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
  • G03F7/70483—Information management; Active and passive control; Testing; Wafer monitoring, e.g. pattern monitoring
  • G03F7/70491—Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring processes
  • G03F7/705—Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions
  • G03F7/70504—Optical system modelling, e.g. lens heating models
• • 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
  • G03F7/708—Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials
  • G03F7/70858—Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature
  • G03F7/70883—Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature of optical system
  • G03F7/70891—Temperature
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
  • G02B5/08—Mirrors
  • G02B5/0891—Ultraviolet [UV] mirrors
• • 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
  • G03F7/70216—Mask projection systems
  • G03F7/70258—Projection system adjustments, e.g. adjustments during exposure or alignment during assembly of projection system
  • G03F7/70266—Adaptive optics, e.g. deformable optical elements for wavefront control, e.g. for aberration adjustment or correction
• • 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
  • G03F7/70491—Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring processes
  • G03F7/705—Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions
• • 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
  • G03F7/70491—Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring processes
  • G03F7/70525—Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for heating an optical element in a microlithographic projection exposure system, and an optical system.
• Microlithography is used to produce microstructured components, such as integrated circuits or LCDs, for example.
• the microlithographic process is carried out in what is known as a projection exposure system, which has an illumination device and a projection lens.
• a substrate e.g. a silicon wafer
• photoresist light-sensitive layer
• mirrors are used as optical components for the imaging process due to the lack of availability of suitable transparent refractive materials.
• a problem that occurs in practice is that the EUV mirrors, due to absorption of the radiation emitted by the EUV light source, experience heating and associated thermal expansion or deformation, which in turn results in impairment of the imaging properties of the optical system can.
• a heating arrangement for example based on infrared radiation.
• this active mirror heating is reduced accordingly with increasing absorption of the EUV useful radiation.
• One or more temperature sensors can be attached to the EUV mirror, with the heating power introduced by the heating arrangement in the respective EUV mirror being controlled on the basis of a target value for the temperature achieved at the location of the relevant temperature sensor.
• a heating power is introduced into the optical element using a heating arrangement, with this heating power being regulated on the basis of a target value, with this target value being varied over time during the operation of the projection exposure system, and wherein varying the setpoint for the heating power comprises a simulation of the respective effect of changes in the heating power compared to its actual value based on a model for the thermal behavior of the optical element.
• the invention is based in particular on the concept of realizing the regulation of the heating power introduced by a heating arrangement into an optical element in a microlithographic projection exposure system dynamically on the basis of a target value that is set to vary over time during operation of the projection exposure system in question, in order in this way to optical system or the projection exposure system into account or to consider available information during the operation of the optical system.
• the invention particularly includes the principle of using models to determine the effects of changes in the heating power introduced into the optical element by the heating arrangement in comparison to the respective (actual) values and then depending on the effects determined in this way during the operation of the optical system, if necessary to specify new heating output setpoints for said regulation.
• the aforementioned effects of changes in the heating power can relate in particular to the respective wavefront properties of the optical system (eg the wavefront provided in the image or wafer plane of the projection lens of a microlithographic projection exposure system).
• the model-based determination of the effects of a change in the respective Heating power include performing an optical forward propagation for the optical system in question.
• the wavefront provided by the optical system in a specific plane (for example in the wafer plane of a projection lens) can also be measured.
• corresponding measurement results can be used to calibrate the aforementioned forward propagation or said model.
• the setpoint value is varied taking into account an illumination setting currently set in the projection exposure system.
• the setpoint value is varied taking into account a reticle currently used in the projection exposure system.
• the setpoint value is varied as a function of a measurement of an intensity distribution currently present in a predetermined plane of the projection exposure system.
• the model is created taking into account a known spatial distribution of the zero crossing temperature in the material of the optical element.
• the model is generated using an artificial intelligence method, with the model being trained using a large number of training data in a learning phase, with the training data each comprising values of the heating power and wavefront properties of the projection exposure system associated with these values.
• these training data are provided at least partially using a model-based simulation of the wavefront properties to be expected for different operating states of the projection exposure system.
• these training data are provided at least in part on the basis of wavefront properties measured in the past in the projection exposure system for different operating states.
• the optical element is heated in such a way that a local and/or temporal variation in a temperature distribution in the optical element is reduced.
• the optical element is heated in such a way that an optical aberration caused elsewhere in the projection exposure apparatus is at least partially compensated.
• the optical element is a mirror.
