Abstract: A method for measuring a synchronization error between a first stage and a second stage in a scanning exposure apparatus including the first stage which supports a reticle, the second stage which supports a substrate, and a projection optical system which projects a pattern of the reticle onto the substrate, the method comprises the steps of measuring, using a measurement unit, a light intensity distribution formed by a measurement pattern while synchronously scanning a measurement mask which has the measurement pattern and is arranged on the first stage, and the measurement unit arranged on the second stage, and calculating the synchronization error between the first stage and the second stage based on a time change in the light intensity distribution measured in the measuring step.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating the reticle using the ultraviolet light from the light source, and a polarization measuring unit measuring the polarization state of the ultraviolet light, the polarization measuring unit including an optical unit for providing at least three different phase differences to the ultraviolet light that has passed at least part of the illumination optical system, a polarization element for providing a different transmittance in accordance with a polarization state of the ultraviolet light that has passed the optical unit, and an image pickup device for detecting a light intensity of the ultraviolet light that has passed the polarization element, the polarization measuring unit measuring the polarization state of the ultraviolet light that has passed the at least part of the illumination optical system based on a detection result of the image pickup device.

Abstract: A measurement method for measuring a shape of a target using an interference pattern includes the steps of converting a first interference pattern into a first shape of the target (S103 to S105), obtaining a second interference pattern at a position where the target moves in an optical axis direction of the reference surface (S107, S108), unwrapping the second interference pattern after aligning a phase of the first interference pattern with a phase of the second interference pattern (S109), converting the unwrapped second interference pattern into a second shape of the target (S110), determining whether or not the first shape of the target coincides with the second shape (S111), and calculating the shape of the target by adding the integral multiple of a wavelength of the light source to the unwrapped second interference pattern if the first shape does not coincide with the second shape (S112).

Abstract: The present invention provides a calculation method of calculating, by a computer, a light intensity distribution formed on an image plane of a projection optical system, comprising a step of dividing an effective light source formed on a pupil plane of the projection optical system into a plurality of point sources, a step of shifting a pupil function describing a pupil of the projection optical system for each of the plurality of point sources in accordance with positions thereof, thereby generating a plurality of shifted pupil functions, a step of defining a matrix including the plurality of pupil functions, a step of performing singular value decomposition of the matrix, thereby calculating an eigenvalue and an eigenfunction, and a step of calculating the light intensity distribution, based on a distribution of the light diffracted by the pattern of the mask, and the eigenvalue and the eigenfunction.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a reticle, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, a polarization adjuster configured to independently adjust each polarization state of plural areas in an effective light source distribution used to illuminate the reticle, a polarization measurement unit configured to measure a polarization state of light that has passed the polarization adjuster, and a controller configured to independently control each polarization state of the plural areas via the polarization adjuster based on a measurement result of the polarization measurement unit.

Abstract: A method for generating original plate data includes calculating a two-dimensional transmission cross coefficient based on a function indicating an intensity distribution of light formed on a pupil plane of a projection optical system with illumination light and a pupil function for the projection optical system, calculating an approximate aerial image obtained by approximating an aerial image on an image plane of the projection optical system by at least one component of a plurality of components of the aerial image based on the two-dimensional transmission cross coefficient and a first pattern on an object plane of the projection optical system, generating a further pattern having the first pattern on the object plane and auxiliary patterns based on the approximate aerial image, and generating original plate data including a pattern generated by repeating the calculating and generating processing by using the further pattern as the first pattern on the object plane.

Abstract: A particle remover includes an irradiation unit for irradiating plural lights onto a target from different directions, and for scanning the lights on the target, and a collector for collecting particles carried as a result of scanning of the lights.

Abstract: A method for measuring a synchronization error between a first stage and a second stage in a scanning exposure apparatus including the first stage which supports a reticle, the second stage which supports a substrate, and a projection optical system which projects a pattern of the reticle onto the substrate, the method comprises the steps of measuring, using a measurement unit, a light intensity distribution formed by a measurement pattern while synchronously scanning a measurement mask which has the measurement pattern and is arranged on the first stage, and the measurement unit arranged on the second stage, and calculating the synchronization error between the first stage and the second stage based on a time change in the light intensity distribution measured in the measuring step.

Abstract: A mask manufacturing method suitable for an exposure method wherein a mask on which a desired pattern and a supplementary pattern with formations smaller than those of the desired pattern are arrayed is illuminated, and the light which passed through the mask onto a member to be exposed is projected via a projection optical system, said method comprising a selecting step for selecting one of the following three supplementary patterns, a first supplementary pattern wherein said supplementary pattern is disposed at a position where a line extending in the vertical direction as to the pitch direction from a certain desired pattern hole of said desired pattern, and a line connecting the supplementary pattern hole closest to said certain desired pattern hole in the vertical direction with said certain desired pattern hole, intersect at an angle of 0°, a second supplementary pattern wherein said angle is 0° or more but less than 45°, and a third supplementary pattern wherein said supplementary pattern supplementary

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of a mask onto a plate to be exposed, the exposure apparatus includes a cleaning apparatus for cleaning the mask. The cleaning apparatus includes an irradiating part for irradiating a laser beam to the mask, and a polarization controller for controlling a polarization characteristic of the laser beam according to a longitudinal direction of the pattern.

