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US 5,475,491 AGranted
Exposure apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTakahisa Shiozawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exposure apparatus includes a supplying portion for supplying a radiation beam; a detector; an optical arrangement operable to amplitude-divide the radiation beam from the supplying portion to produce first and second beams, the optical arrangement being effective to direct the first beam to a workpiece to expose the same with the first beam and also to direct the second beam to the detector to cause the same to produce a signal; wherein the optical arrangement is arranged so that, independently of a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam, the signal from the detector is substantially proportional to the intensity of the first beam.
Claims57
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- supplying means for supplying a radiation beam having a state of polarization changeable with time;
- a detector;
- and
- an optical arrangement comprising (i) means for amplitude-dividing the radiation beam supplied from said supplying means to produce first and second beams, said optical arrangement directing the first beam to a workpiece to expose the workpiece with the first beam and directing the second beam to said detector to cause the detector to produce a signal representing the intensity of the second beam and (ii) means for adjusting at least one of the first and second beams so as to maintain constant an intensity ratio between the first and second beams independently of a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam.
1 more element
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- supplying means for supplying a radiation beam having a state of polarization changeable with time;
- a detector;
- an optical arrangement for amplitude-dividing the radiation beam supplied from said supplying means to produce first and second beams, said optical arrangement directing the first beam to a workpiece to expose the workpiece with the first beam and directing the second beam to said detector to cause the detector to produce a signal representing the intensity of the second beam, wherein the signal from said detector changes in response to a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam supplied from said supplying means;
- and
- responsive means being responsive to the signal produced by said detector to produce an intensity signal representing the intensity of the first beam, which intensity signal is substantially unchangeable with a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam supplied from said supplying means.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- supplying means for supplying a radiation beam;
- a detector;
- and
- an optical arrangement including a beam splitter and optical means;
- wherein said beam splitter is operable to amplitude-divide the radiation beam from said supplying means to produce first and second beams, said beam splitter further being operable to direct the first beam to a workpiece to be exposed and to direct the second beam to said detector;
- and
- wherein said optical means is provided between said beam splitter and said detector, for receiving the second beam from said beam splitter and for directing the received second beam to said detector, wherein said optical means is effective to maintain the ratio of intensity between a P-polarized component and an S-polarized component of the second beam, inputted to said detector, to be substantially the same as the ratio of intensity between a P-polarized component and an S-polarized component of the first beam, independently of a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam.
4 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- supplying means for supplying a radiation beam;
- a first detector;
- a second detector;
- and
- an optical arrangement including first and second beam splitters and responsive means;
- wherein said first beam splitter is operable to amplitude-divide the radiation beam from said supplying means to produce first and second beams, said first beam splitter being effective to direct the first beam to a workpiece to be exposed;
- wherein said second beam splitter is operable to amplitude-divide the second beam from said first beam splitter to produce third and fourth beams, said second beam splitter being effective to direct the third beam to said first detector so that a first signal is produced from said first detector, and also to direct the fourth beam to said second detector so that a second signal is produced from said second detector;
- and
- wherein said responsive means is responsive to the first and second signals from said first and second detectors, said responsive means being effective to produce a signal substantially proportional to the intensity of the first beam.
6 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- supplying means for supplying a radiation beam;
- a first detector;
- a second detector;
- and
- an optical arrangement including a first beam splitter, a second beam splitter and responsive means;
- wherein said first beam splitter is operable to amplitude-divide the radiation beam from said supplying means to produce first and second beams, said first beam splitter being effective to direct the first beam to said first detector so that a first signal is outputted from said first detector;
- wherein said second beam splitter is operable to amplitude-divide the second beam from said first beam splitter to produce third and fourth beams, said second beam splitter being effective to direct the third beam to said second detector so that a second signal is outputted from said second detector and also to direct the fourth beam to a workpiece to be exposed;
- and
- wherein said responsive means being responsive to the first and second signals from said first and second detectors, and said responsive means being effective to produce a signal substantially proportional to the intensity of the fourth beam.
6 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- supplying means for supplying a radiation beam;
- a detector;
- and
- an optical arrangement including a beam splitter and optical means;
- wherein said beam splitter is operable to amplitude-divide the radiation beam from said supplying means to produce first and second beams, said beam splitter being effective to direct the first beam to said detector;
- and
- wherein said optical means receives the second beam and directs the received second beam to a workpiece to the exposed, said optical means being effective to maintain the ratio of intensity between a P-polarized component and an S-polarized component of the second beam inputted to the workpiece to be substantially the same as the ratio of intensity of a P-polarized component and an S-polarized component of the first beam, independently of a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam.
