EP1754111A1 - Systeme d'eclairage d'un dispositif d'eclairage par projection micro-lithographique - Google Patents

Systeme d'eclairage d'un dispositif d'eclairage par projection micro-lithographique

Info

Publication number
EP1754111A1
EP1754111A1 EP05768800A EP05768800A EP1754111A1 EP 1754111 A1 EP1754111 A1 EP 1754111A1 EP 05768800 A EP05768800 A EP 05768800A EP 05768800 A EP05768800 A EP 05768800A EP 1754111 A1 EP1754111 A1 EP 1754111A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
polarizer
lighting system
light
optical element
polarization
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP05768800A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Damian Fiolka
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
Original Assignee
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH filed Critical Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
Publication of EP1754111A1 publication Critical patent/EP1754111A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/70058—Mask illumination systems
    • G03F7/70191—Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for controlling intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or the like
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
    • G02B27/28—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 for polarising
    • G02B27/286—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 for polarising for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
    • G02B5/30—Polarising elements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/70483—Information management; Active and passive control; Testing; Wafer monitoring, e.g. pattern monitoring
    • G03F7/7055—Exposure light control in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. pulse length control or light interruption
    • G03F7/70566—Polarisation control

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an illumination system for microlithographic projection exposure systems, such as are used for the production of microstructured components.
  • Illumination systems of microlithographic projection exposure systems are used to generate a projection light beam which is directed onto a reticle which contains the structures to be projected. With the help of a projection lens, these structures are imaged on a light-sensitive layer, which e.g. can be applied to a wafer.
  • lasers are generally used as light sources. Lasers generate highly linearly polarized light due to the stimulated emission processes taking place in them. Often, the lighting system should maintain the linear polarization state of the light generated by the laser as well as possible. This is advantageous, for example, in projection exposure systems whose projection objectives have a beam splitter cube with a polarization-selective one
  • Beam splitter layer included.
  • When using linearly polarized projection light provided the direction of polarization of the incident light is tion of the beam splitter layer is coordinated, light losses at the beam splitter layer are kept low.
  • the object of the invention is to provide a lighting system with which simple, in particular when using very short-wave projection light, e.g. at wavelengths of 193 nm or 157 nm, polarized light can be generated.
  • a polarizer is arranged in the beam path in front of an optical raster element, which is the first optical element in the beam path that significantly increases the light conductance.
  • a polarizer is a component with which a linear polarization component can be isolated from a light beam.
  • the optical geometrical flux is understood to mean the product of the field size and the animal aperture.
  • An optical element that increases the light conductance can e.g. be an optical raster element.
  • An optical raster element e.g. as a diffractive element (grid), as a kinoform or as a hologram.
  • Refractive optical elements also often have the property of increasing the light conductance.
  • a refractive optical element is generally understood to be a flat refractive optical element in which, in contrast to conventional lenses or prisms, at least one refractive surface is structured.
  • the refractive optical element can thus be thought of as being divided into a large number of sub-elements, which in themselves are like classic elements, e.g. Lenses or prisms.
  • the size of the sub-elements is typically between a few micrometers and about 1 mm. Examples of refractive optical elements are microlens arrays and Fresnel lenses. Further variants for raster elements can be found in the applicant's US Pat. No. 6,285,443, the content of which is made
  • the invention is based on the discovery that this is from a laser or other comparable light source generated projection light is no longer completely linearly polarized under certain circumstances when it strikes the first optical element which increases the light conductance and thus enters the more polarization-sensitive part of the lighting system.
  • the disturbances that cause this are generated by optical elements which are arranged between the laser and the first optical-element-increasing optical element.
  • This is, in particular, a beam expansion unit that expands the projection light generated by the laser into an essentially parallel beam without increasing the light conductance.
  • the beam processing reduces the intensities on subsequent optical elements and thus prevents damage from the high-energy and highly focused laser beam.
  • the beam expansion unit usually contains a few lenses, but can also be constructed exclusively from mirrors, as is described in US Pat. No. 5,343,498.
  • disturbances in the polarization state can also be caused or amplified by deflecting mirrors, which are often arranged between the laser and the first light-conducting value-increasing element and serve to fold the beam path.
  • the high-energy laser beam leads to signs of degradation of the above-mentioned optical elements after some time.
  • it can be, in particular in the case of expansion unit contained lenses, for compacting, for the formation of so-called microchannels and for polarization-induced birefringence.
  • the optical materials change in such a way that they become birefringent.
