# US 8,786,822 B2 · Projection optical system with deformable optical element, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

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- Number: US 8,786,822 B2
- Document ID: US8786822B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/710,246
- Filed: 2010-02-22
- Published: 2010-08-26
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2009-02-25
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Akihiro Yamada; Atsushi Shigenobu; Tsuyoshi Kitamura
- Inventors: Akihiro Yamada; Atsushi Shigenobu; Tsuyoshi Kitamura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8786822B2

## CPC

- G02B 5/32: Holograms used as optical elements
- G02B 13/24: for reproducing or copying at short object distances
- G03F 7/70266: {Adaptive optics, e.g. deformable optical elements for wavefront control, e.g. for aberration adjustment or correction}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- 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

A system includes a plurality of optical elements, a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element: 0.75<EA/EA0<0.95 where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements, and a control unit configured to control the deformation unit, wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed, the deformation unit includes n actuators, the n actuators apply forces to n positions on the outer circumference other than the fixed n positions, and the control unit controls each of the n actuators independently.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a plurality of optical elements;
a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element:
0.75<EA/EA0<0.95
where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements; and
a control unit configured to control the deformation unit,
wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed,
wherein the deformation unit includes n actuators,
wherein the n actuators apply forces to other n positions on the outer circumference,
wherein the n actuators apply different forces to the deformable optical element,
wherein the control unit reduces an aberration that depends on an image height of the system and an aberration that does not depend on the image height of the system at the same time by deforming the deformable optical element by using the deformation unit, and
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a force to be applied to the deformable optical element by the n actuators according to an amount of an aberration component dependent on an image height.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit reduces aberration components of (n−1)-fold rotational symmetry, n-fold rotational symmetry, and (n+1)-fold rotational symmetry in a pupil of the system by applying forces to the other n positions of the deformable optical element to deform the deformable optical element.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein n is an even number.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the other n positions are arranged in a pitch of 360/n degrees.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the fixed n positions are arranged in a same pitch of 360/n degrees.

### Claim 6

An apparatus comprising:
an illumination system configured to illuminate an original plate with light from a light source; and
a projection system configured to project a pattern image of the original plate onto a substrate, the projection system comprising:
a plurality of optical elements;
a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element:
0.75<EA/EA0<0.95
where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements; and
a control unit configured to control the deformation unit,
wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed,
wherein the deformation unit includes n actuators,
wherein the n actuators apply forces to other n positions on the outer circumference,
wherein the n actuators apply different forces to the deformable optical element,
wherein the control unit reduces an aberration that depends on an image height of the projection system and an aberration that does not depend on the image height of the projection system at the same time by deforming the deformable optical element by using the deformation unit, and
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a force to be applied to the deformable optical element by the n actuators according to an amount of an aberration component dependent on an image height.

### Claim 7

A method comprising:
exposing a substrate by using an exposure apparatus; and
developing the exposed substrate, the exposure apparatus comprising:
an illumination system configured to illuminate an original plate with light from a light source; and
a projection system configured to project a pattern image of the original plate onto the substrate, the projection system comprising:
a plurality of optical elements;
a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element:
0.75<EA/EA0<0.95
where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements; and
a control unit configured to control the deformation unit,
wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed,
wherein the deformation unit includes n actuators,
wherein the n actuators apply forces to other n positions on the outer circumference,
wherein the n actuators apply different forces to the deformable optical element,
wherein the control unit reduces an aberration that depends on an image height of the system and an aberration that does not depend on the image height of the system at the same time by deforming the deformable optical element by using the deformation unit, and
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a force to be applied to the deformable optical element by the n actuators according to an amount of an aberration component dependent on an image height.

### Claim 8

A system comprising:
a plurality of optical elements;
a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element:
0.75<EA/EA0<0.95
where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements; and
a control unit configured to control the deformation unit,
wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed,
wherein the deformation unit includes n actuators,
wherein the n actuators apply forces to other n positions on the outer circumference,
wherein the n actuators apply different forces to the deformable optical element,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a force to be applied to the deformable optical element by the n actuators according to an amount of an aberration component dependent on an image height, and
wherein the control unit reduces an nθ aberration component, an (n−1) θ aberration component and an (n+1) θ aberration component at the same time by deforming the deformable optical element by using the deformation unit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit reduces aberration components of (n−1)-fold rotational symmetry, n-fold rotational symmetry, and (n+1)-fold rotational symmetry in a pupil of the system by applying forces to the other n positions of the deformable optical element to deform the deformable optical element.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system according to claim 8, wherein n is an even number.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system according to claim 8, wherein the other n positions are arranged in a pitch of 360/n degrees.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The system according to claim 8, wherein the fixed n positions are arranged in a same pitch of 360/n degrees.

### Claim 13

An apparatus comprising:
an illumination system configured to illuminate an original plate with light from a light source; and
a projection system configured to project a pattern image of the original plate onto a substrate, the projection system comprising:
a plurality of optical elements;
a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element:
0.75<EA/EA0<0.95
where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements; and
a control unit configured to control the deformation unit,
wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed,
wherein the deformation unit includes n actuators,
wherein the n actuators apply forces to other n positions on the outer circumference,
wherein the n actuators apply different forces to the deformable optical element,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a force to be applied to the deformable optical element by the n actuators according to an amount of an aberration component dependent on an image height, and
wherein the control unit reduces an nθ aberration component, an (n−1) θ aberration component and an (n+1) θ aberration component at the same time by deforming the deformable optical element by using the deformation unit.

### Claim 14

A method comprising:
exposing a substrate by using an exposure apparatus; and
developing the exposed substrate, the exposure apparatus comprising:
an illumination system configured to illuminate an original plate with light from a light source; and
a projection system configured to project a pattern image of the original plate onto the substrate, the projection system comprising:
a plurality of optical elements;
a deformation unit configured to deform a deformable optical element satisfying a following conditional formula included in the plurality of optical elements by applying a force to the deformable optical element:
0.75<EA/EA0<0.95
where EA0 represents an effective aperture of each of the plurality of optical elements and EA represents an axial light flux diameter of each of the plurality of optical elements; and
a control unit configured to control the deformation unit,
wherein n positions on an outer circumference of the deformable optical element are fixed,
wherein the deformation unit includes n actuators,
wherein the n actuators apply forces to other n positions on the outer circumference,
wherein the n actuators apply different forces to the deformable optical element,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a force to be applied to the deformable optical element by the n actuators according to an amount of an aberration component dependent on an image height, and
wherein the control unit reduces an nθ aberration component, an (n−1) θ aberration component and an (n+1) θ aberration component at the same time by deforming the deformable optical element by using the deformation unit.