US5638218A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Catadioptric projection apparatus
Assignee: Nikon Corp
•
Filing: 1994-12-07
•
Granted: 1997-06-10
•
Expires: 2014-12-07
Abstract
Abstract Illumination light having passed a pattern formed on a first surface enters a beam splitter directly or through a refracting system. On this occasion, inside the beam splitter, at least part of the illumination light having passed through an entrance surface is transmitted or reflected by a direction changing surface and then passes through an exit/entrance surface. Subsequently, the illumination light first leaving the beam splitter is reflected by a reflective surface of a concave mirror and then again enters the beam splitter. On this occasion, inside the beam splitter, at least part of the illumination light having passed through the exit/entrance surface is reflected or transmitted by the direction changing surface then to pass through an exit surface. The illumination light thus again leaving the beam splitter is projected directly or through a refracting system onto a second surface to form an image of the pattern thereon. Here, an orthogonal projection area of the direction changing surface on the exit/entrance surface is made different from an area of the exit/entrance surface, whereby the beam splitter is constructed in a decreased size.
Inventors
- 👤 Yasuhiro Oomura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 03:16
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B17/00; G02B17/08; G02B17/0892; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/70; G03F7/70216; G03F7/70225; G02B13/00; G02B13/22
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
325 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter for letting illumination light having entered along an optical axis of a first surface go out along an optical axis of a second surface; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system for converging said illumination light coming from said first surface and letting the converged light go out toward said beam splitter and a second refracting system for converging said illumination light coming from said beam splitter and letting the converged light go out toward said second surface; and a concave mirror for reflecting and converging said illumination light coming from said beam splitter and letting the converged light again go toward said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter comprises: an entrance surface which said illumination light enters, arranged to face the optical axis of said first surface; an exit surface which said illumination light leaves, arranged to face the optical axis of said second surface; a direction changing surface comprising a transmitting region for transmitting said illumination light and a reflecting region for reflecting said illumination light, arranged as inclined relative to the respective optical axes of said first surface and said second surface; an exit/entrance surface for letting said illumination light guided from said entrance surface at least partially through said direction changing surface go out toward said concave mirror, and guiding said illumination light coming from said concave mirror at least partially through said direction changing surface to said exit surface; and a transparent portion which is formed in a region ranging from a position abutting on an edge of said direction changing surface to a peripheral side in at least one of said entrance surface, said exit/entrance surface, and said exit surface, which has a same light transmittance as that of said direction changing surface for a wavelength of said illumination light, and which gives a same phase change as that by said direction changing surface, to said illumination light.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
325 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter for letting illumination light having entered along an optical axis of a first surface go out along an optical axis of a second surface; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system for converging said illumination light coming from said first surface and letting the converged light go out toward said beam splitter and a second refracting system for converging said illumination light coming from said beam splitter and letting the converged light go out toward said second surface; and a concave mirror for reflecting and converging said illumination light coming from said beam splitter and letting the converged light again go toward said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter comprises: an entrance surface which said illumination light enters, arranged to face the optical axis of said first surface; an exit surface which said illumination light leaves, arranged to face the optical axis of said second surface; a direction changing surface comprising a transmitting region for transmitting said illumination light and a reflecting region for reflecting said illumination light, arranged as inclined relative to the respective optical axes of said first surface and said second surface; an exit/entrance surface for letting said illumination light guided from said entrance surface at least partially through said direction changing surface go out toward said concave mirror, and guiding said illumination light coming from said concave mirror at least partially through said direction changing surface to said exit surface; and a transparent portion which is formed in a region ranging from a position abutting on an edge of said direction changing surface to a peripheral side in at least one of said entrance surface, said exit/entrance surface, and said exit surface, which has a same light transmittance as that of said direction changing surface for a wavelength of said illumination light, and which gives a same phase change as that by said direction changing surface, to said illumination light.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
87 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said illumination light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said illumination light and an optical path length L 2 , when said illumination light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said entrance surface, of said illumination light: |L 1 -L 2 |/L 1 >0.05.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
102 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said illumination light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said illumination light, an optical path length L 2 , when said illumination light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said entrance surface, of said illumination light, a numerical aperture NA of said second refracting system, and a focal length fm of said concave mirror: |L 1 -L 2 |.NA/|fm|>0.015.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
102 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said illumination light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said illumination light, an optical path length L 2 , when said illumination light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said entrance surface, of said illumination light, a numerical aperture NA of said second refracting system, and a focal length fm of said concave mirror: 1.5>|L 1 -L 2 |.NA/|fm|>0.03.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
69 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said beam splitter is so arranged that said transmitting region in said direction changing surface transmits said illumination light having entered said entrance surface to guide the illumination light to said exit/entrance surface and said reflecting region in said direction changing surface reflects said illumination light having entered said exit/entrance surface to guide the illumination light to said exit surface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said beam splitter is so arranged that said reflecting region in said direction changing surface reflects said illumination light having entered said entrance surface to guide the illumination light to said exit/entrance surface and said transmitting region in said direction changing surface transmits said illumination light having entered said exit/entrance surface to guide the illumination light to said exit surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first lens group comprising said first refracting system, and a second lens group comprising said second refracting system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
73 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third lens group additionally provided between said beam splitter and said concave mirror, said third lens group converging said illumination light coming from said beam splitter to let the converged light go out toward said concave mirror, and said third lens group converging said illumination light coming from said concave mirror to let the converged light go out toward said beam splitter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said beam splitter is a rectangular parallelepiped having a rectangular sectional shape which is perpendicular to said entrance surface and said exit surface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
