The invention relates to an imaging optical unit for imaging an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. Furthermore, the invention relates to an optical system comprising such an imaging optical unit, a projection exposure apparatus comprising such an optical system, a method for producing a micro- or nanostructured component with such a projection exposure apparatus, and a micro- or nanostructured component produced by this method.
Imaging optical units of the type mentioned in the introduction are known from WO 2010/091800 A1 and WO 2009/024164 A1.
It is an object of the present invention to develop an imaging optical unit of the type mentioned in the introduction in such a way that a handleable combination of low imaging aberrations and compact construction is achieved.
This object is achieved according to the invention via an imaging optical unit for imaging an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The imaging optical unit includes a plurality of components which guide the imaging light. The imaging optical unit is a pupil-obscured system, and the imaging optical unit includes at least one mirror for grazing incidence of the imaging light.
The combination according to the invention of a pupil-obscured system with at least one mirror for grazing incidence makes possible a compact imaging optical unit in which the mirror for grazing incidence, on account of its folding effect for the imaging light, can lead to an even more compact system. Throughput losses at the mirror for grazing incidence are low since higher reflectivities can be achieved there in comparison with other mirrors. This advantage is manifested particularly when imaging light having a very short wavelength, for example imaging light in the range of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) wavelengths, is used. The mirror for grazing incidence can be used for additional imaging aberration correction and can be shaped as correction element in this regard. The number of further optical components of the imaging optical unit can be small. By way of example, six further optical components, in particular six further mirrors, can also be used alongside the mirror for grazing incidences. A reflection surface of the mirror for grazing incidence can lie in a plane, wherein the mid points of all the optical components of the imaging optical unit become situated on the same side of the plane. This can foster the compactness of the imaging optical unit. Four or eight further optical components can also be used.
An angle of incidence on the mirror for grazing incidence, for all individual rays of the imaging light, can be at least 70°, can be at least 75°, can be at least 80°, can be at least 85° or can also be at least 88°. The imaging optical unit can have two mirrors for grazing incidence of the imaging light.
An arrangement of the mirror for grazing incidence in the imaging beam path of the imaging optical unit between two further optical components which guide the imaging light makes possible a particularly compact folding of the imaging beam path.
A near-field arrangement of the mirror for grazing incidence in the imaging beam path of the imaging optical unit makes it possible to embody this mirror with a relatively small reflection surface, since the mirror for grazing incidence is then arranged in the region of a relatively narrowly guided imaging beam of the imaging optical unit. The mirror for grazing incidence can be arranged in the region of an intermediate image plane of the imaging optical unit. The arrangement is near-field when a pupil parameter P for the mirror is less than 0.4. The pupil parameter P is defined in WO 2009/024164 A1, for example.
A compensation element having a pupil-dependent throughput profile for the imaging light makes it possible to compensate for differences in reflectivity at the mirror for grazing incidence. A pupil-dependent throughput profile for the imaging light is present when the imaging light is influenced depending on that location on a pupil of the imaging optical unit through which the imaging light passes, that is to say depending on a pupil coordinate. The term throughput denotes the transmission of transmissive components or the reflection of reflective components of the components of the imaging optical unit which guide the imaging light. A specifically designed reflection coating, a neutral filter, a roughness variation on one of the components which guides the imaging light, for example on a near-pupil mirror, can be used as compensation element. An optical component is near-pupil when P>0.6 holds true for the pupil parameter P.
A freeform reflection surface of the mirror for grazing incidence makes possible an imaging aberration correction with the aid of the mirror for grazing incidence. Alternatively or additionally, the mirror for grazing incidence can also be used for field shaping.
A catoptric optical unit allows the use of short-wave imaging light for which transmissive optical materials cannot readily be made available. The mirrors of the imaging optical unit can bear a multilayer reflection coating.
A maximum angle of incidence of the imaging light on those mirrors on which the imaging light is incident in a non-grazing fashion of at most 25° leads to an optimized throughput of the imaging optical unit. Those mirrors on which the imaging light is incident in a non-grazing fashion are also designated hereinafter as NI mirrors. The maximum angle of incidence on the NI mirrors can be at most 25° and can be for example 22°, 20°, 18° or 16°.
In some embodiments, at least one mirror for grazing incidence is arranged such that the imaging light impinges with different angles of incidence on the mirror for grazing incidence. At least one of the further mirrors of the imaging optical unit is embodied as a compensation mirror such that imaging light rays which are reflected by the mirror for grazing incidence with lower reflectivity than other imaging rays are reflected by the compensation mirror with higher reflectivity than the other imaging rays. Such a reflectivity compensation leads to the intensity conditions being made more uniform over the image field.
