Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5828455?dq=5537618
Timestamp: 2014-04-18 14:40:25
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Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3']

Patent US5828455 - Apparatus, method of measurement, and method of data analysis for correction ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA reticle consisting of a multiplicity of small openings corresponding to separate and distinguishable points is put in the reticle plane. This reticle is imaged down through an opening O in aperture plate AP. A corresponding multiplicity of spots are created at the image plane of the optical system....http://www.google.com/patents/US5828455?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5828455 - Apparatus, method of measurement, and method of data analysis for correction of optical systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5828455 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/813,742Publication dateOct 27, 1998Filing dateMar 7, 1997Priority dateMar 7, 1997Fee statusPaidPublication number08813742, 813742, US 5828455 A, US 5828455A, US-A-5828455, US5828455 A, US5828455AInventorsRobert O. Hunter, Jr., Bruce B. McArthur, Adlai H. SmithOriginal AssigneeLitel InstrumentsExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (10), Non-Patent Citations (94), Referenced by (107), Classifications (6), Legal Events (8) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetApparatus, method of measurement, and method of data analysis for correction of optical systemUS 5828455 AAbstract A reticle consisting of a multiplicity of small openings corresponding to separate and distinguishable points is put in the reticle plane. This reticle is imaged down through an opening O in aperture plate AP. A corresponding multiplicity of spots are created at the image plane of the optical system. These spots have spot centroids relative to the original separate and distinguishable points in the reticle. These points, however, are deviated from their diffraction limited positions by the average of grad φ(u)) over the corresponding ray bundle. The opening O in the aperture plate samples a discrete portion of the entrance pupil. With points spread out over an area of size 2*NAo*za, ray bundles with chief rays covering the entire entrance pupil will be projected down to image plane IP. The above outlined procedure is extended to analyzing the wavefront at a multiplicity of field points over the entire lens train. The process includes using an aperture plate AP consisting of a multiplicity of openings O. Each opening O is centered underneath a neighborhood of points that is accepted into the entrance pupil of the imaging objective. Points passing through all openings O will produce in the wafer plane a number of spot arrays corresponding to the number of openings O. The totality of all the arrays of spots whose centroids can be measured and reconstructed yields an aberrated wavefront φ(u;x) at a number of discrete field points x.
FIG. 2 illustrates converging lens L, which is part of an larger, undrawn imaging system. Rays from a point in the object plane (not shown) pass through aperture stop AS, lens L and are never confluent upon a single image point as they pass beyond lens L. Edge rays 1 and 6 focus distance LA from the paraxial focal plane and spread out to radius H at the paraxial focal plane P.sub.F. The best focal plane is located at the plane with the smallest blur circle. Ray trajectories corresponding to ideal spherical wavefront W.sub.S would focus at point 7. The present abberated wavefront W.sub.A deviates from this sphere. The ray trajectories are normal to the wavefront surface.
The transverse resolution determines the number of modes or Zernikie polynomials that can be well determined as: Nz�0.5*(NAo/NAa).sup.2 =60 for the exemplary numbers already cited.
Referring to FIG. 6, the nominal transverse location of aperture opening O is the center of the chief ray passing through the center of the pattern PT and the center of the aperture stop AS. For an imaging objective telecentric on the object side, the transverse centers of PT and O would coincide; FIG. 6 depicts the general, non-telecentric case. To interpret the projected images with maximum accuracy, the relative transverse positions of patterns PT and apertures O must be precisely set or at least known. To this end, apertures O are preferably fabricated with high (&lt;1 micron) accuracy using contact printing, direct write or NC controlled machine tools. Alternatively, the plate could be fabricated and the relative positions measured with sufficient accuracy, these measurements later being used in the aberrated wavefront reconstruction process. Even if the openings in the plate are accurately made, due to variances from stepper to stepper in the nontelecentricity or the exact position of the reticle/aperture plate combination, the chief ray from the center of pattern PT will not always line up with the center of aperture O.
The aperture plate is typically made of thin (&lt;0.3 mm) glass or fused silica and the apertures are either contact printed or directly written on it. The plate is then chemically milled to produce clear, through, openings. Alternatively, the glass plate can be used with openings in its chrome-coated face corresponding to the apertures, but the aberration induced by the additional glass thickness must be subtracted out from the reconstructed result so that the aberrated wavefront represents the imaging objective optical performance and does not contain measurement artifacts. If this is done, the glass thickness of the aperture is preferably measured before assembly and any variations in glass thickness used as inputs for the subtraction procedure.
where the summation over the indices k and a.sub.k is the coefficient of the Zernikie polynomial Z.sub.k (n). Zernikie polynomials and their application to wavefront aberrations are described in B. Nijboer entitled The Diffraction Theory of Optical Aberrations, Part I: General Discussion of the Geometrical Aberrations, Selected Papers on Effects of Aberrations in Optical Imaging, Vol. MS 74, p. 308, 1993; B. Nijboer entitled The Diffraction Theory of Optical Aberrations, Part II: Diffraction Pattern in the Prescence of Small Aberrations, Selected Papers on Effects of Aberrations in Optical Imaging, Vol. MS 74, p. 315, 1993; K. Nienhuis, B. Nijboer entitled The Diffraction Theory of Optical Aberrations, Part III: General Fomulae for Small Aberrations: Experimental Verification of the Theoretical Results, Selected Papers on Effects of Aberrations in Optical Imaging, Vol. MS 74, p. 323, 1993; V. Mahajan entitled Zernike Annular Polynomials for Imaging Systems with Annular Pupils, Selected Papers on Effects of Aberrations in Optical Imaging, Vol. MS 74, p. 342, 1993; J. Wang, D. Silva entitled Wave-front Interpretation with Zernike Polynomials, Selected Papers on Effects of Aberrations in Optical Imaging, Vol. MS 74, p. 400, 1993. Then defining ##EQU2## we wish to minimize:
where the first sum runs over j and the second over k dx.sub.j is understood to be the j'th vector measurement. W(n) as used above depends on the index j since it represents the footprint of the ray bundle emanating from point xj. Mathematically, W(n)=1 only over those regions of the entrance pupil where rays from point xj pass; elsewhere it equals zero. Other methods of formulating the problem as well as solving this class of problem are discussed in references R. Hudgin entitled Wave-front Reconstruction for Compensated Imaging, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 67, No. 3, p. 375, March 1977; R. Hudgin entitled Optimal Wave-Front Estimation, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 67, No. 3, p. 378, March 1977; H. Takajo, T. Takahashi entitled Least-Squares Phase Estimation from the Phase Difference, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 5, No. 3, p. 416, March 1988; J. Herrmann entitled Least-Squares Wave Front Errors of Minimum Norm, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 70, No. 1, p. 28, January 1980; D. Fried entitled Least-Square Fitting a Wave-Front Distortion Estimate to an Array of Phase-Difference Measurements, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 67, No. 3, p. 370, March 1977; H. Takajo, T. Takahashi entitled Noniterative Method for Obtaining the Exact Solution for the Normal Equation in Least-Squares Phase Estimation from the Phase Difference, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 5, No. 11, p. 1818, November 1988; W. H. Southwell entitled Wave-Front Estimation from Wave-Front Slope Measurements, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 70, No. 8, p. 998, August 1980; E. P. Wallner entitled Optimal Wave-Front Correction Using Slope Measurements, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 73, No. 12, p. 1771, December 1983. The preferred technique is the singular value decomposition.
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H., SPIE, vol. 2440, pp. 743 748.49 *A New Family of 1:1 Catadioptric Broadband Deep UV High NA Lithography Lenses, Yudong, Z., et al., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 688 694.50 *A New Mask Evaluation Tool, the Microlithography Simulation Microscope Aerial Image Measurement System, Budd, R.A., SPIE, vol. 2197, pp. 530 540.51 *A Novel High Resolution Large Field Scan And Repeat Projection Lithography System, Jain, K., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 666 677.52 *A Simple and Calibratable Method for the Determination of Optimal Focus, Gemmink, J.W., SPIE, vol. 1088 Optical/Laser Microlithography II (1989) pp. 220 230.53 *A Two Dimensional High Resolution Stepper Image Monitor, Pfau, A.K., et al., SPIE, vol. 1674 Optical/Laser Microlithography V (1992) pp. 182 192.54 *Aberration Analysis in Aerial Images Formed by Lithographic Lenses, Freitag, W., Applied Optics, vol. 31, No. 13, May 1992, pp. 2284 2290.55 *Accuracy of Overlay Measurements: Tool and Mark Asymmetry Effects, A. Starikov, et al., Optical Engineering, Jun. 1992, vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 1298 1309.56 *Aerial Image Measurements on a Commercial Stepper, Fields, C.H., et al., SPIE, vol. 2197, pp. 585 595.57 *Analyzing Deep UV Lens Aberrations Using Aerial Image and Latent Image Metrologies, Raab, E.L., SPIE, vol. 2197, pp. 550 565.58 *Application of the Aerial Image Measurement System (AIMS ) to the Analysis of Binary Mask Imaging and Resolution Enhancement Techniques, Martino, R., et al., SPIE, vol. 2197, pp. 573 584.59 *Astigmatism and Field Curvature from Pin Bars, Kirk, J., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 282 291.60 *Asymptotic Behavior of the Response Function of Optical Systems, Ogura, I., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 48, No. 8, Aug. 1958, pp. 38 39.61 *Binary Optics Technology: The Theory and Design of Multi Level Diffractive Optical Elements, Swanson, G.J. (Group 52), Technical Report 854, Aug. 14, 1989.62 *Characterization and Setup Techniques for a 5X Stepper, Brunner, T.A. and Stuber, S.M., SPIE, vol. 633 Optical Microlithography V (1986) pp. 106 112.63 *Effects of Higher Order Aberrations on the Process Window, Gortych, J.E. and Williamson, D., SPIE vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 368 381.64 *Electrical Methods for Precision Stepper Column Optimization, Zych, L., et al., SPIE, vol. 633 Optical Microlithography V (1986) pp. 98 105.65 *Hartmann and Other Screen Tests, Ghozeil, I., Optical Shop Testing, Second Edition, Chapter 10 (1992) pp. 367 396.66 *Hubble Space Telescope Characterized by Using Phase Retrieval Algorithms, Fienup, J.R., et al., Applied Optics, vol. 32, No. 10, 1 Apr. 1993, pp. 1747 1767.67 *Hubble Space Telescope Prescription Retrieval, Redding, D. et al., Applied Optics, vol. 32, No. 10, 1 Apr. 1993, pp. 1728 1736.68 *Identifying and Monitoring Effects of Lens Aberrations in Projection Printing, Toh, Kenny and Neureuther, Andrew, SPIE vol. 772 Optical Microlithography VI (1987) pp. 202 209.69 *In House characterization Technique for Steppers, Dusa, M. and Nicolau, D., SPIE, vol. 1088 Optical/Laser Microlithography II (1989) pp. 354 363.70 *In Situ Optimization of an I Line Optical Projection Lens, Huang, C., SPIE, vol. 2440, pp. 734 742.71 *Latent Image Metrology for Production Wafer Steppers, Dirksen, P., et al., SPIE, vol. 2440, pp. 701 711.72 *Least Square Fitting a Wave Front Distortion Estimate to an Array of Phase Difference Measurements, Fried, D., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 67, No. 3, Mar. 1977, pp. 370 375.73 *Least Squares Phase Estimation from the Phase Difference, Takajo, H. and Takahashi, T., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 5, No. 3, Mar. 1988, pp. 416 425.74 *Least Squares Wave Front Errors of Minimum Norm, Herrmann, J., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 70, No. 1, Jan. 1980, pp. 28 32.75 *Lithographic Lens Testing: Analysis of Measured Aerial Images, Interferometric Data and Photoresist Measurements Flagello, Donis and Geh, Bernd, SPIE, vol. 2726, pp. 788 798.76 *Multispot Scanning Exposure System for Excimer Laser Stepper, Yoshitake, Y., et al., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 678 687.77 *New 0.54 Aperture I Line Wafer Stepper with Field by Field Leveling Combined with Global Alignment, van den Brink, M.A., et al., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 709 724.78 *New I Line and Deep UV Optical Wafer Steppers, Unger, R. and DiSessa, P., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 725 742.79 *New I Line Lens for Half Micron Lithography, Takahashi, K., et al., SPIE, vol. 1463 Optical/Laser Microlithography IV (1991) pp. 696 708.80 *Noniterative Method for Obtaining the Exact Solution for the Normal Equation in Least Squares Phase Estimation from the Phase Difference, Takajo, H. and Takahashi, T., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 5, No. 11, Nov. 1989, pp. 1818 1827.81 *Optimal Wave Front Correction using Slope Measurements, Wallner, E., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 73, No. 12, Dec. 1983, pp. 1771 1775.82 *Optimal Wave front Estimation, Hudgin, R., J.Opt.Soc.Am., vol. 67, No. 3, Mar. 1977, pp. 378 382.83 *Phase Retrieval Algorithms for a Complicated Optical System, Fienup, J.R., Applied Optics, vol. 32, No. 10, 1 Apr. 1993, pp. 1747 1767.84 *Quantitive Stepper Metrology Using the Focus Monitor Test Mask, Brunner, T.A., et al., SPIE, vol. 2197, pp. 541 549.85 *Scattered Light in Photolithographic Lens, Kirk, J.P., SPIE, vol. 2197, pp. 566 572.86 *Star Tests, Welford, W.T., Optical Shop Testing, Second Edition, Chapter 11 (1992) pp. 397 426.87 *The Diffraction Theory of Optical Aberrations, Part 1 Nijnoer, B.R.A., 1943 Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V., The Netherlands, pp. 308 314. (Reprinted from Physica, vol. 10, No. 8, Oct. 1943, pp. 679 692).88 *The Diffraction Theory of Optical Aberrations, Part 2 Nijnoer, B.R.A., 1947 Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V., The Netherlands, pp. 315 322. (Reprinted from Physica, vol. 13, 1947, pp. 605 620).89 *The Diffraction Theory of Optical Aberrations, Part 3 Nienhuis, K. and Nijnoer, B.R.A., 1949 Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V., The Netherlands, pp. 323 332. 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2010FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 12May 31, 2010REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedApr 24, 2006FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8Jun 14, 2002SULPSurcharge for late paymentJun 14, 2002FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4May 14, 2002REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedAug 25, 1997ASAssignmentOwner name: LITEL INSTRUMENTS, CALIFORNIAFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SMITH, ADLAI H.;MCARTHUR, BRUCE B.;HUNTER, ROBERT O.;REEL/FRAME:008689/0936Effective date: 19970806RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google