Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, device manufactured thereby, and controllable patterning device utilizing a spatial light modulator with distributed digital to analog conversion

• US 7,321,416 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Kessels, Lambertus Gerardus Maria, Makarovic, Andrej, Chilov, Kamen Hristov, Nihtianov, Stoyan, Reijnen, Martinus Cornelis, Kemper, Petrus Wilhelmus Josephus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Diane
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/152,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20060285094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/67
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70291 Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices

Abstract

The present invention comprises a lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method method that uses a patterning device that increase a number of individually controllable elements that are programmed simultaneously to increase an update rate of an array of individually controllable elements. A number of required high speed analog inputs to the array is reduced. The complexity of the array is reduced and the maximum update speed of the array is increased. Furthermore, the number of elements within an array can be readily expanded. The patterning device can be divided into a plurality of groups of cells and the lithographic apparatus can comprise a plurality of supply channels. Each supply channel can be arranged to provide a voltage signal to each cell in a respective group of cells. This can reduce the number of required inputs to the patterning device for individually addressing each cell.

Claims

1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system that supplies a beam of radiation;

a controllable patterning device comprising an array of individually controllable elements that pattern the beam;

a control system that outputs a voltage signal and controls the patterning device;

a projection system that projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; and

a supply channel coupled between the control system and the patterning device,

wherein,

the patterning device comprises a plurality of cells, each cell comprising a respective one of the individually controllable elements and a respective local control circuit controllable to generate a respective control voltage that determines a configuration of the respective controllable element,

the supply channel provides the voltage signal to each cell,

the control system provides control signals to the plurality of local control circuits,

each local control circuit comprises a charge collector including a logic device, a switching system and an integration circuit, and

each local control circuit is responsive to the control signals to generate the respective control voltage from the voltage signal.

2. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the patterning device is divided into a plurality of groups of the cells; and

there are a plurality of the supply channels, each supply channel in the plurality of supply channels are arranged to provide the voltage signal to each cell in a respective group of the cells.

3. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the respective control voltages comprises an analog voltage value.

4. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the voltage signal comprises a series of different voltages, and each of the local control circuits comprise the respective integration circuit responsive to the control signals to generate the respective control voltage by integrating at least one selected respective voltage from the series.

5. The lithographic apparatus of claim 4, wherein each voltage within the series of different voltages is equal to a full-scale voltage divided by a number less than or equal to the number of bits in a digital signal corresponding to a desired control voltage for each of the cells.

6. The lithographic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control signals comprise a digital address input arranged to be high for a respective one of the cells when the voltage signal is at a voltage level corresponding to a bit position which is high in the digital signal for the respective cell.

7. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the integration circuits in each of the local control circuits comprise,

a first capacitor having first and second terminals;

an operational amplifier having first and second inputs and an output, the second input being connected to ground;

a second capacitor connected between the first input and the output of the operational amplifier; and

the switching system in each of the local circuits comprise,

a first controllable switching device connecting the respective local circuit to the supply channel, and

a second controllable switching device having a select position in which the second terminal of the first capacitor is connected to ground and a deselect position in which the second terminal of the first capacitor is connected to the first input of the operational amplifier;

the first controllable switching device having a select position in which the first terminal of the first capacitor is connected to the voltage signal and a deselect position in which the first terminal of the first capacitor is connected to ground;

each local control circuit being arranged such that the operation of the first and second controllable switching devices is controlled by the digital address input wherein,

when the digital address input is high the controllable switching devices are in the select position and the first capacitor is charged to the voltage of the voltage signal;

when the digital address input is low the controllable switching devices are in the deselect position and the charge stored on the first capacitor is transferred to the second capacitor, and

after each series of different voltages of the voltage signal the voltage on the output of the charge amplifier comprises the control voltage for the respective controllable element.

8. The lithographic apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of the local control circuits further comprise:

a third controllable switching device arranged electrically in parallel to the second capacitor and controlled by a reset signal, such that closing the third controllable switching device when the first and second controllable switching devices are in the deselect position any charge stored on the capacitors is substantially reduced to zero and the control voltage is substantially reduced to zero volts.

9. The lithographic apparatus of claim 7, wherein each local control circuit further comprises:

a third capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal connected to ground; and

a fourth controllable switching device connected between the output of the operational amplifier and the first terminal of the third capacitor;

wherein the fourth controllable switching device can be selectively closed to charge the third capacitor to the output voltage of the operational amplifier, the voltage across the third capacitor comprising the control voltage for the respective controllable element for that cell.

