Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Yutaka Suenaga

Yutaka Ichihara

Sumio Hashimoto

Yasuhiro Omura

Toshiro Ishiyama

Hitoshi Matsuzawa

Romeo I Mercado

Kazuo Ushida

Toshihiro Sasaya

Hideo Mizutani

Koichi Matsumoto

Tomowaki Takahashi

Kotaro Yamaguchi

Makoto Uehara

Yoshiyuki Shimizu

Kazumasa Endo

Tomohiro Miyashita

Junichi Misawa

Itoe Ito

Misako Kobayashi

Kiyoyuki Muramatsu

Hiroshi Yamada

Koji Shigematsu

Kiyoshi Hayashi

Katsuya Watanabe

Masayuki Mizusawa

Itoe Hayashi

Eiji Nakamura

A catadioptric optical system comprising a first imaging optical system for forming an intermediate image of a first plane surface, a second imaging optical system for forming a final image of the first plane surface onto a second plane surface which is substantially parallel to the first plane surface, and a catadioptric type optical system disposed in the optical path from the first plane surface to the second plane surface and including a first reflecting surface which reflects light coming from through the first plane surface and a second reflecting surface for directing the light reflected by the first reflecting surface toward the second plane surface. At least one of the first and second reflecting surfaces is a concave reflecting surface. All of the optical elements of the catadioptric optical system are disposed on a single linear optical axis.

Catadioptric optical system and exposure apparatus equipped with the same

This invention provides a relay imaging optical system which is composed of a small number of lenses and can be miniaturized and reduced in weight with maintaining required optical characteristics. This relay imaging optical system is provided for forming an image of a first plane () on a second plane (M), and comprises a first lens group G1 which is constructed so that an image plane thereof is positioned within a limited range, a second lens group G2, and a third lens group G3, from the first plane side. At least two lens groups of the first lens group through the third lens group have at least one aspheric surface respectively; and the total number of lenses which constitute this optical system are ten or fewer.

Relay image optical system, and illuminating optical device and exposure system provided with the optical system

An exposure apparatus (PE ) and exposure method for use in photolithographically manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices, image pickup devices, liquid crystal display devices and thin film magnetic heads. The apparatus is capable of transferring onto a substrate (W) the image of a pattern on a reticle (R) and includes a light source ( ) capable of supplying an exposure energy beam (IL) with a wavelength under 200 nm, and an illumination optical system arranged to receive the exposure energy beam from said light source. The illumination optical system is designed to guide the exposure energy beam to the reticle. The apparatus also includes a projection optical system (PL) arranged between the reticle and the substrate. The projection optical system is capable of forming an image of the reticle pattern onto the substrate based on the exposure energy beam passing through the reticle. The projection optical system has a plurality of refractive optical members, wherein at least two such refractive optical members are arranged along an optical path of said exposure energy beam, and wherein each refractive optical member is made of at least two types of fluoride crystalline materials.

Exposure apparatus and method

A projection optical system according to the present invention whose image side numerical aperture is greater than or equal to 0.75, and which forms an image of a first object upon a second object using light of a predetermined wavelength less than or equal to 300 nm, comprises: a first lens group G of positive refractive power; a second lens group G of negative refractive power; a third lens group G of positive refractive power; and a fourth lens group G of positive refractive power, and: the first lens group G the second lens group G the third lens group G and the fourth lens group G are arranged in order from a side of the first object; and a distance D in mm along an optical axis between an optical surface of the fourth lens group G closest to the second object, and the second object, satisfies a condition of 0.1<D<5.

Projection optical system and exposure apparatus having the projection optical system

An exposure apparatus (PE1) and exposure method for use in photolithographically manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices, image pickup devices, liquid crystal display devices and thin film magnetic heads. The apparatus is capable of transferring onto a substrate (W) the image of a pattern on a reticle (R) and includes a light source ( ) capable of supplying an exposure energy beam (IL) with a wavelength under 200 nm, and an illumination optical system arranged to receive the exposure energy beam from said light source. The illumination optical system is designed to guide the exposure energy beam to the reticle. The apparatus also includes a projection optical system (PL) arranged between the reticle and the substrate. The projection optical system is capable of forming an image of the reticle pattern onto the substrate based on the exposure energy beam passing through the reticle. The projection optical system has a plurality of refractive optical members, wherein at least two such refractive optical members are arranged along an optical path of said exposure energy beam, and wherein each refractive optical member is made of at least two types of fluoride crystalline materials.

