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AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKenichiro Shinoda
Estimating the term…
An illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle using light from a light source includes an illumination-light generating mechanism for generating a light amount distribution on a plane that has a substantially Fourier conversion relationship with the reticle while making variable a ratio of a light amount between a first area and a second area different from the first area, the first and second areas being on the, plane.
An illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle using light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising an illumination-light generating mechanism for generating a light amount distribution on a plane that has a substantially Fourier conversion relationship with the reticle while making variable a ratio of a light amount between a first area and a second area different from the first area, the first and second areas being on the plane.
An illumination optical system for illuminating an object surface using light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising an illumination-light generating mechanism for generating a light amount distribution on a plane that has a substantially-Fourier conversion relationship with the object surface,
An illumination optical system for illuminating an object surface using light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising a prism for generating a light amount distribution on a plane that has a substantially Fourier conversion relationship with the object surface,
An illumination optical system for illuminating an object surface using light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising an illumination-light generating mechanism for generating a light amount distribution on a plane that has a substantially Fourier conversion relationship with the object surface,
An exposure method comprising the step of illuminating a reticle using an illumination optical system with light from a light source,
An exposure apparatus comprising:
An exposure apparatus comprising:
An exposure apparatus comprising:
An exposure apparatus comprising:
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
A device fabricating method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane; On-axis or off-axis settings,…:…
Details of optical elements: zoom systems for adjusting beam diameter
Photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces
Term end not estimated
This application claims the right of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-121378, filed on Apr. 23, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
The present invention relates generally to illumination optical systems, and more particularly to an illumination apparatus in an illumination apparatus and an exposure apparatus used to expose objects such as single crystal plates for semiconductor wafers, glass plates for liquid crystal displays (LCD), and the like. The present invention is suitable, for example, for an illumination apparatus that scans and exposes an object that includes a contact-hole line pattern or a mixture of isolated contact hole and contact-hole line in a photolithography process.
Along with recent demands on smaller and thinner profile electronic devices, fine semiconductor devices to be mounted onto these electronic devices have been increasingly demanded. For example, a design rule have attempted to form a circuit pattern of 100 nm or less on a mass production line, and which will expectedly shift to 80 nm or less. The mainstream photolithography technology has conventionally used a projection exposure apparatus that projects and transfers a pattern on a mask (reticle) onto a wafer.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an exposure apparatus of one embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an annular effective light-source distribution.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a prism for forming the effective light-source distribution shown in FIG. 2.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a description will be now given of an exposure apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments and each element is replaceable-within a scope that achieves the objects of the present invention. The same element in each figure is designated by the same reference numeral, and a description will be omitted.
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of an exposure apparatus 100 of one embodiment according to the present invention. As best shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus 100 includes an illumination apparatus 200, a mask 300, a projection optical system 400, and a plate 500.
The exposure apparatus 100 is a projection exposure apparatus that exposes onto the plate 500 a circuit pattern created on the mask 300, for example, in a step-and-repeat or step-and-scan manner. This projection exposure apparatus is suitable for a lithography process of a submicron, quarter-micron or less, and thus a description will be given of a step-and-scan type exposure apparatus (also called as a “scanner”) as an example in this embodiment. Here, the “step-and-repeat manner” is one mode of exposure method that moves a wafer stepwise to an exposure area for the next shot every shot of cell projection onto the wafer. The “step-and-scan manner,” is another mode of exposure method that exposes a mask pattern onto a wafer by continuously scanning the wafer relative to the mask, and by moving, after a shot of exposure, the wafer stepwise to the next exposure area to be shot.