Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20050018997A1
• Filed: 06/16/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Bleeker, Arno Jan
• Granted Patent: US 7,016,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/147
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70066 Size and form of the illuminated area in the mask plane, e.g. reticle masking blades or blinds
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70291 Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70425 Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning

Abstract

A system and method are used to limit a proportion of a programmable patterning means used to pattern a substrate. This is done such that a size of a repeated pattern to be exposed on the substrate is an integer multiple of a size of a pattern exposed on the substrate by the patterned beam.

Claims

1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system that supplies a projection beam of radiation;

an array of individually controllable elements that pattern the projection beam;

a projection system that projects the patterned beam onto a target proportion of a substrate; and

a controller that limits a proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used to generate the patterned beam for at least one of a plurality of sub-exposures that are used to expose a repeating pattern on the substrate, such that a sum of sizes of said sub-exposures, in a given direction, equals a size of the repeating pattern exposed on the substrate, in said direction.

2. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller:

limits the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used to generate the patterned beam for a first plurality of the sub-exposures used to expose said repeating pattern; and

does not limit the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements used to generate the patterned beam for a second plurality of the sub-exposures used to expose said repeating pattern.

3. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 2, wherein all of one of said first and second plurality of sub-exposures are exposed on the substrate consecutively before the remainder of the sub-exposures are exposed.

4. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first plurality of sub-exposures are interspersed among the remainder of the sub-exposures.

5. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller limits the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used to generate the patterned beam for all of the sub-exposures used to expose said repeating pattern, such that the sizes of said sub-exposures, in said direction, are the same.

6. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller limits the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used to generate the patterned beam for only one of the sub-exposures used to expose said repeating pattern.

8. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a movable barrier for substantially preventing a proportion of the patterned beam from being projected onto the substrate.

9. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a movable barrier for substantially preventing a controlled proportion of the projection beam from being incident on and patterned by the array of individually controllable elements.

10. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a further array of individually controllable elements for controlling which parts of the projection beam are incident on and patterned by the array of individually controllable elements.

11. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 10, wherein said array of individually controllable elements and said further array of individually controllable elements can each generate three or more gray levels.

12. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a further array of individually controllable elements that control which parts of the patterned beam are projected onto the substrate.

13. The lithographic projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein said array of individually controllable elements and said further array of individually controllable elements can each generate three or more gray levels.

7. The lithographic projection apparatus of 1, wherein the controller limits the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements used by setting a pattern on a proportion of the array of individually controllable elements, such that there is substantially no radiation in the corresponding proportion of the patterned beam.

14. The lithographic projection apparatus of 1, wherein said controller comprises:

a device that identifies regions of the array of individually controllable elements having faults,

wherein when the controller is limiting the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements used, the controller minimizes the number of faults in the proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used.

15. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

patterning a projection beam using an array of individually controllable elements;

projecting the patterned projection beam at a target proportion of a substrate; and

limiting a proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used to generate the patterned projection beam for at least one of a plurality of sub-exposures that are used to expose a repeating pattern on the substrate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a sum of sizes of said sub-exposures, in a given direction, equals a size of the repeating pattern exposed on the substrate, in said direction.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a size of the repeated pattern to be exposed on the substrate is an integer multiple of a size of a pattern exposed on the substrate by the patterned beam.

18. A computer program product for controlling a lithographic apparatus comprising a computer useable medium having a computer program logic recorded thereon for controlling at least one processor, the computer program logic comprising:

computer program code means for patterning a projection beam using an array of individually controllable elements;

computer program code means for projecting the patterned projection beam at a target proportion of a substrate; and

computer program code means for causing the lithographic apparatus to limit a proportion of the array of individually controllable elements that is used to generate a patterned beam of radiation for at least one of a plurality of sub-exposures that are used to expose a repeating pattern on a substrate.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a sum of sizes of said sub-exposures, in a given direction, equals a size of the repeating pattern exposed on the substrate, in said direction.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a size of the repeated pattern to be exposed on the substrate is an integer multiple of a size of a pattern exposed on the substrate by the patterned beam.