Exposure method and apparatus, and method for fabricating device with light amount distribution having light larger in four areas

• US 9,164,393 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kudo, Takehito, Hirukawa, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Chia-how Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/902,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,952 Days
• Field of Search: 355/71, 355/67, 355/53
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 7/701 Off-axis setting using an aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70108 Off-axis setting using a light-guiding element, e.g. diffractive optical elements [DOEs] or light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70158 Diffractive optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70191 Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for controlling intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70566 Polarisation control

Abstract

An exposure method and apparatus for illuminating a pattern with an illumination system to expose a substrate through a projection system. The pattern is illuminated with illumination light with a light amount distribution in which an amount of light is larger in a pair of first areas and a pair of second areas than in an area other than the first and second areas on a pupil plane of the illumination system. The pair of the first areas being arranged outside an optical axis, the pair of the second areas being arranged on the same straight line as the pair of the first areas are arranged on, and the pair of the second areas being arranged outside the pair of the first areas.

Claims

1. An exposure method for illuminating a pattern with an illumination system to expose a substrate through a projection system, the method comprising:

illuminating the pattern with illumination light with a light amount distribution in which an amount of light is larger in a pair of first areas and a pair of second areas than in a third area, the third area being an area other than the first and second areas on a pupil plane of the illumination system and surrounding each of the first and second areas, the pair of the first areas being arranged outside an optical axis, the pair of the second areas being arranged outside the pair of the first areas, each center of gravity of the pair of the first areas and each center of gravity of the pair of the second areas being in the same straight line passing through the optical axis, each of the first areas being surrounded by the third area so as to be out of contact with the pair of second areas; and

projecting an image of the pattern illuminated with the illumination light onto the substrate by the projection system.

2. The exposure method according to claim 1, wherein

the pair of the first areas is approximately at the same distance from the optical axis in a direction parallel to the straight line, and the pair of the second areas is approximately at the same distance from the optical axis in the direction parallel to the straight line.

3. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein

a size of the first area and a size of the second area are different.

4. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein

an amount of light in the first area and an amount of light in the second area are different.

5. The exposure method according to claim 1, wherein

the pair of the second areas respectively has longitudinal directions which are substantially coincident with a direction orthogonal to the straight line.

6. The exposure method according to claim 1, wherein

the illumination light distributed in the second areas is substantially linearly polarized light.

7. The exposure method according to claim 6, wherein

a direction of the linearly polarized light is substantially coincident with a direction orthogonal to the straight line.

8. The exposure method according to claim 1, wherein

the illumination light in the first areas and the illumination light in the second areas have different polarization states.

9. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein

the illumination light distributed in the first areas and the illumination light distributed in the second areas are linearly polarized and a polarization direction of the illumination light distributed in the first areas is substantially orthogonal to a polarization direction of the illumination light distributed in the second areas.

10. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing a substrate by the exposure method as recited in claim 1;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate,

11. An exposure method for illuminating a pattern with an illumination system to expose a substrate through a projection system, the method comprising:

illuminating the pattern with illumination light with a light amount distribution in which an amount of light is larger in four areas than in a fifth area, the fifth area being an area other than the four areas on a pupil plane of the illumination system and surrounding each of the four areas, each center of gravity of the four areas being in the same straight line passing through an optical axis, each of the four areas being surrounded by the fifth area so as to be out of contact with a remaining three of the four areas; and

projecting an image on the pattern illuminated with the illumination light onto the substrate by the projection system.

12. The exposure method according to claim 11, wherein

the illumination light distributed in areas at both ends of the four areas is substantially linearly polarized.

13. An exposure method according to claim 11, wherein

areas at both ends of the four areas respectively have directions orthogonal to the straight line on the pupil plane as longitudinal directions.

14. The device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing a substrate by the exposure method as recited in claim 11;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate.

15. An exposure apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system which illuminates a pattern;

a projection system which projects the pattern onto a substrate; and

a formation optical system which can change a light amount distribution of illumination light on a pupil plane of the illumination system and which can generate a light amount distribution in which an amount of light is larger in a pair of first areas and in a pair of second areas than in a third area, the third area being an area other than the pair of the first areas and the pair of the second areas on the pupil plane and surrounding each of the first and second areas, the pair of the first areas being arranged outside an optical axis, the pair of the second areas being arranged outside the pair of the first areas, each center of gravity of the pair of the first areas and each center of gravity of the pair of the second areas being in the same straight line passing through the optical axis, each of the first areas being surrounded by the third area so as to be out of contact with the pair of second areas.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the pair of the first areas is approximately at the same distance from the optical axis in a direction parallel to the straight line, and the pair of the second areas is approximately at the same distance from the optical axis in the direction parallel to the straight line.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

a size of the first area and a size of the second area are different.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

an amount of light in the first area and an amount of light in the second area are different.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the pair of the second areas respectively has longitudinal directions which are substantially coincident with a direction orthogonal to the straight line.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the illumination light distributed in the second areas is substantially linearly polarized light.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein

a direction of the linearly polarized light is substantially coincident with a direction orthogonal to the straight line.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the illumination light in the first areas and the illumination light in the second areas have different polarization states.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the illumination light distributed in the first areas and the illumination light distributed in the second areas are linearly polarized and a polarization direction of the illumination light distributed in the first areas is substantially orthogonal to a polarization direction of the illumination light distributed in the second areas.

24. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing a substrate with the exposure apparatus as recited in claim 15;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate.

25. An exposure apparatus, comprising:

an illumination system which illuminates a pattern;

a projection system which projects the pattern onto a substrate; and

a formation optical system which can change a light amount distribution of illumination light on a pupil plane of the illumination system and which can generate a light amount distribution in which an amount of light is larger in four areas than in a fifth area, the fifth area being an area other than the four areas on the pupil plane and surrounding each of the four areas, each center of gravity of the four areas being in the same straight line passing through an optical axis, each of the four areas being surrounded by the fifth area so as to be out of contact with a remaining three of the four areas.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

the illumination light distributed in areas at both ends of the four areas is substantially linearly polarized.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

areas at both ends of the four areas respectively have directions orthogonal to the straight line on the pupil plane as longitudinal directions.

28. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing a substrate with the exposure apparatus as recited in claim 25;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate.