Lithographic apparatus, substrate support system, device manufacturing method and control program

• US 9,715,182 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Kamidi, Ramidin Izair, Manssouri, Khalid, Van De Wal, Marinus Maria Johannes, Aangenent, Wilhelmus Henricus Theodorus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitesell Gordon, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US14/647,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20150316860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70341 Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70725 control
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70758 Drive means, e.g. actuators, motors for long- or short-stroke modules or fine or coarse driving
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70783 Handling stress or warp of chucks, masks or workpieces, e.g. to compensate for imaging errors or considerations related to warpage of masks or workpieces due to their own weight

Abstract

A lithographic apparatus includes a driven object having compliant dynamics; a plurality of actuators configured to act on the driven object, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in an actuator degree of freedom; a control system including a transformation matrix configured to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators in response to a setpoint, wherein the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the driven object in at least one degree of freedom.

Claims

1. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

a driven object having compliant dynamics;

a plurality of actuators configured to act on the driven object, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in an actuator degree of freedom;

a control system comprising a transformation matrix configured to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators in response to a setpoint,

wherein the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the driven object in at least one degree of freedom.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in two or more actuator degrees of freedom and the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the driven object in a number of degrees of freedom equal to the number of actuator degrees of freedom that are over-determined.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of actuators comprises more than six actuators configured and arranged to position the driven object in six degrees of freedom.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driven object has a first resonant mode, being the resonant mode of the lowest frequency amongst all its resonant modes, and the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite compliant dynamics in the driven object in at least one degree of freedom having a frequency lower than half the frequency of the first resonant mode.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite compliant dynamics in the driven object in at least one degree of freedom having a frequency lower than a predetermined frequency.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transformation matrix GB satisfies the following condition:

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transformation matrix is further configured to enforce a diagonalized rigid body behavior of the driven object.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transformation matrix is further configured to reduce internal deformation of the driven object.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control system generates a sequence of controller output signals in response to a sequence of setpoints.

10. A substrate support system comprising

a substrate table having compliant dynamics:

a plurality of actuators configured to act on the substrate table, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in an actuator degree of freedom;

a control system comprising a transformation matrix configured to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators in response to a setpoint,

wherein the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the substrate table in at least one degree of freedom.

11. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

a driven object having compliant dynamics;

a plurality of actuators configured to act on the driven object;

a plurality of sensors each configured to provide a sensor signal indicative of a position or displacement of the driven object, wherein the plurality of sensors are over-determined in a sensor degree of freedom;

a control system comprising a transformation matrix configured to transform the sensor signals so as to not observe the effects of the compliant dynamics of the driven object in at least one degree of freedom, the control system configured to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators in response to a setpoint and the transformed sensor signals.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors are over-determined in two or more sensor degrees of freedom and the transformation matrix is configured such that the transformed sensor signals do not observe the compliant dynamics of the driven object in a number of degrees of freedom equal to the number of sensor degrees of freedom that are over-determined.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises more than six sensors configured and arranged to measure the position of the driven object in six degrees of freedom.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the driven object has a first resonant mode, being the resonant mode of the lowest frequency amongst all its resonant modes, and the transformation matrix is configured such that the transferred sensor signals do not observe compliant dynamics in the driven object in at least one degree of freedom having a frequency lower than half the frequency of the first resonant mode.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transformation matrix is configured such that the transferred sensor signals do not observe compliant dynamics in the driven object in at least one degree of freedom having a frequency lower than a predetermined frequency.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transformation matrix MS satisfies the following condition:

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control system generates a sequence of controller output signals in response to a sequence of setpoints.

18. A device manufacturing method using a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising:

supporting a substrate on a substrate table having compliant dynamics and a plurality of actuators configured to act on the substrate table, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in an actuator degree of freedom;

projecting a patterned beam onto the substrate to expose it to the respective pattern whilst positioning the substrate table;

wherein positioning the substrate table comprises applying a transformation matrix to a setpoint to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators, the transformation matrix being configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the substrate table in at least one degree of freedom.

19. A device manufacturing method using a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising:

supporting a substrate on a substrate table having compliant dynamics and a plurality of actuators configured to act on the substrate table;

using a plurality of sensors to generate respective sensor signals that are indicative of a position of at least one of the substrate and the substrate table,

wherein the plurality of sensors are over-determined in a sensor degree of freedom;

projecting a patterned beam onto the substrate to expose it to the respective pattern whilst positioning the substrate table; and

applying a transformation matrix to the sensor signals to generate transformed sensor signals, the transformation matrix being configured such that the transformed sensor signals do not observe the compliant dynamics of the substrate table in at least one degree of freedom.

20. A control program for a lithographic apparatus having a substrate table having compliant dynamics and a plurality of actuators configured to act on the substrate table, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in an actuator degree of freedom, the program comprising code that, when executed by a computer system, instructs the computer system to:

apply a transformation matrix to a setpoint to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators, the transformation matrix being configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the substrate table in at least one degree of freedom.

21. A lithographic apparatus comprising:

an object having compliant dynamics;

a plurality of actuators configured to act on the object, wherein the plurality of actuators are over-determined in an actuator degree of freedom;

a controller comprising a transformation matrix configured to generate controller output signals for each of the plurality of actuators in response to a setpoint,

wherein the transformation matrix is configured such that the controller output signals do not excite the compliant dynamics of the object in at least one degree of freedom.