Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, device production method, and light polarization unit

• US 10,175,583 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Tanitsu, Osamu, Tanaka, Hirohisa, Kato, Kinya, Mori, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Application Number:
  US15/424,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20170184978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0816 by means of one or more reflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/286 for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0007 Filters, e.g. additive colour filters; Components for display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70116 Off-axis setting using a programmable means, e.g. liquid crystal display [LCD], digital micromirror device [DMD] or pupil facets
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70191 Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for controlling intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70566 Polarisation control

Abstract

An illumination optical system which illuminates an illumination objective surface with a light from a light source. The illumination optical system includes a spatial light modulator which includes a plurality of optical elements arranged within a predetermined plane and controlled individually, and which forms a light intensity distribution in an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system; and a polarization unit which is arranged in a position optically conjugate with the predetermined plane, and which polarizes an incident light beam having a first and second partial light beams, coming into the polarization unit such that the first and second partial light beams have polarization states different from each other, and emits the polarized incident light beam as an outgoing light beam, wherein the polarization unit changes, in a cross section of the outgoing light beam, a ratio between a cross sectional areas of the first and second partial light beams.

Claims

1. An illumination optical system which illuminates an object with an illumination light, the illumination optical system comprising:

a fly'"'"'s-eye lens having a back focal plane arranged on a pupil plane of the illumination optical system or in a vicinity of the pupil plane, the pupil plane being in a substantially optical Fourier transform relation with a predetermined plane on which the object is to be arranged;

a spatial light modulator which is arranged on an incident side of the fly'"'"'s-eye lens and which includes a plurality of mirror elements; and

a polarization unit including a plurality of optical elements each of which is capable of being arranged in an optical path of the illumination light and each of which changes a polarization state of the illumination light, wherein

the spatial light modulator is capable of changing an intensity distribution, of the illumination light, on the pupil plane, and is capable of forming the intensity distribution, on the pupil plane, in which at least a part of the illumination light is distributed to an off-axis region deviated from an optical axis of the illumination optical system,

a first optical element among the plurality of optical elements of the polarization unit transforms a polarization state of the illumination light coming into the first optical element with the polarization state in which a linearly polarized light having a polarization direction in a predetermined one direction is a main component such that the at least a part of the illumination light, in the off-axis region, is linearly polarized light having a polarizing direction in a circumferential direction around the optical axis, to make the at least the part of the illumination light illuminated on the object via the off-axis region have a polarization state in which s-polarized light is a main component,

an oblique light, included in the illumination light, which comes into the first optical element obliquely to the optical axis is imparted a polarization state different from a linear polarization having a polarizing direction in the circumferential direction via the first optical element and is distributed to the off-axis region, and a vertical light, included in the illumination light, which comes into the first optical element substantially vertically is imparted the linear polarization having the polarizing direction in the circumferential direction via the first optical element and is distributed to the off-axis region,

the polarization unit includes a correction optical element which transforms the oblique light such that the oblique light on the pupil plane is the linearly polarized light having the polarizing direction in the circumferential direction, the correction optical element being different from the first optical element.

2. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein the correction optical element is arranged adjacent to the first optical element on an exit side of the first optical element.

3. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein the correction optical element includes a phase difference imparting member which imparts a phase difference to the illumination light.

4. The illumination optical system according to claim 3, wherein the phase difference imparting member is arranged such that the phase difference imparting member and the first optical element have substantially optical Fourier transform relation.

5. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the polarization unit is arranged on an incident side of the spatial light modulator.

6. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the polarization unit is arranged in an optical path between the spatial light modulator and the fly'"'"'s-eye lens.

7. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein the polarization unit is arranged in the optical path such that the first optical element and a second optical element are partially overlapped with respect to a direction orthogonal to the optical axis, the second optical element being included in the plurality of optical elements of the polarization unit and being different from the first optical element, and

the spatial light modulator is driven such that a first light included in the illumination light is distributed to a first region in the off-axis region through both of the first and second elements, a second light included in the illumination light is distributed to a second region in the off-axis region through one of the first and second optical elements, the second light and the second region being different from the first light and the first region respectively.

