METHOD OF ADJUSTING LIGHTING OPTICAL DEVICE, LIGHTING OPTICAL DEVICE, EXPOSURE SYSTEM, AND EXPOSURE METHOD

• US 20140043594A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: TANITSU, Osamu, HIROTA, Hiroyuki, SHIGEMATSU, Koji, KURITA, Shinichi
• Application Number:
  US14/018,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/00 Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements control of light by modification of the optical properties of the media of the elements involved therein G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/008 in the form of devices for effecting sequential colour changes, e.g. colour wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/06 for controlling the phase of light G02B26/08 takes precedence , measuring optical phase difference G01J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/286 for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34
• 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 7/70191 Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for controlling intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70566 Polarisation control

Abstract

An illumination optical apparatus is arranged to illuminate a surface to be illuminated, with light in a desired polarization state, without substantive influence of manufacturing error of an optical member functioning as a wave plate. The illumination optical apparatus illuminates the surface to be illuminated on the basis of light from a light source. The illumination optical apparatus is provided with a polarization converting element disposed on or near an illumination pupil plane and adapted for converting a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state. The polarization converting element has a plurality of variable optical rotating members for variably yielding an angle of rotation to incident linearly polarized light. Each variable optical rotating member has two deviation prisms which are made of an optical material with an optical rotatory power and which are movable relative to each other along a direction intersecting with the optical axis.

Claims

1. An illumination optical apparatus which illuminates a surface to be illuminated with light from a light source, the apparatus comprising:

a distributing optical system which distributes light from the light source on or near a pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus; and

a polarization changing unit having

a polarization converting element which is movable in a direction crossing an optical axis of the illumination optical apparatus and converts a polarization state of an incident light thereto into a predetermined polarization state, and

a driver which sets a position of the polarization converting element in an optical path of the illumination optical apparatus in the direction crossing the optical axis of the optical path of the illumination optical apparatus to be a predetermined position,

wherein the polarization changing unit, with respect to a polarization state of a light distributed in a first region on or near the pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus, changes a polarization state of light distributed on a second region different from the first region.

2. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distributing optical system includes:

an optical integrator having a plurality of optical elements two-dimensionally arranged on a plane crossing the optical path of the illumination optical apparatus; and

a condenser optical system which guides light flux from the optical integrator to the surface to be illuminated, wherein

the polarization converting element is arranged in an optical path of an incident side of the optical integrator.

3. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the distributing optical system includes:

a light beam converting element which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on a far field of the light beam converting element; and

an optical system which guides the light from the light beam converting element on or near the pupil plane.

4. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the light beam converting element includes a diffractive optical element.

5. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a polarization state measuring device which measures a polarization state of light reaching the surface to be illuminated, wherein

the driver moves the polarization converting element according to a result of measurement by the polarization state measuring device.

6. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polarization converting element has a variable optical rotating member which variably yields a polarization rotation angle to incident linearly polarized light.

7. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

a polarization state measuring device which measures a polarization state of light reaching the surface to be illuminated, wherein

the driver moves the polarization converting element according to a result of measurement by the polarization state measuring device.

8. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the variable optical rotating member is arranged so that a crystallographic axis thereof is substantially parallel to the optical axis.

9. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polarization converting element has a variable phase difference member which variably yields a phase difference between incident light and emerging light.

10. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising

a polarization state measuring device which measures a polarization state of light reaching the surface to be illuminated, wherein

the driver moves the variable phase difference member according to a result of measurement by the polarization state measuring device.

11. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polarization converting element includes

a member which adjusts an ellipticity of incident light, and

a member which adjusts a polarization direction of the incident light.

12. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light distributed on the first region does not pass through the polarization converting element, and

the light distributed on the second region passes through the polarization converting element.

13. The illumination optical apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the polarization changing unit further includes another polarization converting element which converts a polarization state of an incident light thereto into a predetermined polarization state,

14. An exposure apparatus comprising:

the illumination optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a predetermined pattern illuminated by the illumination optical apparatus is projected onto a photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof.

15. An exposure method for projecting a predetermined pattern illuminated by light from a light source onto a photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof, the method comprising:

distributing light from the light source on or near a pupil plane of an illumination optical apparatus; and

changing, with respect to a polarization state of a light distributed in a first region on or near the pupil plane of the illumination optical apparatus, a polarization state of light distributed on a second region different from the first region, wherein the changing includes

moving a polarization converting element which converts the polarization state of an incident light into a predetermined polarization state, along a direction crossing an optical path of the illumination optical apparatus.

16. The exposure method according to claim 15, further comprising:

dividing an incident light beam two-dimensionally into divided light beams by using an optical integrator; and

illuminating the predetermined pattern with the divided light beams in a superposed manner, wherein

the moving includes moving the polarization converting element in an optical path of an incident side of the optical integrator.

17. The exposure method according to claim 16, wherein the distributing includes:

forming a predetermined light intensity distribution in a far field of a light beam converting element by using the light beam converting element; and

guiding light from the light beam converting element on or near the pupil plane.

18. The exposure method according to claim 15, farther comprising:

measuring a polarization state of light via the polarization converting element, and

moving the polarization converting element according to a result of measurement.

19. The exposure method according to claim 15, wherein the polarization converting element variably yields a polarization rotation angle to incident linearly polarized light.

20. The exposure method according to claim 15, wherein the polarization converting element variably yields a phase difference between incident light and emerging light.

21. A method of manufacturing a device, the method comprising:

projecting a predetermined pattern onto a photosensitive substrate to effect exposure thereof, by using the exposure method according to claim 15; and

developing the photosensitive substrate onto which the predetermined pattern is projected to effect exposure.