Method of optimizing imaging performance
First Claim
1. A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system, the projection exposure system comprising an illumination optical system including a light source for illuminating a patterning structure and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field in a substrate-plane, the method comprising:
- setting the field to a first exposure field, the first exposure field having first field dimensions and a first position within a maximum field exposable by the projection exposure system;
setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a first setting such that an imaging performance quantity within the first exposure field at the first setting satisfies a first performance condition;
changing the field to a second exposure field, the second exposure field having at least one of second field dimensions different from the first field dimensions and a second position within the maximum field exposable by the projection exposure system, which second position is different from the first position; and
changing the optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a second setting such that an imaging performance quantity within the second exposure field at the second setting satisfies a second performance condition, wherein the imaging performance quantity associated with the second exposure field at the second setting is better than an imaging performance quantity associated with the second exposure field at the first setting.
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Abstract
A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system is provided, wherein the projection exposure system comprises an illumination optical system for illuminating a patterning structure and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field. The method comprises setting the field to a first exposure field, setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a first setting such that the imaging performance within the first exposure field is a first optimum performance, changing the field to a second exposure field, and changing the optical parameters to a second setting such that the imaging performance within the second exposure field is a second optimum performance.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system,
the projection exposure system comprising an illumination optical system including a light source for illuminating a patterning structure and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field in a substrate-plane, the method comprising: -
setting the field to a first exposure field, the first exposure field having first field dimensions and a first position within a maximum field exposable by the projection exposure system;
setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a first setting such that an imaging performance quantity within the first exposure field at the first setting satisfies a first performance condition;
changing the field to a second exposure field, the second exposure field having at least one of second field dimensions different from the first field dimensions and a second position within the maximum field exposable by the projection exposure system, which second position is different from the first position; and
changing the optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a second setting such that an imaging performance quantity within the second exposure field at the second setting satisfies a second performance condition, wherein the imaging performance quantity associated with the second exposure field at the second setting is better than an imaging performance quantity associated with the second exposure field at the first setting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 26, 28, 33)
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11. A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system,
the projection exposure system comprising an illumination optical system including a light source for illuminating a patterning structure and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field in a substrate-plane, the method comprising: -
setting the field to a first exposure field, the first exposure field having first field dimensions and a first position within a maximum field exposable by the projection exposure system;
setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a first setting such that the imaging performance within the first exposure field is a first substantially optimum performance;
changing the field to a second exposure field, the second exposure field having at least one of second field dimensions different from the first field dimensions and a second position within the maximum field exposable by the projection exposure system, which second position is different from the first position; and
changing the optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a second setting such that the imaging performance within the second exposure field is a second substantially optimum performance, wherein the imaging performance within the second exposure field in the second setting is better than an imaging performance within the second exposure field in the first setting. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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12. A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system, the projection exposure system comprising
an illumination optical system including a light source for illuminating a patterning structure, and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field in a substrate-plane, which region comprises a first sub-region, wherein the first sub-region of the patterning structure is imaged onto a corresponding first sub-field within the corresponding field in the substrate-plane, the method comprising: -
setting the field to an exposure field, the exposure field having field dimensions and the first sub-field having first sub-field dimensions and a first sub-field position within the exposure field, wherein the first sub-field dimensions are different from the field dimensions; and
setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a setting wherein an imaging performance quantity within the first sub-field satisfies a first performance condition with regard to a first imaging characteristic, and the imaging performance quantity with regard to the first imaging characteristic is better within the first sub-field than an imaging performance quantity within an area within the exposure field which is situated outside the first sub-field. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25)
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27. A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system,
the projection exposure system comprising an illumination optical system including a light source for illuminating a patterning structure, and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field in a substrate-plane, which region comprises a first sub-region, wherein the first sub-region of the patterning structure is imaged onto a corresponding first sub-field within the corresponding field in the substrate-plane, the method comprising: -
setting the field to an exposure field, the exposure field having field dimensions and the first sub-field having first sub-field dimensions and a first sub-field position within the exposure field, wherein the first sub-field dimensions are different from the field dimensions; and
setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a setting wherein the imaging performance within the first sub-field is a substantially optimum performance with regard to a first imaging characteristic, and the imaging performance with regard to the first imaging characteristic is better within the first sub-field than within an area within the exposure field which is situated outside of the first sub-field.
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29. A projection exposure system comprising an illumination optical system having a pupil plane and including a light source for illuminating a patterning structure and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure into a corresponding field in a substrate-plane for exposing substrates with images of the patterning structure in a manufacturing process of miniaturized articles formed from the exposed substrates,
wherein the illumination optical system comprises a first optical integrator system for illuminating a first region of a first size of the patterning structure, and at least a second optical integrator system for illuminating a second region of the patterning structure which has a second size which is different from the first size wherein the first and at least second optical integrator are arranged such that the first optical integrator can be exchanged for the at least second optical integrator system, and wherein a distribution of illumination intensity in a pupil plane of the illumination optical system in terms of shape and size is substantially the same for the first and at least second optical integrator system.
Specification