Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method that limits a portion of a patterning device used to pattern a beam

• US 7,385,677 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Bleeker, Arno Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): MATHEWS, ALAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/354,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20060139605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/54, 355/71, 355/77, 355/67, 430/5, 430/22, 430/311, 430/321
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70066 Size and form of the illuminated area in the mask plane, e.g. reticle masking blades or blinds
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70425 Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning

Abstract

A system and method are used to limit a proportion of a programmable patterning means used to pattern a substrate. This is done such that a size of a repeated pattern to be exposed on the substrate is an integer multiple of a size of a pattern exposed on the substrate by the patterned beam.

Claims

1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system that conditions a beam of radiation;

a patterning device having an array of individually controllable elements that patterns the beam;

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

a controller configured to (a) limit a first portion of the patterning device that is used to generate the patterned beam for a first sub-exposure used to expose a first part of a repeating pattern on the substrate, and (b) limit a second portion of the patterning device that is used to generate the patterned beam for a second sub-exposure used to expose a second part of the repeating pattern on the substrate,

wherein a size of the first portion of the patterning device which is used to expose the first part of the repeating pattern is different from a size of the second portion of the patterning device used to expose the second part of the repeating pattern.

2. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein a position of each sub-exposure on the substrate is adjusted to take account of a reduced size of each exposure.

3. The lithographic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the adjustment comprises a change of speed of movement of the substrate relative to the projection system.

4. The lithographic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the adjustment comprises adjusting a pulse rate of a radiation system used to generate the beam of radiation.

5. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein limiting the portion of the patterning device used to expose the first part of the repeating pattern comprises reducing a size of a used portion of the patterning device by an integer number of individually controllable elements in a given direction.

6. The lithographic apparatus of claim 5, wherein limiting the portion of the patterning device used to expose the second part of the repeating pattern comprises reducing a size of a second used portion of the patterning device by a different integer number of individually controllable elements in the given direction.

7. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the position of each sub-exposure on the substrate is adjusted to take account of a reduced size of each exposure; and

the positional adjustments are limited to integer multiples of a size of the individually controllable elements multiplied by a projection system magnification factor.

8. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller disperses a plurality of the second sub-exposures between a plurality of the first sub-exposures.

9. A method, comprising:

(a) patterning a beam of radiation using a patterning device having an array of individually controllable elements;

(b) projecting the patterned beam at a target portion of a substrate; and

(c) limiting a portion of the patterning device that is used to generate the patterned beam for a first sub-exposure used to expose a first part of a repeating pattern on the substrate; and

(d) limiting a portion of the patterning device that is used to generate the patterned beam for a second sub-exposure used to expose a second part of the repeating pattern on the substrate;

wherein a size of the portion of the patterning device which is used to expose the first part of the repeating pattern is different from a size of the portion of the patterning device used to expose the second part of the repeating pattern.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises adjusting a position of each sub-exposure on the substrate, to take account a reduced size of each exposure.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the adjusting comprises changing a speed of movement of the substrate relative to a projection system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a pulse rate of a radiation system used to generate the beam of radiation.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein limiting the portion of the patterning device used to expose the first part of the repeating pattern comprises reducing a size of a used portion of the patterning device by an integer number of individually controllable elements in a given direction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein limiting the portion of the patterning device used to expose the second part of the repeating pattern comprises reducing a size of a second used portion of the patterning device by a different integer number of individually controllable elements in the given direction.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises adjusting a position of each sub-exposure on the substrate, to take account a reduced size of each exposure, wherein the positional adjustments are limited to integer multiples of a size of the individually controllable elements multiplied by a projection system magnification factor.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises dispersing a plurality of the second sub-exposures between a plurality of the first sub-exposures.

17. A method, comprising:

(a) patterning a beam of radiation using a patterning device having an array of individually controllable elements;

(b) projecting the patterned beam at a target portion of a substrate using a projection system;

(c) limiting a portion of the patterning device that is used to generate the patterned beam for a first sub-exposure used to expose a first part of a repeating pattern on the substrate; and

(d) applying no such limitation to the patterning device when generating the patterned beam for a second sub-exposure used to expose a second part of the repeating pattern on the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises adjusting a position of each sub-exposure on the substrate, to account for a reduced size of each exposure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the adjusting comprises changing a speed of movement of the substrate relative to a projection system.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a pulse rate of a radiation system used to generate the beam of radiation.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein limiting the portion of the patterning device used to expose the first part of the repeating pattern comprises reducing a size of a used portion of the patterning device by an integer number of individually controllable elements in a given direction.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein limiting the portion of the patterning device used to expose the second part of the repeating pattern comprises reducing a size of a second used portion of the patterning device by a different integer number of individually controllable elements in the given direction.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises adjusting a position of each sub-exposure on the substrate, to take account a reduced size of each exposure, wherein the positional adjustments are limited to integer multiples of a size of the individually controllable elements multiplied by a projection system magnification factor.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises dispersing a plurality of the second sub-exposures between a plurality of the first sub-exposures.