OPTICAL UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARTUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20090185154A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: TANITSU, OSAMU
• Application Number:
  US12/262,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20090185154A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/68
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70108 Off-axis setting using a light-guiding element, e.g. diffractive optical elements [DOEs] or light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70116 Off-axis setting using a programmable means, e.g. liquid crystal display [LCD], digital micromirror device [DMD] or pupil facets

Abstract

An optical unit comprises a first optical path in which a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and controlled individually can be arranged; a second optical path including a mechanism for insertion of an angle distribution providing element including a predetermined fixed pattern on a surface thereof; and a third optical path being an optical path of light having traveled through both of the first optical path and the second optical path. When the angle distribution providing element is inserted in the second optical path, an angle distribution is provided to light exited based on light incident to the angle distribution providing element.

Claims

1. An optical unit comprising:

a first optical path in which a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and controlled individually can be arranged;

a second optical path including a mechanism for insertion of an angle distribution providing element including a predetermined fixed pattern on a surface thereof; and

a third optical path being an optical path of light having traveled through both of the first optical path and the second optical path,

wherein when the angle distribution providing element is inserted in the second optical path, an angle distribution is provided to light exited based on light incident to the angle distribution providing element.

2. The optical unit according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism of the second optical path includes a space for insertion of the angle distribution providing element.

3. The optical unit according to claim 2, wherein the angle distribution providing element comprises a substrate including the predetermined fixed pattern.

4. The optical unit according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator includes a plurality of mirror elements arranged two-dimensionally, and a drive unit to individually control and drive postures of the mirror elements.

5. The optical unit according to claim 4, wherein the drive unit continuously varies orientations of the mirror elements.

6. The optical unit according to claim 1, further comprising a light splitter to split an incident beam into a plurality of beams,

wherein the first optical path is an optical path of a first beam out of the plurality of beams split by the light splitter, and

wherein the second optical path is an optical path of a second beam out of the plurality of beams split by the light splitter.

7. The optical unit according to claim 1, further comprising a light combiner to combine the first and second beams,

wherein the third optical path is an optical path of the first and second beams combined by the light combiner.

8. The optical unit according to claim 6, wherein the light splitter includes a separation film to separate the incident beam into a reflected beam as the first beam and a transmitted beam as the second beam.

9. The optical unit according to claim 6, wherein the light combiner includes a separation film to separate the first beam having traveled via the spatial light modulator, into a reflected beam as a necessary beam and a transmitted beam as an unnecessary beam.

10. The optical unit according to claim 6, wherein a traveling direction of the incident beam to the light splitter is parallel to a traveling direction in a standard state of an exiting beam exited from the light combiner.

11. The optical unit according to claim 1, said optical unit being used in an illumination optical apparatus to illuminate an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source,

wherein the third optical path is coincident with or parallel to an optical axis of the illumination optical apparatus.

12. The optical unit according to claim 10, said optical unit being used in an illumination optical apparatus to illuminate an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source,

wherein the traveling direction in the standard state of the exiting beam is coincident with or parallel to an optical axis of the illumination optical apparatus.

13. An illumination optical apparatus which illuminates an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source, the illumination optical apparatus comprising:

the optical unit as set forth in claim 1; and

a distribution forming optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical apparatus, based on light having traveled via the spatial light modulator and via the angle distribution providing element.

14. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

an illumination pupil distribution measuring unit to perform measurement of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, on the illumination pupil or on a plane optically conjugate with the illumination pupil; and

a control unit to control the spatial light modulator in the optical unit, based on a result of the measurement by the illumination pupil measuring unit.

15. An exposure apparatus comprising the illumination optical apparatus as set forth in claim 13 for illuminating a predetermined pattern, the exposure apparatus performing exposure of the predetermined pattern on a photosensitive substrate.

16. A device manufacturing method comprising:

effecting the exposure of the predetermined pattern on the photosensitive substrate, using the exposure apparatus as set forth in claim 15;

developing the photosensitive substrate onto which the pattern has been transferred, to form a mask layer in a shape corresponding to the pattern on a surface of the photosensitive substrate; and

processing the surface of the photosensitive substrate through the mask layer.

17. An exposure method of effecting exposure of a predetermined pattern on a photosensitive substrate on the basis of light from a light source, the exposure method comprising:

guiding the light from the light source to an angle distribution providing element to form a predetermined pupil intensity distribution on an illumination pupil;

splitting the light from the light source into a first beam and a second beam different from the first beam, the second beam being directed toward the angle distribution providing element;

guiding the first beam to a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and controlled individually;

guiding the first beam having traveled via the spatial light modulator, to a position of the illumination pupil;

illuminating the predetermined pattern with light having traveled via the illumination pupil; and

performing the exposure on the photosensitive substrate on the basis of light from the predetermined pattern thus illuminated.

18. The exposure method according to claim 17, further comprising:

performing measurement of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil; and

controlling light modulation by the spatial light modulator, based on a result of the measurement.

19. The exposure method according to claim 18, further comprising:

measuring an exposed pattern transferred onto the photosensitive substrate;

determining whether the exposed pattern is within a permissible range; and

controlling light modulation by the spatial light modulator when it is determined that the exposed pattern is off the permissible range.

20. An electronic device manufacturing method comprising:

effecting the exposure of the predetermined pattern on the photosensitive substrate, using the exposure method as set forth in claim 17;

developing the photosensitive substrate onto which the pattern has been transferred, to form a mask layer in a shape corresponding to the pattern on a surface of the photosensitive substrate; and

processing the surface of the photosensitive substrate through the mask layer.