Abstract: An exposure method for exposing an image of a mask pattern onto a plate via a projection optical system. The method includes a step of illuminating one of a binary mask and an attenuated phase shifting mask, which has a contact hole pattern and an auxiliary pattern, by utilizing light from a light source and an illumination optical system so that the contact hole pattern can be resolved, but a resolution of the auxiliary pattern is restrained. The illuminating step uses an off-axis illumination that is polarized in a tangential direction when a value that is calculated by normalizing half the length of an interval between centers of the auxiliary pattern and the contact hole pattern that are adjacent to each other by ?/NA is 0.25×?{square root over (2)} or smaller, where ? is a wavelength of the light, and NA is a numerical aperture of the projection optical system at an image side.

Abstract: A computer-readable recording medium recording a mask data generation program, the mask data generation program causes the computer to execute: Fourier-Transforming a function indicating an effective light source to generate a coherent map expressing a coherence distribution on the object plane of the projection optical system, on which the mask is arranged; specifying a reference vector from the origin of the coherent map to a region where the coherence is less than a reference value; selecting one element from a pattern including a plurality of elements, and removing, from the pattern, an element existing at a position matching the terminal point of the reference vector arranged such that the center of the selected element serves as the starting point, to generate data of a first pattern different from the pattern; and generating data of a second pattern including the element removed in generating the data of the first pattern.

Abstract: This invention discloses a computer-readable recording medium recording a mask data generation program which causes a computer to generate data of a mask illuminated by an illumination light and used to form a latent image on a photoresist via a projection optical system. The program causes the computer to execute: a map generation step of Fourier-transforming a function indicating an effective light source to generate a coherent map expressing a coherence distribution on an object plane of the projection optical system, on which the mask is arranged; an arrangement step of arranging a main pattern at an origin of the coherent map and arranging an auxiliary pattern in a region where a coherence with respect to the origin is not less than a set value; and a data generation step of generating a mask data including the main pattern and the auxiliary pattern which are arranged in the arrangement step.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an interferometer which forms interference fringes including aberration information on projection optics using polarized light beams emitted from an illumination system, and a processor which calculates the optical characteristics of the projection optics on the basis of interference patterns sequentially formed by the interferometer using at least three different polarized light beams sequentially generated by a polarization controller. The optical characteristics include unpolarization aberration which does not depend on the polarization state of light entering the projection optics, and polarization aberration which depends on the polarization state of the light entering the projection optics.

Abstract: A two-dimensional transmission cross coefficient is obtained based on a function representing a light intensity distribution formed by an illumination apparatus on a pupil plane of the projection optical system and a pupil function of the projection optical system. Based on the two-dimensional transmission cross coefficient and data of a pattern on an object plane of the projection optical system, an approximate aerial image is calculated by using at least one of plural components of an aerial image on an image plane of the projection optical system. Data of a pattern of an original is produced based on the approximate aerial image.

Abstract: A light modulator for modulating a phase distribution of incident light includes an element that provides the incident light with three or more types of phase differences, wherein the element includes three or more displaceable light reflective bands, and wherein the light modulator has plural pixels each including the element.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a reticle, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, a polarization adjuster configured to independently adjust each polarization state of plural areas in an effective light source distribution used to illuminate the reticle, a polarization measurement unit configured to measure a polarization state of light that has passed the polarization adjuster, and a controller configured to independently control each polarization state of the plural areas via the polarization adjuster based on a measurement result of the polarization measurement unit.

Abstract: An exposure method comprising the steps of forming onto a mask that arranges a pattern of a contact hole and a plurality of patterns each being smaller than the contact hole pattern, and illuminating the mask using plural kinds of light so as to resolve the desired pattern without the smaller patterns on a target via a projection optical system.

Abstract: A mask arranges a predetermined pattern and an auxiliary pattern smaller than the predetermined pattern so that where a virtual lattice is assumed which has a lattice point located at a center of the predetermined pattern, a center of the auxiliary pattern is offset from the lattice point of the virtual lattice.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of an mask onto a plate to be exposed, said exposure apparatus includes a cleaning apparatus for cleaning the mask, wherein said cleaning apparatus includes an irradiating part for irradiating a laser beam to the mask, and a polarization controller for controlling a polarization characteristic of the laser beam according to a longitudinal direction of the pattern.