Illumination optical system and projection exposure apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHIROSHI SATO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An illumination optical system for use in a projection exposure apparatus is disclosed, in which the illumination optical system includes a secondary light source forming device for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, an optical device for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources, wherein the optical device is arranged to assure that the secondary light sources as seen from points on the surface illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture, and an illuminance uniforming device effective to make the illuminance on the surface illuminated uniform.
Claims29
An illumination optical system, comprising:
- secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source;
- and
- optical means for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources;
- wherein in said illumination optical system the secondary light sources as seen from points on the surface illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture and wherein illuminance on the surface illuminated is substantially uniform.
An illumination optical system, comprising:
- secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source;
- optical means for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources, wherein said optical means is arranged to assure that the secondary light sources as seen from points on the surface illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture;
- and
- illuminance uniforming means effective to make the illuminance on the surface illuminated uniform.
An illumination optical system, comprising:
- a fly's eye lens for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, said fly's eye lens having a plurality of small lens elements each comprising an aspherical surface lens;
- and
- optical means for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources.
An illumination optical system, comprising:
- a fly's eye lens for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, said fly's eye lens having a plurality of small lens elements each comprising a diffractive optical element;
- and
- optical means for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources.
An illumination optical system, comprising:
- secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source;
- optical means for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources, wherein said optical means is arranged to assure that the secondary light sources as seen from points on the surface illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture;
- scanning means for scanning the surface to be illuminated, wherein the surface to be illuminated is illuminated while being scanned by said scanning means;
- and
- a variable slit disposed at or adjacent a plane optically conjugate with the surface to be illuminated, for changing a width in scan direction of an illumination region upon the surface to be illuminated;
- wherein the width in scan direction of the illumination region can be changed by said variable slit in accordance with illuminance distribution on the illumination region.
An illumination optical system, comprising:
- secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source;
- optical means for illuminating a surface to be illuminated, with light from the secondary light sources;
- scanning means for scanning the surface to be illuminated, wherein the surface to be illuminated is illuminated while being scanned by said scanning means;
- and
- a variable slit disposed at or adjacent a plane optically conjugate with the surface to be illuminated, for changing a width in scan direction of an illumination region upon the surface to be illuminated;
- wherein the width in scan direction of the illumination region can be changed by said variable slit in accordance with a change in shape of the secondary light sources.
A projection exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an illumination optical system including (i) secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, (ii) optical means for directing light from the secondary light sources to a reticle, wherein said optical means is arranged to assure that the secondary light sources as seen from points on a surface being illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture, and (iii) illuminance uniforming means effective to make the illuminance on the surface illuminated uniform;
- and
- a projection optical system for projecting a pattern, formed on the reticle, onto the surface of a wafer.
A projection exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an illumination optical system including (i) a fly's eye lens for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, said fly's eye lens having a plurality of small lens elements each comprising an aspherical surface lens, and (ii) optical means for directing light from the secondary light sources to a reticle;
- and
- a projection optical system for projecting a pattern formed on the reticle, onto a surface of a wafer.
A projection exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an illumination optical system including (i) a fly's eye lens for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, said fly's eye lens having a plurality of small lens elements each comprising a diffractive optical element, and (ii) optical means for directing light from the secondary light sources to a reticle;
- and
- a projection optical system for projecting a pattern formed on the reticle, onto a surface of a wafer.
A projection exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an illumination optical system including (i) secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, and (ii) optical means for directing light from the secondary light sources to a reticle, wherein said optical means is arranged to assure that the secondary light sources as seen from points on a surface illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture;
- a projection optical system for projecting a pattern formed on the reticle, onto a surface of a wafer;
- scanning means for scanning the reticle and the wafer in synchronism with each other, wherein the pattern is transferred to the wafer with the scan by said scanning means;
- and
- a variable slit disposed at or adjacent a plane optically conjugate with the surface to be illuminated, for changing a width in scan direction of an illumination region upon the surface to be illuminated;
- wherein the width in scan direction of the illumination region can be changed by said variable slit in accordance with illuminance distribution on the illumination region.
A projection exposure apparatus, comprising:
- an illumination optical system including (i) secondary light source forming means for forming secondary light sources by use of light from a light source, and (ii) optical means for directing light from the secondary light sources to a reticle, wherein said optical means is arranged to assure that the secondary light sources as seen from points on a surface illuminated have substantially the same numerical aperture;
- a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle, onto a surface of a wafer;
- scanning means for scanning the reticle and the wafer in synchronism with each other, wherein the pattern is transferred to the wafer with the scan by said scanning means;
- and
- a variable slit disposed at or adjacent a plane optically conjugate with the surface to be illuminated, for changing a width in scan direction of an illumination region upon the surface to be illuminated;
- wherein the width in scan direction of the illumination region can be changed by said variable slit in accordance with a change in shape of the secondary light sources.
A fly's eye lens, comprising:
- a plurality of small lens elements at least one of which has at least one aspherical lens surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.