A lithographic apparatus configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first radiation dose detector and a second radiation dose detector, each detector comprising a secondary electron emission surface configured to receive a radiation flux and to emit secondary electrons due to the receipt of the radiation flux, the first radiation dose detector located upstream with respect to the second radiation dose detector viewed with respect to a direction of radiation transmission, and a meter, connected to each detector, to detect a current or voltage resulting from the secondary electron emission from the respective electron emission surface.

Lithographic apparatus, and device manufacturing method

In a method of determining the focus of a lithographic apparatus used in a lithographic process on a substrate, the lithographic process is used to form a structure on the substrate, the structure having at least one feature which has an asymmetry in the printed profile which varies as a function of the focus of the lithographic apparatus on the substrate. A first image of the periodic structure is formed and detected while illuminating the structure with a first beam of radiation. The first image is formed using a first part of non-zero order diffracted radiation. A second image of the periodic structure is formed and detected while illuminating the structure with a second beam of radiation. The second image is formed using a second part of the non-zero order diffracted radiation which is symmetrically opposite to the first part in a diffraction spectrum. The ratio of the intensities of the measured first and second portions of the spectra is determined and used to determine the asymmetry in the profile of the periodic structure and/or to provide an indication of the focus on the substrate. In the same instrument, an intensity variation across the detected portion is determined as a measure of process-induced variation across the structure. A region of the structure with unwanted process variation can be identified and excluded from a measurement of the structure.

Methods and Scatterometers, Lithographic Systems, and Lithographic Processing Cells

There is provided an exposure method that includes the steps of forming a phase shift mask having a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern, a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern being thicker than the dummy pattern's line width, illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak near or on an optical axis in an intensity distribution to transfer the desired pattern onto the exposure plane by projecting light having passed through the phase shift mask onto the exposure plane.

Exposure method and apparatus

The invention relates to a projection system, comprising a radiation source, an illumination system operable to illuminate a structured mask, and a projection objective for projecting an image of the mask structure onto a light-sensitive substrate, wherein said projection system comprises an optical system comprising an optical axis or a preferred direction given by the direction of a light beam propagating through the optical system; the optical system comprising a temperature compensated polarization-modulating optical element described by coordinates of a coordinate system, wherein one preferred coordinate of the coordinate system is parallel to the optical axis or parallel to said preferred direction; said temperature compensated polarization-modulating optical element comprising a first and a second polarization-modulating optical element, the first and/or the second polarization-modulating optical element comprising solid and/or liquid optically active material and a profile of effective optical thickness, wherein the effective optical thickness varies at least as a function of one coordinate different from the preferred coordinate of the coordinate system, in addition or alternative the first and/or the second polarization-modulating optical element comprises solid and/or liquid optically active material, wherein the effective optical thickness is constant as a function of at least one coordinate different from the preferred coordinate of the coordinate system; wherein the first polarization-modulating optical element comprises optically active material with a specific rotation of opposite sign compared to the optically active material of the second polarization-modulating optical element.

Polarization-modulating optical element

An immersion projection optical system having, for example, a catadioptric and off-axis structure, reduces the portion of an image space filled with liquid (immersion liquid). The projection optical system, which projects a reduced image of a first plane onto a second plane through the liquid, includes a refractive optical element (Lp) arranged nearest to the second plane. The refractive optical element includes a light emitting surface (Lpb) shaped to be substantially symmetric with respect to two axial directions (XY-axes) perpendicular to each other on the second plane. The light emitting surface has a central axis (Lpba) that substantially coincides with a central axis (40a) of a circle (40) corresponding to a circumference of a light entering surface (Lpa) of the refractive optical element. The central axis of the light emitting surface is decentered in one of the two axial directions (Y-axis) from an optical axis (AX).

