Nikon Corporation

Tatsuo Fukui

Ichiro Sase

Masanori Arai

Masato Kumazawa

Yoshiaki Kito

Yasutoshi Kaneko

Masaki Kato

Takeshi Endo

Masahiro Nakagawa

Tomoaki Yamada

Hirofumi Arima

A microscope apparatus including: an illumination optical system that radiates activation light to activate some of fluorescent materials included in a sample and excitation light to excite at least some of the activated fluorescent materials; an image forming optical system that: has an objective lens and an astigmatic optical system that generates astigmatism to at least part of fluorescence from the fluorescent materials; and forms an image of the fluorescence; an image-capturing unit that captures an image formed by the image forming optical system; a drive unit that moves an image-capturing position in the sample along an optical axis-direction of the objective lens; and a control unit, wherein the control unit causes the image-capturing unit to capture images in a plurality of numbers of frames respectively at a first image-capturing position and at a second image-capturing position different from the first image-capturing position.

Microscope apparatus

Provided is a microscope including: an illumination optical system that irradiates a specimen including a fluorescent substance with illumination light; an observation optical system including an objective lens; an imager that takes an image formed by the observation optical system; an image processor that performs image processing by using a result of the image taking; and a controller that moves at least one of a stage and the objective lens in the optical axis direction of the objective lens.

Microscope, observation method, and storage medium

A detection method of detecting a position of an uppermost substrate of a plurality of substrates stacked on each other includes applying illumination to a region covering a portion of an edge of the uppermost substrate and a portion of a lower substrate stacked with the uppermost substrate, identifying a position of the edge of the uppermost substrate based on a position of a step-like portion present in the region due to a step formed between the uppermost substrate and the lower substrate, and identifying a position of the uppermost substrate based on the position of the edge of the uppermost substrate.

Detection method and detection apparatus

An exposure apparatus of the present invention is an exposure apparatus for, while moving a first object M and a second object P along a scanning direction, performing projection exposure on the second object, which has a first projection optical system PLfor forming an enlargement image of a portion on the first object in a first region being a partial region on the second object, and a second projection optical system PLfor forming an enlargement image of a different portion from the portion on the first object in a second region different from the partial region on the second object, and which also has a first stage MST holding the first object and making at least one of the portion and the different portion of the first object movable along the non-scanning direction, wherein the first region and the second region are arranged at a predetermined interval along the non-scanning direction intersecting with the scanning direction.

Projection optical system, exposure apparatus, exposure method, display manufacturing method, mask, and mask manufacturing method

An illumination apparatus includes a light guide fiber receiving illumination light, which is generated by first to third light sources, with first to third entrances and emitting at least part of the illumination light received by each entrance from a common exit. A second illumination relay optical system optically relays the illumination light from the second light source to form a first light beam having a first angle of incidence and sends the first light beam to the second entrance. First and third illumination relay optical systems optically relay the illumination light from the first and third light sources to form a second light beam having a second angle of incidence differing from the first angle of incidence and send the second light beam to the first and third entrances.

Illumination apparatus for efficiently gathering illumination light

A focal point detection apparatus enlarges a pull-in range of an auto-focus operation easily. The apparatus includes: illumination part illuminating an object plane via first visual field stop; first image-forming part forming an intermediate image of the first visual field stop on second visual field stop based on light from object plane, and transmitting intermediate image without blocking it with second visual field stop when object plane within a specified range contains a focused focal plane, and blocking a portion of intermediate image using second visual field stop when object plane is outside specified range, with remaining portion transmitted; second image-forming part dividing into two the final image of first visual field stop based on light from first image-forming part; and generating part detecting a gap between the divided final images and generating a focusing signal responsive to a locational relationship of object plane to focused focal plane.

Focal point detection apparatus

A method of adjusting optical imaging system is provided to finely adjust arrangement of optical elements with sensitivity. Illumination light with a predetermined wavelength band is irradiated to an adjustment mark including first marks disposed at a first pitch and second marks disposed at a second pitch different from the first pitch. An image is captured according to light, of diffracted light emitted from the adjustment mark, passing through an aperture stop and reaching an image surface of the optical imaging system. A positional deviation between the first and second marks is calculated with symmetric/asymmetric property of luminance information. Based on respective positional deviations calculated while the wavelength band of illumination light is changed, arrangement of optical elements between a pupil plane and an aperture stop surface of the optical imaging system is finely adjusted, to correct imaging positional deviation of a pupil image on the aperture stop surface.

Method of adjusting optical imaging system, positional deviation detecting mark, method of detecting positional deviation, method of detecting position, position detecting device and mark identifying device

A mark position detection apparatus has an illumination optical system for illuminating a measurement mark with illumination light and an imaging optical system for converging light reflected from the measurement mark to form an image of the measurement mark on an image pickup apparatus. The mark position detection apparatus measures a positional displacement of the measurement mark by processing an image signal obtained by the image pickup apparatus. The mark position detection apparatus has an optical element provided in the illumination optical system for compensating a difference in asymmetry of the image signal that depends on the wavelength of the illumination light.

Mark position detection apparatus

A mark position detection apparatus includes: an illumination unit that illuminates a substrate having a mark formed thereupon; an image-capturing unit that captures an image of the substrate by using reflected light from the substrate and outputs image signals; a storage unit at which information related to fixed pattern noise contained in the image signals output by the image-capturing unit is stored in memory; and a control unit that calculates a position of the mark on the substrate based upon the information related to the fixed pattern noise stored in memory at the storage unit and the image signals output from the image-capturing unit.

Mark position detecting apparatus and mark position detecting method

A mark position detecting apparatus includes: an illuminating unit that illuminates a mark on a substrate; an image forming optical system that forms an image of the mark with light from the mark; an adjustment unit that adjusts distortion manifesting at the image forming optical system; an image capturing unit that captures the image of the mark formed by the image forming optical system in which the distortion has been adjusted and outputs image signals; and a calculation unit that calculates a substantial central position of the mark based upon the image signals output by the image capturing unit.

mark position detecting apparatus

An optical positional deviation detecting apparatus comprises an irradiation optical system for irradiating a measurement mark configured by forming a second mark (e.g., a resist mark) on a first mark (e.g., a base mark) with a beam of irradiation, an image forming optical system for forming an image of the measurement mark by converging reflected beam from the measurement mark, an imaging device for photographing the image of the measurement mark, which has been formed by the image forming optical system, an image processing device for measuring the positional deviation in alignment of the second mark with respect to the first mark by processing an image signal obtained by the imaging device, and an image field area adjustment mechanism for adjusting an image field area for the imaging device to photograph the image of the measurement mark.

Apparatus for detecting optical positional deviation

A position detection apparatus for and method of detection the position of a pattern formed on a substrate (e.g, a wafer). The apparatus ( ) comprises an illumination system capable of illuminating the pattern, and an imaging optical system arranged to converge light from the substrate ( ) to form an image of the pattern. The apparatus further includes a detector ( ) that photoelectrically detects the pattern image and generates a first output signal containing a representation of the image, and position detection system ( ), electrically connected to the detector, that detects a position of the pattern based on the first output signal, and determines a deviation of the position from an ideal position. The position detection system then generates a second output signal containing deviation information representing the deviation. The apparatus further comprises a memory unit (M), electrically connected to the position detection system, that stores the deviation information contained in the second output signal. Further included in apparatus is a correction process unit (B), electrically connected to the memory unit, that generates a correction value for eliminating the deviation based on the deviation information.

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Tokyo, Japan

Tatsuo Fukui