unit () during the displacement of the substrate holder () for exposing a substrate () arranged on the substrate holder.

Optical device

Growing community of inventors

Aalen, Germany

Rolf Freimann