Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080204877 | ILLUMINATION SYSTEM OR PROJECTION LENS OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE SYSTEM - In some embodiments, the disclosure provides an optical system, in particular an illumination system or a projection lens of a microlithographic exposure system, having an optical system axis and at least one element group including three birefringent elements each of which includes optically uniaxial material and having an aspheric surface, wherein a first birefringent element of the group has a first orientation of its optical crystal axis, a second birefringent element of the group has a second orientation of its optical crystal axis, wherein the second orientation can be described as emerging from a rotation of the first orientation, the rotation not corresponding to a rotation around the optical system axis by an angle of 90° or an integer multiple thereof, and a third birefringent element of the group has a third orientation of its optical crystal axis, wherein the third orientation can be described as emerging from a rotation of the second orientation, the rotation not corresponding to a rotation around the optical system axis by an angle of 90° or an integer multiple thereof. | 08-28-2008 |
20080278799 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus is disclosed. The projection objective can project an image of a mask that can be set in position in an object plane onto a light-sensitive coating layer that can be set in position in an image plane. The projection objective can be designed to operate in an immersion mode, and it can produce at least one intermediate image. The projection objective can include an optical subsystem on the image-plane side which projects the intermediate image into the image plane with an image-plane-side projection ratio having an absolute value of at least 0.3. | 11-13-2008 |
20080297754 | Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus - 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. | 12-04-2008 |
20080310029 | Method for Improving the Imaging Properties of a Projection Objective, and Such a Projection Objective - The invention relates to a method -for improving the imaging properties of a micro lithography projection objective ( | 12-18-2008 |
20080316455 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - The disclosure relates a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to project a mask which can positioned in an object plane onto a light-sensitive layer which can be positioned in an image plane. The projection objective can include a last optical element at the image plane side having a light entrance surface and a light exit surface. The projection objective can also include an immersion liquid is arranged in a region between the light exit surface and the image plane. At a working wavelength of the projection objective, the immersion liquid can have a refractive index of at least 1.5. At least one interface between the light entrance surface of the last optical element at the image plane side and the immersion liquid can have at least region-wise a microstructuring. | 12-25-2008 |
20090021830 | PROJECTION LENS OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE SYSTEM - In some embodiments, the disclosure provides a projection lens configured to configured to image radiation from an object plane of the projection lens to an image plane of the projection lens. The projection lens can, for example, be used in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The projection lens includes a last lens on the image plane side. The last lens includes at least one intrinsically birefringent material. The material can be, for example, magnesium oxide, a garnet, lithium barium fluoride and/or a spinel. The last lens can have a thickness d which satisfies the condition 0.8*y | 01-22-2009 |
20090073398 | MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, as well as related components, methods and articles made by the methods. The microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination system and a projection objective. The illumination system can illuminate a mask arranged in an object plane of the projection objective. The mask can have structures which are to be imaged. The method can include illuminating a pupil plane of the illumination system with light. The method can also include modifying, in a plane of the projection objective, the phase, amplitude and/or polarization of the light passing through that plane. The modification can be effected for at least two diffraction orders in mutually different ways. A mask-induced loss in image contrast obtained in the imaging of the structures can be reduced compared to a method without the modification. | 03-19-2009 |
20090080086 | SYMMETRICAL OBJECTIVE HAVING FOUR LENS GROUPS FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY - The invention features a system for microlithography that includes a mercury light source configured to emit radiation at multiple mercury emission lines, a projection objective positioned to receive radiation emitted by the mercury light source, and a stage configured to position a wafer relative to the projection objective. During operation, the projection objective directs radiation from the light source to the wafer, where the radiation at the wafer includes energy from more than one of the emission lines. Optical lens systems for use in said projection objective comprise four lens groups, each having two lenses comprising silica, the first and second lens groups on one hand and the third and fourth lens groups on the other hand are positioned symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of said lens system. | 03-26-2009 |
