ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20100316943A1
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: KITA, Naonori, TANITSU, Osamu
• Application Number:
  US12/817,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20100316943A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/30
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0892 specially adapted for the UV
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• 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

There is disclosed an illumination optical system which illuminates an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising, a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable, a distribution forming optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system on the basis of light having traveled via the spatial light modulator, and a control unit which integrally controls postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements.

Claims

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

a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable;

a distribution forming optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system on the basis of light having traveled via the spatial light modulator; and

a control unit which integrally controls postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements.

2. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein the group of optical elements have a plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other.

3. The illumination optical system according to claim 2, wherein light having traveled via the plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other is directed toward an edge region of a contour of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil.

4. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator has a plurality of mirror elements arrayed two-dimensionally, and a drive unit for individually controlling and driving postures of the plurality of mirror elements.

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

6. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution forming optical system has an optical integrator, and a condensing optical system arranged in an optical path between the optical integrator and the spatial light modulator.

7. The illumination optical system according to claim 1, which is used in combination with a projection optical system for forming a plane optically conjugate with the illumination target surface, wherein the illumination pupil is a position optically conjugate with an aperture stop of the projection optical system.

8. An exposure apparatus comprising the illumination optical system as set forth in claim 1 for illuminating a predetermined pattern, wherein the predetermined pattern is transferred onto a photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a pupil distribution measuring unit which measures the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, on the illumination pupil or on a plane optically conjugate with the illumination pupil, wherein the control unit controls the spatial light modulator, based on a result of measurement by the pupil distribution measuring unit.

10. A device manufacturing method comprising:

an exposure step of transferring the predetermined pattern onto the photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof, using the exposure apparatus as set forth in claim 8;

a development step of developing the photosensitive substrate on which the predetermined pattern is transferred, to form a mask layer of a shape corresponding to the predetermined pattern on a surface of the photosensitive substrate; and

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

11. An illumination method for illuminating an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source through an illumination optical system, said illumination method comprising:

a first step of guiding light to a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable; and

a second step of forming a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system on the basis of light having traveled via the spatial light modulator,

wherein the first step comprises integrally controlling postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements.

12. The illumination method according to claim 11, wherein the first step comprises integrally controlling postures of a plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other.

13. The illumination method according to claim 12, wherein light having traveled via the plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other is directed toward an edge region of a contour of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil.

14. The illumination method according to claim 11, wherein the second step comprises a third step of guiding the light having traveled via the spatial light modulator, to a condensing optical system, and a fourth step of guiding the light from the spatial light modulator having traveled via the condensing optical system, to an optical integrator.

15. The illumination method according to claim 11, which is used in combination with a projection optical system for forming a plane optically conjugate with the illumination target surface on the basis of light from the illumination target surface, wherein the illumination pupil is a position optically conjugate with an aperture stop of the projection optical system.

16. An exposure method comprising illuminating a predetermined pattern by the illumination method as set forth in claim 11, to transfer the predetermined pattern onto a photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof.

17. The exposure method according to claim 16, further comprising a pupil distribution measuring step of measuring the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, on the illumination pupil or on a plane optically conjugate with the illumination pupil,

wherein the first step comprises controlling the spatial light modulator, based on a result of measurement by the pupil distribution measuring step.

18. A device manufacturing method comprising:

an exposure step of transferring the predetermined pattern onto the photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof, using the exposure method as set forth in claim 16;

a development step of developing the photosensitive substrate on which the predetermined pattern is transferred, to form a mask layer of a shape corresponding to the predetermined pattern on a surface of the photosensitive substrate; and

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

19. A control method of a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable, the control method being a method for controlling the spatial light modulator used in an illumination optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil on the basis of light from a light source having traveled via the spatial light modulator and which illuminates an illumination target surface on the basis of the light having traveled via the illumination pupil,

the control method of the spatial light modulator comprising integrally controlling postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements of the spatial light modulator.

20. The control method of the spatial light modulator according to claim 19, wherein the group of optical elements have a plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other.

21. The control method of the spatial light modulator according to claim 20, wherein light having traveled via the plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other is directed toward an edge region of a contour of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil.

22. The control method of the spatial light modulator according to claim 19, comprising measuring the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, on the illumination pupil or on a plane optically conjugate with the illumination pupil to acquire a result of measurement, and controlling the spatial light modulator, based on the result of measurement.

23. A program for letting a computer execute a specific process for controlling a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable,

wherein the computer is made to execute the control method as set forth in claim 19.

24. A computer-readable information recording medium in which the program as set forth in claim 23 is recorded.

25. A spatial light modulating device comprising a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable, and a control unit for controlling the plurality of optical elements, the spatial light modulating device being used in an illumination optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil on the basis of light from a light source having traveled via the spatial light modulator and which illuminates an illumination target surface on the basis of light having traveled via the illumination pupil,

wherein the control unit integrally controls postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements of the spatial light modulator.

26. The spatial light modulating device according to claim 25, wherein the group of optical elements have a plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other.

27. The spatial light modulating device according to claim 26, wherein light having traveled via the plurality of optical elements adjacent to each other is directed toward an edge region of a contour of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil.