EP1544676A2

Refractive projection objective for immersion lithography, projection exposure apparatus comprising such a projection objective, and device manufacturing method using such a projection objective

Abstract

A refractive projection objective with lens groups LG1-5 of negative, positive, negative, positive and positive refractive power respectively and a system screen between LG4 and LG5, forming a single-waist system with convexities on each side of a point (X) of minimum ray diameter and a ratio of not more than 0.4 between the object-X distance and the object-image distance. A refractive projection objective (RPO) for producing in the image plane an image of a pattern in the object plane, especially with the aid of an immersion medium between the last optical element in the RPO and the image plane. The RPO comprises (starting from the object plane) five lens groups (LG1, LG2, LG3, LG4 and LG5) with negative, positive, negative, positive and positive refractive powers respectively and a system screen (5) which is arranged in a transition zone between LG4 and LG5 so as to form a one-waist system with convexities on the object side (6) and on the image side (8) and a waist (7) between the two convexities with a neck (X) at the narrowest constriction of the light beam. The ratio AT/L = not more than 0.4, where AT is the distance between the object plane and point (X) and L is the distance between object and image. Independent claims are also included for (1) a projection lighting unit for microlithography comprising an RPO as above; (2) a method (M1) for the production of semiconductor elements and other fine-structured components by making a patterned mask, exposing the mask to UV light and projecting an image of the pattern onto a light-sensitive substrate in the image plane, using an RPO as above and passing the light through an immersion medium between the last optical surface and the substrate; (3) a method (M2) for the production of elements as above by placing a light-sensitive substrate in the image plane of the RPO, illuminating the mask with UV light, setting a finite working distance between an output surface for the RPO and an input surface for the substrate (this working distance being adjusted within the illumination time to a value which is smaller than a maximum dimension of an optical near-field of the emergent light) and projecting an image of the pattern on the substrate with the aid of the RPO.

EP1544676A2, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 6

Term

Term ended

Projected expiry passed 10 December 2024, 1.8 years ago.

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34 claims: 24 independent, 10 dependent

  1. 1
    Refractive projection objective for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane of the projection objective into an image plane of the projection objective, in particular with the aid of an immersion medium, which is arranged between a last optical element of the projection objective and the image plane, with:a first lens group (LG1) with negative refractive power following the object plane;a second lens group (LG2) with positive refractive power following the first lens group;a third lens group (LG3) having a negative refractive power following the second lens group;a fourth lens group (LG4) of positive refractive power following the third lens group;a fifth lens group (LG5) of positive refractive power following the fourth lens group;and a system shutter (5) arranged in a transition region from the fourth lens group to the fifth lens group, such that a one-waist system with an object-side abdomen (6), an image-side abdomen (8) and a waist (7) arranged between the object-side abdomen and the image-side abdomen is formed with a constriction (X) narrowest constriction of a radiation bundle, wherein there is a waist distance AT between the object plane and the constriction, and for a distance ratio AT / L between the waist distance AT and an object image distance L of the projection lens, the following condition holds: AT / L ≦ 0.4.
  2. 4
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the third lens group (LG3) in front of the constriction (X) a front negative refractive power with magnitude VBK and behind the constriction a rear negative refractive power with amount HBK is arranged and applies to a refractive power ratio of the amounts:HBK / VBK ≥ 3.
  3. 5
    A projection lens according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the third lens group (LG3) comprises a rear negative lens (19) and at least one front negative lens (16, 17, 18) located in front of the rear negative lens, the amount of negative refractive power of the rear negative lens being at least 20% greater than the amount of negative refractive power of the at least one front negative lens.
  4. 6
    A projection lens according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the third lens group (LG3) comprises a rear negative lens (19) and at least one front negative lens (16, 17, 18) located in front of the rear negative lens, the amount of negative refractive power of the rear negative lens being at least 20% greater than the amount of the total power of the projection lens.
  5. 7
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first lens group (LG1) comprises at least one aspheric surface, wherein at least two aspherical surfaces are preferably provided in the first lens group.
  6. 8
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first lens group (LG1) contains at least two lenses (11, 12) each with an aspherical surface.
  7. 9
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one aspheric surface is arranged in the second lens group (LG2),
  8. 11
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the third lens group (LG3) and / or in the fourth lens group (LG4) in each case at least one concave surface is designed as an aspherical surface.
  9. 12
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one aspherical surface is provided in the third lens group (LG3), preferably two aspherical surfaces being provided.
  10. 13
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one aspherical surface is arranged in each lens group.
  11. 14
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the second lens group (LG2) has at least two, preferably at least three, successive lenses with positive refractive power.
  12. 15
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the second lens group (LG2) has at least one meniscus lens of positive refractive power concave with respect to the image plane.
  13. 16
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the third lens group (LG3) has only lenses with negative refractive power.
  14. 17
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the fourth lens group (LG4) has at least one meniscus lens with positive refractive power concave in the object plane (2), wherein preferably several such meniscus lenses (20, 21, 22) are provided in succession.
  15. 18
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one meniscus lens (25) concave to the object plane is arranged in the fourth lens group (LG4).
  16. 23
    Projection lens according to one of the preceding claims, in which in the fourth lens group (LG4) at least one lens doublet (24, 25) with at least one, preferably biconvex, positive lens (24) and an immediately following, concave to the object plane negative meniscus lens (25) is.
  17. 24
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the fifth lens group (LG5) comprises at least one meniscus lens with positive refractive power and imagewise concave lens surfaces, wherein preferably several such meniscus lenses (26, 27, 28) are provided in succession.
  18. 25
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, in which the fifth lens group (LG5) has as the last optical element a plano-convex lens (29) which preferably has a spherical or aspherically curved entrance surface and a substantially planar exit surface.
  19. 27
    Projection lens according to one of the preceding claims, in which the fifth lens group immediately follows the image plane, so that the projection lens has no further lens or lens group except the first to fifth lens group.
  20. 28
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, wherein all the lenses are made of the same material, preferably using as the lens material for 193nm working wavelength synthetic quartz glass or as lens material for 157nm wavelength calcium fluoride.
  21. 29
    A projection lens according to any one of the preceding claims, having an image-side numerical aperture NA ≥ 1.0, wherein the image-side numerical aperture is preferably at least NA = 1.1 or at least NA = 1.2 or at least NA = 1.3.
  22. 30
    Projection objective according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the projection objective is adapted to an immersion medium (10) which has a refractive index n 1.3 at a working wavelength.
  23. 31
    Projection exposure machine for microlithography, marked by a refractive projection lens according to one of the preceding claims.
  24. 33
    Method for producing semiconductor components and other finely structured components, comprising the following steps:Providing a photosensitive substrate in the region of the image plane of the projection objective;Illumination of the mask with ultraviolet light of a predetermined operating wavelength;Setting a finite working distance between an exit surface associated with the projection objective and a coupling surface associated with the substrate, wherein the working distance within an exposure time interval is set, at least temporarily, to a value which is less than a maximum extent of a near optical field of the light emerging from the exit surface;Projecting an image of the pattern onto the photosensitive substrate using the projection lens.
Independent claims24