Patent · US Expired

Four-mirror extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography projection system

US6142641A · kind A · utility

83Cited by
6References
31Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateJun 18, 1998
Grant dateNov 7, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 18, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F7/70258
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The invention is directed to a four-mirror catoptric projection system for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to transfer a pattern from a reflective reticle to a wafer substrate. In order along the light path followed by light from the reticle to the wafer substrate, the system includes a dominantly hyperbolic convex mirror, a dominantly elliptical concave mirror, spherical convex mirror, and spherical concave mirror. The reticle and wafer substrate are positioned along the system's optical axis on opposite sides of the mirrors. The hyperbolic and elliptical mirrors are positioned on the same side of the system's optical axis as the reticle, and are relatively large in diameter as they are positioned on the high magnification side of the system. The hyperbolic and elliptical mirrors are relatively far off the optical axis and hence they have significant aspherical components in their curvatures. The convex spherical mirror is positioned on the optical axis, and has a substantially or perfectly spherical shape. The spherical concave mirror is positioned substantially on the opposite side of the optical axis from the hyperbolic and elliptical mirrors. Because it is positioned off…

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