# US 9,753,375 B2 · Illumination optical unit for projection lithography

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 9,753,375 B2
- Document ID: US9753375B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/327,721
- Filed: 2014-07-10
- Published: 2015-01-15
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-07-10
- Assignees: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
- Applicants: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
- Inventors: Axel Scholz; Michael Patra; Frank Schlesener; Manfred Maul; Wolfgang Emer; Stefanie Hilt
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9753375B2

## CPC

- G03F 7/70191: {Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for controlling intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or the like}
- 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 unit for projection lithography illuminates an illumination field with illumination light of a primary light source. The illumination optical unit has a raster arrangement to predefine a shape of the illumination field, a transfer optical unit for the superimposing transfer of the illumination light toward the illumination field, and an illumination angle variation device which deflects the illumination light with different deflection angles. The illumination angle variation device has at least one displaceable illumination angle variation unit to generate a deflection angle for the illumination light.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An illumination optical unit configured to illuminate an illumination field with illumination light, the illumination unit comprising:
a raster arrangement comprising raster elements arranged in rows and columns, the raster elements being configured to influence the illumination light to predefine a shape of the illumination field;
a transfer optical unit configured to superimposingly transfer the illumination light from the raster elements toward the illumination field; and
an illumination angle variation device configured to deflect the illumination light incident on the illumination angle variation device in a deflection plane perpendicular to a direction in a location-dependent manner with different deflection angles, the direction being the direction in which an object in the illumination field is displaced during use of the illumination optical unit,
wherein:
the illumination angle variation device comprises an illumination angle variation unit displaceable overall relative to the raster arrangement and configured to generate a deflection angle for the illumination light in the deflection plane; and
the displaceability of the illumination angle variation unit relative to the raster arrangement is configured to influence a magnitude of the deflection angle in the deflection plane.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, wherein the illumination angle variation device further comprises a further illumination angle variation unit configured to generate a further deflection angle for the illumination light in the deflection plane, wherein the illumination angle variation units are configured to successively influence the illumination light.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, further comprising a measuring device configured to measure an illumination parameter of the illumination light over the illumination field.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

An optical system, comprising:
the illumination optical unit of claim 1; and
a projection optical unit configured to image at least part of the illumination field into an image field in an image plane.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A projection exposure apparatus, comprising:
a primary light source;
an optical system which comprises the illumination optical unit of claim 1 and a projection optical unit which is configured to image at least part of the illumination field into an image field in an image plane;
an object holder comprising an object displacement drive configured to mount the object in the illumination field; and
a wafer holder comprising a wafer displacement drive configured to mount a wafer in the image field.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method, comprising:
using an optical system comprising an illumination optical unit according to claim 1 to illuminate a reticle, the reticle comprising structures; and
using a projection optical unit to project at least part of the reticle onto a region of a layer of light-sensitive material.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, wherein the illumination field is configured so that an object is arrangeable in the illumination field.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, wherein the illumination field is configured so that a reticle is arrangeable in the illumination field.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, wherein the illumination angle variation unit is embodied pivotable about an optical axis of the illumination optical unit.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The illumination optical unit of claim 3, wherein the further illumination angle variation unit is a static unit.

### Claim 11 (depends on 3)

The illumination optical unit of claim 3, wherein the further illumination angle variation unit is configured to generate generates static deflection angles which are different in absolute terms in at least two angle variation portions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 3)

The illumination optical unit of claim 3, wherein a maximum deflection effect of the illumination angle variation unit is less than a maximum deflection effect of the further illumination angle variation unit.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, wherein the illumination angle variation unit is selected from the group consisting of a roof edge prism, a cylindrical lens element, a saddle surface component, an asphere surface component, a freeform surface component, a wedge body, and a lens element.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The illumination optical unit of claim 1, wherein the illumination angle variation units is a wedge body, |dy/dx|≧2 for a gradient of a wedge edge region in the plane perpendicular to the beam direction of the illumination light, where z is the beam direction, y runs along the object displacement direction and the plane perpendicular to the beam direction is in the x and y directions.

### Claim 15 (depends on 3)

The illumination optical unit of claim 3, further comprising a displacement drive configured to displace the illumination angle variation unit with respect to the raster arrangement, wherein the measuring device is signal-connected to the displacement drive via a control/regulating unit.