20090115986 | Microlithography projection objective - 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. | 05-07-2009 |
20090191490 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRUCTURING A RADIATION-SENSITIVE MATERIAL - A method and to an apparatus for structuring a radiation-sensitive material are disclosed. The method can include using a dynamic mask to generate a first radiation pattern in a layer of the radiation-sensitive material, where the first radiation pattern has a thickness that is at most 50% of the thickness of the layer of the radiation-sensitive material. The method can also include using the dynamic mask to generate a second radiation pattern in the layer of the radiation-sensitive material. The dynamic mask can be configured to change its structure dynamically, and the first radiation pattern can be different from the second radiation pattern. | 07-30-2009 |
20090207487 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A PROJECTION OBJECTIVE AND PROJECTION OBJECTIVE - The disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a projection objective, and a projection objective, such as a projection objective configured to be used in a microlithographic process. The method can include defining an initial design for the projection objective and optimizing the design using a merit function. The method can be used in the manufacturing of projection objectives which may be used in a microlithographic process of manufacturing miniaturized devices. | 08-20-2009 |
20090284831 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has a high index refractive optical element (L | 11-19-2009 |
20090316256 | CHROMATICALLY CORRECTED OBJECTIVE AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - An objective having a plurality of optical elements arranged to image a pattern from an object field in an object surface of the objective to an image field in an image surface region of the objective at an image-side numerical aperture NA>0.8 with electromagnetic radiation from a wavelength band around a wavelength λ, includes a number N of dioptric optical elements, each dioptric optical element i made from a transparent material having a normalized optical dispersion | 12-24-2009 |
20100112465 | OPTICAL ARRANGEMENT FOR THREE-DIMENSIONALLY PATTERNING A MATERIAL LAYER - The disclosure relates to an optical arrangement for three-dimensionally patterning a radiation-sensitive material layer, such as a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The optical arrangement includes a mask for forming a three-dimensional radiation pattern, a substrate with the radiation-sensitive material layer, and a projection optical unit for imaging the three-dimensional radiation pattern from the mask into the radiation-sensitive material layer. The optical arrangement is designed to compensate for spherical aberrations along the thickness direction of the radiation-sensitive material layer in order to generate a stigmatic image of the three-dimensional radiation pattern. | 05-06-2010 |
20100128240 | CHROMATICALLY CORRECTED OBJECTIVE AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - An objective having a plurality of optical elements arranged to image a pattern from an object field in an object surface of the objective to an image field in an image surface region of the objective at an image-side numerical aperture NA>0.8 with electromagnetic radiation from a wavelength band around a wavelength λ, includes a number N of dioptric optical elements, each dioptric optical element i made from a transparent material having a normalized optical dispersion | 05-27-2010 |
20100134891 | OPTICAL SYSTEM OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - The disclosure concerns an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. To permit comparatively flexible and fast influencing of intensity distribution and/or the polarization state, an optical system includes at least one layer system that is at least one-side bounded by a lens or a mirror. The layer system is an interference layer system of several layers and has at least one liquid or gaseous layer portion with a maximum thickness of one micrometer (μm), and a manipulator for manipulation of the thickness profile of the layer portion. | 06-03-2010 |
20100149632 | Optical imaging device and imaging method for microscopy - The present invention relates to an optical imaging device, in particular for microscopy, with a first optical element group and a second optical element group, wherein the first optical element group and the second optical element group, on an image plane, form an image of an object point of an object plane via at least one imaging ray having an imaging ray path. The first optical element group comprises a first optical element with a reflective first optical surface in the imaging ray path and a second optical element with a reflective second optical surface in the imaging ray path, wherein the first optical surface is concave. The second optical element group comprises a third optical element with a concave reflective third optical surface in the imaging ray path and a fourth optical element with a convex reflective fourth optical surface in the imaging ray path without light passage aperture. | 06-17-2010 |
