Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Toshihiko Tsuji

Minoru Yoshii

Noriyuki Nose

Seiji Takeuchi

Kyoichi Miyazaki

Kenji Saito

Mitsuro Sugita

Kazuhiko Kajiyama

Masayuki A Suzuki

Takahiro Matsumoto

Koichi Sentoku

Michio Kohno

Takao Yonehara

Akiyoshi Suzuki

Kenji Saitoh

Kazuaki Ohmi

Miyoko Kawashima

Tetsuzo Mori

Seiya Miura

Hiroshi Osawa

Yoshinari Higaki

Shinji Tsutsui

Mitsuru Hiura

Tomoaki Kawakami

Takaaki Terashi

Akira Yabuki

Tohru Kohda

An imaging apparatus comprises: an imaging unit having an imaging optical system and an imaging device; a measuring unit that measures, for each of a plurality of regions on a specimen, an optical aberration or a physical quantity causing the aberration before the imaging of the specimen is performed; a plurality of optical elements that are inserted in an optical path of the imaging optical system for correcting the aberration and that differ in correction amount; and a control unit that selects an optical element from among the optical elements on the basis of a measurement result of the measuring unit, and inserts the selected optical element into the optical path of the imaging optical system before the imaging of the specimen. The imaging optical system is configured to be capable of forming simultaneously images of the plurality of regions on the imaging device.

Imaging apparatus

An imaging apparatus () includes an illumination optical system () that includes a light source () and is configured to guide light from the light source to a target(B), an imaging optical system configured to capture an image of the target, and a plurality of image sensors () arranged on an image plane of the imaging optical system. The illumination optical system includes a plurality of integrators (). Light flux exits from one of the plurality of integrators illuminates at least one of the plurality of image sensors, and light exits from the other integrators illuminates at least one of the plurality of image sensors other than the image sensor illuminated by the light exits from the one of the plurality of integrators.

Imaging apparatus equipped with illumination optical system having a plurality of optical integrators that guide light

An illumination optical system which illuminates an illumination surface with light from a light source, includes a divider which divides light from the light source to generate a plurality of light beams, a first reflective integrator which uniformizes light intensity distributions of the plurality of light beams generated by the divider, a condenser which condenses the light beam from the first reflective integrator, a second reflective integrator which receives the light beam from the condenser and illuminates the illumination surface, and an aperture stop arranged between the second reflective integrator and the illumination surface, wherein the divider generates the plurality of light beams so that light beams each having a cross-sectional shape different from a cross-sectional shape of the light provided from the light source to the divider enter a plane on which the aperture stop is arranged.

Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and method of manufacturing device

An illumination optical system includes first and second reflection integrators. The second reflection integrator forms a plurality of linear light sources using light from the first reflection integrator. The illumination optical system further includes a pair of flat plane mirrors that are arranged parallel to the meridional line direction on the second reflection integrator and opposite to each other so as to sandwich the plurality of linear light sources in between, a unit for changing an aperture shape of an aperture stop arranged at an exit side of the second reflection integrator in a direction perpendicular to the meridional line direction so that the aperture stop has an optical Fourier transformation relationship with the surface to be illuminated, and an adjustment unit configured to adjust an interval between the pair of flat plane mirrors as the aperture shape of the aperture stop is changed.

Illumination optical system and exposure apparatus

An exposure apparatus which forms a pattern on an object. The apparatus includes an exposure head structure in which a plurality of elemental exposure units are arrayed, each elemental exposure unit including (i) at least one light source for emitting exposure light and (ii) an optical element which forms an image of the at least one light source on the object, for exposing the object. Positions of the images of the at least one light source in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the object include plural positions different from each other. A sensor detects a position of the surface of the object and produces a detection result. A controller receives the detection result and controls the exposure head structure such that a pattern is formed on the object by the exposure is selected to expose the object based on the detection result by the sensor.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus includes a first optical unit configured to condense light from a light source, a catoptric integrator configured to form plural secondary light sources using light from the first optical unit, the catoptric integrator including plural cylindrical reflection surfaces having the same generatrix direction, an aperture stop arranged perpendicular to the generatrix direction, and a second optical unit configured to superpose light from each secondary light source onto an illumination surface, wherein the catoptric integrator includes plural integrator parts each having plural cylindrical reflection surfaces, and the plural integrator parts are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the generatrix direction and to an arrangement direction of the cylindrical reflection surfaces and located at an incident side of the aperture stop.