A catoptric reduction projection optical system (,) is provided with a first catoptric optical system (,) that images an object (R) in first (object) plane (OP) into a second plane (,) and forming an intermediate image (II) therein, and a second catoptric optical system (,) that images the intermediate image in the second plane onto a third (image) plane (IP), thereby forming a reduced image of the object in the first (object) plane onto the third (image) plane. The first catoptric optical system comprises a first mirror pair comprising two reflective mirrors (M,, M,). The second catoptric optical system comprises a second mirror pair comprising a convex mirror (M,) and a concave mirror (M,). The system also preferably satisfied a number of design conditions.

Catoptric reduction projection optical system and exposure apparatus and method using same

Disclosed is a dark field illumination apparatus which is capable of performing a dark field illumination which exhibits a sufficient brightness and a sufficiently suppressed unevenness in brightness. The apparatus comprises a shaping system for shaping a light beam from a light source into approximately parallel beam having a ring- shaped section; a fly-eye optical device for forming a plurality of light source images in the vicinity of its exit plane based on the approximately parallel beam, the light source images being arranged circularly; and a light collection optical system for collecting light beams from the light source images and superposing them on an object plane.

Device and method for dark field illumination

A catoptric reduction projection optical system (,) is provided with a first catoptric optical system (,) that images an object (R) in first (object) plane (OP) into a second plane (,) and forming an intermediate image (II) therein, and a second catoptric optical system (,) that images the intermediate image in the second plane onto a third (image) plane (IP), thereby forming a reduced image of the object in the first (object) plane onto the third (image) plane. The first catoptric optical system comprises a first mirror pair comprising two reflective mirrors (M1, M2). The second catoptric optical system comprises a second mirror pair comprising a convex mirror (M3) and a concave mirror (M4). The system also preferably satisfied a number of design conditions.

A catadioptric reduction projection optical system having a first lens unit having negative refractive power and widening a light beam from a reticle, a prism type beam splitter for transmitting therethrough a light beam from the first lens unit, a concave reflecting mirror for returning the light beam emerging from the beam splitter to the beam splitter while converging it, and a second lens unit having positive refractive power and converging the light beam returned to the beam splitter and reflected by the beam splitter, and forming the reduced image of a pattern on the reticle on a wafer.

Catadioptric reduction projection optical system and method

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus having a high-performance projection optical system having a relatively large numerical aperture and achieving bitelecentricity and superior correction of aberrations, particularly distortion, in a very wide exposure area. Particularly, the protection optical system according to the present invention is composed of a first lens group G.sub.1 with a positive refracting power, a second lens group G.sub.2 with a negative refracting power, a third lens group G.sub.3 with a positive refracting power, a fourth lens group G.sub.4 with a negative refracting power, and a fifth lens group G.sub.5 with a positive refracting power in order from the side of a first object R. The present invention is directed to finding of suitable ranges of focal lengths for the first to fifth lens groups G.sub.1 -G.sub.5, based on the above arrangement.

Exposure apparatus

Objective lenses (e.g., for microscopy), and adapters for such lenses, are disclosed providing adjustability of the amount of spherical aberration imparted to an image by an objective lens due to variations in cover glass thickness. The adapter can be axially inserted imagewise of the objective lens, or between a first objective lens and a second objective lens of an objective lens system. The adapter comprises an axially movable lens group comprising a cemented lens including a negative lens and a positive lens and a cemented surface having negative refractive power. Spherical aberration of the objective lens is adjusted by axially moving the movable lens group. Where r.sub.1 is the curvature radius of the cemented surface, n.sub.P is the refractive index of the positive lens, n.sub.N is the refractive index of the negative lens, the lens satisfies the condition .vertline.(n.sub.N -n.sub.P)/r.sub.1 .vertline.&lt;0.3.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yutaka Suenaga