Lithographic projection apparatus

• US 6,348,303 B1
• Filed: 04/12/1999
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM Lithography Incorporated (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Bonnema, Gerrit Maarten, Van Der Lei, Sijbe A. H., Corbeij, Wilhelmus Maria, De Leeuw, Rard Willem
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, SHEAN CHIU
• Application Number:
  US09/290,554
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 430/394, 430/322, 430/397, 430/302, 355/53, 355/55
• US Class Current: 430/397
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/702 Reflective illumination, i.e. reflective optical elements other than folding mirrors, e.g. extreme ultraviolet [EUV] illumination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70358 Scanning exposure, i.e. relative movement of patterned beam and workpiece during imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70483 Information management; Active and passive control; Testing; Wafer monitoring, e.g. pattern monitoring

Abstract

A lithographic apparatus of the scanning type in which reticle masking blades 7 are opened at the beginning of a scan. Means are provided to compensate for an increase in the intensity density of the illumination beam as the reticle masking blades are opened. These means may comprise lamp control means 10 for controlling a compensating decrease in the lamp intensity. The reticle masking blades 70 may be manufactured of, e.g., quartz and provided with a reflective rear coating, e.g. of aluminum, so that portions of the illumination beam intercepted by the reticle masking blades are totally internally reflected.

Claims

1. A lithographic projection apparatus comprising:

a radiation system, said radiation system supplying a projection beam of radiation;

a first object table movable in at least a first direction, the scan direction, and provided with a mask holder, said mask holder holding a mask having a mask pattern;

a second object table movable in the first direction and provided with a substrate holder, said substrate holder holding a substrate;

a projection system constructed and arranged to image an irradiated portion of the mask onto a target portion of the substrate with a magnification M,

said radiation system being adapted to supply a projection beam whose cross-section in a plane of the mask is smaller than the mask pattern, the radiation system including a movable beam masking device constructed and arranged to control the cross-section of the projection beam;

a control unit, said control unit causing the beam masking device to be closed prior to, and open at the beginning of, a scan; and

a compensator constructed and arranged to compensate for a variation in radiation intensity of the projection beam on the mask while the beam masking device is opening.

2. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compensator comprises a radiation source controller adapted to control the output of a radiation source used to produce the projection beam, in accordance with the degree of opening of the beam masking device, to compensate for said variation.

3. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said variation is an increase and said radiation source controller is adapted to reduce the radiation source output while the beam masking device is opening.

4. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said radiation source controller is adapted to control the radiation source output to follow a reciprocal linear function of X, where X is the obscured proportion of the cross-section of a slit defined by the beam masking device.

5. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said radiation source controller is adapted to control the radiation source output according to a function determined by:

the cross-section of the projection beam when the beam masking device is fully open, and

the size of the reticle pattern to be imaged.

6. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said function is calculated from empirically derived reference values.

7. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compensator is the beam masking device constructed of a material substantially transparent to said projection beam and embodied so that portions of said projection beam incident thereon undergo total internal reflection.

8. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said compensator comprises a reflective coating provided on a rear surface of said beam masking device relative to the direction of incidence of the projection beam.

9. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said rear surface of said beam masking device includes an inclined portion adjacent to an edge thereof.

10. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said reflective coating comprises aluminum.

11. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said material substantially transparent to said projection beam comprises quartz or glass.

12. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said radiation system comprises a radiation source and an illumination system including beam-shaping optical elements, said beam masking device comprising beam masking blades provided in, or downstream relative to the direction of propagation of said projection beam of, said illumination system.

13. A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 12 further comprising a shutter provided between said radiation source and said illuminations system for selectively passing and blocking said projection beam.

14. A device manufacturing method comprising:

providing a substrate which is at least partially covered by a layer of energy-sensitive material;

providing a mask containing a pattern;

projecting an image of at least part of the mask pattern onto a target area of the layer of energy-sensitive material with a magnification M using a projection beam of radiation;

moving a mask during said projecting in a scan direction relative to said projection beam;

moving a substrate during said projecting along said scan direction at a rate equal to M times the rate at which the mask is moved;

providing a beam masking device that is closed prior to and opened at the beginning of said projecting; and

compensating for a variation in radiation intensity of the projection beam on the mask while the beam masking device is opening.

15. A device manufactured in accordance with the method of claim 14.