Mask and projection exposure apparatus

• US 6,867,845 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kanda, Tsuneo
• Primary Examiner(s): MATHEWS, ALAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/033,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20020086224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 355/52, 355/53, 355/77, 430/5, 430/322, 430/323, 430/324
• US Class Current: 355/52
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/62 Pellicles, e.g. pellicle assemblies, e.g. having membrane on support frame; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/72 Repair or correction of mask defects
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70308 Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for manipulating imaging light, e.g. intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or image shift
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70983 Optical system protection, e.g. pellicles or removable covers for protection of mask

Abstract

There is to provide a mask including a transparent member at a side of a surface of a base, a pattern being formed on the surface, and a correction part for correcting a change in an optical path of the transparent member.

Claims

1. A projection exposure apparatus comprising;

i) a mask stage for installing a mask, the mask including;

a) a substrate that has a pattern on one surface of the substrate

b) a transparent member provided at the side of the one surface of the substrate; and

c) a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface;

ii) an illumination optical system for illuminating the mask; and

iii) a projection optical system for projecting the pattern on the mask illuminated by said illumination optical system, said mask stage and said illumination and projection optical systems being configured such that the pattern on the mask may be projected.

2. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said illumination optical system uses light having a wavelength of 200 nm or smaller to illuminate the mask.

3. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light is fed from an ArF or F₂ excimer laser unit.

4. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for adjusting a symmetrical distortion of said projection optical system.

5. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for adjusting a spherical aberration of said projection optical system.

6. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the adjusting mechanism reduces a spherical aberration due to the transparent member.

7. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said projection optical system is a telecentric optical system at both object and image sides.

8. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transparent member has a dustproof function.

9. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said thin film is formed by vacuum evaporation.

10. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said correction part is formed such that a ray emits to a proper optical path from each portion in the pattern.

11. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction part is formed such that a distortion of an image of the pattern is reduced when the image of the pattern is projected by a projection optical system in an exposure apparatus when said mask is installed into the exposure apparatus.

12. A projection exposure apparatus comprising a projection optical system for projecting, onto an object to be exposed, a pattern formed on a surface of a mask that includes, at a side of the surface, a transparent member and a correction part for reducing an error of an image of the pattern projected on the object caused by errors in the pattern, and

wherein said correction part includes a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface.

13. A projection exposure apparatus comprising a projection optical system for projecting, onto an object to be exposed, a pattern formed on a surface of a mask that includes, at a side of the surface, a transparent member and a correction part that has an aspheric surface for reducing a fluctuation of an optical path of light from the pattern to the object, the fluctuation being caused by a deformation of the transparent member, and

wherein said correction part includes a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface.

14. A projection exposure apparatus comprising a projection optical system for projecting, onto an object to be exposed, a pattern formed on a surface of a mask that includes, at a side of the surface, a transparent member and a correction part that has an aspheric surface at least one of incident and exit planes, the aspheric surface for reducing an error of an image of the pattern projected on the object caused by errors in the pattern and/or for reducing a fluctuation of an optical path of light from the pattern to the object, the fluctuation being caused by a deformation of the transparent member, and

wherein said correction part includes a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface.

15. A device fabrication method comprising the steps of:

projecting a pattern on a mask onto a wafer by using a projection exposure apparatus; and

developing said wafer to which said pattern was transferred;

wherein said projection exposure apparatus includes;

a mask stage for installing the mask, the mask including a substrate that has a pattern on one surface of the substrate, a transparent member provided at the side of the one surface of the substrate, and a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface;

an illumination optical system for illuminating the mask; and

a projection optical system for projecting the pattern on the mask illuminated by said illumination optical system, said mask stage and said illumination and projection optical systems being configured such that the pattern on the mask may be projected.

16. A device fabrication method comprising the steps of:

projecting a pattern on a mask onto a wafer by using a projection exposure apparatus; and

developing said wafer to which said pattern was transferred;

wherein said projection exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting, onto an object to be exposed, a pattern formed on a surface of a mask that includes, at a side of the surface, a transparent member and a correction part for reducing an error of an image of the pattern projected on the object caused by errors in the pattern, and wherein said correction part includes a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface.

17. A device fabrication method comprising the steps of:

projecting a pattern on a mask onto a wafer by using a projection exposure apparatus; and

developing said wafer to which said pattern was transferred;

wherein said projection exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting, onto an object to be exposed, a pattern formed on a surface of a mask that includes, at a side of the surface, a transparent member and a correction part that has an aspheric surface for reducing a fluctuation of an optical path of light from the pattern to the object, the fluctuation being caused by a deformation of the transparent member, and wherein said correction part includes a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member and, has an aspheric surface.

18. A device fabrication method comprising the steps of:

projecting a pattern on a mask onto a wafer by using a projection exposure apparatus; and

developing said wafer to which said pattern was transferred;

wherein said projection exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting, onto an object to be exposed, a pattern formed on a surface of a mask that includes, at a side of the surface, a transparent member and a correction part that has an aspheric surface at least one of incident and exit planes, the aspheric surface for reducing an error of an image of the pattern projected on the object caused by errors in the pattern and/or for reducing a fluctuation of an optical path of light from the pattern to the object, the fluctuation being caused by a deformation of the transparent member, and wherein said correction part includes a thin film that is adhered to said transparent member, and has an aspheric surface.