IP Library Granted Patent US 10,101,569
Granted Patent B2
US 10,101,569 · App. 15/601,337 · Granted Oct 16, 2018

Mirror, in particular collector mirror for microlithography

Inventor: Markus Bauer (Oberkochen, DE)
Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
G02B19/0023G02B5/09G03F7/70033G03F7/70158G03F7/70175G03F7/70575G21K1/062G21K2201/064
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,101,569
App. No.
15/601,337
Granted
Oct 16, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A collector mirror for an EUV microlithography system. The collector mirror includes an optical grating having an optically effective mirror surface, which reflects electromagnetic used rays in an EUV spectral range emanating from a first focal point and focuses them onto a second focal point. The first and second focal points lie on a side of the optical grating facing the mirror surface and define an optical axis. The optical grating is configured, in interaction with a stop arranged at the second focal point, to allow the used rays to pass through the stop and to block electromagnetic remaining rays in a remaining spectral range different than the EUV spectral range. The optical grating includes a blazed grating composed of a plurality of mirror facets, each having a facet surface. The facet surfaces form the mirror surface of the blazed grating.

Claims (47)

1. A mirror, comprising:

an optical grating comprising an optically effective mirror surface configured to reflect electromagnetic rays emanating from a first focal point and to focus them onto a second focal point,

wherein:

the first and the second focal points lie on a side of the optical grating facing the optically effective mirror surface and define an optical axis;

the optical grating comprises a plurality of mirror facets;

each mirror facet comprises a facet surface;

the facet surfaces define the optically effective surface of the optical grating;

in a sectional plane that includes the optical axis, the facet surfaces are arranged on a plurality of imaginary elliptical shells displaced from each other along the optical axis;

common mathematical focus points of the imaginary elliptical shells coincide with the first and second focal points;

the facet surfaces are distributed along the elliptical shells so that the facet surfaces are arranged at intersection points of the elliptical shells with at least one section of an imaginary circular line; and

for each point on the circular line, a ratio of a distance from the first focal point to the point is the same as a ratio of a distance from the point to the second focal point.

2. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein base points of the mirror facets are arranged at the intersection points of the elliptical shells.

3. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein the optically effective mirror surface is arranged completely outside the optical axis.

4. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein:

the optically effective mirror surface extends along the imaginary elliptical shells;

a marginal-region-side mirror facet of an adjacent mirror facet pair is arranged on a first elliptical shell;

a vertex-region-side mirror facet of the mirror facet pair is arranged on a second elliptical shell adjacent to the first elliptical shell; and

the first elliptical shell is displaced from the second elliptical shell along the optical axis toward the first focal point.

5. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein the optical grating comprises a blazed grating or a Fresnel structure.

6. The mirror claim 1 , wherein the optical grating comprises a blazed grating having a blaze angle by which each facet surfaces is inclined locally relative to a grating surface, and the blaze angle increases from a marginal region toward a vertex region.

7. The mirror of claim 6 , wherein:

the optically effective mirror surface is configured to reflect electromagnetic used rays in an EUV spectral range emanating from the first focal point and to focus the electromagnetic rays onto the second focal point;

the optical grating is configured, in interaction with a stop arranged at the second focal point, to allow the used rays to pass through the stop and to block electromagnetic remaining rays in a remaining spectral range different than the EUV spectral range;

the grating comprises a diffraction grating configured to diffract the remaining rays;

the used rays reflected at the mirror surface are deflected from the diffracted remaining rays of the zero order of diffraction by at least twice the blaze angle and/or pass between the diffracted remaining rays of the zero and the first orders of diffraction.

8. The mirror of claim 7 , wherein the remaining spectral range comprises an infrared spectral range, and the zero and the first orders of diffraction are related to the diffracted remaining rays having a minimum wavelength of the remaining spectral range.

9. The mirror of claim 7 , wherein:

in the sectional plane, each facet surface has a facet length;

at least two facet lengths are different, and/or the facet length does not exceed a maximum facet length dependent on a minimum wavelength of the remaining spectral range.

10. The mirror of claim 9 , wherein, in the sectional plane, each facet surface has a facet length in the range of 10 μm to 200 μm.

11. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein each elliptical shell has only one facet surface arranged thereon.

12. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein the elliptical shells are substantially equidistantly spaced from each other along the optical axis.

13. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein:

at least two mirror facets have a focal length reciprocal value of at least approximately 0; or

at least two mirror facets have an identical focal length reciprocal value.

14. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein the optical grating has a surface roughness in the range of 0 to 0.2 nm.

15. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein the grating has an edge rounding having a radius in the range of 0 to 1 μm.

16. The mirror of claim 1 , wherein, for each facet surface:

the facet surface comprises a layer stack comprising a plurality of alternating individual layers of molybdenum and silicon; and

a layer thickness of the individual layers is dependent on a local ray incidence angle with respect to the individual facet surface.

17. A method, comprising:

An ultra precision turning method in which, relative to a grating workpiece, a machining tool is moved relative along a spiral path and/or a path arrangement comprising concentric circles, thereby providing a mirror according to claim 1 .

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein, for each mirror facet, the method comprises a single machining process in which the mirror surface is engaged by a pressure side of the machining tool facing the mirror surface.

19. The mirror of claim 17 , further comprising, after the ultra precision turning method, using ion beams and/or at least one liquid film to smooth the facet surfaces.

20. A system, comprising:

a mirror according to claim 1 ,

wherein the system is an EUV microlithography system.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2017
From: BAUER, MARKUS
To: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
Reel/Frame 042822/0297 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2014 117 453 · Nov 27, 2014 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTEP2015077717 · Nov 26, 2015
Related Publication 20170254995A1 · Sep 7, 2017
Cited By (1)
US 12,276,815