Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Sascha Bleidistel

Toralf Gruner

Olaf Conradi

Heiko Feldmann

Wolfgang Hummel

Jochen Weber

Arif Kazi

Baerbel Schwaer

Manfred Maul

Markus Hauf

Juergen Fischer

Ulrich Schoenhoff

Wolfgang Singer

Alexander Epple

Norbert Wabra

Susanne Beder

Joachim Hartjes

Helmut Beierl

Gerald Richter

Olaf Rogalsky

Andreas Frommeyer

Erik Roelof Loopstra

Engelbertus Antonius Fransiscus Van Der Pasch

Aurelian Dodoc

Jens Kugler

Hubert Holderer

Bernhard Gellrich

Yim-Bun Patrick Kwan

Boris Bittner

Bernhard Geuppert

Stefan Hembacher

Markus Schwab

Ralf Mueller

Christoph Zaczek

Florian Bach

Severin Waldis

Armin Werber

Payam Tayebati

Daniel Benz

Suzanne Cosijn

Ari Kazi

Jan Horn

Johannes Lippert

Michael Arnz

Alexander Wolf

Albrecht Ehrmann

Jasper Wesselingh

Yim-Bun-Patrick Kwan

Pascal Marsollek

Florian Bart

Benjamin Sigel

A lithographic apparatus includes a projection system which includes a plurality of optical elements configured to project a beam of radiation onto a radiation sensitive substrate. The lithographic apparatus also includes a metrology frame structure which includes a part of one or more optical element measurement systems to measure the position and/or orientation of at least one of the optical elements. The plurality of optical elements, a patterning device stage, and a substrate stage are arranged such that, in a two dimensional view on the projection system, a rectangle is defined such that it envelops the plurality of optical elements, the patterning device stage, and the substrate stage. The rectangle is as small as possible. The metrology frame structure is positioned within the rectangle.

Position measurement of optical elements in a lithographic apparatus

A catadioptric projection objective for images an object field onto an image field via imaging radiation. The projection objective includes at least one reflective optical component and a measuring device. The reflective optical component, during the operation of the projection objective, reflects a first part of the imaging radiation and transmits a second part of the imaging radiation. The reflected, first part of the imaging radiation at least partly contributes to the imaging of the object field. The transmitted, second part of the imaging radiation is at least partly fed to a measuring device. This allows a simultaneous exposure of the photosensitive layer at the location of the image field with the imaging radiation and monitoring of the imaging radiation with the aid of the measuring device.

Catadioptric projection objective including a reflective optical component and a measuring device

The disclosure relates to a device for transmitting electrical signals between a first interface element, arranged at a first structure of a lithography system, and a second interface element, arranged at a second structure of the lithography system. An electrical conductor connects the first interface element and the second interface element. The device has a hollow body which surrounds at least sections of the electrical conductor and which is designed to electromagnetically shield the electrical conductor. A gap is provided in the hollow body or between the hollow body and one of the structures and allows a relative movement of the first structure and the second structure to mechanically decouple the first structure from the second structure.

Device for transmitting electrical signals, and lithography apparatus

The invention relates to arrangements for actuating an element in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. In accordance with one aspect, an arrangement for actuating an element in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a first number (n) of degrees of freedom, wherein an adjustable force can be transmitted to the optical element in each of the degrees of freedom, and a second number (n) of actuators, which are coupled to the optical element in each case via a mechanical coupling for the purpose of transmitting force to the optical element, wherein the second number (n) is greater than the first number (n). In accordance with one aspect, at least one of the actuators is arranged in a node of at least one natural vibration mode of the optical element.

Arrangement for actuating an element in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

A projection exposure apparatus () for microlithography has a measuring system () for measuring an optical element of the projection exposure apparatus. The measuring system () includes an irradiation device (), which is configured to radiate measuring radiation () in different directions () onto the optical element (), such that the measuring radiation () covers respective optical path lengths () within the optical element () for the different directions () of incidence, a detection device (), which is configured to measure, for the respective directions () of incidence, the respective optical path lengths covered by the measuring radiation () in the optical element (), and an evaluation device, which is configured to determine a spatially resolved distribution of refractive indices in the optical element () by computed-tomographic back projection of the respective measured path lengths with respect to the respective directions of incidence.

