Illumination system for illuminating a mask in a microlithographic exposure apparatus

US8416390B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Markus Deguenther · Aalen, DE
• Paul Graeupner · Aalen, DE
• Juergen Fischer · Adelsheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 31, 2009
• Grant date: Apr 9, 2013
• Expiry date: Aug 12, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/70158
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An illumination system for illuminating a mask in a microlithographic exposure apparatus has an optical axis and a pupil surface. The system can include an array of reflective or transparent beam deflection elements such as mirrors. Each deflection element can be adapted to deflect an impinging light ray by a deflection angle that is variable in response to a control signal. The beam deflection elements can be arranged in a first plane. The system can further include an optical raster element, which includes a plurality of microlenses and/or diffractive structures. The beam deflection elements), which can be arranged in a first plane, and the optical raster element, which can be arranged in a second plane, can commonly produce a two-dimensional far field intensity distribution. An optical imaging system can optically conjugate the first plane to the second plane.