95 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said beam splitter further comprises a first thin film which is formed on said direction changing surface and functions as a polarization beam splitter surface, and a second thin film which is formed as said transparent portion, which has a same transmittance as that of said first thin film for a wavelength of said illumination light passing through said second thin film and which gives a same phase change as that by the first thin film, to said illumination light passing through said second thin film.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
221 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter having an entrance surface which light enters, a direction changing surface for reflecting predetermined part of said light having entered the inside, an exit/entrance surface which said light having passed the inside leaves and thereafter again enters, and an exit surface which said light again having entered and the having passed the inside leaves; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system arranged as opposed to said entrance surface of said beam splitter and a second refracting system arranged as opposed to said exit surface of said beam splitter; and a concave mirror arranged as opposed to said exit/entrance surface of said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter is so constructed that an orthogonal projection area of said direction changing surface on said exit/entrance surface is set smaller than an area of said exit/entrance surface, and wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said light and an optical path length L 2 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said exit surface, of said light: |L 1 -L 2 |/L 1 >0.05.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
221 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter having an entrance surface which light enters, a direction changing surface for reflecting predetermined part of said light having entered the inside, an exit/entrance surface which said light having passed the inside leaves and thereafter again enters, and an exit surface which said light again having entered and the having passed the inside leaves; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system arranged as opposed to said entrance surface of said beam splitter and a second refracting system arranged as opposed to said exit surface of said beam splitter; and a concave mirror arranged as opposed to said exit/entrance surface of said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter is so constructed that an orthogonal projection area of said direction changing surface on said exit/entrance surface is set smaller than an area of said exit/entrance surface, and wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said light and an optical path length L 2 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said exit surface, of said light: |L 1 -L 2 |/L 1 >0.05.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
237 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter having an entrance surface which light enters, a direction changing surface for reflecting predetermined part of said light having entered the inside, an exit/entrance surface which said light having passed the inside leaves and thereafter again enters, and an exit surface which said light again having entered and the having passed the inside leaves; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system arranged as opposed to said entrance surface of said beam splitter and a second refracting system arranged as opposed to said exit surface of said beam splitter; and a concave mirror arranged as opposed to said exit/entrance surface of said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter is so constructed that an orthogonal projection area of said direction changing surface on said exit entrance surface is set smaller than an area of said exit/entrance surface, and wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said light, an optical path length L 2 , when said light passed from said exit/entrance surface to said exit surface inside said beam splitter, of said light, a numerical aperture NA of said second refracting system, and a focal length fm of said concave mirror |L 1 -L 2 |.NA/|fm|>0.015.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
237 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter having an entrance surface which light enters, a direction changing surface for reflecting predetermined part of said light having entered the inside, an exit/entrance surface which said light having passed the inside leaves and thereafter again enters, and an exit surface which said light again having entered and the having passed the inside leaves; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system arranged as opposed to said entrance surface of said beam splitter and a second refracting system arranged as opposed to said exit surface of said beam splitter; and a concave mirror arranged as opposed to said exit/entrance surface of said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter is so constructed that an orthogonal projection area of said direction changing surface on said exit entrance surface is set smaller than an area of said exit/entrance surface, and wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following relation with an optical path length L 1 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said light, an optical path length L 2 , when said light passed from said exit/entrance surface to said exit surface inside said beam splitter, of said light, a numerical aperture NA of said second refracting system, and a focal length fm of said concave mirror |L 1 -L 2 |.NA/|fm|>0.015.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
236 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter having an entrance surface which light enters, a direction changing surface for reflecting predetermined part of said light having entered the inside, an exit/entrance surface which said light having passed the inside leaves and thereafter again enters, and an exit surface which said light again having entered and the having passed the inside leaves; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system arranged as opposed to said entrance surface of said beam splitter and a second refracting system arranged as opposed to said exit surface of said beam splitter; and a concave mirror arranged as opposed to said exit/entrance surface of said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter is so constructed that an orthogonal projection area of said direction changing surface on said exit/entrance surface is set smaller than an area of said exit/entrance surface, and wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following reaction with an optical path length L 1 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said light, an optical path length L 2 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said exit surface, of said light, a numerical aperture NA of said second refracting system, and a focal length fm of said concave mirror: 1.5>|L 1 -L 2 |.NA/|fm|>0.03.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
236 words
A catadioptric projection apparatus comprising: a beam splitter having an entrance surface which light enters, a direction changing surface for reflecting predetermined part of said light having entered the inside, an exit/entrance surface which said light having passed the inside leaves and thereafter again enters, and an exit surface which said light again having entered and the having passed the inside leaves; at least one refracting system of a first refracting system arranged as opposed to said entrance surface of said beam splitter and a second refracting system arranged as opposed to said exit surface of said beam splitter; and a concave mirror arranged as opposed to said exit/entrance surface of said beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter is so constructed that an orthogonal projection area of said direction changing surface on said exit/entrance surface is set smaller than an area of said exit/entrance surface, and wherein a shape of said beam splitter is determined to satisfy the following reaction with an optical path length L 1 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said entrance surface to said exit/entrance surface, of said light, an optical path length L 2 , when said light passed inside said beam splitter from said exit/entrance surface to said exit surface, of said light, a numerical aperture NA of said second refracting system, and a focal length fm of said concave mirror: 1.5>|L 1 -L 2 |.NA/|fm|>0.03.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-06-09 | 2000-12-09 | 2001-06-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-06-09 | 2004-12-09 | 2005-06-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-06-09 | 2008-12-09 | 2009-06-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |