Patents Assigned to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
  • Patent number: 11181826
    Abstract: A projection exposure method and apparatus are disclosed for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask under the control of an operating control system of a projection exposure apparatus, part of the pattern lying in an illumination region is imaged onto the image field on the substrate with the aid of a projection lens, wherein all rays of the projection radiation contributing to the image generation in the image field form a projection beam path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Alexander Wolf
  • Patent number: 11175595
    Abstract: A method localizes assembly errors during the arrangement and/or the assembly of in particular vibration-isolated structural elements, in particular of components of optical arrangements, preferably of microlithographic projection exposure apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Niederhausen, Christoph Fetzer
  • Patent number: 11169359
    Abstract: For the purposes of positioning a component part, provision is made in an optical system for a stray magnetic field to be detected via a sensor device and for a correction signal for compensating the effect of the stray magnetic field on the positioning of the component part to be ascertained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Marsollek, Stefan Hembacher
  • Patent number: 11169445
    Abstract: An optical system includes an illumination optical unit configured to guide illumination radiation along a path to an object plane. The illumination optical unit includes comprising a first facet mirror; a second facet mirror disposed downstream of the first facet mirror along the path; and a condenser mirror. The optical system also includes a projection optical unit configured to image a first article in the object plane onto a second article in an image plane. The image plane is a first distance from the object plane. The condenser mirror a second distance from the object plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Stig Bieling, Martin Endres, Thomas Fischer
  • Patent number: 11170970
    Abstract: A method for examining a specimen surface with a probe of a scanning probe microscope, the specimen surface having an electrical potential distribution. The method includes (a) determining the electrical potential distribution of at least one first partial region of the specimen surface; and (b) modifying the electrical potential distribution in the at least one first partial region of the specimen surface and/or modifying an electrical potential of the probe of the scanning probe microscope before scanning at least one second partial region of the specimen surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Budach, Michael Schnell, Bernd Schindler, Markus Boese
  • Patent number: 11163239
    Abstract: A method for localizing an abnormality in a travel path of an optical component in or for a lithography apparatus includes: a) moving the optical component in at least one first degree of freedom; b) detecting a movement (Rz) of the optical component and/or a force acting on the optical component in at least one second degree of freedom; and c) localizing the abnormality as a function of the movement detected in b) and/or the force detected in b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Treubel, Christoph Fetzer
  • Patent number: 11162778
    Abstract: A method for determining material removal by an ion beam (3) on a test workpiece (7) which is disposed in a machining chamber (5) of a housing (6) of a device (1) for beam machining, wherein the test workpiece (7) has a substrate (8) and a layer (9) applied to the substrate. The method includes a) optically determining a layer thickness (d1) of the layer applied to the substrate, b) removing material of the layer from the test workpiece with the ion beam, c) optically determining the layer thickness (d2) of the layer applied to the substrate, and d) determining the material removal by comparing the layer thickness determined in step a) with the layer thickness determined in step c). Also disclosed is a device (1) for beam machining a workpiece (2) with which the method can be carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Steffen Bezold, Stephan Six
  • Patent number: 11156925
    Abstract: A positioning system to position a structure comprises an actuator and a control unit to control the actuator in response to a position setpoint received by the control unit. The actuator comprises a magnet assembly comprises a magnet configured to provide a magnetic flux, and a coil assembly, wherein the coil assembly and the magnet assembly are movable relative to each other, the coil assembly comprising a coil, an actuation of the coil by a drive current providing for a force between the magnet assembly and the coil assembly. The magnet assembly comprises a further electric conductor, the further electric conductor comprising a non-ferromagnetic electrically conductive material, wherein the further electric conductor is magnetically coupled to the coil of the coil assembly and forms a short circuit path for an inductive electrical current induced in the further electric conductor as a result of an actuator current in the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignees: ASML Netherlands B.V., Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Maarten Hartger Kimman, Jasper Wesselingh
  • Patent number: 11156922
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method and to an apparatus for determining the heating state of a mirror in an optical system, in particular in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. A method for determining the heating state of an optical element includes: measuring values of a first temperature that the optical element has at a first position using a temperature sensor; and estimating a second temperature that the optical element has at a second position, which is located at a distance from the first position, on the basis of the measured values, wherein estimating the second temperature is accomplished while taking into account a temporal change in the previously measured values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Willem Michiel De Rapper, Toralf Gruner
  • Patent number: 11150552
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for analyzing at least one defective location of a photolithographic mask, having the following steps: (a) obtaining measurement data for the at least one defective location of the photolithographic mask; (b) determining reference data of the defective location from computer-aided design (CAD) data for the photolithographic mask; (c) correcting the reference data with at least one location-dependent correction value; and (d) analyzing the defective location by comparing the measurement data to the corrected reference data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Budach, Ralf Schönberger
  • Patent number: 11143967
    Abstract: A projection exposure method for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask is provided in which an illumination field of the mask is illuminated by illumination radiation with an operating wavelength ? that was provided by an illumination system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Toralf Gruner
