ILLUMINATION SYSTEM FOR ILLUMINATING A MASK IN A MICROLITHOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE APPARATUS
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- a) providing an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, wherein the illumination system is configured to illuminate a mask positioned in a mask plane, the illumination system comprising a pupil shaping optical subsystem and illuminator optics configured to illuminate a beam deflecting component of the pupil shaping optical subsystem;
b) determining an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of the illumination system; and
c) determining deflection angles to be produced by the beam deflecting component so that an intensity distribution produced by the pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined in b),wherein c) takes into account at least one of the following aberrations;
an aberration produced by the illuminator optics;
an aberration produced by the pupil shaping optical subsystem; and
an aberration produced by an optical element arranged between the system pupil surface and the mask plane.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An illumination system of a micro-lithographic projection exposure apparatus is provided, which is configured to illuminate a mask positioned in a mask plane. The system includes a pupil shaping optical subsystem and illuminator optics that illuminate a beam deflecting component. For determining a property of the beam deflecting component, an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of the illumination system is determined. Then the property of the beam deflecting component is determined such that the intensity distribution produced by the pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined before. At least one of the following aberrations are taken into account in this determination: (i) an aberration produced by the illuminator optics; (ii) an aberration produced by the pupil shaping optical subsystem; (iii) an aberration produced by an optical element arranged between the system pupil surface and the mask plane.
37 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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a) providing an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, wherein the illumination system is configured to illuminate a mask positioned in a mask plane, the illumination system comprising a pupil shaping optical subsystem and illuminator optics configured to illuminate a beam deflecting component of the pupil shaping optical subsystem; b) determining an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of the illumination system; and c) determining deflection angles to be produced by the beam deflecting component so that an intensity distribution produced by the pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined in b), wherein c) takes into account at least one of the following aberrations; an aberration produced by the illuminator optics; an aberration produced by the pupil shaping optical subsystem; and an aberration produced by an optical element arranged between the system pupil surface and the mask plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method, comprising:
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a) determining an intensity distribution in a system pupil surface of an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus; and b) determining deflection angles to be produced by a beam deflecting component of the illumination system so that an intensity distribution produced by a pupil shaping subsystem in the system pupil surface approximates the intensity distribution determined in a), wherein b) takes into account one or more types of aberration. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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Specification