  • birefringent materials lead to disturbances in the polarization state.
  • a polarizer is arranged as close as possible in front of the first light-conducting value-increasing optical element in the manner according to the invention, it is ensured that the projection light which passes through the more polarization-sensitive optical elements of the lighting system is always completely linearly polarized even after longer operating times.
  • the arrangement of a polarizer before the first light-conducting value-increasing optical element is expedient because the projection light is still present at this point as a collimated beam, the cross-section of which is comparatively small.
  • the projection light already has a wider angular distribution and also a larger bundle cross section.
  • a polarizer behind the first optical value-increasing optical element would have to act largely independently of the angle and, furthermore, would have larger dimensions overall due to the larger bundle cross section.
  • in front of the first optical element which increases the light conductance Polarizers with a particularly simple structure and small dimensions can be used.
  • polarizers In principle, all optical components which serve to generate linearly polarized light are considered as polarizers here. Many of the polarizers commonly used in optics, e.g. dichroic crystals or organically colored foils, however, cannot be used in lighting devices whose light sources generate very short-wave projection light.
  • New wire polarizers as described in an article by H. Tamada et al. with the title "AI wire-grid polarizer using the s-polarization resonance effect at the 0.8- ⁇ m wavelength band", Optics Letters, Vol. 22, No. 6, 1997, pages 419-420, are at least not subject to the principle.
  • special lattices in which a high polarization Selectivity is achieved through a combination of shape birefringence and resonance effects in multilayer systems.
  • Such grids are described in an article by R.-C. Tyan et al with the title “Polarizing beam Splitters constructed of form-birefringent multilayer gratings", SPIE Proceedings: Diffractive and Holographie Optics Technology III, Volume 2689, pages 82 to 89, 1996.
  • polarization-selective beam splitter layers which are applied to a transparent support.
  • These beam splitter layers are layer structures which have the property of being largely transparent to incident light in a first polarization state and of being largely reflective of light in a second polarization state which differs from the first polarization state.
  • the difference in transmittance for the different polarization states depends on the angle at which the light strikes the beam splitter layer. But since the polarizer according to the invention in parallel
  • the beam splitter layer can be optimally aligned with the direction of incidence of the light rays. In this way, degrees of polarization of well over 90% can be achieved.
  • a prism can be used as the carrier for the beam splitter layer, the geometry of which is selected according to the desired angle of incidence. assigns If the beam splitter layer is applied between two prism-shaped carriers in order to compensate for the refractive action of the carriers, a beam splitter cube is produced, as is known per se in the prior art. On the other hand, if the carrier is a thin transparent plate, one speaks mostly of thin-film polarizers.
  • the carrier of the beam splitter layer preferably consists of a crystalline material, for example calcium fluoride, barium fluoride, magnesium fluoride or quartz.
  • Crystalline materials have the advantage that they do not degrade as quickly as glass-like materials under linearly polarized radiation.
  • the crystalline materials preferred at particularly short wavelengths due to their higher transparency, e.g. Calcium fluoride has the disadvantage, however, that it is intrinsically birefringent.
  • the polarizer is arranged in the parallel beam path, all light rays pass through the carrier at the same angle. It is therefore possible to align the crystal lattice of the crystalline material, taking into account the direction of incidence of the light striking the material, in such a way that influences on the projection light due to intrinsic birefringence of the material are minimal.
  • the polarizer can also be a plate made of a transparent material that extends at a Brewster angle to the axis of the incident light. is aimed. The reflected light is then linearly polarized. To increase the yield, a plurality of transparent plates can also be staggered one behind the other, as is known per se in the prior art.
  • the projection light bundle is highly collimated, so that the individual light beams run practically parallel to an optical axis OA of the lighting system 10.
  • a single projection light beam is indicated by a solid line and is designated by 14.
  • the emitted projection light is highly linearly polarized.
  • the direction of polarization is perpendicular to the plane of the paper, as indicated by points 16 on the projection light beam 14. Since the pa represents the plane of incidence for the projection light beam 14, the projection light beam 14 is thus s-polarized.
  • the projection light beam 14 After emerging from the excimer laser 12, the projection light beam 14 first enters a beam expansion unit 18, which enlarges the cross section of the projection light beam, but maintains the parallelism of the projection light beams and does not change the light conductance.
  • the beam expansion unit 18 is only shown with two lenses 20, 22 in the exemplary embodiment shown. However, it can just as well contain three or more lenses or be constructed exclusively from mirrors.
  • Very high energy densities are achieved in the areas of the lenses 20, 22 which are exposed to the high-energy projection light. Due to the non-negligible absorption of the lens material, this not only leads to heating of the lenses, but also to permanent signs of degradation. For example, a compactification can occur in the areas penetrated by projection light, in which the lens material, for example quartz glass or the calcium fluoride that is more transparent at shorter wavelengths, undergoes local compaction. In general, the anisotropy of the material is lost, making it optically birefringent. In addition, the high-energy projection light can also cause the formation of so-called microchannels, which also have a birefringent effect.
  • the lens material for example quartz glass or the calcium fluoride that is more transparent at shorter wavelengths
  • the widened projection light bundle is then fed via a plurality of deflection mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32 serving to fold the beam path to the other optical elements of the illumination system 10, which modify the angle distribution and cross section of the projection light bundle. Since the projection light has already been expanded by the expansion unit 18, the intensities on the deflection mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32 are lower than is the case, for example, with the first lens 20 of the expansion unit 18. Still it can As a result of the high-energy projection light, even in the sensitive reflective coatings of the deflecting mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32, permanent damage occurs which changes the polarization state of the projection light.
  • the deflection mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32 generally influence the polarization state of the deflected projection light, since the reflectivity of the deflection mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32 depends - albeit slightly - on the direction of polarization. In this way, the intensity ratio between the two orthogonal polarization components indicated by points 16 and double arrows 24 in the drawing can be changed. If the reflectivity of the deflecting mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32 is lower for the s-polarized light indicated by points 16 than for p-polarized light indicated by double arrows 24, the degree of linear polarization of the projection light is reduced by the folding of the Beam path at the deflecting mirrors 26, 28, 30, 32 further. In the drawing, this is indicated by the fact that the length of the double arrow 24 has increased at 35.
  • a polarizer 34 which is designed as a beam splitter cube, is inserted into the beam path behind the last deflecting mirror 32.
  • the polarizer 34 consists of two transparent prisms 36, 38, between which a polarization-selective
  • Beam splitter layer 40 is arranged.
  • the beam splitter layer 40 has the property that it is transparent to p-polarized light and reflective to s-polarized light.
  • the s-polarized component of the projection light indicated by points 16 in the drawing is thus reflected on the beam splitter layer 40 and deflected out of the beam path. Only the p-polarized component 24 of the projection light passes through the polarizer 34 and arrives at the subsequent optical elements of the lighting system 10.
  • the prisms 36, 38 consist of calcium fluoride crystals which are oriented in such a way that the intrinsic birefringence is minimal in the given beam and polarization direction. This can be achieved, for example, by aligning the crystal lattice so that the [100] or [111] crystal axis runs parallel to the optical axis OA. In both cases, the amount of birefringence is negligible, regardless of the direction of polarization.
  • the polarization light which is completely linearly polarized again after exiting the polarizer 34 passes through a diffractive optical element 42 in which the light conductance is increased for the first time.
  • a diffractive optical element 42 Arranged behind the diffractive optical element 42 are a zoom group 44 with lenses 46, 48, at least one of which can be displaced in the direction of a double arrow 50 along the optical axis OA.
  • axicon group 52 with axicon elements 54, 56, at least one of which is likewise displaceable parallel to the optical axis OA in the direction indicated by a double arrow 58.
  • the first diffractive optical element 42, the zoom group 44 and the axicon group 52 together define the intensity distribution in a pupil plane 62 and thus the angular distribution of the projection light in a field plane conjugated to it.
  • the geometry of the illuminated field is essentially defined by a second diffractive optical element 60, which is arranged in the pupil plane 62.
  • a condenser lens 64 conjugates the pupil plane 62 with a field plane 66 in which a masking device 68 is arranged.
  • a masking objective 70 images the masking device 68 onto a reticle plane 72, in which a reticle 74 to be illuminated is arranged. In this way, the reticle 74 is illuminated with sharp edges and with uniform brightness.
  • the lighting system has only been described above in an exemplary and simplified manner.
  • lighting systems contain substantial more than the optical elements mentioned here.
  • the condenser lens 64 is generally larger, multi-lens optical units. Additional optical elements are generally also arranged between the two diffractive optical elements 42 and 60.
  • US Pat. No. 5,285,443 A for further details, the content of which is made the subject of the present application in its entirety.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Polarising Elements (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système d'éclairage d'un dispositif d'éclairage par projection micro-lithographique contenant une source lumineuse (12), qui produit un éclairage polarisé linéaire. Un polariseur (34) est disposé dans la trajectoire des rayons avant un élément (42) optique augmentant sensiblement une première fois la conductance de la lumière, aucun élément réfléchissant ou réfractif ne se trouvant de préférence entre le polariseur (34) et l'élément optique (42). Les perturbations de l'état de polarisation provoquées par des éléments optiques ne peuvent pas agir sur les éléments optiques sensibles à la polarisation à l'arrière de l'élément optique (42).
EP05768800A 2004-06-10 2005-06-02 Systeme d'eclairage d'un dispositif d'eclairage par projection micro-lithographique Withdrawn EP1754111A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US57875404P 2004-06-10 2004-06-10
PCT/EP2005/005931 WO2005121900A1 (fr) 2004-06-10 2005-06-02 Systeme d'eclairage d'un dispositif d'eclairage par projection micro-lithographique

