Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Vladimir Kamenov

Toralf Gruner

Alexander Epple

Daniel Kraehmer

Michael Totzeck

Thomas Schicketanz

Aurelian Dodoc

Heiko Feldmann

Olaf Conradi

Ulrich Loering

Julian Kaller

Olaf Dittmann

Thomas Okon

Jean-Claude Perrin

Ulrich Wegmann

Dirk Heinrich Ehm

Aksel Goehnermeier

Markus Schwab

Andreas Wurmbrand

Bernd Geh

Alexandra Pazidis

Nils Dieckmann

Markus Mengel

Franz-Josef Stickel

Stefan-Wolfgang Schmidt

Moritz Becker

Stephan Six

Oliver Dier

Sascha Migura

Ulrich Stroessner

Joern Greif-Wuestenbecker

Karl-Stefan Weissenrieder

Siegfried Rennon

Juergen Mueller

Thomas Muelders

Bruno Thome

Beate Boehme

Achim Zirkel

Tobias Hackl

Tilmann Assmus

Tilmann AßMUS

Ulrich LÖRING

Jürgen MÜLLER

Microlithography projection objectives for imaging into an image plane a pattern arranged in an object plane are described with respect to suppressing false light in such projection objectives.

Microlithography projection objective

A method of providing a catadioptric projection includes: providing a first partial objective for imaging an object field onto a first real intermediate image; providing a second partial objective for imaging the first real intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image, in which the second partial objective includes a concave mirror; providing a third partial objective for imaging the second intermediate image onto an image field, the third partial objective including an aperture stop; providing a first folding mirror and a second folding mirror; and providing an antireflection coating onto a surface of at least one lens that is directly adjacent to the concave mirror or that is separate from the concave mirror by a single lens, in which the antireflection coating is designed to have reflectivity of less than 0.2% for a wavelength between 150 nm and 250 nm and for an angle-of-incidence range between 0&#xb0; and 30&#xb0;.

Catadioptric projection objective

A mirror () for EUV lithography includes a substrate () and a reflective coating (). The reflective coating has a first group () of layers () and a second group () of layers (), wherein the first group and second group of layers () reflect radiation having a used wavelength between 5 nm and 30 nm. The first group of layers is arranged between the substrate and the second group of layers, and a decoupling coating () is arranged between the first group and second group of layers, said decoupling coating optically decoupling the second group of layers from the first group of layers by preventing the radiation having the used wavelength from reaching the first group of layers. The reflective coating preferably has a correction layer () having a layer thickness variation for correcting the surface form of the mirror.

Surface correction of mirrors with decoupling coating

The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, such as are used for the production of large-scale integrated electrical circuits and other microstructured components. The disclosure relates in particular to coatings of optical elements in order to increase or reduce the reflectivity.

Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

A projection objective for microlithography for imaging an object field onto an image field includes: a first partial objective for imaging the object field onto a first real intermediate image; a second partial objective for imaging the first intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image; a third partial objective for imaging the second intermediate image onto the image field, the third partial objective including an aperture; and a first folding mirror for deflecting radiation toward a concave mirror and a second folding mirror for deflecting the radiation from the concave mirror toward the image plane; in which the projection objective is an immersion projection objective in which during operation an immersion liquid is situated between a last lens surface and an image plane, and at least one surface of at least one lens in the second partial objective has an antireflection coating including at least six layers.

Catadioptric projection objectives for microlithography include: a first partial objective for imaging an object field onto a first real intermediate image; a catadioptric partial objective having one concave mirror and a lens for imaging the first intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image; a third partial objective including an aperture stop and no more than four lenses between the aperture stop and an image field, the third partial objective for imaging the second intermediate image onto the image field; and a first folding mirror for deflecting the radiation from the object plane toward the concave mirror and a second folding mirror for deflecting the radiation from the concave mirror toward the image plane. The projection objective is an immersion projection objective. At least one surface of the lens in the catadioptric partial objective has an antireflection coating including at least six layers.

A projection objective for applications in microlithography, a microlithography projection exposure apparatus with a projection objective, a microlithographic manufacturing method for microstructured components, and a component manufactured using such a manufacturing method are disclosed. The projection objective includes an optical component configured so that, during use of the projection objective, the optical component generates a stray light component in the exposure field of the projection objective which adapts a parameter of the projection objective to a parameter of a second projection objective. The parameter is the stray light component at the exposure field of the projection objective and/or a variation of the stray light component at the exposure field of the projection objective. The parameter of the second projection objective is a stray light component at an exposure field of the second projection objective and/or a variation of the stray light component at the exposure field of the second projection objective. The second projection objective is different from the projection objective.