• the optical element is designed for a working wavelength of less than 30 nm, in particular less than 15 nm.
• the invention further relates to an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure system, with at least one optical element, a heating arrangement for heating this optical element, and a Control unit for controlling the heating power introduced into the optical element by the heating arrangement on the basis of a target value, this target value being varied over time during operation of the optical system, and the variation of the target value for the heating power simulating the respective effect of changes in the heating power compared to their actual value based on a model for the thermal behavior of the optical element.
• the optical system is configured to carry out a method having the features described above.
• advantages and other preferred configurations of the optical system reference is made to the above statements in connection with the method according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the possible structure of a microlithographic projection exposure system designed for operation in the EUV;
• FIG. 2 shows a greatly simplified diagram for explaining a basic possible sequence of a method according to the invention for heating an optical element
• FIG. 3 shows a diagram to explain the possible sequence of the model-based online simulation carried out in the method according to FIG. 2 for determining new heating power target values.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a projection exposure system 1 designed for operation in EUV, in which the invention can be implemented, for example.
• the projection exposure system 1 has an illumination device 2 and a projection lens 10 .
• the illumination device 2 is used to illuminate an object field 5 in an object plane 6 with radiation from a radiation source 3 via an illumination optics 4 .
• a reticle 7 arranged in the object field 5 is exposed here.
• the reticle 7 is held by a reticle holder 8 .
• the reticle holder 8 can be displaced via a reticle displacement drive 9, in particular in a scanning direction.
• a Cartesian xyz coordinate system is shown in FIG. 1 for explanation.
• the x-direction runs perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
• the y-direction is horizontal and the z-direction is vertical.
• the scanning direction runs along the y-direction in FIG.
• the z-direction runs perpendicular to the object plane 6.
• the projection lens 10 is used to image the object field 5 in an image field 11 in an image plane 12.
• a structure on the reticle 7 is imaged on a light-sensitive layer of a wafer 13 arranged in the region of the image field 11 in the image plane 12.
• the wafer 13 is held in a wafer holder 14.
• the wafer holder 14 can be displaced via a wafer displacement drive 15, in particular along the y-direction.
• the displacement of the reticle 7 via the reticle displacement drive 9 on the one hand and the wafer on the other hand 13 via the wafer displacement drive 15 can be synchronized with one another.
• the radiation source 3 is an EUV radiation source.
• the radiation source 3 emits in particular EUV radiation, which is also referred to below as useful radiation or illumination radiation.
• the useful radiation has a wavelength in the range between 5 nm and 30 nm.
• the radiation source 3 can be, for example, a plasma source, a synchrotron-based radiation source or a free-electron laser (“free-electron laser”). , FEL).
• the illumination radiation 16, which emanates from the radiation source 3, is bundled by a collector 17 and propagates through an intermediate focus in an intermediate focal plane 18 into the illumination optics 4.
• the illumination optics 4 has a deflection mirror 19 and, downstream of this in the beam path, a first facet mirror 20 (with schematically indicated facets 21) and a second facet mirror 22 (with schematically indicated facets 23).
• the projection objective 10 has six mirrors M1 to M6.
• Alternatives with four, eight, ten, twelve or another number of mirrors Mi are also possible, please include.
• the penultimate mirror M5 and the last mirror M6 each have a passage opening for the illumination radiation 16 .
• the projection lens 10 is a doubly obscured optics.
• the projection lens 10 has an image-side numerical aperture which, for example, can be greater than 0.3, and in particular also greater than 0.5, more particularly greater than 0.6.
• the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the optical effective surface of the mirror is partially absorbed and, as explained at the outset, leads to heating and an associated thermal expansion or deformation. which in turn can impair the imaging properties of the optical system.
• an active mirror heating can now take place via a preheater in phases of comparatively low absorption of useful EUV radiation, with this active mirror heating being correspondingly reduced with increasing absorption of the useful EUV radiation.
• the heating power which is introduced into at least one of the mirrors by a corresponding heating arrangement, is controlled on the basis of a target value that varies over time during operation of the optical system or the projection exposure system.
• a target value that varies over time during operation of the optical system or the projection exposure system.
• a heating arrangement is drawn in only schematically and is denoted by “25”, this heating arrangement 25 being used in the example to introduce heating power into the mirror M3.
• the invention is not further restricted with regard to the way in which heating power is introduced or the design of the heating arrangement used for this purpose. Only in the case of games, for example, can the heating power be introduced in a manner known per se via infrared emitters or also via bare electrodes which are acted upon with electrical voltage and are arranged on the optical element or mirror to be heated.
• the invention is not further restricted with regard to the number of optical elements or mirrors to be heated, so that the regulation according to the invention can be applied to the heating of only a single optical element or also to the heating of a plurality of optical elements.
• 2 first shows a highly simplified diagram for explaining an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention.
• a simulative determination of the effects of changes takes place “online” or during operation of the optical system in a function block 220 based on a model (i.e. on the basis of a “thermal model” simulating the thermal state of the optical element or mirror).
• the fleet power compared to the respective actual value with regard to the wavefront properties provided by the optical system.
• This simulative determination of the respective effects of changes in the heat output is carried out according to FIG. 2 on the basis of input data provided in a function block 210, which includes both the light distribution present in relation to the optical beam path after the reticle and the current heat output radiated by the heating arrangement include P(t).
• a determination of the effects of a change in the respective heating power carried out in function block 220 can in particular include a model-based optical forward propagation in the optical system, for which in turn, according to function block 230, an online calibration based on temperature sensor data (e.g. at least one on the respective optical element or mirror temperature sensor) and wavefront data (e.g. from a wavefront sensor located in the area of the wafer plane).
• temperature sensor data e.g. at least one on the respective optical element or mirror temperature sensor
• wavefront data e.g. from a wavefront sensor located in the area of the wafer plane.
• FIG. 3 shows a diagram for a more detailed explanation of the model-based determination of new heating power target values during the operation of the optical system, which takes place in the method according to the invention.
• the optimization can also be carried out only by selecting the best parameters in the comparison path with regard to a merit function, i.e. without explicit simulation of the reference path.
• the merit function can, for example, minimize the wavefront error W or certain wavefront properties that are particularly relevant for the respective application, such as coma or astigmatism.
• the last step shown in FIG. 3 is the calculation of imaging properties based on the wavefront not mandatory.
• the wavefront itself is often not the most relevant application variable, but rather the imaging properties resulting from the wavefront.
• This influence can be calculated from the wavefront using simulation models or, in particular, using sensitivities to wavefront errors determined in advance. Such errors are typically minimized using the merit function.
• the thermal model used as a basis for determining the effects of changes in the respective fleet power can be generated using a method of artificial intelligence, with the model being trained in a learning phase using a large number of training data takes place.
• These training data can each include values of the heating power and wavefront properties of the projection exposure system assigned to these values and can be provided using a model-based simulation of the wavefront properties to be expected for different operating states of the projection exposure system and/or based on wavefront properties measured in the past in the projection exposure system for different operating states.
• targeted “calibration measurements” can be carried out during the commissioning of the system, for example, in which parameter combinations regarded as representative for the later application are varied.
• Training with the help of measurements can be used in particular if a sufficiently precise simulation is not available. This could, for example, be caused by the available simulation model itself or by a limited accuracy of the incoming conditions (e.g. knowledge of the real material properties or thermal ambient conditions of the mirror).
• Training with simulation data has the particular advantage that no measurement time is required on the system and conditions can be mapped that cannot be generated on the system at the time of training.
• a combination of initial training with data generated in a simulation and subsequent training with measurement data from the system itself can combine the advantages of both training methods.
• the use of artificial intelligence is particularly attractive because, in the present invention, the heating performance is optimized during operation of the system, preferably with a high throughput (“online”). This results in demanding requirements for the time required for the optimization, which can be met by the acceleration potential typical in the application phase of artificial intelligence (e.g. in comparison to complex physical simulations).
• the heating of the at least one optical element or mirror takes place in order to achieve a local and/or temporal To reduce the variation of a temperature distribution in the optical element or thermally induced deformations associated therewith, the invention is not restricted to this.
• the at least one optical element or mirror can also be heated in order to at least partially compensate for an optical aberration caused elsewhere in the projection exposure system.

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• 2021
  • 2021-02-10 DE DE102021201258.2A patent/DE102021201258A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2021-11-08 WO PCT/EP2021/080878 patent/WO2022171321A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2021-11-08 KR KR1020237026775A patent/KR20230138475A/ko active Pending
  • 2021-11-08 CN CN202180093190.4A patent/CN116830044A/zh active Pending
  • 2021-11-08 JP JP2023547707A patent/JP2024506046A/ja active Pending
• 2023
  • 2023-06-27 US US18/342,377 patent/US12353141B2/en active Active

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