Variable annular illuminator for photolithographic projection imager
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A combination of an illuminator and a photolithographic projection imager, the combination comprising:
- a. an illuminator optical system for directing illumination from a source to a pupil of the illuminator from which a reticle is illuminated to be imaged on a wafer by an objective imaging system;
b. the illuminator in a collimated region of illumination upstream of the illuminator pupil having a pair of refractive elements having conical surfaces that are respectively concave and convex; and
c. said elements being arranged so that an upstream one of said elements diverges the illumination into a single beam having an annular configuration of intensity and a downstream one of said elements counters the divergence caused by the upstream element, to give the illumination an annular intensity profile of the single beam at the pupil of the illuminator.
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Abstract
The illumination of a photolithographic projection imager is given a variable annular intensity profile by using diverging and counter diverging elements that are movable relative to each other in the illumination path. An upstream element diverges the illumination into an annular configuration, the radius of which is set by the distance downstream to the counter diverging element. Convex and concave conical surfaces on the movable elements can accomplish this.
102 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A combination of an illuminator and a photolithographic projection imager, the combination comprising:
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a. an illuminator optical system for directing illumination from a source to a pupil of the illuminator from which a reticle is illuminated to be imaged on a wafer by an objective imaging system; b. the illuminator in a collimated region of illumination upstream of the illuminator pupil having a pair of refractive elements having conical surfaces that are respectively concave and convex; and c. said elements being arranged so that an upstream one of said elements diverges the illumination into a single beam having an annular configuration of intensity and a downstream one of said elements counters the divergence caused by the upstream element, to give the illumination an annular intensity profile of the single beam at the pupil of the illuminator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. In an illuminator for a photolithographic projection imager, the improvement comprising:
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a. a first refractive element arranged in a collimated region of an illumination path of said illuminator upstream of a pupil of said illuminator so that a conical surface of said first refractive element diverges the illumination into a single beam having an annular configuration of intensity; b. a second refractive element arranged to receive diverged illumination from said first refractive element, and said second refractive element having a conical surface arranged for countering the illumination divergence caused by said first refractive element, to fix the radius of the divergence of the single beam of said illumination; and c. the radius of divergence of the illumination output from the second refractive element appearing as an annular intensity profile of illumination at the pupil region of the illuminator causing illumination with an annular intensity profile to illuminate a reticle that is imaged onto a wafer by an objective imaging system of the photolithographic projection imager. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An illuminator combined with a photolithographic projection imager, the combination comprising:
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a. the illuminator having an optical system for directing illumination along an optical axis of the illuminator upstream of a pupil of the illuminator so that an intensity profile of the illumination at the illuminator pupil is directed to a reticle that is imaged on a wafer by an objective imaging system of the photolithographic projection imager; b. a diverging element arranged in a collimated region of the illumination path of said illuminator upstream of the illuminator pupil for diverging said illumination into a single beam having an annular configuration of intensity; c. a counter diverging element arranged in said illumination path at a variable distance from said diverging element for receiving said diverging illumination; d. said counter diverging element being arranged for countering the divergence of said illumination and fixing the radius of said annular configuration of intensity of the single beam as a function of the distance between said elements; and e. the annular configuration of illumination intensity output from the counter diverging element appearing as an annular intensity profile of the single beam of illumination at the illuminator pupil and at the reticle so that the radius of the annular intensity profile accommodates characteristics of the reticle. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification