Optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and microlithographic exposure

US9500956B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Ingo Saenger · Heidenheim, DE
• Joerg Zimmermann · Vancouver, CA
• Johannes Ruoff · Aalen, DE
• Martin Meier · Heidenheim, DE
• Frank Schlesener · Oberkochen, DE
• Christoph Hennerkes · Wertingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 2013
• Grant date: Nov 22, 2016
• Expiry date: Oct 19, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/70566
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The disclosure relates to optical systems of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and to a microlithographic exposure method. According to an aspect of the disclosure, an optical system has a light source, a ray-splitting optical element, which splits a light ray incident on this element when the projection exposure apparatus is in operation into a first partial ray and a second partial ray, with the first and the second partial ray having mutually orthogonal polarization directions, and at least one ray-deflecting optical element for generating a desired polarized illumination setting from the first partial ray and the second partial ray, wherein the ray-splitting optical element is arranged such that light incident on this ray-splitting optical element when the projection exposure apparatus is in operation has a degree of polarization of less than one.