An exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes an illumination optical system including a first optical modulation unit having a plurality of optical modulation elements, a second optical modulation unit having a plurality of optical modulation elements, and an imaging optical system forming optical images on a predetermined plane by using lights from the first optical modulation unit and the second optical modulation unit, and a projection optical system projecting the optical image formed on the predetermined plane onto a substrate.

A method of lithography includes obtaining a profile of a single field of a substrate that having a photoresist layer thereon, in which the profile includes a first feature and a second feature having different heights. A depth of focus distribution map is generated according to the profile. A project lens is tuned based on the generated depth of focus distribution map, such that the project lens provides a first focus length in a first project pixel of the project lens and a second focus length in a second project pixel of the project lens, wherein the first focus length and the second focus lengths. The single field of the substrate is exposed by using the tuned project lens.

The embodiments described herein relate to a software application platform, which enhances image patterns resolution on a substrate. The application platform method includes running an algorithm to provide different target polygons for forming a pattern on a target. A minimum feature size which may be formed by a DMD is determined. For each target polygons smaller than the minimum feature size determining to line bias or shot bias the one or more target polygons to achieve an acceptable exposure contrast at the target polygon boundary. The one or more target polygons smaller than the minimum feature size are biased to form a digitized pattern on the substrate. Electromagnetic radiation is delivered to reflect off of a first mirror of the DMD when the centroid for the first mirror is within the one or more target polygons.

A method for vertical control of a lithography machine includes step 1, prior to a scanning exposure, controlling vertical measurement sensors to measure workpiece to obtain overall surface profile data of the workpiece; step 2, performing a global leveling based on the overall surface profile data of the workpiece; and step 3, during the scanning exposure of each exposure field, measuring a local surface profile of the workpiece in real time by the vertical measurement sensors and controlling at least one of a mask stage, a workpiece stage and a projection objective to move vertically according to a Z-directional height value, an Rx-directional tilt value and an Ry-directional tilt value corresponding to the local surface profile of the workpiece, to compensate for the local surface profile of the workpiece in real time, so that an upper surface of each exposure field coincides with a reference focal plane for the exposure field. This method enables flexible vertical control with high accuracy by providing multiple control options.

Embodiments described herein provide a system, a software application, and a method of a lithography process, to write full tone portions and grey tone portions in a single pass. One embodiment includes a controller configured to provide mask pattern data to a lithography system. The controller is configured to divide a plurality of spatial light modulator pixels spatially by at least a grey tone group and a full tone group of spatial light modulator pixels. When divided by the controller, the grey tone group of spatial light modulator pixels is operable to project a first number of the multiplicity of shots to the plurality of full tone exposure polygons and the plurality of grey tone exposure polygons, and the full tone group of spatial light modulator pixels is operable to project a second number of the multiplicity of shots to the plurality of full tone exposure polygons.

Embodiments described herein provide a method of large area lithography. One embodiment of the method includes projecting at least one incident beam to a mask in a propagation direction of the at least one incident beam. The mask having at least one period of a dispersive element that diffracts the incident beam into order mode beams having one or more diffraction orders with a highest order N greater than 1. The one or more diffraction orders provide an intensity pattern in a medium between the mask and a substrate having a photoresist layer disposed thereon. The intensity pattern includes a plurality of intensity peaks defined by sub-periodic patterns of the at least one period. The intensity peaks write a plurality of portions in the photoresist layer such that a number of the portions in the photoresist layer corresponding to the at least one period is greater than N.

A super-resolution system for nano-patterning is disclosed, comprising an exposure head that enables a super-resolution patterning exposures. The super-resolution exposures are carried out using electromagnetic radiation and plasmonic structures, and in some embodiments, plasmonic structures having specially designed super-resolution apertures, of which the bow-tie and C-aperture are examples. These apertures create small but bright images in the near-field transmission pattern. A writing head comprising one or more of these apertures is held in close proximity to a medium for patterning. In some embodiments, a data processing system is provided to re-interpret the data to be patterned into a set of modulation signals used to drive the multiple individual channels and multiple exposures, and a detection means is provided to verify the data as written.

A lithography apparatus and method is provided. The lithography apparatus includes at least two exposure devices and one substrate device. The substrate device includes a substrate stage and a substrate supported by the substrate stage. The at least two exposure devices are disposed in symmetry to each other above the substrate with respect to a direction for scanning exposure and configured to simultaneously create two exposure fields onto the substrate to expose the portions of the substrate within the exposure fields.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for producing images on substrates. The method includes providing a p-polarization beam to a first mirror cube having a first digital micromirror device (DMD), providing an s-polarization beam to a second mirror cube having a second DMD, and reflecting the p-polarization beam off the first DMD and reflecting the s-polarization beam off the second DMD such that the p-polarization beam and the s-polarization beam are reflected towards a light altering device configured to produce a plurality of superimposed images on the substrate.

An exposure apparatus that performs scanning exposure for a substrate is provided. The apparatus comprises a light source, a digital mirror device including a plurality of mirrors capable of controlling a direction of light emitted from the light source and configured to operate to adjust an integrated exposure amount on the substrate in accordance with scanning of the substrate, a projection optical system configured to guide light from the digital mirror device to the substrate and project a pattern onto the substrate, and a controller configured to control the plurality of mirrors in the digital mirror device based on the pattern to be projected onto the substrate, wherein the controller controls the plurality of mirrors such that an integrated exposure amount in an edge portion of the pattern becomes larger than an integrated exposure amount in a portion other than the edge portion.