8. The illumination optical system according to claim 7, wherein each of the first optical element and the second optical element is arranged at a conjugate position conjugate with the pupil plane or in the vicinity of the conjugate position.

9. The illumination optical system according to claim 8, wherein the first and second optical elements are arranged at positions different from each other with respect to a direction parallel to the optical axis.

10. The illumination optical system according to claim 9, wherein the first and second optical elements are arranged adjacent to each other.

11. The illumination optical system according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second optical elements is arranged substantially conjugate with an arrangement plane on which the plurality of mirror elements of the spatial light modulator are arranged.

12. The illumination optical system according to claim 11, wherein the spatial light modulator is arranged such that the arrangement plane and the pupil plane have substantially optical Fourier transform relation.

13. The illumination optical system according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second optical elements is made of an optical material having an optical activity, and is arranged such that optic axes of the first and second optical elements are substantially identical to the optical axis.

14. The illumination optical system according to claim 13, wherein the first and second optical elements have thicknesses, with respect to a direction parallel to the optical axis, different from each other.

15. The illumination optical system according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second optical elements is a wave plate, and the first and second optical elements are arranged such that optic axes of the first and second optical elements are substantially orthogonal to the optical axis.

16. The illumination optical system according to claim 7, wherein the spatial light modulator is driven such that a third light included in the illumination light is distributed to a third region in the off-axis region through the other of the first and second optical elements, the third light being different from the first and second lights and the third region being different from the first and second regions.

17. The illumination optical system according to claim 16, wherein the first and second optical elements have polarization transformation properties different from each other such that a direction of the linear polarization of the second light on the pupil plane and a direction of the linear polarization of the third light on the pupil plane are different from each other.

18. The illumination optical system according to claim 16, wherein the spatial light modulator is driven such that a fourth light included in the illumination light is distributed to a fourth region in the off-axis region bypassing both of the first and second optical elements, the fourth light being different from the first, second and third lights and the fourth region being different from the first, second and third regions.

19. The illumination optical system according to claim 18, wherein polarization states of the first, second, third and fourth lights are transformed such that directions of the linear polarization of the first, second, third and fourth lights on the pupil plane are different from each other.

20. The illumination optical system according to claim 19, further comprising a uniformization element which is arranged on an incident side of the spatial light modulator and which realizes a substantially uniform intensity distribution of the illumination light on the spatial light modulator.

21. The illumination optical system according to claim 20, further comprising at least one mirror which is arranged between the fly'"'"'s eye lens and the first and second optical elements of the polarization unit, wherein

at least a part of the illumination light distributed to the off-axis region includes a light which is imparted a polarization state different from the linear polarization having the polarizing direction in the circumferential direction by the at least one mirror, and

the polarization unit includes a phase modulation member which modulates a phase of at least a part of the illumination light such that the light on the pupil plane is a linearly polarized light of which polarization direction is the circumferential direction.

22. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate with an illumination light, the exposure apparatus comprising:

the illumination optical system as defined in claim 1 that illuminates a mask with the illumination light; and

a projection optical system which forms a pattern image of the mask onto the substrate,

wherein a pupil plane of the illumination optical system and a pupil plane of the projection optical system are arranged substantially conjugate with each other.

23. A device manufacture method comprising:

exposing a substrate by using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 22; and

developing the exposed substrate.

24. A manufacture method of an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate with an illumination light, the manufacture method comprising:

providing the illumination optical system as defined in claim 1 that illuminates a mask with the illumination light; and

providing a projection optical system which forms a pattern image of the mask onto the substrate,

wherein a pupil plane of the illumination optical system and a pupil plane of the projection optical system are arranged substantially conjugate with each other.