Patent · US Active

Projection exposure apparatus including mechanism to reduce influence of pressure fluctuations

US10162267B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by

7References

31Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH · DE

Inventors

Toralf Gruner · Hennef (Sieg), DE
Sascha Bleidistel · Aalen, DE
Alexander Wolf · Oberkochen, DE
Joachim Hartjes · Aalen, DE
Markus Schwab · Aalen, DE
Markus Hauf · Ulm, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Sep 9, 2035

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG03F7/709
WIPO fieldOptics
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography, comprising an illumination system for illuminating a mask arranged on a movable mask stage, and comprising a projection lens for imaging the mask onto a semiconductor substrate, wherein at least one means is present for at least partly decoupling at least parts of the illumination system and/or of the projection lens from the influence of pressure fluctuations in the medium surrounding the projection lens or the illuminated system, the pressure fluctuations being attributed to movements of the mask stage during the operation of the apparatus.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.