EP1524558A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method
Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
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Filing: 2003-10-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2023-10-15
Abstract
Abstract An immersion lithography apparatus comprising a lens, formed from a liquid, which may be the immersion liquid located between the final element of the projection system and the substrate, and having optical properties that may be tuned by a tuning device. The tuning device is arranged to adjust properties of the liquid lens such as the shape, composition, refractive index or absorptivity as a function of space or time in order to change the imaging performance of the apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Johannes Catharinus Hubertus Mulkens
- 👤 Johannes Jacobus Matheus Baselmans
- 👤 Paul Gräupner
- 👤 Erik Roelof Loopstra
- 👤 Bob Streefkerk
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 15:35
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/70; G03F7/708; G03F7/70858; G03F7/70883; G03F7/70891; G02; G02B; G02B21/00; G02B21/33; G02B3/00; G02B3/12; G02B3/14; G03F7/70216; G03F7/70341
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A lithographic projection apparatus comprising: a radiation system for providing a projection beam of radiation; a support structure for supporting patterning means, the patterning means serving
to pattern the projection beam according to a desired pattern; a substrate table for holding a substrate; and a projection system for projecting the patterned beam onto a target portion of the
substrate, characterized by comprising a lens, formed from a liquid and having optical properties that
can be tuned, and a tuning device for tuning said optical properties.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
44 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a
liquid supply system for at least partly filling a space between the final element of said
projection system and said substrate with liquid, wherein the liquid in said space forms said
liquid lens.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said tuning
device is arranged to control the spatial dependence of said optical properties of said liquid
lens.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein said tuning device is arranged to provide and control time-varying optical
properties of said liquid lens.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein said tuning device comprises a liquid temperature controller for controlling the
temperature, and thereby properties including the refractive index and absorptivity, of the
liquid forming said liquid lens.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein said tuning device comprises a liquid pressure controller for controlling the
pressure, and thereby properties including the refractive index and absorptivity, of the
liquid forming said liquid lens.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein said tuning device comprises a liquid geometry controller for controlling the shape
of said liquid lens.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein said tuning device comprises a liquid composition controller for controlling the
composition, and thereby properties including the refractive index and absorptivity, of the
liquid forming said liquid lens.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 5 or any one of claims 6 to
8 when dependent on claim 5, wherein said temperature controller comprises one or more
heat exchangers, capable of establishing homogeneous or non-uniform temperature profiles
within said liquid forming said liquid lens.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
51 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 5 or any one of claims 6 to
9 when dependent on claim 5, wherein said temperature controller comprises a plurality of
independent heat exchangers arranged at different heights, radii and/or angles relative to an
axis lying in a plane parallel to said substrate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said heat
exchangers are arranged to add or remove heat from, but not exchange liquid with, said
liquid lens.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said heat
exchangers are arranged to add or remove heat from, and exchange temperature
conditioned liquid with, said liquid lens.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said heat
exchangers are coupled with said liquid supply system for effecting said exchange of
temperature conditioned liquid.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
further comprising a system of liquid sensors, for measuring, as a function of position or
time, lens properties including any one of the following: temperature, pressure, boundary
geometry, composition, refractive index and absorptivity.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
47 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 7 or any one of claims 8 to
14 when dependent on claim 7, wherein said liquid geometry controller controls the
thickness of said lens in a direction parallel to the axis of said final element of the
projection system.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 8 or any one of claims 9 to
15 when dependent on claim 8, wherein said liquid composition controller comprises one
or more particle exchangers for adding or removing impurity ions from the liquid forming
said liquid lens.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
46 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said liquid
composition controller is arranged to completely replace a first liquid forming said liquid
lens with a second liquid forming said liquid lens, said second liquid having a composition
different from that of said first liquid.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said first or
second liquids may be formed of one or more of the following: water, ethanol, acetone and
benzoate.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
54 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 14 or any one of claims 15
to 18 when dependent on claim 14, comprising a device for correcting the focus of said
apparatus as a function of the refractive index profile of the liquid forming said liquid lens,
as measured by said system of liquid sensors.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
54 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to claim 14 or any one of claims 15
to 19 when dependent on claim 14, comprising a device for correcting the exposure dose of
said apparatus as a function of the absorptivity profile of the liquid forming said liquid lens,
as measured by said system of liquid sensors.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
A lithographic projection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein said tuning device is arranged to create optical effects including spherical
aberration and/or field curvature.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
89 words
A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation-sensitive
material; providing a projection beam of radiation using a radiation system; using patterning means to endow the projection beam with a pattern in its cross-section;
and projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of the layer of
radiation-sensitive material; characterized by the step of providing a lens formed from a liquid and using a
tuning device to tune the optical properties of said lens.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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