Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

• US 20070242254A1
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US11/717,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20070242254A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70275 Multiple projection paths, e.g. array of projection systems, microlens projection systems or tandem projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70283 Mask effects on the imaging process
• 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

An exposure apparatus that includes a first optical system having an optical element that separates incident exposure light into a first exposure light and a second exposure light and emits the first exposure light in a first direction and emits the second exposure light in a second direction that differs from the first direction; and a second optical system that irradiates the second exposure light that is emitted from the optical element in the second direction onto the substrate together with the first exposure light that is emitted in the first direction.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate, comprising:

a first optical system having an optical element that separates incident exposure light into a first exposure light and a second exposure light and emits the first exposure light in a first direction and emits the second exposure light in a second direction that differs from the first direction; and

a second optical system that irradiates the second exposure light that is emitted from the optical element in the second direction onto the substrate together with the first exposure light that is emitted in the first direction.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical element has a predetermined surface that passes a portion of the incident exposure light to be emitted in the first direction, and reflects the remaining portion of the incident exposure light to be emitted in the second direction.

3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical element is a polarization separation optical element in which the predetermined surface is a polarization separation surface that separates the incident exposure light into the first exposure light of a first polarization state and the second exposure light of a second polarization state, and emits the first exposure light of the first polarization state in the first direction and emits the second exposure light of the second polarization state in the second direction.

4. An exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second optical system includes a first optical unit that converts the polarization state of the second exposure light of the second polarization state that is emitted in the second direction from the optical element to the first polarization state and makes the converted second optical light incident on the polarization separation surface.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the second optical system further includes a second optical unit that converts to the second polarization state the polarization state of the second exposure light, which, after being converted to the first polarization state, passes through the polarization separation surface by being incident on the polarization separation surface, and makes the second exposure light of the second polarization state incident on the polarization separation surface, and

the polarization separation optical element emits in the first direction the incident second exposure light that is converted to the second polarization state by the second optical unit.

6. An exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the position at which the second exposure light is incident on the polarization separation surface from the second optical unit is a position, or in the vicinity thereof, that is optically conjugate with a position at which the exposure light is incident on the polarization separation surface.

7. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second optical system includes a first optical unit that reverses the transmission and reflection characteristics of the second exposure light with respect to the predetermined surface.

8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the second optical system is attachable and detachable with respect to the first optical system;

and

in the state of the second optical system not being attached, the optical element of the first optical system combines and emits exposure light from a first pattern that passes through the predetermined surface and exposure light from a second pattern that is reflected by the predetermined surface, and multiply exposes a predetermined field on the substrate with the combined exposure lights.

19. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

9. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate, the exposure apparatus:

provided with a first optical system having an optical element that is arranged at a position at which a plurality of exposure lights can be incident, with the substrate being irradiated by exposure light from the optical element; and

capable of selecting;

a first mode that singly exposes a predetermined field on the substrate with an image of a first pattern that is formed on a first exposure field by irradiating exposure light on the first exposure field via the first pattern and the optical element, and

a second mode that multiply exposes a predetermined field on the substrate with an image of the first pattern that is formed on the first exposure field by irradiating exposure light on the first exposure field via the first pattern and the optical element and with an image of a second pattern that is formed on a second exposure field by irradiating exposure light on the second exposure field via the second pattern and the optical element.

10. An exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the optical element includes a combining optical element that is capable of separating the plurality of exposure lights that are incident and combining the plurality of exposure lights that are incident, and

in the first mode, a second optical system that processes at least a portion of the separated exposure lights is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the first optical system so that the exposure lights that are incident on the combining optical element from the first pattern and separated by the combining optical element are irradiated onto the substrate, and

in the second mode, the second optical system is removed from the first optical system, the exposure light from the first pattern and the exposure light from the second pattern are made incident on the combining optical element, the exposure light from the first pattern and the exposure light from the second pattern are combined by the combining optical element, and respectively irradiated on the first exposure field and the second exposure field.

11. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the combining optical element has a predetermined surface that passes a portion of the incident exposure light and reflects the remaining portion, and

the second optical system includes an optical unit that processes the exposure light that is emitted from the combining optical element in a direction not towards the substrate to direct it towards the substrate.

12. An exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the optical unit of the second optical system adjusts the transmission and reflection characteristics with respect to the predetermined surface of the exposure light that is emitted from the combining optical element in the direction not towards the substrate.

13. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the combining optical element includes a polarization separation optical element that passes exposure light of a first polarization state and reflects exposure light of a second polarization state, and has a polarization separation surface that separates the incident exposure light into exposure light of the first polarization state and exposure light of the second polarization state.

14. An exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the second optical system converts the polarization state of the exposure light that is emitted in a direction not towards the substrate by being separated by the polarization separation surface and afterward makes the exposure light incident again on the polarization separation surface.

15. An exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

in the first mode, the second optical system is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the first optical system, and exposure light from the first pattern that includes at least a first polarization component and a second polarization component is made incident on the polarization separation optical element, and

in the second mode, the second optical system is removed from the first optical system, exposure light from the first pattern having one of the first polarization component and the second polarization component as a main component is made incident on the polarization separation optical element, and exposure light from the second pattern having the other of the first polarization component and the second polarization component as a main component is made incident on the polarization separation optical element.

16. An exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

in the first mode, an optical element with no refracting power is arranged at a position at which a plurality of exposure lights can be incident, and

in the second mode, a combining optical element is arranged at a position at which a plurality of exposure lights can be incident, the combining optical element being capable of separating the plurality of exposure lights that are incident and capable of combining the plurality of exposure lights that are incident;

the exposure light from the first pattern and the exposure light from the second pattern are made incident on the combining optical element; and

the exposure light from the first pattern and the exposure light from the second pattern are combined by the combining optical element and respectively irradiated on the first exposure field and the second exposure field.

17. An exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

in the first mode, the predetermined field on the substrate is singly exposed while moving the predetermined field on the substrate in a predetermined scanning direction with respect to the first exposure field, and

in the second mode, the predetermined field on the substrate is multiply exposed while moving the predetermined field on the substrate in a predetermined scanning direction with respect to the first exposure field and the second exposure field.

18. An exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in the second mode, the predetermined field on the substrate is multiply exposed while moving the first pattern and the second pattern in predetermined scanning directions.