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US 2003/0197922 A1Published application
Catadioptric projection system for 157 nm lithography
AssigneeCarl Zeiss SMT GmbH
InventorRussell Hudyma
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AssigneeCarl Zeiss SMT GmbH
InventorRussell Hudyma
Estimating the term…
A photolithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective includes a first optical group G1 including an even number of at least four mirrors M1-M6; and a second at least substantially dioptric optical group G2 imageward than the first optical group G1 including a number of lenses E4-E13. The first optical group G1 provides compensative axial aberrative correction for the second optical group G2 which forms an image with a numerical aperture of at least substantially 0.65, and preferably at least 0.70 or 0.75. Six mirror examples are shown.
A photolithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective with a beam path, comprising:
A photolithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective, comprising:
A photolithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective, comprising:
A photolithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Catadioptric systems: specially adapted for the UV
Using more than three curved mirrors: off-axis or unobscured systems in which all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry
Mask projection systems: optical aspects of catadioptric systems, i.e. comprising reflective and refractive elements
Mask projection systems: multiple projection paths, e.g. array of projection systems, microlens projection systems or tandem projection systems
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to projection systems for photolithography, and particularly to catadioptric systems including first and second optical imaging groups for 157 nm lithography.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows the lens section of a projection objective for 157 nm photolithography according to a first preferred embodiment.
FIG. 2 shows the lens section of a second preferred embodiment.
What follows is a cite list of references which are, in addition to the references cited above in the background section, hereby incorporated by reference into the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, as disclosing alternative embodiments of elements or features of the preferred embodiment not otherwise set forth in detail herein with reference to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. A single one or a combination of two or more of these references may be consulted to obtain a variation of the preferred embodiment described above. Further patent, patent application and non-patent references, and discussion thereof, cited in the background and/or elsewhere herein are also incorporated by reference into the detailed description of the preferred embodiment with the same effect as just described with respect to the following references:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,323,263, 5,515,207, 5,052,763, 5,537,260, 4,685,777, 5,071,240, 5,815,310, 5,401,934, 4,595,295, 4,232,969, 5,742,436, 5,805,357, 5,835,275, 4,171,871, 5,241,423, 5,089,913, 5,159,172, 5,608,526, 5,212,588, 5,686,728, 5,220,590, 5,153,898, 5,353,322, 5,315,629, 5,063,586, 5,410,434, 5,956,192, 5,071,240, 5,078,502, 6,014,252, 5,805,365, 6,033,079, 4,701,035 and 6,142,641; and German patent no. DE 196 39 586 A; and U.S. patent applications Nos. 09/263,788 and 09/761,562; and European patent applications no. EP 0 816 892 A1, EP 0 779 528 A2 and EP 0 869 383 A; and
“Design of Reflective Relay for Soft X-Ray Lithography”, J. M. Rodgers, T. E. Jewell, International Lens Design Conference, 1990;