System and method for compensating for radiation induced thermal distortions
First Claim
1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:
- a patterning device that modulates a radiation beam;
a projection system that projects the modulated radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate;
a substrate position controller that moves the substrate relative to the projection system sequentially through a plurality of exposure positions; and
a substrate-position-based expansion-compensator that interacts with the substrate position controller to modify the exposure positions to at least partially compensate for thermally-induced geometrical changes of at least one of the substrate and the projection system.
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Abstract
A system and method are used to compensate for thermal effect on a lithographic apparatus. The system comprises a patterning device, a projection system, a substrate position controller, and a substrate-position-based expansion-compensator. The patterning device modulates a radiation beam. The projection system projects the modulated radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate. The substrate position controller moves the substrate relative to the projection system sequentially through a plurality of exposure positions. The substrate-position-based expansion-compensator interacts with the substrate position controller to modify the exposure positions in order at least partially to compensate for thermally-induced geometrical changes of at least one of the substrate and projection system.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:
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a patterning device that modulates a radiation beam;
a projection system that projects the modulated radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate;
a substrate position controller that moves the substrate relative to the projection system sequentially through a plurality of exposure positions; and
a substrate-position-based expansion-compensator that interacts with the substrate position controller to modify the exposure positions to at least partially compensate for thermally-induced geometrical changes of at least one of the substrate and the projection system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of producing a compensated dose pattern for lithography, comprising:
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modeling an expected distortion to a pattern formed on a substrate by a radiation beam that has been modulated according to a desired dose pattern, the distortion arising due to thermal effects that the modulated radiation beam would have on a projection system during projection; and
calculating a compensated dose pattern to counteract the expected distortion. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of producing a compensated dose pattern for lithography, comprising:
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defining a desired pattern formed on a substrate relative to a plurality of reference points on the substrate;
modeling an expected distortion to a pattern formed on the substrate by a modulated radiation beam that has been modulated according to the desired pattern, the distortion arising due to thermal effects that the modulated radiation beam would have on the substrate when projected thereon; and
calculating a compensated dose pattern to counteract the expected distortion, wherein the modeling takes into account thermally-induced changes to the relative positions of the reference points and the compensated radiation beam is produced by interpolation between the reference points. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28-46. -46. (canceled)
Specification