20100157266 | PROJECTION EXPOSURE METHOD AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY - A projection exposure method for the exposure of a radiation-sensitive substrate arranged in the region of an image surface of a projection objective with at least one image of a pattern of a mask arranged in the region of an object surface of the projection objective includes exposing the substrate with the image of the pattern in an effective image field of the projection objective during an exposure time interval and also altering a relative positioning between a surface of the substrate and a focus surface of the projection objective during the exposure time interval in such a way that image points in the effective image field are exposed with different focus positions of the image of the mask during the exposure time interval. An active compensation of at least one portion of at least one imaging aberration induced by the change in the focus positions during the exposure time interval has the effect that the imaging quality is not significantly impaired by the alteration of the focusing during the exposure time interval. | 06-24-2010 |
20100172019 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A reduction projection objective for projection lithography has a plurality of optical elements configured to image an effective object field arranged in an object surface of the projection objective into an effective image field arranged in an image surface of the projection objective at a reducing magnification ratio |β|<1. The optical elements form a dry objective adapted with regard to aberrations to a gaseous medium with refractive index n′<1.01 filling an image space of finite thickness between an exit surface of the projection objective and the image surface. The optical elements include a largest lens having a maximum lens diameter D | 07-08-2010 |
20100188738 | Optical imaging device and imaging method for microscopy - The present invention relates to an optical imaging device, in particular for microscopy, with a first optical element group and a second optical element group, wherein the first optical element group and the second optical element group, on an image plane, form an image of an object point of an object plane. The first optical element group comprises a first optical element with a reflective first optical surface and a second optical element with a reflective second optical surface. The second optical element group comprises a third optical element with a reflective third optical surface. The first optical element and the second optical element are formed and arranged such that on formation of the image of the object point, in each case a multiple reflection of at least one imaging beam takes place on the first optical surface and the second optical surface. | 07-29-2010 |
20100201959 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY - A projection objective for microlithography includes at least one optical assembly with optical elements which are disposed between an object plane and an image plane. The optical assembly includes at least one optical terminal element, which is disposed close to the image plane. A first immersion liquid is disposed on the image oriented surface of the optical terminal element. A second immersion liquid is disposed on the object oriented surface of the optical terminal element. The object oriented surface includes a first surface section for the imaging light to enter into the terminal element, and the image oriented surface includes a second surface portion for the imaging light to exit from the terminal element. | 08-12-2010 |
20100214565 | IMAGING MICROOPTICS FOR MEASURING THE POSITION OF AN AERIAL IMAGE - An imaging microoptics, which is compact and robust, includes at least one aspherical member and has a folded beam path. The imaging microoptics provides a magnification |β′| of >800 by magnitude. Furthermore, a system for positioning a wafer with respect to a projection optics includes the imaging microoptics, an image sensor positionable in the image plane of the imaging microoptics, for measuring a position of an aerial image of the projection optics, and a wafer stage with an actuator and a controller for positioning the wafer in dependence of an output signal of the image sensor. | 08-26-2010 |
20100290024 | METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE IMAGING PROPERTIES OF A PROJECTION OBJECTIVE, AND SUCH A PROJECTION OBJECTIVE - The invention relates to a method-for improving the imaging properties of a micro lithography projection objective, wherein the projection objective has a plurality of lenses between an object plane and an image plane, a first lens of the plurality of lenses being assigned a first manipulator (ml, Mn) for actively deforming the lens, the first lens being deformed for at least partially correcting an aberration, at least one second lens of the plurality of lenses furthermore being assigned at least one second manipulator, and the second lens being deformed in addition to the first lens. Furthermore, a method is described for selecting at least one lens of a plurality of lenses of a projection objective as actively deformable element, and a projection objective. | 11-18-2010 |
