Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090040490 | ILLUMINATING OPTICAL APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An illumination optical apparatus is able to quickly perform switching of illumination conditions between illumination in a first region and illumination in a second region. The illumination optical apparatus of the present invention to illuminate an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source comprises: a path switching member arranged in an optical path between the light source and the illumination target surface and switching an optical path of an exiting beam between a first optical path and a second optical path; a path combining member combining the first optical path and the second optical path; a first pupil distribution forming member arranged in the first optical path and forming a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil; and a second pupil distribution forming member arranged in the second optical path and forming a predetermined light intensity distribution on the illumination pupil. | 02-12-2009 |
20090073411 | ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, OPTICAL ELEMENT AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An illumination optical system which illuminates a surface to be illuminated on the basis of light from a light source has a first optical path in which a diffractive optical element can be arranged at a first position thereof; a second optical path in which a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and controlled individually can be arranged at a second position thereof; and a third optical path which is an optical path of light having passed via at least one of the first optical path and the second optical path and in which a distribution forming optical system is arranged. The distribution forming optical system forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil located in the third optical path, based on the light having passed via at least one of the first and second optical paths. | 03-19-2009 |
20090109417 | OPTICAL UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An illumination optical apparatus has an optical unit. The optical unit has a light splitter to split an incident beam into two beams; a first spatial light modulator which can be arranged in an optical path of a first beam; a second spatial light modulator which can be arranged in an optical path of a second beam; and a light combiner which combines a beam having passed via the first spatial light modulator, with a beam having passed via the second spatial light modulator; each of the first spatial light modulator and the second spatial light modulator has a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and controlled individually. | 04-30-2009 |
20090116093 | ILLUMINATION APPARATUS, ILLUMINATION METHOD, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - To optionally forming a multilevel light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil plane, the illumination apparatus implements Köhler illumination on an illumination target surface, using as a light source the light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil plane on the basis of light from a light source. The illumination apparatus has a spatial light modulator, a condensing optical system, and a control unit. The spatial light modulator has a plurality of reflecting surfaces which are two-dimensionally arranged and postures of which can be controlled independently of each other. The condensing optical system condenses light from the reflecting surfaces to form a predetermined light intensity distribution on the illumination pupil plane. The control unit controls the number of reflecting surfaces contributing to arriving light, for each of points on the illumination pupil plane forming the light intensity distribution, according to a light intensity distribution to be formed on the illumination pupil plane. | 05-07-2009 |
20090135396 | ILLUMINATING OPTICAL APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An illumination optical apparatus is able to individually illuminate two regions separate from each other, under required illumination conditions. The illumination optical apparatus comprises a first illumination system to illuminate a illumination region and a second illumination region to illuminate a second illumination region. The first illumination system includes a first variable system which varies a shape or size of a light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the first illumination system and the second illumination system includes a second variable system which varies a shape or size of a light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the second illumination system. The first variable system and the second variable system vary the light intensity distribution on the illumination pupil of the first illumination system and the light intensity distribution on the illumination pupil of the second illumination system independently of each other. | 05-28-2009 |
20100253927 | SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATING UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - There is disclosed a spatial light modulating unit comprising: | 10-07-2010 |
20100316943 | ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - There is disclosed an illumination optical system which illuminates an illumination target surface on the basis of light from a light source, said illumination optical system comprising, a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and being individually controllable, a distribution forming optical system which forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system on the basis of light having traveled via the spatial light modulator, and a control unit which integrally controls postures of a group of optical elements according to a shape of the predetermined light intensity distribution formed on the illumination pupil, out of the plurality of optical elements. | 12-16-2010 |
20110037962 | POLARIZATION CONVERTING UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - According to one embodiment, a polarization converting unit configured to convert incident light into light in a predetermined polarization state has a first optical element and a second optical element. The first optical element has a plurality of first regions, and at least two adjacent first regions have respective different thicknesses so as to have different polarization conversion properties. Likewise, the second optical element also has a plurality of second regions, and at least two adjacent second regions have different polarization conversion properties. The first and second optical elements are arranged so that a light beam having passed through one first region is incident to two adjacent second regions, whereby the sum of thicknesses of the first and second optical elements is varied depending upon a passing position of light. | 02-17-2011 |
