Illumination optical apparatus, exposure apparatus, and exposure method with optical member with optical rotatory power to rotate linear polarization direction

• US 10,281,632 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Toyoda, Mitsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Kreutzer, Colin
• Application Number:
  US13/137,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20110299055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,829 Days
• Field of Search: 355 71, 355 67, 355 53, 359494
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0927 Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0944 Diffractive optical elements, e.g. gratings, holograms gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms used as optical elements per se G02B5/32
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/28 for polarising used in stereoscopes G02B30/25
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4233 having a diffractive element [DOE] contributing to a non-imaging application diffusers having a diffractive element G02B5/0252; filters having a diffractive element G02B5/203; systems for controlling the direction of light having diffractive elements G02B26/0808; scanning systems having diffractive elements G02B26/106; beam shaping systems using diffractive optical elements G02B27/0944; beam splitting or combining systems operating by diffraction G02B27/1086
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4261 having a diffractive element with major polarization dependent properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3025 Polarisers, i.e. arrangements capable of producing a definite output polarisation state from an unpolarised input state G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70091 Illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane; On-axis or off-axis settings, e.g. annular, dipole or quadrupole settings; Partial coherence control, i.e. sigma or numerical aperture [NA]
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70108 Off-axis setting using a light-guiding element, e.g. diffractive optical elements [DOEs] or light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70158 Diffractive optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70566 Polarisation control

Abstract

An illumination optical apparatus illuminates a pattern on a mask with illumination light. The illumination optical apparatus includes an optical integrator arranged in an optical path of the illumination light, and a polarization member made of optical material with optical rotatory power, which is arranged in the optical path on an incidence side of the optical integrator, and which changes a polarization state of the illumination light. The illumination light from the polarization member is irradiated onto the pattern through a pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus.

Claims

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

an optical member made of an optical material with optical rotatory power, which rotates a polarization direction of a linear polarization incident on the optical member,

the optical member being arranged in an optical path of the light so that an optic axis of the optical material of the optical member is substantially parallel to an optical axis of the illumination optical apparatus at a location where the optical material is arranged; and

an optical integrator arranged in the optical path of the light on an exit side of the optical member,

wherein the optical member is arranged so that the optical member and a pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus are substantially conjugate with each other, the pupil plane substantially being located at a rear focal plane of the optical integrator, and

wherein the light of which a polarization direction is rotated by the optical member on the basis of the optical rotatory power is irradiated onto the object through the pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus.

2. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate with light from a predetermined pattern on a mask, the exposure apparatus comprising:

the illumination optical apparatus as defined in claim 1, which illuminates the predetermined pattern; and

a projection optical system which projects an image of the predetermined pattern, being illuminated by the illumination optical apparatus, onto the substrate.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image of the predetermined pattern is projected onto the substrate through a liquid disposed in an optical path between the projection optical system and the substrate.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

a polarization state of the light from the pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus is a state in which a principal component is s-polarized light on the mask.

5. An exposure method comprising:

illuminating the predetermined pattern by using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 2; and

projecting the image of the predetermined pattern onto a photosensitive substrate by using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 2.

6. A device manufacturing method comprising:

illuminating the predetermined pattern using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 2;

projecting the image of the predetermined pattern onto a photosensitive substrate by using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 2; and

developing the photosensitive substrate.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light from the pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus is irradiated onto the mask in a polarization state in which a principal component is S-polarized light.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical member of the illumination optical apparatus rotates a polarization direction of the light so that the polarization direction of the light in a region on the pupil plane is substantially coincident with a circumferential direction about the optical axis, the region being distributed away from the optical axis on the pupil plane.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a first thickness of the optical member in an optical path of a first partial light of the light is different from a second thickness of the optical member in an optical path of a second partial light of the light different from the first partial light, and

wherein the first partial light passes through a first position in the region on the pupil plane, and the second partial light passes through a second position in the region on the pupil plane, the second position being different from the first position.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the region on the pupil plane is an annular region about the optical axis.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the region on the pupil plane comprises a plurality of substantially discrete regions within an annular region about the optical axis.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the region on the pupil plane comprises a plurality of substantially discrete regions which are aligned along a circumference about the optical axis.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of the regions on the pupil plane comprises a pair of regions which is arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the optical integrator comprises a fly'"'"'s eye lens.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the optical integrator is an optical integrator of wavefront splitting type.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an optical system arranged in the optical path between the optical member and the optical integrator, the optical system forming a conjugated position relative to the pupil plane in combination with the optical integrator.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the optical system comprises a lens system of which a rear focal plane is substantially arranged at an entrance surface of the optical integrator, and

wherein the optical member is arranged so that the optical member and a front focal plane of the lens system are substantially conjugate with each other.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the optical system comprises a first lens system and a second lens system, the first lens system being arranged between the optical member and the optical integrator so as to form an intermediate conjugated position substantially conjugate with the optical member, the second lens system being arranged between the intermediate conjugated position and the optical integrator so that the intermediate conjugated position and an entrance surface of the optical integrator are substantially in the relation of Fourier transform.

19. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light, of which the polarization direction is rotated by the optical member, is irradiated onto the object in a polarization state in which a principal component is S-polarized light.

20. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical member rotates a polarization direction of the light so that the polarization direction of the light in a region on the pupil plane is substantially coincident with a circumferential direction about the optical axis, the region being distributed away from the optical axis on the pupil plane.

21. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a first thickness of the optical member in an optical path of a first partial light of the light is different from a second thickness of the optical member in an optical path of a second partial light of the light different from the first partial light, and

wherein the first partial light passes through a first position in the region on the pupil plane, and the second partial light passes through a second position in the region on the pupil plane, the second position being different from the first position.

22. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the region on the pupil plane is an annular region about the optical axis.

23. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the region on the pupil plane comprises a plurality of substantially discrete regions within an annular region about the optical axis.

24. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the region on the pupil plane comprises a plurality of substantially discrete regions which are aligned along a circumference about the optical axis.

25. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of the regions on the pupil plane comprises a pair of regions which is arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis.

26. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the optical integrator comprises a fly'"'"'s eye lens.

27. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the optical integrator is an optical integrator of wavefront splitting type.

28. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an optical system arranged in the optical path between the optical member and the optical integrator, the optical system forming a conjugated position relative to the pupil plane in combination with the optical integrator.

29. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the optical system comprises a lens system of which a rear focal plane is substantially arranged at an entrance surface of the optical integrator, and

wherein the optical member is arranged so that the optical member and a front focal plane of the lens system are substantially conjugate with each other.

30. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the optical system comprises a first lens system and a second lens system, the first lens system being arranged between the optical member and the optical integrator so as to form an intermediate conjugated position substantially conjugate with the optical member, the second lens system being arranged between the intermediate conjugated position and the optical integrator so that the intermediate conjugated position and an entrance surface of the optical integrator are substantially in the relation of Fourier transform.