Exposure apparatus

An illumination optical system includes a first optical unit that collects light emitted from a light source; a reflective integrator that has a plurality of cylindrical reflection surfaces, whose generating lines are oriented in a uniform direction, and forms a plurality of linear light sources by using the light emitted from the first optical unit; a pair of flat mirrors that are disposed parallel to the generating lines so as to face each other with the plurality of linear light sources residing therebetween; an aperture stop that is disposed perpendicular to the generating lines and has an opening for allowing the light emitted from the plurality of linear light sources to pass therethrough; and a second optical unit that integrates beams of the light emitted from the plurality of linear light sources that have passed through the opening one on top of another in an illumination target plane.

Illumination optical system and exposure apparatus including the same

Disclosed is an illumination optical system and an exposure apparatus having the same, and specifically, as an aspect of the invention, an illumination optical system for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, that includes an aperture stop for defining an effective light source distribution upon a predetermined plane which is substantially in a Fourier transform relation with the surface to be illuminated, and a detector disposed adjacent an opening of the aperture stop.

Illumination system and exposure apparatus

An exposure apparatus that irradiates excitation laser onto a target, and generates from generated plasma a light source for generating illumination light of an extreme ultraviolet region or an X-ray region includes an illumination optical system that uses the illumination light to illuminate a catoptric reticle that forms a pattern to be transferred, the illumination optical system including a first mirror closest to the light source, an ellipsoidal mirror for condensing the illumination light in front of the first mirror in the illumination optical system, and a projection optical system that reduces and projects the pattern reflected on the reticle onto an object to be exposed, wherein light where an optical-axis direction of the excitation laser proceeds beyond a position that generates the plasma by the excitation laser does not interfere with components in the exposure apparatus including the illumination and projection optical systems, and the ellipsoidal mirror.

Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method using the same

An illumination optical system for illuminating a target surface using light from a light source includes a modified illumination generator for generating a modified illumination with a predetermined polarization state for the target surface, wherein the modified illumination generator includes a &#x3bb;/4 phase plate unit that includes a &#x3bb;/4 phase plate for converting a circularly polarized light into a linearly polarized light in a predetermined direction, and a diffractive optical element unit that is arranged in a substantially conjugate relationship with the target surface, and includes a diffractive optical element used for the &#x3bb;/4 phase plate to generate a predetermined illumination intensity distribution when the diffractive optical element unit receives the linearly polarized light.

Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method with modified illumination generator

An illumination apparatus for illuminating a mask having a pattern, using light from a light source, includes a generating section for generating an effective light source distribution for a modified illumination to the mask, a polarization setting section for setting a predetermined polarization state in plural areas in the effective light source distribution, and an adjusting section for commonly controlling a polarization state of each area.

Illumination apparatus, exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

Attempting to provide an illumination optical system and an exposure apparatus using the same, which provide a more uniform angular distribution of light for illuminating a mask than the prior art, an illumination optical system for illuminating an object surface includes an optical unit that converts light from a light source section into approximately parallel light, and includes first and second mirrors, wherein the first mirror has an opening, through which light reflected by the second mirror passes.

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a reflection mask that forms a pattern, by using light from a light source, wherein the illumination optical system includes a field stop that defines an illuminated area on the reflection mask, and has an opening, and an imaging system for introducing the light from the opening in the field stop into the reflection mask, the imaging system being a coaxial optical system, wherein a principal ray of the imaging system at a side of the reflection mask forming an inclination angle to a common axis of the coaxial optical system, the inclination angle being approximately equal to an angle between a principal ray of the projection optical system at the side of the reflection mask and a normal to a surface of the reflection mask.

An illumination system for illuminating a surface by use of light from a light source, which includes an emission angle conserving optical unit effective to emit the light from the light source at a constant divergent angle, and a diffractive optical element for producing a desired light intensity distribution on a predetermined plane. The diffractive optical element is disposed at or adjacent to a position where light from the emission angle conserving optical unit is collected.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Toshihiko Tsuji