4 more elements
A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices, wherein a radiation beam having a plane of polarization changeable with time is divided by a half mirror into first and second beams, said method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a semiconductor wafer with the first beam to print a circuit pattern on the wafer;
- and
- detecting intensity of the second beam during said exposing step to control the exposure,
- wherein the intensity of the second beam is detected while substantially compensating for a change in a ratio of intensity between the first and second beams resulting from a change in the plane of polarization of the radiation beam.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices, wherein a radiation beam having a plane of polarization changeable with time is divided by a half mirror into first and second beams, said method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a semiconductor wafer with the first beam to print a circuit pattern on the wafer;
- disposing a second half mirror on a path of the second beam to divide the second beam into third and fourth beams;
- detecting intensity of each of the third and fourth beams during said exposing step to control the exposure of the wafer;
- and
- producing a signal which is substantially proportional to the intensity of the first beam on the basis of the detected intensities of the third and fourth beams.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices, wherein a radiation beam having a plane of polarization changeable with time is divided by a half mirror into first and second beams, said method comprising the steps of:
- disposing a second half mirror on a path of the second beam to divide the second beam into third and fourth beams;
- exposing a semiconductor wafer with the fourth beam to print a circuit pattern on the wafer;
- detecting the intensity of each of the first and third beams during said exposing step to control the exposure of the wafer;
- and
- producing a signal which is substantially proportional to the intensity of the fourth beam on the basis of the detected intensities of the first and third beams.
2 more elements
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- producing means for producing a laser beam having a plane of polarization changeable with time;
- and
- an optical arrangement, comprising a half mirror and a photodetector, for receiving the laser beam produced by said producing means, said half mirror dividing the received laser beam into first and second beams and directing the second beam to said photodetector, said optical arrangement being arranged to substantially compensate for a change in a ratio of intensity between the first and second beams resulting from a change in the plane of polarization of the laser beam.
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- producing means for producing a laser beam having a plane of polarization changeable with time;
- an optical arrangement, comprising first and second half mirrors and first and second photodetectors, for receiving the laser beam produced by said producing means, said first half mirror dividing the received laser beam into first and second beams and directing the first beam to a substrate, while directing the second beam to said second half mirror, said second half mirror dividing the received second beam into third and fourth beams and directing the third and fourth beams to said first and second photodetectors, respectively, said first and second photodetectors respectively producing first and second signals respectively representing intensities of the third and fourth beams;
- and
- signal processing means for receiving the first and second signals produced by said first and second photodetectors, respectively, said signal processing means processing the first and second signals to produce a third signal substantially proportional to intensity of the first beam.
1 more element
An exposure apparatus, comprising:
- producing means for producing a laser beam having a plane of polarization changeable with time;
- and
- an optical arrangement, comprising first and second half mirrors and first and second photodetectors, for receiving the laser beam produced by said producing means, said first half mirror dividing the received laser beam into first and second beams and directing the first beam to said second half mirror while directing the second beam to said first photodetector, said second half mirror dividing the received first beam into third and fourth beams and directing the third beam to a substrate to be exposed and the fourth beam to said second photodetector, said first and second photodetectors respectively producing first and second signals respectively representing intensities of the second and fourth beams;
- and
- signal processing means for receiving the first and second signals produced by said first and second photodetectors, respectively, said signal processing means processing the first and second signals to produce a third signal substantially proportional to intensity of the third beam.
2 more elements
A method of monitoring the intensity of a radiation beam having a state of polarization changeable with time, said method comprising the steps of:
- splitting a radiation beam into first and second beams by using a half mirror disposed in a path of the radiation beam,
- detecting the intensity of the first beam;
- and
- during said detecting step, substantially compensating for a change in an intensity ratio of the first and second beams, the change in intensity ratio being caused by a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam.
1 more element
A method of monitoring the intensity of a radiation beam having a state of polarization changeable with time, by splitting the radiation beam into first and second beams through a half mirror disposed in a path of the radiation beam, the intensity of the first beam being changeable with a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam, said method comprising the steps of:
- dividing the first beam into a partial beam, which comprises third and fourth beams, by using another half mirror;
- converting the third and fourth beams into third and fourth signals, respectively, each representing the intensity of the corresponding third and fourth beams;
- and
- processing the produced third and fourth signals to produce a signal, representing the intensity of the second beam, which is unchangeable with a change in the state of polarization of the radiation beam.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.