Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

Abstract

A projection exposure apparatus for microlithography comprises illumination optics for illuminating object field points of an object field in an object plane is disclosed. The illumination optics have, for each object field point of the object field, an exit pupil associated with the object point, where sin(γ) is a greatest marginal angle value of the exit pupil. The illumination optics include a multi-mirror array that includes a plurality of mirrors to adjust an intensity distribution in exit pupils associated to the object field points. The illumination optics further contain at least one optical system to temporally stabilize the illumination of the multi-mirror array so that, for each object field point, the intensity distribution in the associated exit pupil deviates from a second adjusted intensity distribution in the associated exit pupil by less than 0.1 in at least one of an inner σ or an outer σ.

1 .- 58 . (canceled) 
     
     
         59 . An apparatus, comprising:
 illumination optics configured to illuminate object field points of an object field in an object plane; and   projection optics configured to image the object field on an image field in an image plane,   wherein:
 the illumination optics have, for each object field point of the object field, an exit pupil associated with the object point; 
 the illumination optics comprise a multi-mirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors configured to adjust an intensity distribution in exit pupils associated to the object field points; 
 the illumination optics comprise an optical system configured to temporally stabilise the illumination of the multi-mirror array by superposing the illumination rays of the illumination ray bundle on the multi-mirror array; 
 the optical system is configured for spatially homogeneous illumination of the multi-mirror array; and 
 the apparatus is a microlithography projection exposure apparatus. 
   
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the apparatus has an operating light wavelength λ in units [nm], each mirror of the multi-mirror array is rotatable about at least one axis through a maximum tilt angle value sin(α), and each mirror of the multi-mirror array has a minimum edge length which is greater than 200 [mm*nm]*sin(α)/λ. 
     
     
         61 . The apparatus of  claim 60 , wherein the object field has an illuminated object field surface having a size OF, and an illuminated surface of the multi-mirror array has a size AF, where AF=c*sin(γ′)/sin(α)*OF, c is a constant with 0.1<c<1, and sin(γ′) is a greatest marginal angle value among greatest marginal angle values sin(γ) associated with the exit pupils of the object field points. 
     
     
         62 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein an average reflectivity of the mirrors of the multi-mirror array for an angle of incidence between 0° and 60° is more than 25%. 
     
     
         63 . The apparatus of  claim 62 , wherein a standard deviation of the reflectivity of the mirrors of the multi-mirror array from the average reflectivity is, for an angle of incidence between 0° and 60°, less than 50% expressed in terms of the average reflectivity. 
     
     
         64 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the apparatus is a scanner, and the intensity distribution of the exit pupils of the object field points are modified when the apparatus is used during the scan process. 
     
     
         65 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein an illuminated solid angle range in the exit pupil associated with an object field point, which range is generated by a mirror of the multi-mirror array, has a maximum angle range value which is less than 5% expressed in terms of a greatest marginal angle value sin(γ) of the associated exit pupil. 
     
     
         66 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein a solid angle range in the exit pupil associated with an object field point is illuminated with a non-zero intensity and an angle range value of less than 10% expressed in terms of the greatest marginal angle value of the associated exit pupil by at least two mirrors of the multi-mirror array. 
     
     
         67 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein a greatest marginal angle value sin(γ) of the exit pupil associated with an object field point is greater than 0.2 for all object field points. 
     
     
         68 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the illumination ray bundle has a divergence and an illumination light direction from the light source to the multi-mirror array, and the divergence of the illumination ray bundle in the illumination light direction after the optical system is less than twice the divergence of the illumination ray bundle before the optical system. 
     
     
         69 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the optical system has a telescopic beam path which is folded by at least one prism or a mirror. 
     
     
         70 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the optical system is configured to produce an incoherent superposition of the illumination rays of the illumination ray bundle on the multi-mirror array. 
     
     
         71 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein, during use, the apparatus has illumination rays of an illumination ray bundle between a light source and the multi-mirror array, the mirrors of the multi-mirror array have mirror surfaces, and the optical system comprises at least one optical device configured to concentrate illumination rays of the illumination ray bundle on the mirror surfaces of the mirrors of the multi-mirror array. 
     
     
         72 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , further comprising a laser configured to generate an illumination ray bundle, wherein:
 the laser has more than one coherent laser mode and a laser output;   the illumination ray bundle has a divergence, a ray or bundle profile and a polarisation state;   the optical system comprises an optical conditioning unit configured to modify at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of the divergence of the illumination ray bundle between the output of the laser and the multi-mirror array, the ray profile of the illumination ray bundle between the output of the laser and the multi-mirror array, and the polarisation state of the illumination ray bundle between the output of the laser and the multi-mirror array.   
     
     
         73 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein at least one mirror of the multi-mirror array has a different surface content than another mirror of the multi-mirror array. 
     
     
         74 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein at least one mirror of the multi-mirror array has a different shortest distance from its closest neighbouring mirror than another mirror of the multi-mirror array. 
     
     
         75 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the illumination optics comprise at least two multi-mirror arrays, the at least two multi-mirror arrays differing from each other in at least one property of a mirror. 
     
     
         76 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the optical system comprises:
 a mirror having a mirror surface; and   an actuator configured to produce a tilt of at least a portion of the mirror surface.   
     
     
         77 . The apparatus of  claim 76 , wherein the optical system is configured to produce a temporal modification of the incoherent superposition. 
     
     
         78 . The apparatus of  claim 76 , wherein the optical system is between a light source and the multi-mirror array, wherein an illumination ray of the illumination ray bundle has a height with respect to an optical axis in a plane between the light source and the multi-mirror array perpendicularly to the optical axis, and the optical system comprises an optical phase element configured to introduce a phase lag of the illumination ray as a function of the height of the illumination ray with respect to the optical axis. 
     
     
         79 . The apparatus of  claim 78 , wherein the optical system comprises a honeycomb condenser having a first honeycomb channel plate and a second honeycomb channel plate arranged in a focal plane of the first honeycomb channel plate, and the optical phase element is arranged between the first and the second honeycomb channel plate. 
     
     
         80 . The apparatus of  claim 78 , wherein the optical phase element modifies a phase of the illumination ray bundle in a spatially periodic manner. 
     
     
         81 . The apparatus of  claim 79 , wherein the honeycomb condenser has a focal length of more than 5 m. 
     
     
         82 . An apparatus, comprising:
 illumination optics configured to illuminate object field points of an object field in an object plane, the illumination optics comprising:
 a multi-mirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors; 
 at least one optical system configured to temporally stabilise the illumination of the multi-mirror array, the at least one optical system comprising: 
 a honeycomb condenser having a first honeycomb channel plate and a second honeycomb channel plate arranged in a focal plane of the first honeycomb channel plate, and an optical phase element arranged between the first and the second honeycomb channel plates; and 
 projection optics configured to image the object field of the illumination optics on an image field in an image plane, 
   wherein:
 the illumination optics have, for each object field point of the object field, an exit pupil associated with the object point; 
 the multi-mirror array is configured to adjust an intensity distribution in exit pupils associated to the object field points; and 
   the apparatus is a microlithography projection exposure apparatus.