Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and exposure method with polarized switching device

• US 7,423,731 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Tanitsu, Osamu, Tanaka, Hirohisa, Muramatsu, Kenichi, Matsuyama, Tomoyuki, Komine, Norio, Kudo, Takehito, Nishinaga, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Diane I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/140,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 355/71, 355/67, 359/494, 356/364
• US Class Current: 355/71
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/42 for automatic sequential copying of the same original G03B27/34, G03B27/53 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70091 Illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane; On-axis or off-axis settings, e.g. annular, dipole or quadrupole settings; Partial coherence control, i.e. sigma or numerical aperture [NA]
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70566 Polarisation control

Abstract

An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.

Claims

1. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprising:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount, and varies a polarization plane of the predetermined linearly polarized light.

2. The illumination optical system of claim 1, wherein the polarized state switching device includes a phase member for selectively changing a polarization plane of the incident linearly polarized light.

3. The illumination optical system of claim 2, wherein the phase member includes a half-wave plate including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about an optical axis of the illumination optical system.

4. The illumination optical system of claim 2, wherein the polarized state switching device further includes a second phase member for converting incident elliptically polarized light into linearly polarized light.

5. The illumination optical system of claim 4, wherein the second phase member includes a quarter-wave plate including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about an optical axis of the illumination optical system.

6. The illumination optical system of claim 1, wherein a light transmissive member is positioned in the light path between the light source and the polarized state switching device and is formed by a cubic system crystal material, the light transmissive member being configured such that a traveling direction of the light becomes closer to a crystal orientation <

111>

or <

100>

than a crystal orientation <

110>

.

7. The illumination optical system of claim 6, wherein the light transmissive member includes an optical member fixedly positioned in the light path, and

an optical axis of the optical member is configured to substantially match the crystal orientation <

111>

or <

100>

.

8. The illumination optical system of claim 6, wherein the light transmissive member includes a rectangular prism as a rear surface reflection mirror,

an incident surface and an exit surface of the rectangular prism are configured to substantially match a crystal plane {100}, and

a reflection surface of the rectangular prism is configured to substantially match a crystal plane {110}.

9. The illumination optical system of claim 6, wherein the light transmissive member includes a plane parallel plate for moving light entering along the optical axis in parallel, the light transmissive member being provided in the light path and inclinable with respect to the optical axis, and

the optical axis of the plane parallel plate substantially matches the crystal orientation <

100>

.

10. The illumination optical system of claim 1, wherein an S1 component of a Stokes parameter of the light satisfies the below condition in the predetermined polarized state:

0.6≦

|S1|.

11. The illumination optical system of claim 1, further comprising a polarized state fluctuation correcting device that corrects fluctuations of the polarized state on the illuminated surface, the polarized state fluctuation correcting device being positioned in the light path between the light source and the illuminated surface.

12. The illumination optical system of claim 11, wherein the polarized state fluctuation correcting device comprises a polarization monitor positioned in the light path between the polarized state switching device and the illuminated surface to detect the polarized state of the light, and a controller that controls the polarized state switching device in response to an output from the polarization monitor.

13. The illumination optical system of claim 12, wherein

the polarized state switching device comprises a half-wave plate including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and a quarter-wave plate including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

in response to changes in detection results obtained from the polarization monitor when respectively changing the crystal optic axes of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate, the controller adjusts an angular position of the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate to a predetermined position for converting incident elliptically polarized light into linearly polarized light and an angular position of the crystal optic axis of the half-wave plate to a predetermined position for converting incident linearly polarized light into linearly polarized light that includes a polarization plane in a predetermined direction.

14. The illumination optical system of claim 13, wherein the controller adjusts the angular position of the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate to a first angular position, at which a contrast for changes in an S1 component of the Stokes parameter in the detection result becomes substantially maximum when the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate is changed, and the angular position of the crystal optic axis of the half-wave plate to a second angular position, at which the S1 component of the Stokes parameter in the detection result becomes substantially maximum or substantially minimum when the crystal optic axis of the half-wave plate is changed while the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate is set at the first angular position.

