Illumination optical device, illumination method, and exposure method and device
First Claim
1. An illumination optical apparatus which illuminates an illumination target surface through use of a beam, comprising:
- a light splitting device which splits the beam into a plurality of beams with respective polarization states different from each other;
a spatial light modulation device which is arranged on at least one of a first optical path in which a first beam out of the plurality of beams travels and a second optical path in which a second beam out of the plurality of beams travels, and which is configured to adjust a phase difference between the first beam and the second beam by changing an optical path length of the first optical path and an optical length of the second optical path; and
an optical system which illuminates the illumination target surface with light wherein the first beam and the second beam are overlapped at least in part,wherein polarization states of the first beam and the second beam overlapped at least in part are adjusted by adjusting the phase difference between the first beam and the second beam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An illumination optical apparatus includes a light splitting device which splits the beam into a plurality of beams with respective polarization states different from each other, a spatial light modulation device which is arranged on at least one of a first optical path in which a first beam out of the plurality of beams travels and a second optical path in which a second beam out of the plurality of beams travels, and which has a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and driven individually and a control device which controls the spatial modulation device to combine the first beam and the second beam at least in part.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An illumination optical apparatus which illuminates an illumination target surface through use of a beam, comprising:
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a light splitting device which splits the beam into a plurality of beams with respective polarization states different from each other; a spatial light modulation device which is arranged on at least one of a first optical path in which a first beam out of the plurality of beams travels and a second optical path in which a second beam out of the plurality of beams travels, and which is configured to adjust a phase difference between the first beam and the second beam by changing an optical path length of the first optical path and an optical length of the second optical path; and an optical system which illuminates the illumination target surface with light wherein the first beam and the second beam are overlapped at least in part, wherein polarization states of the first beam and the second beam overlapped at least in part are adjusted by adjusting the phase difference between the first beam and the second beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An illumination method of illuminating an illumination target surface through use of a beam, comprising:
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setting a target distribution of polarization states of the beam, between a spatial light modulation device with a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and driven individually, and the illumination target surface; splitting the beam into a plurality of beams with respective polarization states different from each other; supplying at least one of first and second beams out of the plurality of beams to the spatial light modulation device; controlling the spatial light modulation device to change a phase difference between the first beam and the second beam; and
overlapping the first beam and the second beam at least in part and adjusting a polarization state of a resultant beam so as to be different from the polarization states of the beams resulting from the splitting. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification