An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate to light by using an original in which a pattern is formed includes an illumination optical system arranged to guide illumination light to the original, the illumination light including first illumination light with a first wavelength and second illumination light with a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, and a projection optical system arranged to form a pattern image of the original by using the illumination light at a plurality of positions in an optical axis direction. The illumination optical system is configured to adjust a position deviation in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction between a pattern image formed by the first illumination light and a pattern image formed by the second illumination light by changing an incident angle of the illumination light entering the original.

The disclosure relates to an optical system, for example a lithography system, comprising an aperture stop having an aperture with an edge for delimiting a beam path of the optical system on its outer circumference. The optical system also includes a heat stop arranged upstream of the aperture stop for partially shading the aperture stop. The edge of the aperture stop is excluded from the shading.

The invention provides a correction and compensation method in a semiconductor manufacturing process. The method includes the following steps: providing a machine, the machine is at least used for exposure manufacturing of a first product and a second product, performing period maintenance (PM) on the machine, recording an original offset map before and after the period maintenance of the machine is performed, the original offset map has an original exposure size, and adjusting the original exposure size of the original offset map to correspond to a first exposure size of the first product, and performing a first offset compensation correction on the first product. And adjusting the original exposure size of the original offset map to correspond to a second exposure size of the second product, and performing a second offset compensation correction on the second product.

There is provided a reflective image-forming optical system which is applicable to an exposure apparatus using, for example, EUV light and which is capable of increasing numerical aperture while enabling optical path separation of light fluxes. In a reflective imaging optical system (6) forming an image of a first plane (4) onto a second plane (7), the numerical aperture on a side of the second plane with respect to a first direction (X direction) on the second plane is greater than 1.1 times a numerical aperture on the side of the second plane with respect to a second direction (Y direction) crossing the first direction on the second plane. The reflecting imaging optical system has an aperture stop (AS) defining the numerical aperture on the side of the second plane, and the aperture stop has an elliptic-shaped opening of which size in a major axis direction (X direction) is greater than 1.1 times that in a minor axis direction (Y direction).

An illumination device comprises a laser source, a beam expander, a micromirror array having a first control system, a fast steering mirror having a second control system, a diaphragm array, a microlens array, an illumination lens group, and a reflection mirror sequentially along the propagation direction of the laser beam. The first control system comprises a first computer controlling each micromirror on the micro-mirror array through the micromirror array controller to rotate in two-dimensional directions so expanded beam forms desired intensity patterns on the diaphragm array after reflected by the micromirror array and fast reflection mirror and a micromirror array controller; the second control system comprises a second computer controlling the reflection mirror of the fast steering mirror to rotate through fast steering mirror controller so created intensity pattern moves relative to the diaphragm array and a fast steering mirror controller. Method for using the illumination device is provided.

Methods of micro- and nano-patterning substrates to form transparent conductive electrode structures or polarizers by continuous near-field optical nanolithography methods using a roll-type photomask or phase-shift mask are provided. In such methods, a near-field optical nanolithography technique uses a phase-shift or photo-mask roller that comprises a rigid patterned externally exposed surface that transfers a pattern to an underlying substrate. The roller device may have an internally disposed radiation source that generates radiation that passes through the rigid patterned surface to the substrate during the patterning process. Sub-wavelength resolution is achieved using near-field exposure of photoresist material through the cylindrical rigid phase-mask, allowing dynamic and high throughput continuous patterning.

An illumination system includes a light source used to generate a light and an opaque plate. The opaque plate is disposed between the light source and a photomask and includes an annular aperture and an aperture dipole. The annular aperture has an inner side and an outer side. The aperture dipole includes at least one first aperture and at least one second aperture. The first aperture and the second aperture connected to the annular aperture respectively and protruding out from the outer side of the annular aperture are disposed symmetrically with respect to a center of the annular aperture.

A compensator for manipulating a radiation beam traveling along an optical path. The compensator includes a fixed support holding a first optical wedge and an adjustable support holding a second optical wedge. The adjustable support includes a base, a stage holding the second optical wedge, first and second flexures, and a drive block. The stage defines a cavity and is movable relative to the base and the fixed support. The first and second flexures couple the stage to the base such that the stage translates along a stage path. The drive block is disposed in the cavity of the stage and is configured to translate along a drive block path perpendicular to the optical path and perpendicular to the stage path. The drive block includes first and second drive bearing surfaces configured to translate the stage in first and second stage directions, respectively, along the stage path.

An optical diffraction component is configured to suppress at least one target wavelength by destructive interference. The optical diffraction component includes at least three diffraction structure levels that are assignable to at least two diffraction structure groups. A first of the diffraction structure groups is configured to suppress a first target wavelength λ.sub.1. A second of the diffraction structure groups is configured to suppress a second target wavelength λ.sub.2, where (λ.sub.1−λ.sub.2).sup.2/(λ.sub.1+λ.sub.2).sup.2<20%. A topography of the diffraction structure levels can be described as a superimposition of two binary diffraction structure groups. Boundary regions between adjacent surface sections of each of the binary diffraction structure groups have a linear course and are superimposed on one another at most along sections of the linear course.

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 structure, 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.