Projection exposure apparatus comprising a measuring system for measuring an optical element

The invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography, comprising an illumination system for illuminating a mask arranged on a movable mask stage, and comprising a projection lens for imaging the mask onto a semiconductor substrate, wherein at least one means is present for at least partly decoupling at least parts of the illumination system and/or of the projection lens from the influence of pressure fluctuations in the medium surrounding the projection lens or the illuminated system, the pressure fluctuations being attributed to movements of the mask stage during the operation of the apparatus.

Projection exposure apparatus including mechanism to reduce influence of pressure fluctuations

The disclosure relates to a correction light device for the irradiation of optical elements of an optical arrangement, in particular a lens, such a microlithography lens having a correction light, which include at least one correction light source and at least one mirror arrangement that deflects the light from the correction light source in the beam path to the optical element such that at least part of at least one surface of at least one optical element of the optical arrangement are irradiated in a locally and/or temporally variable fashion. The correction light strikes the surface of the optical element at a flat angle such that the obtuse angle between the optical axis of the optical arrangement at the location of the optical element and the correction light beam is less than or equal to 105&#xb0;.

Correction of optical elements by correction light irradiated in a flat manner

A projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography includes a deformable optical element for the correction of wavefront aberrations. Actuating units for the deformation of the optical element are in mechanical contact with the optical element by way of contact regions. The contact regions are arranged in a regular or irregular arrangement outside an optically active region of the optical element. There are contact regions lying closest to the optically active region and remote contact regions.

Optimum arrangement of actuator and sensor points on an optical element

A projection exposure apparatus includes a projection lens, a wavefront manipulator and a wavefront measuring device for measuring a wavefront in the projection lens. The wavefront measuring device includes a Moir&#xe9; grating arrangement having an object grating and an image grating which are designed to be arranged in an object plane and an image plane, respectively, of the projection lens. The object grating and the image grating are coordinated with one another in a manner true to scale in such a way as to generate a Moir&#xe9; superimposition pattern from an imaging of the object grating onto the image plane and the image grating. The Moir&#xe9; grating arrangement is designed in such a way as to simultaneously generate the Moir&#xe9; superimposition pattern for a plurality of field points of an object field in the object plane and/or of an image field in the image plane.

Projection exposure apparatus with wavefront measuring device and optical wavefront manipulator

An optical system has an aperture device having a multiplicity of aperture elements for the delimitation of the cross section of a ray bundle running through the optical system. The aperture device has a first aperture element, which is pivotable about a first rotation axis between an engagement position in the beam path of the optical system and a neutral position outside the beam path of the optical system and has a first aperture opening delimited by a first aperture edge. The aperture device also has at least one second aperture element, which is pivotable about a second rotation axis between an engagement position in the beam path of the optical system and a neutral position outside the beam path of the optical system and has a second aperture opening delimited by a second aperture edge. The second aperture opening is smaller than the first aperture opening. The aperture elements pivoted into the engagement position form an effective aperture opening. The aperture edges of aperture elements pivoted into the engagement position do not lie in a common plane.

Optical system with aperture device having plurality of aperture elements

There is provided an optical imaging device, in particular for microlithography, comprising at least one optical element and at least one holding device associated to the optical element (), wherein the holding device holds the optical element and a first part () of the optical element contacts a first atmosphere and a second part () of the optical element at least temporarily contacts a second atmosphere. There is provided a reduction device at least reducing dynamic fluctuations in the pressure difference between the first atmosphere and the second atmosphere.

Optical imaging device and method for reducing dynamic fluctuations in pressure difference

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

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Aalen, Germany

Sascha Bleidistel