15. The illumination optical system of claim 12, wherein the polarization monitor is positioned in the light path between the polarized state switching device and the illuminated surface and includes a beam splitter that extracts from the light path reflected light or transmitted light in a polarized state different from the polarized state of the incident light, and a light intensity detector that detects an intensity of the reflected light or the transmitted light extracted by the beam splitter, and

the polarized state of the incident light to the beam splitter is detected based on an output of the light intensity detector.

16. The illumination optical system of claim 15, wherein the beam splitter includes reflectivity or transmissivity, in which an intensity Ip for P-polarized light and an intensity Is for S-polarized light included in the reflected light or the transmitted light satisfy a condition that an intensity ratio Ip/Is is less than ½

(Ip/Is <

½

) or more than 2 (Ip/Is >

2).

17. The illumination optical system of claim 1, further comprising an illumination pupil distribution forming device that forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on or adjacent to a pupil plane of the illumination optical system,

wherein the illumination pupil distribution forming device forms two areas including a high light intensity distribution that are spaced along a direction of the pupil plane or a surface adjacent thereto that corresponds to a predetermined first direction on the illuminated surface, and

the polarized state switching device sets the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface from the two areas including a high light intensity distribution to the linearly polarized state that includes a polarization plane in a direction substantially orthogonal to the predetermined first direction.

18. The illumination optical system of claim 17, wherein the two areas including a high light intensity distribution are formed symmetrically about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

a value σ

o defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p satisfies the following condition;

0.7≦

σ

o

where φ

o is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that circumscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution, and φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane.

19. The illumination optical system of claim 17, wherein the two areas including a high light intensity distribution are formed symmetrically about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

a value σ

o defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p and σ

i defined by a ratio φ

i/φ

p satisfy the following condition;

0.5≦

σ

i/σ

o

where φ

o is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that circumscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution, φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane, and φ

i is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that inscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution.

20. An exposure apparatus, comprising the illumination optical system of claim 1.

21. The exposure apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a projection optical system positioned in the light path between a first plane at which the mask is positioned, and a second plane at which the photosensitive substrate is positioned, the projection optical system forming an image of a pattern on the mask onto the second plane;

a pupil intensity distribution forming device that forms a predetermined light intensity distribution at a position conjugate to a pupil of the projection optical system or a position adjacent thereto; and

a pupil intensity distribution changing device that changes at least one of a shape and a size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

22. The exposure apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a polarized state changing device that is positioned in the light path between the light source and the illuminated surface and changes the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface, wherein

the pupil intensity distribution changing device changes at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution in accordance with pattern characteristics of the mask, and

the polarized state changing device changes the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface in accordance with at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

23. The exposure apparatus of claim 22, wherein

the polarized state changing device comprises the polarized state switching device that switches the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined polarized state and a nonpolarized state, and

the polarized state switching device switches between the predetermined polarized state and the nonpolarized state in accordance with a change in at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

24. The exposure apparatus of claim 22, wherein

the pupil intensity distribution forming device forms two areas including a high light intensity distribution that are spaced away from each other along a pitch direction of a line-and-space pattern formed on the mask, and

the polarized state changing device sets the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface from the two areas including a high light intensity distribution to a linearly polarized state that includes a polarization plane in a direction orthogonal to the pitch direction.

25. The exposure apparatus of claim 24, wherein the two areas including a high light intensity distribution are formed symmetrically about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

a value σ

o defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p satisfies the following condition;

0.7≦

σ

o

where φ

o is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that circumscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution, and φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane.

26. The exposure apparatus of claim 24, wherein the two areas including a high light intensity distribution are formed symmetrically about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

a value σ

o defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p and σ

o defined by a ratio φ

i/φ

p satisfy the following condition;

0.5≦

σ

o/σ

i

where φ

o is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that circumscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution, φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane, and φ

i is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that inscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution.

27. The exposure apparatus of claim 22, wherein

the pupil intensity distribution forming device forms one area including a high light intensity distribution substantially about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

the polarized state changing device sets the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface from the one area including a high light intensity distribution to the linearly polarized state that includes a polarization plane in a direction substantially orthogonal to the pitch direction of the line-and-space pattern formed on a phase shift mask as the mask.

28. The exposure apparatus of claim 27, wherein a value σ

that is defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p satisfies the following condition;

σ

≦

0.4

where φ

o is a size of the one area including a high light intensity distribution, and φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane.

29. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprising:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount,

wherein the polarized state switching device comprises a depolarizer that unpolarizes the incident linearly polarized light, the depolarizer being insertable into and removable from an illumination light path.

30. The illumination optical system of claim 29, wherein the depolarizer comprises a crystal prism including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about an optical axis of the illumination optical system.

31. The illumination optical system of claim 29, wherein the depolarizer includes a polarized beam splitter and a reflection system that returns light reflected by the polarized beam splitter back to the polarized beam splitter by reflecting the light plural times in a plane such that a light path of light that is transmitted through the polarized beam splitter and a light path of the light reflected by the polarized beam splitter substantially match each other, the polarized beam splitter and the reflection system being integrally rotatable about an optical axis of the illumination optical system.

32. The illumination optical system of claim 29, wherein the depolarizer includes a polarized beam splitter and a reflection system that returns light reflected by the polarized beam splitter back to the polarized beam splitter by reflecting the light plural times in a plane such that a light path of light that is transmitted through the polarized beam splitter and a light path of the light reflected by the polarized beam splitter substantially match each other, the polarized beam splitter and the reflection system being integrally insertable into and removable from the illumination light path.

33. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprising:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount,

wherein the polarized state switching device comprises a depolarizer that unpolarizes the incident linearly polarized light, and

when switching the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface, light in a polarized state that has not been unpolarized by the depolarizer is directed to the depolarizer.

34. The illumination optical system of claim 33, wherein the depolarizer comprises a crystal prism including a crystal optic axis extending in a predetermined direction.

35. The illumination optical system of claim 34, wherein when switching the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface, the linearly polarized light that includes a polarization plane in a direction of the crystal optic axis of the depolarizer is directed to the depolarizer.

36. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprising:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount;

an illumination pupil distribution forming device that forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on or adjacent to a pupil plane of the illumination optical system;

a changing device that changes at least one of a shape and a size of the predetermined light intensity distribution; and

a light direction optical system that directs a light beam including the predetermined light intensity distribution to the illuminated surface.

37. The illumination optical system of claim 36, wherein the polarized state switching device changes a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface in accordance with the change in at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

38. The illumination optical system of claim 37, wherein the polarized state switching device switches the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between the linearly polarized state and the nonpolarized state in accordance with the change in at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

39. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprising:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount,

wherein S1 and S2 components of a Stokes parameter of the light satisfy the below conditions in the nonpolarized state;

|S1|≦

0.1

|S2|≦

0.1.

40. An exposure method, comprising:

illuminating a mask through an illumination optical system; and

exposing an image of a pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate positioned on the illuminated surface,

wherein the illumination optical system illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, the illumination optical system comprising;

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount.

41. The exposure method of claim 40, further comprising:

forming the image of the pattern on the mask using a projection optical system;

forming a predetermined light intensity distribution at a position conjugate to a pupil of the projection optical system or a position adjacent thereto; and

changing least one of a shape or a size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

42. The exposure method of claim 41, wherein the changing at least one of the shape or the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution changes at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution in accordance with pattern characteristics of the mask;

the exposure method further comprises changing a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface in accordance with a change in the at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

43. The exposure method of claim 42, wherein forming a predetermined light intensity distribution forms two areas including a high light intensity distribution spaced away from each other along a pitch direction of a line-and-space pattern formed on the mask, the exposure method further comprising a step of setting the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface from the two areas including a high light intensity distribution to a linearly polarized state that includes a polarization plane in a direction substantially orthogonal to the pitch direction.

44. The exposure method of claim 43, wherein

the two areas including a high light intensity distribution are formed symmetrically about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

a value σ

o defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p satisfies the following condition;

0.7≦

σ

o

where φ

o is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that circumscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution, and φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane.

45. The exposure method of claim 43, wherein

the two areas including a high light intensity distribution are formed symmetrically about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

a value σ

o defined by a ratio φ

o/φ

p and σ

i defined by a ratio φ

i/φ

p satisfy the following condition;

0.5≦

σ

i/σ

o

where φ

o is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that circumscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution, φ

p is a diameter of the pupil plane, and φ

i is a diameter of a circle about the optical axis that inscribes the two areas including a high light intensity distribution.

46. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprising:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount;

a polarization monitor positioned in a downstream light path of the polarized state switching device to detect the polarized state of the light, and

a controller that controls the polarized state switching device in response to an output from the polarization monitor.

