Imaging optical unit for a metrology system for examining a lithography mask

• US 10,606,048 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CARL Zeiss SMT GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: CARL Zeiss SMT GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Ruoff, Johannes, Muller, Ralf, Beder, Susanne, Matejka, Ulrich, Mann, Hans-Jurgen, Neumann, Jens Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Darryl J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sumlar, Journey F
• Application Number:
  US15/410,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20170131528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/08 Anamorphotic objectives
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0647 using more than three curved mirrors G02B17/0668, G02B17/0694 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0828 off-axis or unobscured systems in which all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0848 off-axis or unobscured systems in which not all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry, e.g. at least one of the mirrors is warped, tilted or decentered with respect to the other elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/04 involving mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0988 Diaphragms, spatial filters, masks for removing or filtering a part of the beam
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/005 Diaphragms for cameras G03B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/84 Inspecting
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 7/00 Gamma- or X-ray microscopes

Abstract

An imaging optical unit serves within a metrology system for examining a lithography mask. The lithography mask can be arranged in an object field of the imaging optical unit. The object field is defined by two mutually perpendicular object field coordinates. The imaging optical unit has an aperture stop of which the aspect ratio in the direction of the two object field coordinates differs from 1. This results in an imaging optical unit which can be used for the examination of lithography masks that are designed for projection exposure with an anamorphic projection optical unit.

Claims

1. An imaging optical unit for a metrology system for examining a lithography mask, wherein the lithography mask can be arranged in an object field of the imaging optical unit, the object field being defined by two mutually perpendicular object field coordinates, the imaging optical unit comprising:

an aperture stop of which the aspect ratio in the direction of the two object field coordinates differs from 1, in which the aperture stop is arranged on a mirror of the imaging optical unit, and the mirror is configured to reflect imaging light within an edge contour of the aperture stop; and

at least four mirrors, which are arranged in an imaging-light path between the object field and an image field,

wherein the imaging optical unit comprises an isomorphic configuration in which an imaging scale in the direction of one of the two object field coordinates does not differ from an imaging scale in the direction of the other of the two object field coordinates.

2. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object field has a typical dimension of at least 200 μ

m.

3. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aperture stop comprises an elliptical aperture stop.

4. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging optical unit has a wavefront error (rms) that is less than 100 mλ

.

5. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a chief-ray angle (CRA) of a central object field point of the imaging optical unit is at most 8°

.

6. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least two mirror groups, one of the mirror groups being of an anamorphic configuration and the other of the mirror groups being of an isomorphic configuration.

7. The imaging optical unit of claim 1 in which the imaging optical unit has an imaging scale of at least 100, and a pattern on the lithography mask at the object field is magnified at least 100 times at the image field.

8. The imaging optical unit of claim 1 in which the aperture stop comprises at least one of an oval aperture stop or a rectangular aperture stop that is arranged on the mirror.

9. An imaging optical unit for a metrology system for examining a lithography mask

wherein the lithography mask can be arranged in an object field of the imaging optical unit, the object field being defined by two mutually perpendicular object field coordinates,

comprising an anamorphic configuration in which an imaging scale in the direction of one of the two object field coordinates differs from an imaging scale in the direction of the other of the two object field coordinates.

10. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one mirror of the imaging optical unit has a reflection surface for imaging light that is formed as a free-form surface.

11. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the aperture stop is arranged on a mirror of the imaging optical unit.

12. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein a center of the aperture stop lies on a reference axis (RA) of a mirror reflection surface of the imaging optical unit.

13. The imaging optical unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the imaging optical unit has exactly three mirrors in a beam path of imaging light between the object field and the image field.

14. A metrology system for examining a lithography mask, comprising:

an illumination optical unit for illuminating the lithography mask to be examined,

an imaging optical unit in which the lithography mask can be arranged in an object field of the imaging optical unit, the object field being defined by two mutually perpendicular object field coordinates, the imaging optical unit comprising;

an aperture stop of which the aspect ratio in the direction of the two object field coordinates differs from 1; and

at least four mirrors, which are arranged in an imaging-light path between the object field and an image field, and

a spatially resolving detection device, arranged in an image field of the imaging optical unit.

15. The metrology system as claimed in claim 14, comprising a configuration for examining a reflecting lithography mask, wherein the aperture stop has a greater stop diameter that is perpendicular to the plane of incidence of illumination light on the lithography mask.

16. The metrology system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the imaging optical unit comprises an isomorphic configuration in which an imaging scale in the direction of one of the two object field coordinates does not differ from an imaging scale in the direction of the other of the two object field coordinates.

17. The metrology system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the object field has a typical dimension of at least 200 μ

m.

18. The metrology system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the aperture stop of the imaging optical unit comprises an elliptical aperture stop.

19. The metrology system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the aperture stop of the imaging optical unit is arranged on a mirror of the imaging optical unit.

20. The metrology system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the imaging optical unit has a wavefront error (rms) that is less than 100 mλ

.

21. The metrology system of claim 14 in which the aperture stop of the imaging optical unit comprises at least one of an oval aperture stop or a rectangular aperture stop.