Projection objective for microlithography with stray light compensation and related methods

Catadioptric projection objective () for microlithography for imaging an object field () in an object plane () onto an image field () in an image plane (). The objective includes a first partial objective () imaging the object field onto a first real intermediate image (), a second partial objective () imaging the first intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image (), and a third partial objective () imaging the second intermediate image onto the image field. The second partial objective is a catadioptric objective having exactly one concave mirror and having at least one lens (L, L). A first folding mirror () deflects the radiation from the object plane toward the concave mirror and a second folding mirror () deflects the radiation from the concave mirror toward the image plane. At least one surface of a lens (L, L) of the second partial objective has an antireflection coating having a reflectivity of less than 0.1% for an operating wavelength of between 150 nm and 250 nm and for an angle-of-incidence range of between 0&#xb0; and 30&#xb0;. As an alternative or in addition, all the surfaces of the lenses of the second partial objective are configured such that the deviation from the marginal ray concentricity is greater than or equal to 20&#xb0;.

To improve the mask of an EUV lithography apparatus in view of its high reflectivity, a reflective mask is suggested for EUV lithography having a reflective multilayer system on a substrate configured for a working wavelength in the EUV range and having stacks with layers of at least two materials with different real parts of the refractive index at the working wavelength, wherein the multilayer system (V) is configured such that, as it is irradiated with EUV radiation at a fixed wavelength and an angle interval between the smallest and the largest angle of incidence of up to 21&#xb0;, the apodization is less than 30%.

Reflective mask for EUV lithography

Catadioptric projection objective () for microlithography for imaging an object field () in an object plane () onto an image field () in an image plane (). The objective includes a first partial objective () imaging the object field onto a first real intermediate image (), a second partial objective () imaging the first intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image (), and a third partial objective () imaging the second intermediate image onto the image field. The second partial objective is a catadioptric objective having exactly one concave mirror and having at least one lens (L, L). A first folding mirror () deflects the radiation from the object plane toward the concave mirror and a second folding mirror () deflects the radiation from the concave mirror toward the image plane. At least one surface of a lens (L, L) of the second partial objective has an antireflection coating having a reflectivity of less than 0.2% for an operating wavelength of between 150 nm and 250 nm and for an angle-of-incidence range of between 0&#xb0; and 30&#xb0;. As an alternative or in addition, all the surfaces of the lenses of the second partial objective are configured such that the deviation from the marginal ray concentricity is greater than or equal to 20&#xb0;.

A projection lens of a projection exposure apparatus, for imaging a mask which can be positioned in an object plane onto a light-sensitive layer which can be positioned in an image plane, includes a housing, in which at least one optical element is arranged, at least one partial housing which is arranged within said housing and which at least regionally surrounds light passing from the object plane as far as the image plane during the operation of the projection lens, and a reflective structure, which reduces a light proportion which reaches the image plane after reflection at the at least one partial housing, by comparison with an analogous arrangement without said reflective structure.

Projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

A method for determining intensity distribution in the focal plane of a projection exposure arrangement, in which a large aperture imaging system is emulated and a light from a sample is represented on a local resolution detector by an emulation imaging system. A device for carrying out the method and emulated devices are also described. The invention makes it possible to improve a reproduction quality since the system apodisation is taken into consideration. The inventive method includes determining the integrated amplitude distribution in an output pupil, combining the integrated amplitude distribution with a predetermined apodization correction and calculating a corrected apodization image according to the modified amplitude distribution.

Method for determining intensity distribution in the image plane of a projection exposure arrangement

The invention concerns a method for operating a projection exposure apparatus to project the image of a structure of an object () arranged in an object plane () onto a substrate () arranged in an image plane (). The object () is illuminated with light of an operating wavelength of the projection exposure apparatus according to one of several adjustable exposure modes. The light produces changes in at least one optical element () of the projection exposure apparatus, by which the optical properties of the projection exposure apparatus are influenced. The operation of the projection exposure apparatus makes allowance for the influencing of the optical properties of the projection exposure apparatus or a quantity dependent on the former, being calculated approximately on the basis of the exposure mode used and the structure of the object ().

Projection exposure apparatus and method for operating the same

In a method for improving the imaging properties of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, an appropriate illumination angle distribution adapted to a mask () to be projected is selected. Then locations () in an exit pupil of the projection objective (), which are illuminated under these conditions by projection light during a projection of the mask, are determined. For at least one image point, an actual value of an imaging quantity, e.g. a wavefront profile or a polarization state, is determined that influences the imaging properties of the projection objective. Finally, corrective measures are calculated such that the actual value of the imaging quantity approximates a desired value at these locations. In this last step, however, deviations of the actual value from the desired value are taken into account exclusively at said locations illuminated in the exit pupil.

Method for improving the imaging properties of a projection objective for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

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Essingen, Germany

Vladimir Kamenov