Projection optical system, method of manufacturing projection optical system, exposure apparatus, and exposure method

• US 7,706,074 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Takeshi, Kudo, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins; Darryl J
• Application Number:
  US11/662,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20080123086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 359649-651, 355 18- 77
• US Class Current: 359/649
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/143 for use with ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70591 Testing optical components

Abstract

A projection optical system provided with at least one of optical members made of a calcium fluoride single crystal,

• • wherein each of the optical members satisfies at least any one of the following conditions of (i) to (iii):
  • (i) an RMS value of a spatial frequency component having a number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 50 periods inclusive out of fluctuation of a transmission wavefront relative to light having a wavelength of 633 nm is equal to or below 0.35 nm/cm;
  • (ii) an RMS value of a spatial frequency component having a number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 100 periods inclusive out of fluctuation of a transmission wavefront relative to light having a wavelength of 633 nm is equal to or below 0.45 nm/cm; and
  • (iii) an RMS value of a spatial frequency component having a number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 150 periods inclusive out of fluctuation of a transmission wavefront relative to light having a wavelength of 633 nm is equal to or below 0.50 nm/cm.

Claims

1. A projection optical system provided with at least one of optical members made of a calcium fluoride single crystal,

wherein each of the optical members satisfies at least any one of the following conditions of (i) to (iii):

(i) an RMS value of a spatial frequency component having a number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 50 periods inclusive, out of fluctuation of a transmission wavefront relative to light having a wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.35 nm/cm;

(ii) an RMS value of a spatial frequency component having a number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 100 periods inclusive, out of fluctuation of a transmission wavefront relative to light having a wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.45 nm/cm; and

(iii) an RMS value of a spatial frequency component having a number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 150 periods inclusive, out of fluctuation of a transmission wavefront relative to light having a wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.50 nm/cm.

2. The projection optical system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the optical members satisfies a condition that the RMS value of the spatial frequency component having the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in the range from 10 periods to 50 periods inclusive, out of fluctuation of the transmission wavefront relative to the light having the wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.35 nm/cm.

3. The projection optical system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the optical members satisfies a condition that the RMS value of the spatial frequency component having the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in the range from 10 periods to 100 periods inclusive, out of the fluctuation of the transmission wavefront relative to the light having the wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.45 nm/cm.

4. The projection optical system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the optical members satisfies a condition that the RMS value of the spatial frequency component having the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in the range from 10 periods to 150 periods inclusive, out of the fluctuation of the transmission wavefront relative to the light having the wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.50 nm/cm.

5. The projection optical system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the optical members satisfies a condition that an Average Radial PSD value of the spatial frequency component having the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in the ranges, out of the fluctuation of the transmission wavefront relative to the light having the wavelength of 633 nm, is equal to or below 0.01 nm²/period².

6. An exposure apparatus comprising:

the projection optical system according to claim 1.

7. An exposure method using the exposure apparatus according to claim 6.

8. A method of manufacturing a projection optical system comprising the steps of:

measuring transmission wavefronts of calcium fluoride single crystals and finding two-dimensional distribution of wavefront aberrations;

Fourier transforming the two-dimensional distribution and calculating two-dimensional power spectra of fluctuations of the transmission wavefronts;

calculating an Average Radial PSD value for each spatial frequency in the two-dimensional power spectra;

calculating an RMS value by integrating the Average Radial PSD values in a predetermined spatial frequency range;

selecting the calcium fluoride single crystal having the RMS value equal to or below a predetermined upper limit;

manufacturing an optical member by processing the selected calcium fluoride single crystal; and

manufacturing a projection optical system including at least one of the optical member made of the calcium fluoride single crystal.

9. The method of manufacturing a projection optical system according to claim 8,

wherein the spatial frequency range satisfies the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 50 periods inclusive, and the upper limit of the RMS value is equal to 0.35 nm/cm.

10. The method of manufacturing a projection optical system according to claim 8,

wherein the spatial frequency range satisfies the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 100 periods inclusive, and the upper limit of the RMS value is equal to 0.45 nm/cm.

11. The method of manufacturing a projection optical system according to claim 8,

wherein the spatial frequency range satisfies the number of periods f_PD in partial diameter in a range from 10 periods to 150 periods inclusive, and the upper limit of the RMS value is equal to 0.50 nm/cm.

12. The method of manufacturing a projection optical system according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

selecting the calcium fluoride single crystal satisfying the Average Radial PSD value equal to or below a predetermined upper limit in the predetermined spatial frequency range.

13. The method of manufacturing a projection optical system according to claim 12,

wherein the upper limit of the Average Radial PSD value is equal to 0.01 nm²/period².