  • Patent number: 11145556
    Abstract: A method and device for inspection or analysis of a semiconductor sample is provided. The method includes: sandwiching a processed semiconductor sample between two blocks of a semiconductor material; polishing the sandwiched sample such that an even surface is obtained; and measuring the surface of the sandwiched sample. The blocks of a semiconductor material comprise the same semiconductor material as the semiconductor sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Si Ping Zhao
  • Patent number: 11137688
    Abstract: An optical system transfers original structure portions (13) of a lithography mask (10), which have an x/y-aspect ratio of greater than 4:1, and are aligned on the lithography mask, separated respectively by separating portions (14) that carry no structures to be imaged. The optical system transfers the original structure portions onto image portions (31) of a substrate (26). Each of the original structure portions is transferred to a separate image portion. The image portions onto which the original structure portions are transferred are arranged in a line next to one another. An associated projection optical unit may have an anamorphic embodiment with different imaging scales for two mutually perpendicular field coordinates specifically, one that is reducing for one of the field coordinates and the other is magnifying for the other field coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Michael Patra, Johannes Ruoff
  • Patent number: 11137687
    Abstract: An optical arrangement (1) for EUV radiation includes: at least one reflective optical element (16) having a main body (30) with a coating (31) that reflects EUV radiation (33). At least one shield (36) is fitted to at least one surface region (35) of the main body (30) and protects the at least one surface region (35) against an etching effect of a plasma (H+, H*) that surrounds the reflective optical element (16) during operation of the optical arrangement (1). A distance (A) between the shield (36) and the surface region (35) of the main body (30) is less than double the Debye length (?D), preferably less than the Debye length (?D), of the surrounding plasma (H+, H*).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Bjoern Liebaug, Moritz Becker, Kerstin Hild, Joachim Hartjes, Simon Haas
  • Patent number: 11126087
    Abstract: A component for a mirror array for EUV lithography, particularly for use in faceted mirrors in illumination systems of EUV lithography devices. A component (500) for a mirror array for EUV lithography is proposed which is at least partially made from a composite material including matrix material (502) that contains copper and/or aluminium, and reinforcing material in the form of fibers (504). The composite material also includes particles (508) that consist of one or more of the materials from the group: graphite, adamantine carbon, and ceramic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventor: Eric Eva
  • Patent number: 11118900
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for characterizing the surface form of an optical element, in particular a mirror or a lens element of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, includes: carrying out a plurality of interferometric measurements, in each of which an interferogram is recorded between a test wave emanating from a portion of the optical element in each case and a reference wave, the position of the optical element relative to the test wave being altered between these measurements, and calculating the figure of the optical element on the basis of these measurements. This calculation is carried out iteratively such that, in a plurality of iteration steps, the figure of the optical element is ascertained in each case by carrying out a forward calculation, each of these iteration steps being based in each case on a reference wave that was adapted based on the preceding iteration step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Frank Riepenhausen, Martin Schroeter
  • Patent number: 11119413
    Abstract: An imaging optical unit includes a plurality of mirrors to guide imaging light along an imaging beam path. The plurality of mirrors includes a number of mirrors for grazing incidence (GI mirrors), which deflect a chief ray of a central object field point with an angle of incidence of more than 45°. At least two of the GI mirrors are in the imaging beam path as basic GI mirrors so that the deflection effect thereof adds up for the chief ray. At least one further GI mirror is arranged in the imaging beam path as a counter GI mirror so that the deflection effect thereof acts in subtractive fashion for the chief ray in relation to the deflection effect of the basic GI mirrors. This can yield an imaging optical unit having enhanced flexibility in relation to an installation space used for mirror bodies of the mirrors of the imaging optical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Ruoff, Susanne Beder, Hans-Juergen Rostalski, Alexander Wolf
  • Patent number: 11114274
    Abstract: A method for analyzing an integrated circuit includes: applying an electric test pattern to the IC; delivering a stream of primary electrons to a back side of the IC on an active region to a transistor of interest, the active region including active structures such as transistors of the IC; detecting light resulting from cathodoluminescence initiated by secondary electrons in the IC; and analyzing the detected light regarding a correlation with the electric test pattern applied to the IC. A system for analyzing an IC is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Theodore Lundquist, Baohua Niu
  • Patent number: 11112543
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an optical element, including: a substrate, a first coating, which is disposed on a first side of the substrate and is configured for reflecting radiation having a used wavelength (?EUV) in the EUV wavelength range, and a second coating, which is disposed on a second side of the substrate, for influencing heating radiation that is incident on the second side of the substrate. The disclosure also relates to an optical arrangement having at least one such optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Boris Bittner, Norbert Wabra, Holger Schmidt, Ricarda Schoemer, Sonja Schneider
  • Patent number: 11112702
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for characterizing a microlithographic mask. A device according to the invention has an illumination optical unit for illuminating structures of a mask intended for use in a lithography process in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, a detector unit, and an evaluation unit for evaluating the data recorded by the detector unit, wherein the detector unit is configured for the spatially resolved determination of both the intensity and the polarization state of the respectively impinging light emanating from the mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Martin, Thomas Frank, Ulrich Matejka