Characterization of transmission losses in an optical system

• US 7,791,724 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Van Kraaij, Markus Gerardus Martinus, Corbeij, Wilhelmus Maria, Den Boef, Arie Jeffrey, Dusa, Mircea
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Tarifur
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pajoohi; Tara S
• Application Number:
  US11/451,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20070296960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 356/73.1, 356121-123, 356213-236, 356337-343, 356/364, 356/369, 356/394, 385/12, 398/28, 398/29
• US Class Current: 356/369
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70566 Polarisation control
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70616 Monitoring the printed patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70941 Stray fields and charges, e.g. stray light, scattered light, flare, transmission loss

Abstract

The illumination profile of a radiation beam is initially measured using a CCD detector. A reference mirror is then placed in the focal plane of the high aperture lens and the reflected radiation measured. By comparing the illumination profile and the detected radiation it is possible to determine the transmission losses for S and P polarisation which can then be used in scatterometry modeling.

Claims

1. A method for characterizing transmission losses in an optical system, comprising:

splitting a radiation beam into a reference portion and a measurement portion;

during a measurement of the reference portion, detecting an illumination profile of the reference portion reflected from a moveable reference mirror in a first position;

during a measurement of the measurement portion, detecting an illumination profile of the measurement portion after the radiation beam has traveled through the optical system and detecting the illumination profile of the reference portion reflecting from the reference mirror in a second position, the second position being different than the first position; and

comparing the illumination profile of the reference portion to the illumination profile of the measurement portion to characterize the transmission losses in the optical system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing comprises characterizing transmission losses for P and S polarized light.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the characterizing of the transmission losses for P and S polarized light comprises projecting a linearly polarized radiation beam through the optical system and measuring a transmission of polarization components parallel to and perpendicular to the linear polarization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the illumination profile of the measurement portion comprises measuring the measurement portion in a back focal plane of the optical system, a substrate with known reflectivity being placed in a focal plane of the optical system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the substrate with known reflectivity comprises a mirror.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the illumination profiles of the reference and measurement portions comprises using at least one of a CCD device and a CMOS device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the illumination profile of the reference portion comprises measuring a reflection of the radiation beam by the moveable reference mirror.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing a cross polarizer in the path of the radiation beam after projection through the optical system; and

measuring an intensity distribution of a radiation beam projected through the optical system and the cross polarizer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

during the measurement of the reference portion, the moveable reference mirror is in the first position and directs the reference portion to a first portion of a detector; and

during the measurement of the measurement portion, the moveable reference mirror is in the second position and directs the measurement portion to the first portion and directs the reference portion to a second portion of the detector, wherein the first portion is different than the second portion of the detector.

10. A method for measuring properties of a substrate, comprising:

projecting a radiation beam onto the substrate, wherein the radiation beam is directed through an optical system;

detecting an intensity distribution of a reflected radiation beam that is indicative of the properties of the substrate;

characterizing transmission losses of the optical system by

splitting the radiation beam into a reference portion and a measurement portion;

during a measurement of the reference portion, detecting an illumination profile of the reference portion reflected from a moveable reference mirror in a first position,

during a measurement of the measurement portion, detecting an illumination profile of the measurement portion after the radiation beam has traveled through the optical system and detecting the illumination profile of the reference portion reflecting from the reference mirror in a second position, the second position being different than the first position, and

comparing the illumination profile of the reference portion to the illumination to the illumination profile of the measurement portion to characterize transmission losses in the optical system; and

subtracting the transmission losses from the reflected radiation beam.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the comparing comprises characterizing transmission losses for P and S polarized light.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the characterizing of the transmission losses for P and S polarized light comprises directing a linearly polarized radiation beam through the optical system and measuring a transmission of polarization components parallel and perpendicular to the linear polarization.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

placing a cross polarizer in the path of the radiation beam after traveling through the optical system; and

measuring an intensity distribution of the radiation beam projected through the optical system and the cross polarizer.

14. An inspection apparatus configured to measure a property of a substrate, comprising:

a radiation projector configured to project a radiation beam through an optical system onto the substrate;

a detector configured to detect radiation reflected from the substrate;

a moveable reference mirror;

a data handling unit configured to normalize the detected radiation beam by taking into account the transmission losses from P and S polarized light, wherein the data handling unit characterizes the transmission losses by,

splitting the radiation beam into a reference portion and a measurement portion;

during a measurement of the reference portion, detecting an illumination profile of the reference portion reflected from a reference mirror in a first position;

during a measurement of the measurement portion, detecting an illumination profile of the measurement portion after the radiation beam has traveled through the optical system and detecting the illumination profile of the reference portion reflecting from the reference mirror in a second position, the second position being different than the first position; and

comparing the illumination profile of the reference portion to the illumination profile of the measurement portion to characterize the transmission losses in the optical system.

15. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a data table configured to store the transmission losses suffered by P and S polarized light.

16. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, wherein the radiation projector is configured to project a linearly polarized radiation beam and the detector is configured to detect transmission of polarization components parallel to and perpendicular to the linear polarization.

17. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data handling unit is configured to measure the measurement portion in a back focal plane of the optical system, a substrate with known reflectivity being placed in the focal plane of the optical system.

18. The inspection apparatus of claim 17, wherein the substrate with known reflectivity comprises a mirror.

19. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data handling unit is configured to detect the illumination profiles of the reference and measurement portions with at least one of a CCD device and a CMOS device.

20. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data handling unit is configured to detect the illumination profile of the reference portion from a reflection of the radiation beam by the moveable reference mirror.

21. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a cross polarizer located in the path of the radiation beam after projection through the optical system, wherein the data handling unit is configured to measure an intensity distribution of a radiation projected through the optical system and the cross polarizer.