Large field of view protection optical system with aberration correctability for flat panel displays

• US 20040263429A1
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Original Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Inventors: Gui, Cheng-Qun, Harned, Robert D., de Jager, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,158,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/061 on-axis systems with at least one of the mirrors having a central aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/52 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70233 Optical aspects of catoptric systems, i.e. comprising only reflective elements, e.g. extreme ultraviolet [EUV] projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70308 Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for manipulating imaging light, e.g. intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or image shift
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/706 Aberration measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70791 Large workpieces, e.g. glass substrates for flat panel displays or solar panels

Abstract

An exposure system for manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs) includes a reticle stage adapted to support a reticle. A substrate stage is adapted to support a substrate. A reflective optical system is adapted adapted to image the reticle onto the substrate. The reflective optical system includes a primary mirror including a first mirror and a second mirror, and a secondary mirror. The reflective optical system has sufficient degrees of freedom for both alignment and correction of third order aberrations when projecting an image of the reticle onto the substrate by reflections off the first mirror, the secondary mirror, and the second mirror.

Claims

1. An exposure system for manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs) comprising:

a reticle stage adapted to support a reticle;

a substrate stage adapted to support a substrate;

a reflective optical system adapted to image said reticle onto said substrate, said reflective optical system comprising a primary mirror including a first mirror and a second mirror, and a secondary mirror,

wherein said reflective optical system has sufficient degrees of freedom for both alignment and correction of aberrations when projecting an image of the reticle onto the substrate by reflections off the first mirror, the secondary mirror, and the second mirror.

2. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said reflective optical system has 1×

magnification.

3. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said reflective optical system has a magnification of between 1×

and 10×

.

4. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said first mirror is aspheric.

5. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said first and second mirrors are concave, and said secondary mirror is convex.

6. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said second mirror is aspheric.

7. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said first, second and secondary mirrors are aspheric.

8. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said secondary mirror is aspheric.

9. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said reflective optical system has at least 14 degrees of freedom.

10. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein a radius of curvature of said secondary mirror is approximately half of radii of curvature of said first and second mirrors.

11. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein centers of curvature of said secondary mirror and said first and second mirrors are nominally coincident.

12. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said exposure system is adapted for 42 inch FPD manufacture.

13. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said exposure system is adapted for 54 inch FPD manufacture.

14. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said exposure system is adapted for 60 inch FPD manufacture.

15. The exposure system of claim 1, wherein said exposure system is adapted for manufacture of FPDs between about 40 and inches diagonal.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said centers of curvatures of said first and second mirrors are displaceable to provide fine magnification adjustment.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said centers of curvatures of said first and second mirrors are displaceable to minimize aberrations resulting from magnification adjustment.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said centers of curvatures of said first and second mirrors are displaceable to correct for any of residual optical manufacturing, coating and mount induced errors.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second mirrors have said substantially the same curvatures.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a parallel glass plate optically aligned between said reticle and said first mirror.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said parallel glass plate includes any of optical glasses, fused silica and optical crystal material.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said glass plate has any of a spherical profile, an aspheric profile, a flat surface and a spherical surface, two spherical surfaces, a spherical surface and an aspherical surface, and two aspherical surfaces.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein any of the spherical and aspherical surfaces have concave curvatures.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein any of the spherical and aspherical surfaces have convex curvatures.

25. The system of claim 1, further including a parallel glass plate optically aligned between said substrate and said second mirror.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said glass plate has any of a spherical profile, an aspheric profile, a flat surface and a spherical surface, two spherical surfaces, a spherical surface and an aspherical surface, and two aspherical surfaces.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said parallel glass plate compensates for residual aberrations.

28. The system of claim 1, further including a first parallel glass plate optically aligned between said reticle and said first mirror and a second parallel glass plate optically aligned between said substrate and said second mirror.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said first and second glass plates have any of a spherical profile, an aspheric profile, a flat surface and a spherical surface, two spherical surfaces, a spherical surface and an aspherical surface, and two aspherical surfaces.

30. The system of claim 1, further including a meniscus lens near said glass plate and between said glass plate and said first concave mirror.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein said meniscus lens has an aspheric profile on one or both of its surfaces.

32. The system of claim 1, further including a nominally flat mirror with an aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said reticle and near said reticle.

33. The system of claim 1, further including a nominally flat mirror with an aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said substrate and near said substrate.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the aspheric profile is different in a vertical and horizontal axes.

35. The system of claim 1, further including a first nominally flat mirror with a first aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said reticle and near said reticle and a second nominally flat mirror with a second aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said substrate and near said substrate.

36. The system of claim 1, further including a powered mirror with an aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said reticle and near said reticle.

37. The system of claim 1, further including a powered mirror with an aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said substrate and near said substrate.

38. The system of claim 1, further including a first powered mirror with a first aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said reticle and near said reticle and a second powered mirror with a second aspheric profile positioned at an angle to said substrate and near said substrate.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is a unit magnification annular optical system.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second mirrors having centers of curvature substantially coincident with said secondary mirror.

41. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second mirrors are substantially symmetrically positioned with respect to a center of said secondary mirror.

43. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said reflective optical system has 1×

magnification.

44. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said first mirror is aspheric.

45. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said third mirror is aspheric.

46. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said first, second and third mirrors are aspheric.

47. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said second mirror is aspheric.

48. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein a radius of curvature of said second mirror is approximately half of radii of curvature of said first and third mirrors.

49. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said reflective optical system has sufficient degrees of freedom for both alignment and correction of third order aberrations.

50. The exposure system of claim 36, wherein said reflective optical system has sufficient degrees of freedom for both alignment and correction of aberrations.

51. The system of claim 36, wherein centers of curvatures of said first and third mirrors are displaceable to provide fine magnification adjustment and to minimize said aberrations resulting from magnification adjustment.

52. The system of claim 36, wherein said first and third mirrors have substantially the same curvature.

53. The system of claim 36, further including a parallel glass plate near at least one of said reticle and said substrate.

54. The system of claim 46, wherein said glass plate has an aspheric profile.

55. The system of claim 36, further including a first parallel glass plate optically aligned between said reticle and said first mirror and a second parallel glass plate optically aligned between said substrate and said third mirror.

56. The system of claim 36, further including a meniscus lens near said glass plate and between said glass plate and said first mirror.

57. The system of claim 49, wherein said meniscus lens has an aspheric profile.

58. The system of claim 36, further including a nominally flat mirror with an aspheric profile positioned so as to fold an optical axis of the system and positioned near at least one of said reticle and said substrate.

59. The system of claim 36, further including a powered mirror with an aspheric profile positioned so as to fold an optical axis of the system and near at least one of said reticle and said substrate.

61. The exposure system of claim 53, wherein said first concave mirror is aspheric.

62. The exposure system of claim 53, wherein said second concave mirror is aspheric.

63. The exposure system of claim 53, wherein said convex mirror is aspheric.

64. The exposure system of claim 53, wherein said reflective optical system has at least 14 degrees of freedom.

65. The exposure system of claim 53, wherein a radius of curvature of said secondary mirror is approximately half of radii of curvature of said first and second mirrors.

66. The system of claim 53, further including a parallel glass plate optically aligned between said mask and said first mirror.

68. The system of claim 53, further including a parallel glass plate optically aligned between said substrate and said second mirror.

69. The system of claim 62, wherein said glass plate has an aspheric profile.

70. The system of claim 53, further including a meniscus lens close to said glass plate and optically aligned between said glass plate and said first concave mirror.

71. The system of claim 65, wherein said meniscus lens has an aspheric profile.

72. The system of claim 53, further including a nominally flat mirror with an aspheric profile positioned so as to fold an optical axis of the system and near said mask.

73. The system of claim 53, further including a nominally flat mirror with an aspheric profile positioned so as to fold an optical axis of the system and near said substrate.

74. The system of claim 53, further including a powered mirror with an aspheric profile positioned so as to fold an optical axis of the system and near said mask.

75. The system of claim 53, further including a powered mirror with an aspheric profile positioned so as to fold an optical axis of the system and near said substrate.

42. An exposure system for manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDS) comprising:

a substrate stage adapted to support an FPD substrate;

a reflective optical system adapted to image a reticle onto said FPD substrate, said reflective optical system consisting of a first mirror, a second mirror, and a third mirror as its powered reflective elements,

wherein said reflective optical system has at least 14 degrees of freedom when projecting an image of the reticle onto the FPD substrate by reflections off the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror.

60. A unit magnification annular optical system for flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing comprising:

a mask having a FPD circuit pattern;

a projection optical system for projecting an image of said mask onto a substrate, said projection optical system including a first concave mirror, a second concave mirror and a convex mirror, said first and second concave mirrors having their centers of curvature substantially coincident with a center of curvature of said concave mirror, said first and second concave mirrors being substantially symmetrically positioned with respect to a center of said convex mirror,

wherein a radius of curvature of said convex mirror is approximately one-half of radii of curvature of said concave mirror, and

wherein an image of the mask is projected onto the substrate by reflections off the first concave mirror, the convex mirror, and the second concave mirror.

67. The system of claim 60, wherein said glass plate has an aspheric profile.

76. A unit magnification annular optical system for flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing comprising:

a mask having a circuit pattern for said FPD;

a projection optical system for projection of an image of said mask onto a substrate, said projection optical system including;

a first convex mirror, a second convex mirror, and a concave mirror, said first and second convex mirrors having their centers of curvature substantially coincident with a center of curvature of said concave mirror, said first and second convex mirrors being substantially symmetrically positioned with respect to a center axis of said concave mirror,

wherein a radius of curvature of said concave mirror is one-half of radii of curvature of said convex mirrors, and

wherein an image of the mask is projected onto the substrate by reflections off the first concave mirror, the convex mirror, and the second concave mirror.

77. An exposure system for manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs) comprising:

a source of electromagnetic radiation;

a reticle stage;

a reticle mounted on said reticle stage;

a substrate stage;

a reflective optical system adapted to image said reticle onto a substrate mounted on said substrate stage, said reflective optical system comprising only three powered reflective surfaces including a first mirror, a second mirror, and a secondary mirror,

wherein said reflective optical system has sufficient degrees of freedom for both alignment and correction of third order aberrations when projecting an image of the reticle onto the substrate by reflections off the first mirror, the secondary mirror, and the second mirror.