Illumination system coherence remover with a series of partially reflective surfaces

• US 8,159,651 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ASML Holding NV, ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Holding NV, ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Visser, Huibert, Klinkhamer, Jacob Fredrik Friso, Ryzhikov, Lev, Coston, Scott D., Joobeur, Adel, Vink, Rob, Shmarev, Yevgeniy
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/328,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20090168072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 355/71, 355/35, 355/67, 355/53, 356/497
• US Class Current: 355/71
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0905 Dividing and/or superposing multiple light beams
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70075 Homogenization of illumination intensity in the mask plane by using an integrator, e.g. fly's eye lens, facet mirror or glass rod, by using a diffusing optical element or by beam deflection
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70583 Speckle reduction, e.g. coherence control or amplitude/wavefront splitting

Abstract

A coherence remover includes a first partially reflective surface and a second partially reflective surface. The coherence remover is configured to receive an input beam. Each of the first and second reflective surfaces is configured to reflect a respective portion of the input beam to produce respective one or more intermediate beams. The intermediate beams collectively form an output beam that has a reduced coherence compared to the input beam.

Claims

1. A coherence remover, comprising:

a first partially reflective surface;

a second partially reflective surface separated from the first partially reflective surface by a fixed distance along a normal axis of the first and second partially reflective surfaces;

a polarizing beam splitter configured to receive an input beam and to pass the input beam having a first polarization such that the input beam is incident on the first and second partially reflective surfaces,

wherein each of the first and second partially reflective surfaces is configured to reflect a respective portion of the input beam to produce one or more respective intermediate beams, and to pass the non-reflected portion of the input beam;

a substantially fully reflective mirror configured to reflect a portion of the input beam to produce additional intermediate beams,

wherein the one or more respective intermediate beams and the additional intermediate beams collectively form an output beam that has a reduced coherence compared to the input beam; and

a quarter wave plate configured to alter a polarization state of the output beam,

wherein the polarizing beam splitter is configured to receive the altered output beam having a second polarization and to reflect the altered output beam.

2. The coherence remover of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second partially reflective surfaces is angled with respect to the a central axis of the first and second partially reflective surfaces.

3. The coherence remover of claim 1, wherein the substantially fully reflective mirror is angled with respect to the normal axis of the first and second partially reflective surfaces.

4. The coherence remover of claim 1, wherein the coherence remover is configured to output the output beam to a homogenizer or a patterning device.

5. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:

a coherence remover, comprising;

a first partially reflective surface;

a second partially reflective surface separated from the first partially reflective surface by a fixed distance along a normal axis of the first and second partially reflective surfaces;

a polarizing beam splitter configured to receive an input beam and to pass the input beam having a first polarization such that the input beam is incident on the first and second partially reflective surfaces,

wherein each of the first and second partially reflective surfaces is configured to reflect a respective portion of the input beam to produce one or more respective intermediate beams, and to pass the non-reflected portion of the input beam;

a substantially fully reflective mirror configured to reflect a portion of the input beam to produce additional intermediate beams,

wherein the one or more respective intermediate beams and the additional intermediate beams collectively form an output beam that has a reduced coherence compared to the input beam; and

a quarter wave plate configured to alter a polarization state of the output beam,

wherein the polarizing beam splitter is configured to receive the altered output beam having a second polarization and to reflect the altered output beam; and

a homogenizer configured to convert the output beam into a plurality of beams.

6. The lithographic apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a patterning device configured to modulate the plurality of beams such that a pattern is formed on a substrate that receives the modulated plurality of beams.

7. The lithographic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the homogenizer comprises first and second homogenizer reflectors that are angled relative to one another.

8. The lithographic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the homogenizer reflectors are rotatably mounted, such that an angular orientation of the homogenizer reflectors is adjustable.

9. The lithographic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the homogenizer comprises:

a first homogenizer module configured to homogenize the output beam in a first direction; and

a second homogenizer module configured to homogenize an output of the first homogenizer module in a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

10. The lithographic apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first homogenizer module and the second homogenizer module comprises at least one of a plate or two parallel mirrors.