10. The lithographic apparatus of claim 9, wherein the third capacitor comprises an input capacitance of the respective controllable element.

11. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control signals comprise:

a digital address input; and

a digital signal corresponding to a desired control voltage for each cell, each local control circuit receiving a respective one of the digital signal in response to the digital address input.

12. The lithographic apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the switching system is connected between the supply channel and ground via a fourth capacitor, the switching system being controlled by an intermediate control signal; and

the voltage across the fourth capacitor comprises the control voltage for the respective controllable element.

13. The lithographic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fourth capacitor comprises the input capacitance of the respective controllable element.

14. The lithographic apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the voltage signal comprises a voltage whose magnitude changes progressively over a predetermined time period; and

each one of the local control circuits is responsive to the control signals to determine the respective control voltage by controlling a timing of operation of the switching system during the predetermined time period.

15. The lithographic apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of respective further electronic components in each of the local control circuits comprise:

a down counter that receives the digital signal, waits a period of time according to the value of the digital signal from the start of the predetermined time period, and then opens a switch in the switching system.

16. The lithographic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the switch is closed from the start of the predetermined time period.

17. The lithographic apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the voltage signal comprises a voltage of substantially constant magnitude;

each of the local control circuits comprises a respective (pulse width modulation) PWM signal generator arranged to generate a PWM control signal to control the switching system; and

the control signals from the control system are arranged to determine a duty cycle of each PWM control signal.

18. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the respective charge collectors are configured to receive address signals, reset signals, and the control signals to generate the respective control voltages.

19. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

providing a patterning device having a plurality of individually controllable elements using a plurality of cells, each cell in the plurality of cells comprising a respective one of the individually controllable elements and a respective local control circuit;

providing each of the local control circuits with a respective charge collector including a logic device, a switching system, and integration circuit;

generating a respective control voltage with each of the local control circuits;

using the respective control voltage to determine a configuration of the respective controllable element;

providing a voltage signal to each of the cells;

providing control signals to the plurality of local control circuits; and

each of the local control circuits generating the respective control voltage from the voltage signal in response to the control signals;

using the controllable patterning device to pattern a beam of radiation; and

projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a substrate.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the voltage signal is formed from a series of different voltages; and

the respective control voltage is generated by integrating at least one selected respective voltage from the series in response to the control signals.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the voltage signal comprises a voltage whose magnitude is changed progressively over a predetermined time period; and

the respective control voltage is determined by controlling a timing of operation of the respective switching system in response to the control signals during the predetermined time period.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the voltage signal comprises a voltage of substantially constant magnitude;

each of the local control circuits comprise a respective pulse width modulation (PWM) signal generator that generates a PWM control signal to control the respective switching system; and

a duty cycle of each PWM control signal is determined in response to the control signals from the control system.

23. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

using the controllable patterning device comprising an array of individually controllable elements to pattern a beam of radiation;

projecting the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; and

using a control system to generate respective control voltages, which determine a configuration of respective ones of the controllable elements, the using step comprising,

sequentially receiving multiple bit digital signals corresponding to the respective control voltages at the control system;

splitting the digital signals into at least two shorter digital signals;

supplying each shorter digital signal to a respective demultiplexer in a plurality of demultiplexers;

controlling a plurality of switches connected to a plurality of voltage input lines using the respective demultiplexer,

controlling outputs of a first group of the switches controlled by a first demultiplexer in the plurality of demultiplexers, such that the outputs are scaled with respect to the outputs of another group of the switches;

connecting all of the outputs together to form the control voltages; and

supplying the control voltages to the array of individually controllable elements.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein each switch is connected to its respective voltage input line via a resistor, the resistors connected to the first group of switches being larger than the resistors connected to the other set of switches.

25. A controllable patterning device comprising an array of individually controllable elements that pattern a beam of radiation, wherein the patterning device comprises:

a plurality of cells, each cell comprising,

a respective one of the individually controllable elements, and

a respective local control circuit that generates a respective control voltage, which determines a configuration of the respective controllable element, each of the local control circuits comprising a charge collector comprising,

a logic device;

an integration circuit,

a first respective controllable switching device coupled between the logic device and the integration circuit, and which connects the integration circuit to a supply channel to provide a voltage signal to each cell, and

a plurality of respective further electronic components, each of the local control circuits receiving control signals and generating the respective control voltage from the voltage signal.