# US 2012/0236284 A1 · Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

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- Number: US 2012/0236284 A1
- Document ID: US20120236284A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/484,051
- Filed: 2012-05-30
- Published: 2012-09-20
- Earliest claimed: 2007-10-16
- Assignees: Nikon Corporation
- Inventors: Hirohisa TANAKA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120236284A1

## CPC

- G03F 7/70116: {Off-axis setting using a programmable means, e.g. liquid crystal display [LCD], digital micromirror device [DMD] or pupil facets}
- G03F 7/70075: {Homogenization of illumination intensity in the mask plane by using an integrator, e.g. fly's eye lens, facet mirror or glass rod, by using a diffusing optical element or by beam deflection}
- G03F 7/70108: {Off-axis setting using a light-guiding element, e.g. diffractive optical elements [DOEs] or light guides}
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)

## Abstract

An illumination optical system for illuminating an irradiated plane M with illumination light provided from a light source includes a spatial light modulator, which is arranged in an optical path of the illumination optical system and forms a desired light intensity distribution at a pupil position of the illumination optical system or a position optically conjugated with the pupil position, and a diffuser, which is arranged at an incidence side of the spatial light modulator through which the illumination light enters.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An illumination optical system which illuminates an irradiated plane with illumination light provided from a light source and which is used in combination with a projection optical system for projecting a pattern arranged on the irradiated plane onto a photosensitive substrate, the illumination optical system comprising:
a diffuser which is arranged in an optical path of the illumination optical system and diffuses the entering illumination light;
a spatial light modulator which is arranged between the diffuser and the irradiated plane and which includes a plurality of elements two-dimensionally arranged and controllable independently from one another, the plurality of elements receiving the illumination light diffused by the diffuser;
the first optical system which is arranged in an optical path between the spatial light modulator and the irradiated plane and which distributes the light from the spatial light modulator to form a desirable light intensity distribution at a position optically conjugated with the pupil position of the projection optical system; and
a second optical system having an imaging optical system arranged in an optical path between the diffuser and the spatial light modulator.