Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20070121090A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Chen, Alek, Hansen, Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/289,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/32 Attenuating PSM [att-PSM], e.g. halftone PSM or PSM having semi-transparent phase shift portion,; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/34 Phase-edge PSM, e.g. chromeless PSM; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70283 Mask effects on the imaging process
• 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 7/70433 Layout for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors, e.g. layout of exposure fields for reducing focus errors; Use of mask features for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/705 Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions

Abstract

A method of configuring a transfer of an image of a pattern onto a substrate with a lithographic apparatus is presented. The method includes selecting a plurality of parameters including a pupil filter parameter; calculating an image of the pattern for the selected parameters; calculating a metric that represents a variation of an attribute of the calculated image over a process range; and adjusting the plurality of parameters based on a result of the metric.

Claims

1. A method of transferring an image of a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate with a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising:

filtering a beam of radiation, patterned with the pattern of the patterning device, to substantially eliminate a zeroth non diffracted order from the image of the pattern transferred onto the substrate, the patterning device consisting of one of a chromeless phase shift mask and a high transmission attenuated phase shift mask having a percentage of transmission higher than about 10%; and

projecting the filtered patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing and projecting first and second diffraction orders of the patterned beam of radiation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an apodization plate arranged in a projection system of the lithographic apparatus is used to substantially eliminate from the image the zeroth non diffracted order.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a diameter of an area of a pupil filter, said area constructed and arranged to filter radiation of the beam of radiation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering includes filtering all the zeroth non diffracted orders.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a fractional radius of an area of a pupil filter that is constructed and constructed to filter radiation of the beam of radiation is larger than a fractional radius of the beam of radiation in a pupil plane of an illumination system of the lithographic apparatus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said filtering includes adjusting a ratio between a numerical aperture of an illumination system that supplies said beam of radiation and a numerical aperture of a projection system that projects said patterned beam of radiation, said ratio being selected such that the zeroth non-diffracted order of said radiation beam is not collected in the image projected by said projection system.

8. A method of configuring a transfer of an image of a pattern onto a substrate with a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising:

selecting a plurality of parameters including a pupil filter parameter;

calculating an image of the pattern for the selected parameters;

calculating a metric that represents a variation of an attribute of the calculated image over a process range; and

based on a result of the metric, iteratively (a) adjusting the pupil filter parameter, (b) calculating the image of the pattern and (c) calculating the metric until a substantially minimum or maximum value of variation of said attribute is obtained.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating an image of the pattern is executed using one model selected from the group of models consisting of a model wherein the image is modeled as an aerial image, a resist model and a calibrated model.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the substantially minimum or maximum value is within a selected range of variation of the attribute.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the pupil filter is configured to substantially eliminate from the image a zeroth non diffracted order.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the attribute is CD variation, CD uniformity, MEEF, depth of focus, exposure latitude, or exposure dose to size.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the metric includes calculating a metric that represents a variation of the attribute over a plurality of process ranges, and wherein the metric is a quadratic sum of CD variations that are each induced by one of the plurality of process ranges.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of process ranges include a focus range, a mask error range and a exposure dose range.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting, calculating the image, calculating the metric, and adjusting are done by computer simulation.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the pupil filter parameter includes a diameter of an area of the pupil filter, said area arranged and constructed to filter radiation of the beam of radiation.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of parameters include a source parameter and a patterning device parameter.

18. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system configured to condition a beam of radiation;

a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern the beam of radiation to form a patterned beam of radiation and consisting of one of a chromeless phase shift mask and a high transmission attenuated phase shift mask having a percentage of transmission higher than about 10%;

a substrate table configured to hold a substrate;

an optical system configured to project the patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate; and

a filter arranged in a pupil plane of the projection system and configured to substantially eliminate a zeroth non-diffracted order of the patterned beam of radiation from the patterned beam at the substrate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the optical system is configured to capture and project the first and second diffraction orders of the patterned beam of radiation.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the pupil filter is an apodization plate.

21. A computer product having machine executable instructions, the instructions being executable by a machine to perform a method of configuring a transfer of an image of a pattern onto a substrate with a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising:

selecting a plurality of parameters including a pupil filter parameter;

calculating an image of the pattern for the selected parameters;

calculating a metric that represents a variation of an attribute of the calculated image over a process range; and

based on a result of the metric, iteratively (a) adjusting the pupil filter parameter, (b) calculating the image of the pattern and (c) calculating the metric until a substantially minimum or maximum value of variation of said attribute is obtained.

22. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the image of the pattern is calculated with an aerial image model, a resist model or a calibrated model

23. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the substantially minimum or maximum value is within a selected range of variation of the attribute.

24. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the pupil filter is configured to substantially eliminate a zeroth non diffracted order from the image of the pattern transferred onto the substrate.

25. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the attribute is CD variation, CD uniformity, MEEF, depth of focus, exposure latitude, or exposure dose to size.

26. The computer product of claim 21, wherein calculating the metric includes calculating a metric that represents a variation of the attribute over a plurality of process ranges, and wherein the metric is a quadratic sum of CD variations that are each induced by one of the plurality of process ranges.

27. The computer product of claim 26, wherein the plurality of process ranges include a focus range, a mask error range and a exposure dose range.

28. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the pupil filter parameter includes a diameter of an area of the pupil filter, said area constructed and arranged to filter radiation of the beam of radiation.