Exposure method and apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKenji Saitoh, Miyoko Kawashima
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided an exposure method that includes the steps of forming a phase shift mask having a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern, a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern being thicker than the dummy pattern's line width, illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak near or on an optical axis in an intensity distribution to transfer the desired pattern onto the exposure plane by projecting light having passed through the phase shift mask onto the exposure plane.
Claims31
An exposure method comprising the steps of:
- forming a phase shift mask including a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern, a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern being thicker than the line width of the dummy pattern;
- and
- illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak substantially on an optical axis in an intensity distribution to project light that has passed the phase shift mask onto an exposed plane via a projection optical system, thus transferring the desired pattern onto the exposed plane.
An exposure method that exposes a pattern on a mask onto an exposed plane via a projection optical system, comprising the steps of:
- using a phase shift mask that overlays a cyclic pattern onto the pattern area and the neighborhood;
- and
- performing multiple illumination via an effective light source, as illumination light, corresponding to small σ illumination and large σ illumination.
An exposure apparatus comprising an exposure mode that can perform an exposure method comprising the steps of:
- forming a phase shift mask including a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern by making a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern thicker than the line width of the dummy pattern;
- illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak near an optical axis in an intensity distribution;
- and
- projecting light that has passed the phase shift mask onto an exposed plane via a projection optical system, thus transferring the desired pattern onto the exposed plane.
An exposure apparatus comprising an exposure mode that can perform an exposure method that exposes a pattern on a mask onto an exposed plane via a projection optical system, comprising the steps of:
- using a phase shift mask that overlays a cyclic pattern onto the desired pattern area and the neighborhood;
- and
- performing multiple illumination via an effective light source, as illumination light, corresponding to small σ illumination and large σ illumination.
An exposure apparatus comprising a mask, an optical system that illuminates a pattern on the mask, and a projection optical system that projects onto an exposed plane, wherein said mask is composed of a phase shift mask that overlays a minute cyclic pattern onto the desired pattern area and its neighborhood, and said optical system has multiple effective light sources corresponding to small σ illumination and large σ illumination, thus having a multiple illumination system that combines such small σ illumination and large σ illumination.
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
- projecting and exposing an object to be exposed by using the exposure apparatus comprising an exposure mode that can perform an exposure method comprising the steps of forming a phase shift mask including a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern by making a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern thicker than the line width of the dummy pattern, illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak near an optical axis in an intensity distribution and illumination light having a peak off an optical axis in an intensity distribution, and projecting light that has passed the phase shift mask onto an exposed plane via a projection optical system, thus transferring the desired pattern onto the exposed plane;
- and
- performing specified operations on the projected and exposed object.
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
- projecting and exposing an object to be exposed by using the exposure apparatus comprising an exposure mode that can perform an exposure method that exposes a pattern on a mask onto an exposed plane via a projection lens, comprising the steps of using a phase shift mask that overlays a minute cyclic pattern onto the desired pattern, and performing multiple illumination via an effective light source, as illumination light, corresponding to small σ illumination and large σ illumination;
- and
- performing specified operations on the projected and exposed object.
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
- projecting and exposing an object to be exposed by using the exposure apparatus comprising a mask, an optical system that illuminates a pattern on the mask, and a projection optical system that projects onto an exposed plane, wherein said mask is composed of a phase shift mask that overlays a minute cyclic pattern on the desired pattern area and its neighborhood, and said optical system has multiple effective light sources corresponding to small σ illumination and large σ illumination, thus having a multiple illumination system that combines such small σ illumination and large σ illumination;
- and
- performing specified operations on the projected and exposed object.
A phase shift mask comprising a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern, wherein a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern is made thicker than the line width of the dummy pattern.
A mask fabricating method comprising the steps of:
- forming a desired pattern onto a mask;
- overlaying a cyclic dummy pattern onto the desired pattern;
- and
- fabricating the mask as a phase shift mask by making a part of the desired mask thicker than the dummy pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.