47. An exposure method for exposing a pattern on a mask positioned at a first plane onto a photosensitive substrate positioned at a second plane, comprising:

providing linearly polarized light;

illuminating the mask with the provided light;

exposing the pattern on the illuminated mask onto the photosensitive substrate; and

switching a polarized state of the light on the second plane between a predetermined linearly polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of a light amount.

48. The exposure method of claim 47, wherein the switching the polarized state includes varying a polarization plane for the linearly polarized light.

49. The exposure method of claim 47, wherein the exposing the pattern includes forming an image of the pattern on the mask onto the second plane using a projection optical system, the exposure method further comprising:

forming a predetermined light intensity distribution at a position conjugate to a pupil of the projection optical system or a position adjacent thereto;

changing at least one of a shape and a size of the predetermined light intensity distribution; and

changing a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface in accordance with the change in at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

50. An illumination optical system that illuminates an illuminated surface with light from a light source that provides linearly polarized light, comprsing:

a polarized state switching device positioned in a light path between the light source and the illuminated surface, the polarized state switching device switches a polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined polarized state and a nonpolarized state while controlling a loss of light amount;

a polarization monitor positioned in a downstream light path of the polarized state switching device to detect the polarized state of the light; and

a controller that controls the polarized state switching device in response to an output from the polarization monitor.

51. The illumination optical system of claim 50, wherein

the polarized state switching device comprises a half-wave plate including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and a quarter-wave plate including a crystal optic axis that is rotatable about the optical axis of the illumination optical system, and

in response to changes in detection results obtained from the polarization monitor when respectively changing the crystal optic axes of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate, the controller adjusts an angular position of the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate to a predetermined position for converting incident elliptically polarized light into linearly polarized light and an angular position of the crystal optic axis of the half-wave plate to a predetermined position for converting incident linearly polarized light into linearly polarized light that includes a polarization plane in a predetermined direction.

52. The illumination optical system of claim 51, wherein the controller adjusts the angular position of the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate to a first angular position, at which a contrast for changes in an S1 component of the Stokes parameter in the detection result becomes substantially maximum when the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate is changed, and the angular position of the crystal optic axis of the half-wave plate to a second angular position, at which the S1 component of the Stokes parameter in the detection result becomes substantially maximum or substantially minimum when the crystal optic axis of the half-wave plate is changed while the crystal optic axis of the quarter-wave plate is set at the first angular position.

53. The illumination optical system of claim 52, wherein the polarization monitor is positioned in the light path between the polarized state switching device and the illuminated surface and includes a beam splitter that extracts from the light path reflected light or transmitted light in a polarized state different from the polarized state of the incident light, and a light intensity detector that detects an intensity of the reflected light or the transmitted light extracted by the beam splitter, and the polarized state of the incident light to the beam splitter is detected based on an output of the light intensity detector.

54. An exposure apparatus, comprising the illumination optical system of claim 50.

55. The exposure apparatus of claim 54, further comprising:

a projection optical system positioned in the light path between a first plane at which a mask is positioned, and a second plane at which a photosensitive substrate is positioned, the projection optical system forming an image of a pattern on the mask onto the second plane;

a pupil intensity distribution forming device that forms a predetermined light intensity distribution at a position conjugate to a pupil of the projection optical system or a position adjacent thereto; and

a pupil intensity distribution changing device that changes at least one of a shape and a size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

56. The exposure apparatus of claim 55, further comprising a polarized state changing device that is positioned in the light path between the light source and the illuminated surface and changes the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface, wherein

the pupil intensity distribution changing device changes at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution in accordance with pattern characteristics of the mask, and

the polarized state changing device changes the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface in accordance with at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

57. The exposure apparatus of claim 56, wherein the polarized state changing device comprises

the polarized state switching device that switches the polarized state of the light that illuminates the illuminated surface between a predetermined polarized state and a nonpolarized state, and

the polarized state switching device switches between the predetermined polarized state and the nonpolarized state in accordance with a change in at least one of the shape and the size of the predetermined light intensity distribution.

58. An exposure method, comprising:

illuminating a mask through the illumination optical system of claim 50; and

exposing an image of a pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate positioned on the illuminated surface.