Abstract: An exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate to light from a solid-state light emitting element, includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a mask with the light, and a projection optical system configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto the substrate, wherein a pupil plane intensity distribution, which is a light intensity distribution on a pupil plane included in the illumination optical system and optically conjugated with a light emission plane of the solid-state light emitting element, is a light intensity distribution in which a maximum intensity is achieved outside an optical axis of the illumination optical system, and wherein the pupil plane intensity distribution is a light intensity distribution on the pupil plane onto which a light emission distribution of the light emission plane is projected with a predetermined magnification.

Abstract: Exposure apparatus includes illumination optical system and projection optical system for forming projected image with light from the illumination optical system. The illumination optical system forms, on pupil plane of the illumination optical system, light emission region including first and second regions. The projected image is composited from images including first image formed by first light from the first region and second image formed by second light from the second region. The first light and/or the second light is broadband light. Increase/decrease change in line width in the second image caused by defocus has different sign with respect to increase/decrease change in line width in the first image caused by defocus, and increase/decrease change in line width in image obtained by compositing the first image and the second image, which is caused by defocus, is decreased.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate to light from a solid-state light emitting element, includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a mask with the light, and a projection optical system configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto the substrate, wherein a pupil plane intensity distribution, which is a light intensity distribution on a pupil plane included in the illumination optical system and optically conjugated with a light emission plane of the solid-state light emitting element, is a light intensity distribution in which a maximum intensity is achieved outside an optical axis of the illumination optical system, and wherein the pupil plane intensity distribution is a light intensity distribution on the pupil plane onto which a light emission distribution of the light emission plane is projected with a predetermined magnification.

Abstract: Exposure apparatus includes illumination optical system and projection optical system for forming projected image with light from the illumination optical system. The illumination optical system forms, on pupil plane of the illumination optical system, light emission region including first and second regions. The projected image is composited from images including first image formed by first light from the first region and second image formed by second light from the second region. The first light and/or the second light is broadband light. Increase/decrease change in line width in the second image caused by defocus has different sign with respect to increase/decrease change in line width in the first image caused by defocus, and increase/decrease change in line width in image obtained by compositing the first image and the second image, which is caused by defocus, is decreased.

Abstract: An optical element includes a refractive index pattern that is periodically formed by a plurality of media having refractive indices different from each other. The highest diffraction order for a light beam of a first wavelength region that enters the optical element is greater than the highest diffraction order for a light beam of a second wavelength region that is longer than the first wavelength region, and the light beams of the first wavelength region and the second wavelength region are emitted so that each of the light beams of the first wavelength region and the second wavelength region is periodically localized.

Abstract: The present invention provides a generation method that obtains a position at which an auxiliary pattern is to be placed and generates a mask pattern (its data), which achieves excellent imaging performance, even when a halftone mask is used as an original.

Abstract: An optical element includes a refractive index pattern that is periodically formed by a plurality of media having refractive indices different from each other. The highest diffraction order for a light beam of a first wavelength region that enters the optical element is greater than the highest diffraction order for a light beam of a second wavelength region that is longer than the first wavelength region, and the light beams of the first wavelength region and the second wavelength region are emitted so that each of the light beams of the first wavelength region and the second wavelength region is periodically localized.

Abstract: A recording medium stores a program for determining an effective light source based on a first function having a linear relationship with light intensities in plural regions on a pupil plane and a second function having a nonlinear relationship with the light intensities. The method comprises: calculating the light intensity on the image plane when a value of a light intensity in one region on the pupil plane is defined as a unit amount and the values of light intensities in all the remaining regions are defined as zero; calculating the values of the first and second functions; setting values of light intensities to a predetermined value when the value of the second function is less than a threshold; and setting value of light intensities in accordance with the value of the first function when the value of the second function is not less than the threshold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of determining a structure of an antireflection coating formed on a substrate as an exposure target of an exposure apparatus, the method comprising steps of calculating, an intensity distribution of light diffracted by an original, based on information of an effective light source formed on a pupil plane of a projection optical system, and information of an original pattern, extracting diffracted light having an intensity of not less than a threshold from the intensity distribution calculated in the calculating step, and determining the structure of the antireflection coating, formed on the substrate, such that a reflectance of the antireflection coating falls within a target range when an incident angle of the diffracted light, which has the intensity of not less than the threshold and is extracted in the extracting step, on the antireflection coating formed on the substrate is an input.

Abstract: The present invention provides a generation method that obtains a position at which an auxiliary pattern is to be placed and generates a mask pattern (its data), which achieves excellent imaging performance, even when a halftone mask is used as an original.

