Polarimetry of illumination for 193nm immersion lithography
We have constructed a theory of polarimetry of illumination used in 193nm lithography equipments, fabricated a polarimeter mask, and demonstrated it for a hyper-NA (numerical aperture) immersion lithography scanner. The polarimeter mask comprises newly developed thin polarizers and wide-view-angle quarter-wave (?/4) plates. Although a light traveling through these polarization devices on the polarimeter mask reaches an image detector at the wafer level through a projection optics, Stokes parameters of the illumination light can be measured with no influence from polarization characteristics of the projection optics between the mask and the image detector.
polarimetry immersion lithography stokes parameters