Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20060132742A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Van Der Mast, Karel Diederick, Troost, Kars Zeger
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/55
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70183 Zoom systems for adjusting beam diameter
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70216 Mask projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70258 Projection system adjustments, e.g. adjustments during exposure or alignment during assembly of projection system
• 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 provided including different moveable lenses within a projection system that can be placed in the path of a radiation beam to change a magnification of the projection system. By changing the magnification of the projection system an area of a substrate exposed per pixel can be adjusted, and a throughput of the system optimized.

Claims

1. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

an illumination system that conditions a radiation beam;

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

a projection system that projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate,

wherein the projection system can project the radiation beam at a plurality of different magnifications.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection system comprises:

a movable lens that can be placed in or out of the path of the radiation beam.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the projection system further comprises:

a plurality of the movable lenses that are moved into or out of the path of the patterned beam.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection system comprises:

a plurality of groups of lenses that are moved into or out of the path of the radiation beam.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection system comprises:

a plurality of alternative light paths for the patterned beam, each of the plurality of alternative light paths having a different magnification.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the projection system comprises:

a plurality of mirrors for changing which of the plurality of alternative light paths the patterned beam is directed through.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection system comprises:

moveable lenses, wherein relative positions of the moveable lenses within a path of the patterned beam is variable.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination system operates at a plurality of different magnifications.

9. A system, comprising:

a pattern generator that patterns a beam of radiation produced by an illumination system; and

a transferring device that transfers the patterned beam onto a substrate and projects the patterned beam at a plurality of significantly different magnifications.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the illumination system operates at a plurality of different magnifications.

11. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system that conditions a radiation beam;

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

a projection system that projects the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate at a first magnification, wherein the projection system projects the patterned beam onto another target portion of the substrate at a second magnification, the second magnification being substantially 1/n, wherein n is any positive integer.

12. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

using an array of individually controllable elements to pattern a radiation beam;

projecting the patterned beam of radiation at a first magnification onto a target portion of a substrate; and

projecting the patterned beam of radiation at a second magnification onto another target portion of the substrate, wherein the first magnification is significantly different from the first magnification.