Abstract: A memory medium stores a program for generating data on an original pattern used in an exposure apparatus forming an image of a target pattern on a substrate, the program comprising a determination step of determining a final assist pattern based on a light intensity distribution formed by a projection optical system when, of a main pattern and an assist pattern to accompany the main pattern which form the original pattern, only the assist pattern is inserted in an object plane of the projection optical system, and a combining step of combining the final assist pattern and the main pattern to generate data on the original pattern, wherein in the determination step, the final assist pattern is determined by repeating a process of calculating and evaluating the light intensity distribution, and a process of changing the assist pattern to be inserted in the object plane of the projection optical system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of determining a structure of an antireflection coating formed on a substrate as an exposure target of an exposure apparatus, the method comprising steps of calculating, an intensity distribution of light diffracted by an original, based on information of an effective light source formed on a pupil plane of a projection optical system, and information of an original pattern, extracting diffracted light having an intensity of not less than a threshold from the intensity distribution calculated in the calculating step, and determining the structure of the antireflection coating, formed on the substrate, such that a reflectance of the antireflection coating falls within a target range when an incident angle of the diffracted light, which has the intensity of not less than the threshold and is extracted in the extracting step, on the antireflection coating formed on the substrate is an input.

Abstract: A memory medium stores a program for generating data on an original pattern used in an exposure apparatus forming an image of a target pattern on a substrate, the program comprising a determination step of determining a final assist pattern based on a light intensity distribution formed by a projection optical system when, of a main pattern and an assist pattern to accompany the main pattern which form the original pattern, only the assist pattern is inserted in an object plane of the projection optical system, and a combining step of combining the final assist pattern and the main pattern to generate data on the original pattern, wherein in the determination step, the final assist pattern is determined by repeating a process of calculating and evaluating the light intensity distribution, and a process of changing the assist pattern to be inserted in the object plane of the projection optical system.

Abstract: A zoom optical system includes in order from a reduction side to a magnification side: a first lens unit having a positive optical power; a second lens unit having a negative optical power; a third lens unit having a positive optical power; and a fourth lens unit having a positive optical power, wherein respective intervals between the above described first, second, third and fourth lens units vary during zooming; a magnification-side conjugate position with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position and a position of a pupil of the above described zoom optical system with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position are substantially immobile respectively across the entire zooming range, and the above described fourth lens unit moves toward the magnification side and an interval between the above described first lens unit and the above described fourth lens unit increases during zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end.

Abstract: A zoom optical system, in order from a reduction side to a magnification side, includes a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having the positive optical power, a third lens unit having negative optical power, and a fourth lens unit having the positive optical power, wherein respective intervals between the first, second, third and fourth lens units change during zooming, a conjugate position on the magnification side with respect to a conjugate position on the reduction side, and a position of a pupil of the zoom optical system with respect to the conjugate position on the reduction side, are substantially fixed over an entire zooming range, and during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the fourth lens unit moves toward the magnification side, and an interval between the first lens unit and the fourth lens unit increases.

Abstract: A zoom optical system includes followings: a plurality of lens units for magnification, the plurality of lens unit for zooming including in order from a reduction conjugate side to a magnification conjugate side, a first lens unit having a positive optical power, a second lens unit having a negative optical power and a third lens unit having a positive optical power, wherein during zooming, respective intervals between the above described first, second and third lens unit vary, and across the entire zooming range, a magnification-side conjugate position with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position and a position of a pupil of the above described zoom optical system with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position are substantially immobile respectively.

Abstract: A zoom optical system provided, in order from a reduction side toward a magnification side, with: a first lens unit having positive optical power; a second lens unit having positive optical power; a third lens unit having positive optical power; and a fourth lens unit having negative optical power; wherein the interval between adjacent ones of the first, second, third and fourth lens units is varied during zooming, and in an entire zooming range, a magnification side conjugate position relative to a reduction side conjugate position, and the position of the pupil of the zoom optical system relative to the reduction side conjugate position are substantially immovable.

Abstract: A zoom optical system includes in order from a reduction side to a magnification side: a first lens unit having a positive optical power; a second lens unit having a negative optical power; a third lens unit having a positive optical power; and a fourth lens unit having a positive optical power, wherein respective intervals between the above described first, second, third and fourth lens units vary during zooming; a magnification-side conjugate position with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position and a position of a pupil of the above described zoom optical system with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position are substantially immobile respectively across the entire zooming range, and the above described fourth lens unit moves toward the magnification side and an interval between the above described first lens unit and the above described fourth lens unit increases during zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end.

Abstract: A zoom optical system, in order from a reduction side to a magnification side, includes a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having the positive optical power, a third lens unit having negative optical power, and a fourth lens unit having the positive optical power, wherein respective intervals between the first, second, third and fourth lens units change during zooming, a conjugate position on the magnification side with respect to a conjugate position on the reduction side, and a position of a pupil of the zoom optical system with respect to the conjugate position on the reduction side, are substantially fixed over an entire zooming range, and during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the fourth lens unit moves toward the magnification side, and an interval between the first lens unit and the fourth lens unit increases.

Abstract: A zoom optical system includes followings: a plurality of lens units for magnification, the plurality of lens unit for zooming including in order from a reduction conjugate side to a magnification conjugate side, a first lens unit having a positive optical power, a second lens unit having a negative optical power and a third lens unit having a positive optical power, wherein during zooming, respective intervals between the above described first, second and third lens unit vary, and across the entire zooming range, a magnification-side conjugate position with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position and a position of a pupil of the above described zoom optical system with respect to a reduction-side conjugate position are substantially immobile respectively.