The same correspondingly applies to a multilayer reflectivity coating or multilayer reflection coating of the at least one compensation mirror for which the layer thickness distribution varies over a reflection surface of the compensation mirror. As an alternative or in addition to such a multilayer reflection coating, the imaging optical unit can be designed such that a bandwidth of angles of incidence of the imaging light occurs on the compensation element or on the compensation mirror. The compensation mirror is then operated such that imaging light rays which are reflected by the mirror for grazing incidence with lower reflectivity than other imaging rays are reflected by the compensation mirror with higher reflectivity than the other imaging light rays on account of a dependence of the compensation mirror reflectivity on the angle of incidence. The dependence of the compensation mirror reflectivity R on the angle α of incidence can be predefined or supported by choosing a corresponding reflectivity coating, in particular a multilayer reflectivity coating. By way of example, the compensation mirror can be operated in a slope of an R(α) dependence of the multilayer reflectivity coating, that is to say in a slope of the dependence of the reflectivity on the angle of incidence.
The advantages of an optical system including the imaging optical unit, a projection exposure apparatus including the imaging optical unit, a production method using the imaging optical unit, and a micro- or nanostructured component made by such a method correspond to those which have already been explained above with reference to the imaging optical unit according to the invention.
The light source of the projection exposure apparatus can be embodied in a broadband fashion and can have for example a bandwidth which is greater than 1 nm, which is greater than 10 nm or which is greater than 100 nm. Moreover, the projection exposure apparatus can be embodied such that it can be operated with light sources having different wavelengths. Light sources for other wavelengths, used in particular for microlithography, can also be used in connection with the imaging optical unit according to the invention, for example light sources having the wavelengths 365 nm, 248 nm, 193 nm, 157 nm, 126 nm, 109 nm and in particular also having EUV wavelengths which are less than 100 nm, for example between 5 nm and 30 nm.
The light source of the projection exposure apparatus can be designed for generating EUV illumination light having a wavelength of between 5 nm and 30 nm. Such a light source requires reflection coatings on the mirrors which, in order to fulfill a minimum reflectivity, have only a small angle of incidence acceptance bandwidth. This requirement for a small angle of incidence acceptance bandwidth can be fulfilled together with the imaging optical unit according to the invention.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawing, in which:
A projection exposure apparatus 1 for microlithography has a light source 2 for illumination light or imaging light 3. The light source 2 is an EUV light source which generates light in a wavelength range of, for example, between 5 nm and 30 nm, in particular between 5 nm and 15 nm. The light source 2 can be, in particular, a light source having a wavelength of 13.5 nm or a light source having a wavelength of 6.9 nm. Other EUV wavelengths are also possible. In general, even arbitrary wavelengths, for example visible wavelengths or else other wavelengths which can be used in microlithography and for which suitable laser light sources and/or LED light sources are available (for example 365 nm, 248 nm, 193 nm, 157 nm, 129 nm, 109 nm), are possible for the illumination light 3 guided in the projection exposure apparatus 1. A beam path of the illumination light 3 is illustrated extremely schematically in
An illumination optical unit 6 serves for guiding the illumination light 3 from the light source 2 toward an object field 4 in an object plane 5. Via a projection optical unit or imaging optical unit 7, the object field 4 is imaged into an image field 8 in an image plane 9 with a predefined reduction scale. The image field 8 has an extent of 26 nm in the x-direction and an extent of 2 mm in the y-direction. The object field 4 and the image field 8 are rectangular. Alternatively, the object field 4 and the image field 8 can also be embodied as parts or as sections of a ring. The exemplary embodiment illustrated in
The projection optical unit 7 according to
The imaging by the projection optical unit 7 is effected onto the surface of a substrate 11 in the form of a wafer that is carried by a substrate or wafer holder 12.
In order to facilitate the description of the projection exposure apparatus 1 and the various embodiments of the projection optical unit 7, a Cartesian xyz coordinate system is indicated in the drawing, the respective positional relationship of the components illustrated in the figures being evident from the system. In
The projection exposure apparatus 1 is of the scanner type. Both the reticle 10 and the substrate 11 are scanned in the y-direction during the operation of the projection exposure apparatus 1. A stepper type of the projection exposure apparatus 1, in which a step-by-step displacement of the reticle 10 and of the substrate 11 in the y-direction takes place between individual exposures of the substrate 11, is also possible. The y-direction is also designated as the object displacement direction.
The projection optical unit 7 according to
A mirror GI for grazing incidence of the imaging light 3 is arranged between the mirrors M4 and M5. The mirror GI for grazing incidence is therefore arranged in the imaging beam path of the projection optical unit 7 between two further optical components which guide the imaging light 3, namely between the mirrors M4 and M5. The individual rays 15 of the imaging light 3 impinge on the mirror GI with an angle of incidence that is greater than 70°. In the embodiment illustrated, the mirror GI is impinged on with a minimum angle of incidence of 77°. Depending on the embodiment of the projection optical unit 7, the mirror GI can reflect the individual rays 15 with angles of incidence which are greater than 70°, which are greater than 75° or which are greater than 80°.
The mirror GI is, to a first approximation, a folding mirror for the imaging beam path of the projection optical unit 7. Without the mirror GI, that is to say without the folding associated with the mirror GI, the projection optical unit 7 corresponds to the projection optical unit described in FIG. 3 of WO 2010/091800 A1.
As already mentioned, the projection optical unit 7 is a pupil-obscured system. The last mirror M6 in the beam path of the imaging light 3 upstream of the image field 8 has a through opening 17a for the imaging light 3. An intermediate image plane 18 of the projection optical unit 7 lies in the region of the through opening 17a.
The mirror GI for grazing incidence is arranged near the intermediate image plane 18, that is to say in a near-film manner, in the imaging beam path of the projection optical unit 7. A tangential or meridional intermediate image lies in the imaging beam path of the projection optical unit 7 in the region of the reflection of the imaging light 3 on the mirror GI. A sagittal intermediate image lies in the imaging beam path of the projection optical unit 7 between the mirror M4 and the mirror GI.
In this case, the mirror GI fulfils the parameter condition:
P(GI)<0.4.
The following holds true for the pupil parameter P:
P=D(SA)/(D(SA)+D(CR)).
In this case, D(SA) is the maximum diameter of a sub aperture of an imaging beam, proceeding from an object field point, on a reflective surface of the respective mirror M. D(CR) is a maximum distance between chief rays emerging from the object field 4, wherein the distance D(CR) is measured in a reference plane of the projection optical unit 7 on the reflective surface of the mirror M. The maximum distance need not lie in the plane of the drawing in
The mirrors M2, M5 and M6 are arranged in a near-pupil manner, that is to say in proximity to pupil planes in the imaging beam path of the projection optical unit 7. In this case, the mirrors M2, M5 and M6 fulfill the parameter condition:
P(M2,M5,M6)>0.6.
At least one of the mirrors M2, M5 or M6 is embodied as a compensation element having a pupil-dependent throughput profile for the imaging light 3.
All six NI mirrors M1 to M6 and the mirror GI for grazing incidence of the projection optical unit 7 are embodied as freeform surfaces which cannot be described by a rotationally symmetrical function. Other embodiments of the projection optical unit 7 are also possible in which at least one or else none of the mirrors M1 to M6, GI has such a freeform reflection surface.
Such a freeform surface can be produced from a rotationally symmetrical reference surface. Such freeform surfaces for reflection surfaces of the mirrors of projection optical units of projection exposure apparatuses for microlithography are known from US 2007-0058269 A1.
The freeform surfaces of the mirrors M1 to M6, GI are calculated on the basis of the following equation:
In this case, x and y denote the coordinates on the surface, proceeding from a reference axis. z denotes a sagittal height of the respective freeform surface. RDX and RDY, and CCX and CCY are the radii and conical constants of the basic asphere. FFF describes the freeform fraction applied to the basic asphere.
The surfaces have decentrations which satisfy the following rules:
DEC: Axial decentration
DAR: Individual decentration of a surface
GLO: Global reference to the image plane.
The translations are input via the parameters XDE, YDE, ZDE and the rotation angles are input via the parameters ADE, BDE, CDE. The meaning of these parameters corresponds to that known from the optical design program CODE V®. This meaning will be briefly explained again below. With regard to the decentrations, it should be taken into consideration that, in contrast to the description known from CODE V®, an additional rotation by 180° about the y-axis is also performed. This leads to positive distance values between the mirrors or between the reference surfaces.
For the types DEC and GLO, translations XDH, YDH, ZDH and rotation angles ADH, BDH, CDH behind the surface are additionally specified as well.