Projection optical system, exposure apparatus and exposure method

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a circuit pattern in a complex shape on a wafer, by a method wherein a mask for transferring a specific pattern on a sensing substrate by multiple exposure is composed so that the permeability or/and phase may be diced. SOLUTION: In this mask pattern 81, one set or two sets of dual beam interference are simultaneously performed in the mutually perpendicular directions so as to form a diced pattern by one time projection exposure on a sensing substrate 86. Next, multiple exposure of this diced pattern (minute pattern) and a circuit pattern (ordinary pattern) is performed so as to form an arbitrary pattern by pertinently setting up a threshold value of the sensing substrate 86. At this time, the sensing substrate 86 is exposed in multiple times in mutually different patterns neither performing the multiple exposure step nor developing step at all. For example, in the case of dual beam interference exposure in one direction, both of element side exposure beams 82 and image side exposure beams 85 are composed of two parallel beams. Furthermore, the two beams interference is performed even in the orthogonal direction to a paper surface.

Exposure method and aligner

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposing method and equipment which can expose a mask pattern having fine (e.g. at most 0.15 μm) line width, with high resolution without changing a mask, in which mask pattern various kinds of patterns, L and S patterns, isolated and complicated patterns exist mixedly. SOLUTION: A phase shift mask has a desired pattern and a dummy pattern which is overlapped with the desired pattern and has periodicity. Out of the desired pattern, a part which is to be resolved by the effect of the dummy pattern is made wider than the line width of the dummy pattern, thus forming the phase shift mask. By using an illumination light which has a peak of intensity distribution in the vicinity of an optical axis, the phase shift mask is illuminated. A light which passed the phase shift mask is projected on a surface to be exposed via a projection optical system. As a result, the desired pattern is transferred on the surface to be exposed. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Exposing method and equipment thereof

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an obtained pattern in the multiple exposure operation of a pattern compring a periodic structure and an ordinary exposure pattern by forming a region in which the correction of a pattern strain due to an optical proximity effect of a second pattern is executed to a first pattern comprising a periodic structure used to resolve a fine line. SOLUTION: A region in which the correction of a pattern strain due to an optical proximity effect in the exposure operation of a second pattern is executed to a first pattern comprising a periodic pattern used to resolve a fine line is formed. That is to say, a periodic pattern region which is overlapped with the fine line in a direction at right angles to a period is shielded by Cr so as to become an isolated line for a light shielding operation. When a periodic pattern in which the isolated line is made thick is used, the line width of a pattern comprising the periodic structure is made equal to the line width of the isolated line. The line width of the isolated line is changed by the line width of a fine line which is to be created finally. When the isolated line is plated in the region of the periodic pattern overlapped with the fine line, the line width of the isolated line is made a little thickner than the line width of the fine line, and an optical proximity effect is corrected. COPYRIGHT: (C)2000,JPO

Method and apparatus for exposure as well as manufacture of device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid immersed type exposure method and a device which prevents imaging performance from deterioration due to the affect of polarized light, secures prescribed contrast, and forms a desired pattern SOLUTION: This exposure method immerses the surface of a body to be exposed and the final face of a projection lens system in liquid and projects the pattern to be formed on a mask on the body to be exposed by the projection lens system, when the incidence angle of light among effective light sources emitting from a part on an axis which is parallel to a repeating direction of the pattern and is orthogonal to the optical axis of the projection lens system, and inclined incidence toward a resist to the body to be exposed is θ; and when a maximum value of the angle of incidence is θ NA , the exposure method by which light, corresponding to a range of the angle of incidence θ for satisfying 90° -θ NA ≤θ≤θ NA , has only an S polarized light component COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Exposure method and device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a generation method of generating mask data for forming a fine pattern with high precision. SOLUTION: The generation method generates mask data by a computer, the mask to be used in an exposure device including: an illumination optical system illuminating the mask with light from a light source; and a projection optical system projecting the pattern of the mask onto a substrate. The method for generating mask data comprises determining a main pattern on the basis of an approximated aerial image and inserting an assist pattern. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

美代子川島

Papers

Exposure method and aligner

Exposing method and equipment thereof

Method and apparatus for exposure as well as manufacture of device

Exposure method and device

Mask data generation method, mask fabrication method, exposure method, device fabrication method and program for generation of mask data

美代子 川島

Papers

Exposure method and aligner

Exposing method and equipment thereof

Method and apparatus for exposure as well as manufacture of device

Exposure method and device

Mask data generation method, mask fabrication method, exposure method, device fabrication method and program for generation of mask data

美代子川島