20110026110 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE FOR LITHOGRAPHY - In some embodiments, a projection objective for lithography includes an optical arrangement of optical elements between an object plane and an image plane. The arrangement generally has at least one intermediate image plane, the arrangement further having at least two correction elements for correcting aberrations, of which a first correction element is arranged optically at least in the vicinity of a pupil plane and a second correction element is arranged in a region which is not optically near either a pupil plane or a field plane. | 02-03-2011 |
20110222043 | MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - 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. | 09-15-2011 |
20110235013 | PROJECTION OBJECTIVE OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has a high index refractive optical element with an index of refraction greater than 1.6. This element has a volume and a material related optical property which varies over the volume. Variations of this optical property cause an aberration of the objective. In one embodiment at least 4 optical surfaces are provided that are arranged in at least one volume which is optically conjugate with the volume of the refractive optical element. Each optical surface comprises at least one correction means, for example a surface deformation or a birefringent layer with locally varying properties, which at least partially corrects the aberration caused by the variation of the optical property. | 09-29-2011 |
20120092637 | MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, as well as related components, methods and articles made by the methods. The microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination system and a projection objective. The illumination system can illuminate a mask arranged in an object plane of the projection objective. The mask can have structures which are to be imaged. The method can include illuminating a pupil plane of the illumination system with light. The method can also include modifying, in a plane of the projection objective, the phase, amplitude and/or polarization of the light passing through that plane. The modification can be effected for at least two diffraction orders in mutually different ways. A mask-induced loss in image contrast obtained in the imaging of the structures can be reduced compared to a method without the modification. | 04-19-2012 |
20120127566 | MAGNIFYING IMAGING OPTICAL SYSTEM AND METROLOGY SYSTEM WITH AN IMAGING OPTICAL SYSTEM OF THIS TYPE - A magnifying imaging optical system is disclosed that has precisely three mirrors, which image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. A ratio between a transverse dimension of the image field and a transverse dimension measured in the same direction of a useful face of the last mirror before the image field is greater than 3. In a further aspect, the magnifying imaging optical system is disclosed that has at least three mirrors, which image an object field in an object plane in an image field in an image plane. A first mirror in the beam path after the object field is concave, a second mirror is also concave and a third mirror is convex. An angle of incidence of imaging beams on the last mirror before the image field is less than 15°. | 05-24-2012 |
20120134016 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A PROJECTION OBJECTIVE AND PROJECTION OBJECTIVE - The disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a projection objective, and a projection objective, such as a projection objective configured to be used in a microlithographic process. The method can include defining an initial design for the projection objective and optimizing the design using a merit function. The method can be used in the manufacturing of projection objectives which may be used in a microlithographic process of manufacturing miniaturized devices. | 05-31-2012 |
20120176670 | IMAGING MICROOPTICS FOR MEASURING THE POSITION OF AN AERIAL IMAGE - An imaging microoptics, which is compact and robust, includes at least one aspherical member and has a folded beam path. The imaging microoptics provides a magnification |β′| of >800 by magnitude. Furthermore, a system for positioning a wafer with respect to a projection optics includes the imaging microoptics, an image sensor positionable in the image plane of the imaging microoptics, for measuring a position of an aerial image of the projection optics, and a wafer stage with an actuator and a controller for positioning the wafer in dependence of an output signal of the image sensor. | 07-12-2012 |
20130038850 | ILLUMINATION SYSTEM AND PROJECTION OBJECTIVE OF A MASK INSPECTION APPARATUS - An illumination system and a projection objective of a mask inspection apparatus are provided. During operation of the mask inspection apparatus, the illumination system illuminates a mask with an illumination bundle of rays having a centroid ray that has a direction dependent on the location of the incidence of the illumination bundle of rays on the mask. | 02-14-2013 |
