Lithographic Method to Apply a Pattern to a Substrate and Lithographic Apparatus
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorHaico Victor KOK
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A slit shaped area of a patterning device is illuminated to impart a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section. A projection system projects the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate. As the radiation beam is scanned across the target portion of the substrate, a configuration of the projection system is adjusted and applies a pattern to the target portion. The adjusting may affect a magnitude of an image magnification component of the projection system, along the length of the slit shaped area, or an image distortion in a scan direction. The adjusting is arranged to compensate an effect on pattern overlay accuracy of a distortion of the patterning device.
Claims17
A lithographic method to apply a pattern to a substrate comprising:
- illuminating a slit shaped area, elongated along a first direction, of a patterning device with a radiation beam to provide a patterned radiation beam;
- scanning the patterning device through the radiation beam in a scan direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- imaging the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate using a projection system, a characteristic of the projection system being an image magnification component along the first direction;
- synchronously scanning the substrate along the scan direction;
- and
- applying an adjustment to the image magnification component as the substrate is scanned across a footprint of the radiation beam corresponding to the slit shaped area, a magnitude of the adjustment being a function of a position of the footprint relative to a center of the target portion.
A lithographic apparatus comprising:
- an illumination system configured to illuminate a slit shaped area, elongated along a first direction, of a patterning device with a radiation beam to provide a patterned radiation beam;
- a support structure configured to hold the patterning device and move the patterning device along a scan direction;
- a substrate table configured to hold a substrate and move the substrate synchronously with the support structure along the scan direction;
- a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate, a characteristic of the projection system being an image magnification component along the first direction;
- and
- a controller configured to apply an adjustment to the image magnification component as the substrate is scanned across a footprint of the radiation beam corresponding to the slit shaped area, a magnitude of the adjustment being a function of a position of the footprint relative to a center of the target portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.