ADE Rotation of the surface with angle alpha in degrees about the x-axis.
BDE Rotation of the surface with angle beta in degrees about the y′-axis.
CDE Rotation of the surface with angle gamma in degrees about the z″ axis.
XDE Translation of the surface in the x-axis in mm.
YDE Translation of the surface in the y-axis in mm.
ZDE Translation of the surface in the z-axis in mm.
ADH Rotation of the coordinate system after the surface with angle alpha in degrees about the x″ axis.
BDH Rotation of the coordinate system after the surface with angle beta in degrees about the y′-axis.
CDH Rotation of the coordinate system after the surface with angle gamma in degrees about the z-axis.
XDH Translation of the coordinate system after the surface in the x-axis in mm.
YDH Translation of the coordinate system after the surface in the y-axis in mm.
ZDH Translation of the coordinate system after the surface in the z-axis in mm.
The axes of the coordinate systems x′, y′, z′ and x″, y″, z″ are the axes that respectively emerge from the preceding rotation and displacement operations.
The optical design data of the reflection surfaces of the mirrors M1 to M6 and GI of the projection optical unit 7 can be gathered from the following tables. These optical design data proceed in each case from the image plane 9, that is to say describe the projection optical unit 7 in an opposite application direction of the imaging light 3 between the image plane 9 and the object plane 5.
In this case, HF denotes an auxiliary reference surface representing the position of the through opening 17a in the mirror M6.
The near-pupil mirrors M5 or M6 are also suitable for the use of a corresponding R(y) reflectivity profile for compensation purposes.
As an alternative to a coating having a reflectivity profile corresponding to that illustrated schematically in
In principle, any of the NI mirrors is appropriate for one of the variants of a coating as explained above, in particular the mirrors M1, M2, M3, M5 and M6.
The mirrors M1 to M6 bear multiple reflection layers for optimizing their reflection for the impinging EUV illumination light 3. The multiple reflection layers are designed for an operating wavelength of 13.5 nm. The reflection can be optimized all the better, the nearer the impingement angle of the individual rays 15 on the mirror surface is to normal incidence. The projection optical unit 7 has small reflection angles overall for all the individual rays 15 on the NI mirrors M1 to M6. A maximum angle of incidence of the imaging light 3 on the NI mirrors M1 to M6 is at most 25°. At the mirror M1 the maximum angle of incidence of the individual rays 15 is 13°. At the mirror M2 the maximum angle of incidence of the individual rays 15 is 16°. At the mirror M3 the maximum angle of incidence of the individual rays 15 is 13°. At the mirror M4 the maximum angle of incidence of the individual rays 15 is 8°. At the mirror M5 the maximum angle of incidence of the individual rays 15 is 15°. At the mirror M6 the maximum angle of incidence of the individual rays 15 is 8°.
On the mirror M3, a reflection coating having a larger number of individual layers can be designed such that this coating is very critical to the angle of incidence. Since in the individual rays 15 impinge on the mirror M3 with a bandwidth of angles of incidence, it is possible by this approach, too, to bring about a compensation of the reflectivity—dependent on the angle of incidence—of the mirror GI for grazing incidence. In this case, the multilayer reflection coating on the mirror M3 can be embodied such that it has a higher reflectivity at the location M31 that at a location M32, at which in turn a higher reflectivity than at the location M33 is then present (cf.
This dependence R (M3) of the reflectivity R on the angle α of incidence on the mirror M3 is illustrated in
In an alternative embodiment, the mirror GI for grazing incidence is arranged in the region of a pupil plane of the projection optical unit 7. Any variation possibly caused by this in an intensity of the imaging light over the image field 8 can be compensated for by precompensation of a distribution of the illumination intensity.
In principle, any of the NI mirrors M1 to M6 can be embodied as compensation mirror or compensation element in accordance with one of the above variants.
In a further variant of the projection optical unit, which can be used instead of the projection optical unit 7, a plurality of mirrors GI for grazing incidence are used.
For producing a micro- or nanostructured component, the projection exposure apparatus 1 is used as follows: firstly, the reflection mask 10 or the reticle and the substrate or the wafer 11 are provided. A structure on the reticle 10 is subsequently projected onto a light-sensitive layer of the wafer 11 with the aid of the projection exposure apparatus. Via the development of the light-sensitive layer, a micro- or nanostructure is then produced on the wafer 11 and the microstructured component is thus produced.