Controlling fluctuations in pointing, positioning, size or divergence errors of a beam of light for optical apparatus
US8164739B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 26, 2008 |
| Grant date | Apr 24, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 3, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03F7/70058
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system and method are used for controlling fluctuations in one or more of a beam pointing error, a beam positioning error, a beam size error or a beam divergence error of a beam of light in a lithography system. An optical apparatus may comprise a first beam control module having a first optics in an optical axis for optically isolating a laser pulse from a light source associated with an illuminator to provide the beam of light. These beam related errors may be selectively stabilized by either homogenizing selectively the spatial field and/or angular information of a given illumination profile for the beam of light and symmetrizing other one of the spatial field or angular information which is not being homogenized based on a first arrangement of the first optics or homogenizing and symmetrizing both of the spatial field and angular information based on a second arrangement of the first optics.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.