Scanning exposure apparatus
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorsToshiharu Nakashima, Masato Hamatani, Ken Ozawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A projection exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate by a scanning exposure method, includes a light source for generating a light beam having a predetermined spatial coherence, an illumination optical system for receiving the light beam from the light source and illuminating a local area on the mask with the light beam, and a device for synchronously moving the mask and the photosensitive substrate so as to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate. A direction, corresponding to a higher spatial coherence of the light beam, is made to coincide with the direction of relative scanning an illumination area and the mask in the illumination area.
Claims18
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source for emitting a spatially coherent light beam;
- an illumination optical system for radiating the light beam from said light source onto a mask so as to form an illumination area on a local area of the mask, said light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam in the illumination area;
- and
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate,
- wherein a direction of relative scanning of the illumination area and the mask upon movement of the mask substantially coincides with the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam.
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source for emitting a spatially coherent light beam;
- an illumination optical system for radiating the light beam from said light source onto a mask so as to form an illumination area on a local area of the mask;
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate;
- and
- a device for shifting an interference pattern in the illumination area in accordance with a moving speed of the mask and an intensity distribution of the interference pattern while the mask and the photosensitive substrate are being synchronously moved.
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source for emitting spatially coherent pulsed light;
- an illumination optical system for radiating the light from said light source onto a mask so as to form an illumination area locally on the mask;
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate;
- and
- a device for shifting an interference pattern formed in the illumination area in a moving direction of the mask,
- wherein an accumulated light amount on the mask or the photosensitive substrate, upon radiation of a plurality of light pulses from said light source onto said mask, is uniformed by operation of said moving device and said shifting device.
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source;
- an illumination optical system for illuminating a mask with a light beam from said light source, said light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam in an illumination area on the mask;
- a projection optical system for projecting an image of a pattern formed on the mask onto a photosensitive substrate;
- a mask stage which holds the mask to be substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said projection optical system, and which moves substantially along the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam;
- a substrate stage which holds the photosensitive substrate and moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of said projection optical system;
- and
- a device for synchronously driving said mask stage and said substrate stage so as to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate.
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a projection optical system for projecting an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate;
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and the photosensitive substrate along a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said projection optical system so as to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate;
- and
- a device for illuminating a local area on the mask with light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam, such that the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam substantially coincides with a moving direction of the mask.
An apparatus for illuminating a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto a photosensitive substrate by a scanning exposure method, comprising:
- a light source;
- a device for radiating the light beam from said light source onto the mask via an aperture of a field stop arranged on a plane substantially conjugate with a pattern surface of the mask, said light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam in an illumination area on the mask;
- and
- an optical member for substantially aligning the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam with a scanning direction of the mask.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.