20130070224 | PROJECTION LENS SYSTEM OF A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE INSTALLATION - A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a projection objective which images an object onto an image plane and has a lens with a curved surface. In the projection objective there is a liquid or solid medium which directly adjoins the curved surface over a region which is usable for imaging the object. The projection exposure apparatus also has an adjustable manipulator for reducing an image field curvature which is caused by heating of the medium during the projection operation. | 03-21-2013 |
20130156939 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING AND/OR REPAIRING OF AN EUV MASK DEFECT - The invention relates to a method for analyzing a defect of a photolithographic mask for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range (EUV mask) comprising the steps of: (a) generating at least one focus stack relating to the defect using an EUV mask inspection tool, (b) determining a surface configuration of the EUV mask at a position of the defect, (c) providing model structures having the determined surface configuration which have different phase errors and generating the respective focus stacks, and (d) determining a three dimensional error structure of the EUV mask defect by comparing the at least one generated focus stack of the defect and the generated focus stacks of the model structures. | 06-20-2013 |
20130188163 | Mirror and Related EUV Systems and Methods - A mirror for EUV radiation includes a mirror body, which has at least one EUV radiation-reflecting region and at least two EUV radiation-permeable regions. A spatial separation of the illumination and imaging beam paths is possible with small angles of incidence and a large object-side numerical aperture. | 07-25-2013 |
20130201464 | CHROMATICALLY CORRECTED OBJECTIVE WITH SPECIFICALLY STRUCTURED AND ARRANGED DIOPTRIC OPTICAL ELEMENTS AND PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - An objective having a plurality of optical elements arranged to image a pattern from an object field to an image field at an image-side numerical aperture NA>0.8 with electromagnetic radiation from a wavelength band around a wavelength λ includes a number N of dioptric optical elements, each dioptric optical element i made from a transparent material having a normalized optical dispersion | 08-08-2013 |
20130250265 | Projection Exposure Apparatus for EUV Microlithography and Method for Microlithographic Exposure - The disclosure relates to a projection exposure apparatus for EUV microlithography which includes an illumination system for illuminating a pattern, and a projection objective for imaging the pattern onto a light-sensitive substrate. The projection objective has a pupil plane with an obscuration. The illumination system generates light with an angular distribution having an illumination pole which extends over a range of polar angles and a range of azimuth angles and within which the light intensity is greater than an illumination pole minimum value. From the illumination pole toward large polar angles a dark zone is excluded within which the light intensity is less than the illumination pole minimum value, and which has in regions a form corresponding to the form of the obscuration of the pupil plane. | 09-26-2013 |
20130335552 | METHOD FOR MASK INSPECTION, AND MASK INSPECTION INSTALLATION - The invention relates to a method for mask inspection and to a mask inspection installation. A method according to the invention involves a lighting system lighting a mask with a lighting beam pencil, and said mask being observed with an observation beam pencil which is directed onto a sensor arrangement, wherein the light hitting the sensor arrangement is evaluated in order to check the mapping effect of the mask. The lighting system produces a spot of light with limited refraction on the mask, and during the evaluation of the light hitting the sensor arrangement a finite component of the light setting out from the mask to produce the observation beam pencil is disregarded. | 12-19-2013 |
20140023835 | OPTICAL DEVICE - A device including an imaging optical unit ( | 01-23-2014 |
20140268084 | PROJECTION LENS WITH WAVEFRONT MANIPULATOR - A projection lens for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane of the projection lens into an image plane of the projection lens via electromagnetic radiation having an operating wavelength λ<260 nm has a multiplicity of optical elements having optical surfaces which are arranged in a projection beam path between the object plane (OS) and the image plane. Provision is made of a wavefront manipulation system for dynamically influencing the wavefront of the projection radiation passing from the object plane to the image plane. | 09-18-2014 |
20140293256 | MICROLITHOGRAPHY PROJECTION OBJECTIVE - 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. | 10-02-2014 |
20140320955 | MICROLITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION EXPOSURE APPARATUS - 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. | 10-30-2014 |
20140333913 | MICROLITHOGRAPHY PROJECTION OBJECTIVE - 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. | 11-13-2014 |