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1754111A1 true EP1754111A1 (fr) 2007-02-21

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EP05768800A Withdrawn EP1754111A1 (fr) 2004-06-10 2005-06-02 Systeme d'eclairage d'un dispositif d'eclairage par projection micro-lithographique

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EP (1) EP1754111A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2005121900A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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DE102006012034A1 (de) * 2006-03-14 2007-09-20 Carl Zeiss Smt Ag Optisches System, insbesondere in einer Beleuchtungseinrichtung einer Projektionsbelichtungsanlage
CN101526755B (zh) * 2009-04-21 2011-01-05 清华大学 一种193nm浸没式光刻照明系统
CN104698764B (zh) * 2013-12-10 2017-01-25 上海微电子装备有限公司 对准成像装置
CN110554571B (zh) * 2018-05-31 2021-04-30 上海微电子装备（集团）股份有限公司 一种照明系统、曝光系统及光刻设备
US20220075200A1 (en) * 2019-02-14 2022-03-10 Hangzhou Uphoton Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. Beam-splitting optical module and manufacturing method thereof

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KR0166612B1 (ko) * 1993-10-29 1999-02-01 가나이 쓰토무 패턴노광방법 및 그 장치와 그것에 이용되는 마스크와 그것을 이용하여 만들어진 반도체 집적회로
US5559583A (en) * 1994-02-24 1996-09-24 Nec Corporation Exposure system and illuminating apparatus used therein and method for exposing a resist film on a wafer
DE19545821A1 (de) * 1995-12-08 1997-06-12 Friedrich Dipl Ing Luellau Vorrichtung zum Belichten von Druckplatten
WO2000046637A1 (fr) * 1999-02-04 2000-08-10 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Projecteur et dispositif d'affichage comprenant un element optique pour assurer une diffraction et une diffusion
US6480330B1 (en) * 2000-02-24 2002-11-12 Silicon Valley Group, Inc. Ultraviolet polarization beam splitter for microlithography
US6904073B2 (en) * 2001-01-29 2005-06-07 Cymer, Inc. High power deep ultraviolet laser with long life optics
JP3958163B2 (ja) * 2002-09-19 2007-08-15 キヤノン株式会社 露光方法

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