Method of configuring extreme ultra-violet (EUV) illumination system, and EUV exposure method using the EUV illumination system

A method of configuring an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) illumination system, the method comprising:

• generating aerial images, indicated as an intensity of a cutline with respect to a mask pattern, each of the aerial images being generated by performing an optical simulation on each of a plurality of EUV point sources that are individually configured to turn on/off incoherent light;
• performing an EUV mapping for selecting optical paths from M field facet mirrors (FFMs) to N pupil facet mirrors (PFMs) in order to configure an illumination system of the EUV point sources, wherein the EUV mapping corresponds to a predetermined condition of selecting the optical paths from M FFMs to N PFMs, where M represents a positive integer and N represents an integer greater than M;
• summing up the aerial images based on the EUV mapping;
• searching for a combination of the EUV point sources using a fitness value with respect to the summed aerial images, wherein the fitness value is calculated based on quantifying at least one of (i) optical indexes or (ii) performance indexes of patterning in an EUV light exposure process;
• and
• physically configuring the EUV illumination system based on the combination of the EUV point sources having a maximum fitness value.

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure method comprising:

• preparing an EUV mask;
• configuring an EUV illumination system corresponding to the EUV mask;
• and
• performing an EUV exposure on a wafer using the EUV illumination system,
• wherein the configuring of the EUV illumination system comprises
• generating aerial images, each of the aerial images being generated by performing an optical simulation on each of a plurality of EUV point sources that are individually configured to turn on/off incoherent light,
• summing up the aerial images based on an EUV mapping, wherein the EUV mapping corresponds to a predetermined condition of selecting optical paths from M field facet mirrors (FFMs) to N pupil facet mirrors (PFMs), where M represents a positive integer and N represents an integer greater than M,
• searching for a combination of the EUV point sources using a fitness value with respect to the summed aerial images, wherein the fitness value is calculated based on quantifying at least one of (i) optical indexes or (ii) performance indexes of patterning in an EUV light exposure process, and
• physically configuring the EUV illumination system based on a combination of the EUV point sources having a maximum fitness value.