Beam-forming and illuminating system for a lithography system, lithography system, and method
AssigneeCarl Zeiss SMT GmbH
InventorsHubert Holderer, Klaus Abele, Björn Liebaug
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A beam-forming and illuminating system for a lithography system, such an EUV lithography system, includes an optical element and an adjusting device. The adjusting device is configured so that, during a heat-up phase of the beam-forming and illuminating system, the adjusting device measures a field position and/or a pupil position of the beam-forming and illuminating system and adjusts the orientation and/or position of the optical element based on the measured field position and/or pupil position to keep the optical element in a desired position.
Claims20
A beam-shaping and illumination system having an exposure phase and a heating phase which begins before the exposure phase, the beam-shaping and illumination system comprising:
- an optical element;
- and
- an adjustment device, comprising:
- a control unit;
- a sensor;
- and
- an actuating element configured to adjust an orientation and/or a position of the optical element to keep the optical element in a target location,
- wherein the control unit is operatively connected to the sensor and the actuating element so that, during the heating phase and before the exposure phase begins:
- a) the sensor is located in an object plane of the beam-shaping and illumination unit along a beam path of the beam-shaping and illumination unit so that the sensor measures the field position and/or the pupil position of the beam-shaping and illumination system;
- and
- b) based on the measured field position and/or pupil position of the beam-shaping and illumination system, the actuating element adjusts an orientation and/or a position of the optical element to keep the optical element in a target location.
A beam-shaping and illumination system having an exposure phase and a heating phase which begins before the exposure phase, the beam-shaping and illumination system comprising:
- an optical element;
- an adjustment device, comprising:
- a control unit;
- a sensor;
- and
- a bearing device comprising six bearing units,
- wherein:
- for each bearing unit, the bearing unit comprises:
- an actuating element controllable by the adjustment device;
- and
- a spacer configured to change a length of the bearing unit;
- the system is configured so that changing a length of the bearing units adjusts an orientation and/or a position of the optical element;
- and
- the control unit is operatively connected to the sensor and the bearing device so that, during the heating phase and before the exposure phase begins:
- a) the sensor is located in an object plane of the beam-shaping and illumination unit along a beam path of the beam-shaping and illumination unit so that the sensor measures the field position and/or the pupil position of the beam-shaping and illumination system;
- and
- b) based on the measured field position and/or pupil position of the beam-shaping and illumination system, the bearing device adjusts an orientation and/or a position of the optical element to keep the optical element in a target location.
A method of operating a beam-shaping and illumination system having an exposure phase and a heating phase which begins before the exposure phase, the method comprising:
- during the heating phase and before the exposure phase begins:
- a) using a sensor located in an object plane of the beam-shaping and illumination unit along a beam path of the beam-shaping and illumination unit to measure a field position and/or a pupil position of the beam-shaping and illumination system;
- and
- b) based on the measured field position and/or pupil position, adjusting an orientation and/or a position of an optical element of the beam-shaping and illumination system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.