Interferometer, exposure apparatus, exposure method and interference length measurement method

• US 7,081,960 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Tohru, Hidaka, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr., Gregory J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US10/372,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20030223076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 356/500, 356/486, 356/487, 356/493, 356/498, 356/509
• US Class Current: 356/498
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2290/70 Using polarization in the interferometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02018 Multipass interferometers, e.g. double-pass
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02021 contacting different faces of object, e.g. opposite faces
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02027 Two or more interferometric channels or interferometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02061 Reduction or prevention of effects of tilts or misalignment

Abstract

A first polarizing beam splitter splits the light emitted by a light source into a measurement beam and a reference beam. The reference beam is returned by a second polarizing beam splitter and an optical member which is constituted by a right angle prism and a pentaprism, reenters the first polarizing beam splitter via a half wavelength plate and guided to a detector. On the other hand, the measurement beam is reflected by a corner mirror, is returned by the second polarizing beam splitter and the optical member, is reflected by the corner mirror again, reenters the first polarizing beam splitter via a half wavelength plate and guided to the detector. The optical member returns the measurement beam such that the measurement beam exits at the different point from the incident point and that light rays incident thereon in a state shifted from each other are returned with the shifted direction and shifted amount between each light rays kept unchanged.

Claims

1. An interferometer, comprising:

a light source;

a beam splitter disposed in an optical path of light emitted by the light source and that splits the light emitted by the light source into a measurement beam and a reference beam;

a fixed reflector disposed in an optical path of the reference beam and that reflects the reference beam;

a moving mirror disposed in an optical path of the measurement beam and that includes at least two mutually orthogonal reflection planes; and

an optical member disposed in the optical path of the measurement beam reflected by the moving mirror and that returns the measurement beam that has been reflected by the moving mirror back toward the moving mirror, wherein the measurement beam exits from the optical member at an exit point different from an incident point where the measurement beam entered the optical member, and when the incident point changes, the optical member causes the exit point to change by a same direction and amount.

2. The interferometer according to claim 1, wherein the incident light is reflected an odd number of times by the optical member before traveling back toward the moving mirror.

3. The interferometer according to claim 2, wherein the optical member comprises a pentaprism and a right angle prism.

4. The interferometer according to claim 3, wherein the optical member also functions as the fixed reflector.

5. The interferometer according to claim 1, wherein the optical member also functions as the fixed reflector.

6. The interferometer according to claim 1, wherein the measurement beam forms a first optical path between the beam splitter and the optical member before entering the optical member, and a second optical path, different from the first optical path, between the optical member and the beam splitter after exiting the optical member.

7. An exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate, comprising:

a first stage on which the mask is placed;

a second stage on which the substrate is placed; and

the interferometer according to claim 1,

wherein the moving mirror of the interferometer is disposed on at least one of the first stage and the second stage.

8. An exposure method for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate, comprising:

a first step of measuring a position of at least one of the mask and the substrate by using the interferometer according to claim 1;

a second step of illuminating the mask; and

a third step of transferring the pattern on the mask onto the substrate.

9. An interference length measurement method, comprising:

a first step of splitting light emitted by a light source into a measurement beam and a reference beam;

a second step of causing the reference beam to be reflected by a fixed reflector;

a third step of causing the measurement beam to be reflected by a moving mirror that includes at least two mutually orthogonal reflection planes;

a fourth step of returning the measurement beam that has been reflected by the moving mirror back toward the moving mirror by an optical member; and

a fifth step of detecting the reference beam reflected by the fixed reflector and the measurement beam reflected again by the moving mirror after having been returned to the moving mirror by the optical member,

wherein, in the fourth step, the measurement beam exits from the optical member at an exit point different from an incident point where the measurement beam entered the optical member, and when the incident point changes, the optical member causes the exit point to change by a same direction and amount.

10. The interference length measurement method according to claim 9, wherein

in the fourth step, the measurement beam is reflected an odd number of times by the optical member before traveling back toward the moving mirror.

11. The interference length measurement method according to claim 9, wherein

the second step comprises a step of causing the reference beam to be reflected by a corner mirror.

12. The interference length measurement method according to claim 11, wherein

the second step comprises a step of causing the reference beam to travel via a pentaprism and a right angle prism.

13. The interference length measurement method according to claim 12, wherein

the reference beam travels via the pentaprism, the right angle prism and the fixed reflector;

and

the measurement beam travels via the pentaprism, the right angle prism and the moving mirror.