Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yumiko Ohsaki

Seiji Takeuchi

Akiyoshi Suzuki

Kenji Yamazoe

Kenji Saitoh

Koshi Hatakeyama

Minoru Yoshii

Yasuhiro Sawada

Toshihiro Sunaga

Yoshinobu Shiraiwa

Miyoko Kawashima

Takahiro Sasaki

Toshiyuki Mizuno

A measuring apparatus for measuring an optical performance of an optical system under test that has a numerical aperture of more than 0.6 at a light exit side, said measuring apparatus includes a numerical aperture decreasing part for decreasing the numerical aperture of a light exited from the optical system under test to 0.6 or less, and a detector for detecting an interference fringes formed by the light that passes through the numerical aperture decreasing part.

Measuring apparatus and exposure apparatus having the same

A measurement apparatus includes a polarization controller which controls polarization of light, a wavefront dividing unit which divides a wavefront of the light, a polarizing unit which polarizes the light, a detector which detects the light, a first driving unit which moves the wavefront dividing unit with respect to the detector, a second driving unit which moves the polarizing unit with respect to the detector, and a processor which calculates the optical characteristics of the detection target using a detection results obtained when the wavefront dividing unit is positioned in the optical path and a detection result obtained when the wavefront dividing unit is positioned outside the optical path.

Measurement apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

The present invention provides a measurement apparatus including a first polarization control unit configured to control a polarization state of light which enters an optical system to be measured to at least two different polarization states, a wavefront splitting unit which is inserted between the first polarization control unit and the optical system, a second polarization control unit which is inserted between the optical system and an image sensor, includes a phase plate, and is configured to control the polarization state of the light, and a processing unit configured to calculate the optical characteristics of the optical system, based on a plurality of interference patterns sequentially sensed by the image sensor by rotating the phase plate.

Measurement apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device fabrication method

An exposure apparatus including an illumination system which illuminates an original, and projection optics which project a pattern of the original illuminated by the illumination system onto a substrate. The apparatus includes an interferometer which forms an interference pattern including aberration information on the projection optics using a polarized light beam emitted from the illumination system, in which the interferometer is a common path interferometer in which two light beams forming interference pattern pass along a path in the projection optics, and a processor which calculates optical characteristics of the projection optics on the basis of the interference pattern formed by the interferometer. The illumination system including a polarization controller which sequentially generates at least three difference polarized light beams with respective polarization states different from each other. The processor separates first aberration and second aberration from wavefront aberration represented by the interference patterns sequentially formed by the interferometer using the at least three different polarized light beams, by calculating a data of the interference patterns, the first aberration being aberration which does not change dependent on a polarization state of polarized light beam entering the projection optics. The second aberration is aberration which changes dependent on the polarization state of the polarized light beam entering the projection optics.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using a common path interferometer to form an interference pattern and a processor to calculate optical characteristics of projection optics using the interference pattern

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a reticle, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, a polarization adjuster configured to independently adjust each polarization state of plural areas in an effective light source distribution used to illuminate the reticle, a polarization measurement unit configured to measure a polarization state of light that has passed the polarization adjuster, and a controller configured to independently control each polarization state of the plural areas via the polarization adjuster based on a measurement result of the polarization measurement unit.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus which includes a projection optical system that projects a pattern image of a reticle onto an object to be exposed, and an interferometer configured to measure an optical characteristic of the projection optical system. The interferometer includes a mask placed on an object plane side of the projection optical system, the mask shaping a wavefront of light from a light source into an ideal wavefront, a detector configured to detect the light passing through the projection optical system; and an optical element placed between the mask and the projection optical system or between the projection optical system and the detector. The detector detects interference fringes (an interferogram) formed by interference between a reflected component of the light reflected by the optical element and a transmitted component of the light passing through the optical element.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using the apparatus

An image processing method converts data dependent on a first illuminating light into data dependent on a second illuminating light by, storing conversion conditions for plural illuminating light sources of different color rendering properties, generating data indicating the proportion of synthesis of the stored conversion conditions of the plural light sources, corresponding to the second illuminating light, generating a first conversion condition from the stored conversion conditions for the plural illuminating light sources according to the data indicating the proportion of synthesis, generating a second conversion condition for color temperature conversion based on color temperature information from the second illuminating light, and converting data dependent on the first illuminating light into data dependent on the second illuminating light using the first and second conversion conditions.

Image processing apparatus and method for converting data dependent on a first illuminating light into data dependent on a second illuminating light

A six-mirror catoptric projection optical system for projecting a reduced size of a pattern on an object onto an image plane includes first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth mirrors from the image plane along an optical path, wherein the third and fourth mirrors are located between the fifth mirror and sixth mirror and wherein the catoptric projection optical system forms an intermediate image along the optical path from the third mirror to the fifth mirror.

Projection optical system and exposure apparatus

There is provided an interferometer for measuring a surface shape of an optical element using interference, including a reference wave-front deformation system for deforming a wave front of reference light.

Interferometer and interferance measurement method

An exposure method for printing, upon a photosensitive material, a pattern having fine lines of an odd number extending about a certain point. The method includes a multiple exposure process using a phase shift mask having an even number of boundaries defined with a phase difference of 180 degrees between adjacent regions about the point, wherein the number of the boundaries is larger than the number of fine lines.

Exposure method based on multiple exposure process

A mask for multiple exposure includes a plurality of periodic patterns in which a relation 0.5S<D<1.5S is satisfied, where S is the spacing between lines of a first periodic pattern of the plurality of periodic patterns and D is the spacing between the first periodic pattern and a second periodic pattern, of the plurality of periodic patterns, juxtaposed to the first periodic pattern with respect to the periodicity direction. The first periodic pattern and the second periodic pattern are free from overlapping or intersecting with each other.

Mask for multiple exposure

A multiple exposure method using plural masks includes exposing a position where an image of a low-contrast pattern is to be formed on the basis of a mask, of the plural masks, having fine lines extending in different directions, with an image of a pattern of a mask having a phase difference of 180 degrees between adjacent patterns, whereby a contrast of an exposure amount distribution related to the pattern of the low contrast is increased, and making the exposure with the image of the pattern having the phase difference of 180 degrees while registering the boundaries of the pattern with the fine lines of the pattern, extending in different directions, where the fine lines or extensions thereof intersect with each other at a single point. The boundaries having a phase difference of 180 degrees serve to divide a pattern region into zones of an even number regardless of whether the number of the fine lines is even or odd, and the fine lines are reproduced on the basis of the boundaries.

An exposure method for exposing a substrate through a multiple exposure process including a first exposure using a first pattern having fine line elements of different directions, and a second exposure using a second pattern including a periodic pattern, wherein a periodicity direction of the periodic pattern is registered with a direction along which fine line elements of a predetermined direction, of the different directions, are arrayed, while, at least in a portion of the periodic pattern, a pattern or a boundary between adjacent patterns as well as a portion of or the whole of the fine line elements of the particular direction are adapted to be printed at the same location, and wherein the second pattern is so structured that one or those of the fine line elements of the first pattern extending in a particular direction different from the predetermined direction are not superposed with the periodic pattern.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Yumiko Ohsaki