20110069305 | INSPECTION DEVICE AND INSPECTING METHOD FOR SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, METHOD FOR ADJUSTING THE ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - There is disclosed an inspection device for inspecting a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and controlled individually, said inspection device comprising, a conjugate optical system which is arranged optically downstream the spatial light modulator and which forms a conjugate plane optically conjugate with an array plane where the plurality of optical elements are arrayed, a photodetector having a detection surface arranged on or near the conjugate plane, and an inspection unit which inspects optical characteristics of the plurality of optical elements, based on a result of detection by the photodetector. | 03-24-2011 |
20110205519 | POLARIZATION CONVERTING UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - According to one embodiment, a polarization converting unit, for converting incident light into light in a predetermined polarization state and emitting the converted light, has a first optically rotatory member having a first thickness distribution of thicknesses in an optical-axis direction different at a plurality of locations and a second optically rotatory member having a second thickness distribution, each of which is a member to rotate linearly polarized light incident thereto as propagating light, around the optical-axis direction. The first and second optically rotatory members are comprised of an optical material with an optical activity arranged so as to have a crystal axis coincident or parallel with the optical-axis direction. Particularly, the sum of respective thicknesses of superimposed regions in the first and second optically rotatory members is different from the sum of respective thicknesses of other superimposed regions in the first and second optically rotatory members when viewed along the optical-axis direction. | 08-25-2011 |
20110211183 | Illumination optical system, aligner, and process for fabricating device - [Problem] Each of pupil intensity distributions at respective points on an illumination target surface is substantially uniformly adjusted. | 09-01-2011 |
20110261342 | OPTICAL UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARTUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An optical unit comprises a first optical path in which a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and controlled individually can be arranged; a second optical path including a mechanism for insertion of an angle distribution providing element including a predetermined fixed pattern on a surface thereof; and a third optical path being an optical path of light having traveled through both of the first optical path and the second optical path. When the angle distribution providing element is inserted in the second optical path, an angle distribution is provided to light exited based on light incident to the angle distribution providing element. | 10-27-2011 |
20120171627 | INSPECTION DEVICE AND INSPECTING METHOD FOR SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, METHOD FOR ADJUSTING THE ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An inspection device is for inspecting a spatial light modulator having a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and controlled individually. The inspection device includes a Fourier transform optical system which is arranged optically downstream the spatial light modulator and which forms a Fourier transform plane optically in a Fourier transform relation with an array plane where the plurality of optical elements are arrayed, a photodetector having a detection surface arranged on or near the Fourier transform plane, and an inspection unit which inspects optical characteristics of the plurality of optical elements, based on a result of detection by the photodetector. | 07-05-2012 |
20120178028 | SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL SYSTEM, EXPOSURE DEVICE, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - According to one embodiment, a spatial light modulator unit is used in the illumination optical system for illuminating an illumination target surface with light from a light source and comprises: a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arrayed in a predetermined plane and controlled individually; a spatial light modulation element which applies spatial light modulation to the incident light from the light source and which makes rays of intensity levels according to positions of the respective optical elements, incident on the plurality of optical elements; and a control unit which individually controls the plurality of optical elements on the basis of information about the intensity levels of the rays incident on the respective optical elements. | 07-12-2012 |
20120202157 | OPTICAL UNIT, ILLUMINATION OPTICAL APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An illumination optical apparatus has an optical unit. The optical unit has a light splitter to split an incident beam into two beams; a first spatial light modulator which can be arranged in an optical path of a first beam; a second spatial light modulator which can be arranged in an optical path of a second beam; and a light combiner which combines a beam having passed via the first spatial light modulator, with a beam having passed via the second spatial light modulator; each of the first spatial light modulator and the second spatial light modulator has a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and controlled individually. | 08-09-2012 |
20140043594 | METHOD OF ADJUSTING LIGHTING OPTICAL DEVICE, LIGHTING OPTICAL DEVICE, EXPOSURE SYSTEM, AND EXPOSURE METHOD - An illumination optical apparatus is arranged to illuminate a surface to be illuminated, with light in a desired polarization state, without substantive influence of manufacturing error of an optical member functioning as a wave plate. The illumination optical apparatus illuminates the surface to be illuminated on the basis of light from a light source. The illumination optical apparatus is provided with a polarization converting element disposed on or near an illumination pupil plane and adapted for converting a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state. The polarization converting element has a plurality of variable optical rotating members for variably yielding an angle of rotation to incident linearly polarized light. Each variable optical rotating member has two deviation prisms which are made of an optical material with an optical rotatory power and which are movable relative to each other along a direction intersecting with the optical axis. | 02-13-2014 |