Illuminating device

Claim 2

An illumination device comprising: means for supplying coherent light; optical-path-difference applying means for dividing the coherent light into plural light fluxes and for applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the light fluxes to provide plural light fluxes each of which is coherent in itself but which are mutually incoherent; an optical arrangement for receiving the light fluxes and for forming a plurality of light spots distributed in a plane substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical arrangement, whereby a surface to be irradiated can be illuminated with light from said light spots, wherein said optical arrangement comprises scanning means for scanning said plane with said light spots and superposing means for superposing light fluxes from said light spots one upon another on the surface to be irradiated; and driving means for controllably driving said scanning means.

Claim 3

A device according to claim 1, wherein said supplying means comprises an excimer laser and wherein components of said illumination device having transmissibility to light are made of SiO 2 .

Claim 4

A device according to claim 1, further comprising means, disposed between said applying means and said scanning means, for concentrating the light fluxes from said applying means upon a first plane, which is perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical system, so as to produce a distribution of light spots on said first plane.

Claim 5

A device according to claim 3, wherein said concentrating means comprises a fly's eye lens system.

Claim 6

A device according to claim 3, further comprising a condenser lens system effective to transform light fluxes from said light spots into parallel light fluxes and also to direct each parallel light flux to said scanning means.

Claim 7

A device according to claim 5, further comprising a condensing optical system, disposed between said scanning means and said optical system, for concentrating the parallel light fluxes, having been scanned by said scanning means, upon a second plane perpendicular to the optical axis of said optical system to thereby produce a distribution of light spots on said second plane.

Claim 8

A device according to claim 6, wherein said condensing optical system comprises an f-θ lens.

Claim 9

A device according to claim 6, wherein said first and second planes are optically conjugate with each other.

Claim 10

A device according to claim 8, wherein said illumination device is used in a projection exposure system for illuminating a reticle used with the projection exposure system and wherein said second plane is located at a position which is optically conjugate with an entrance pupil of an imaging optical system included in the projection exposure system.

Claim 11

A device according to claim 1, wherein said optical system includes point source forming means arranged to converge the light fluxes to form a plurality of point light sources in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical system, and superimposing means for superimposing light fluxes from said point light sources upon one another on the surface to be irradiated.

Claim 12

A device according to claim 1, wherein said scanning means includes a mirror which is rotationally movable about a predetermined axis.

Claim 13

A device according to claim 1, wherein said scanning means includes a pair of wedge-shaped optical members each being rotationally movable about the optical axis of said optical system and wherein the light fluxes incident upon said scanning means pass through said wedge-shaped optical members and are directed to said optical system.

Claim 14

An illumination device usable in a projection exposure system having an imaging optical system for forming an image of a circuit pattern of a reticle on a wafer, for illuminating the reticle, said device comprising: a light source for supplying coherent light; optical-path-difference applying means for dividing the coherent light into plural light fluxes and for applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the light fluxes to provide plural light fluxes each of which is coherent in itself but which are mutually incoherent; an optical system for converging the light fluxes from said optical-path-difference applying means to form a plurality of point light sources at an entrance pupil of the imaging optical system, and for illuminating the reticle by use of the light fluxes; and scanning means disposed to receive the light fluxes from said optical-path-difference applying means, for scanningly deflecting the light fluxes to scan said point light sources at the entrance pupil of the imaging optical system.

Claim 15

An illumination device usable in a projection exposure system having an imaging optical system for forming an image of a circuit pattern of a reticle on a wafer, for illuminating the reticle, said device comprising: a light source for supplying coherent light; optical-path-difference applying means for dividing the coherent light into plural light fluxes and for applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the light fluxes to provide plural light fluxes each of which is coherent in itself but which are mutually incoherent; an optical system for converging the light fluxes from said optical-path-difference applying means to form a plurality of point light sources at an entrance pupil of the imaging optical system, and for illuminating the reticle by use of the light fluxes; and scanning means disposed to receive the light fluxes from said optical-path-difference applying means, for scanningly deflecting the light fluxes to scan said point light sources at the entrance pupil of the imaging optical system.

Claim 16

An illumination method, comprising the steps of: providing a coherent beam; dividing the coherent beam into plural beams and applying a mutual optical path difference or optical path differences to the plural beams to provide plural mutually incoherent beams; forming plural mutually incoherent beam spots distributed in a plane by using the mutually incoherent beams; scanning the plane with the beam spots; and superposing beams from the beam spots one upon another on a surface to be illuminated.

Claim 17

An illumination method, comprising the steps of: providing a coherent beam; dividing the coherent beam into plural beams and applying a mutual optical path difference or optical path differences to the plural beams to provide plural mutually incoherent beams; forming plural mutually incoherent beam spots distributed in a plane by using the mutually incoherent beams; scanning the plane with the beam spots; and superposing beams from the beam spots one upon another on a surface to be illuminated.

Claim 18

An illumination method comprising the steps of: dividing a coherent beam into plural beams and applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the plural beams to provide plural mutually incoherent beams; projecting the mutually incoherent beams toward a surface to be illuminated in different respective directions, wherein the mutually incoherent beams are deflected to scan a pupil plane of a projection lens; wherein the step of projecting the mutually incoherent beams further comprises receiving the mutually incoherent beams by the projection lens; respectively forming a plurality of beam spots through the mutually incoherent beams on the pupil plane; scanning the pupil plane with the beam spots; and superposing beams from the beam spots one upon another on the surface to be illuminated.

Claim 19

An illumination method comprising the steps of: dividing a coherent beam into plural beams and applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the plural beams to provide plural mutually incoherent beams; projecting the mutually incoherent beams toward a surface to be illuminated in different respective directions, wherein the mutually incoherent beams are deflected to scan a pupil plane of a projection lens; wherein the step of projecting the mutually incoherent beams further comprises receiving the mutually incoherent beams by the projection lens; respectively forming a plurality of beam spots through the mutually incoherent beams on the pupil plane; scanning the pupil plane with the beam spots; and superposing beams from the beam spots one upon another on the surface to be illuminated.

Claim 20

A method according to claim 15, wherein the step of dividing the coherent beam into plural beams comprises providing an excimer laser beam and dividing the excimer laser beam into plural beams; and the step of applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the plural beams to provide mutually incoherent beams comprises directing the plural beams along different paths.

Claim 21

An illumination method using a laser, comprising the steps of: dividing a laser beam from the laser into plural beams and applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the beams to provide plural mutually incoherent laser beams; and scanning a predetermined plane with the incoherent laser beams and directing the incoherent laser beams along different directions from the predetermined plane to a surface to be illuminated, so that they are superposed one upon another on the surface to be illuminated.

Claim 22

An illumination method using a laser, comprising the steps of: dividing a laser beam from the laser into plural beams and applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the beams to provide plural mutually incoherent laser beams; and scanning a predetermined plane with the incoherent laser beams and directing the incoherent laser beams along different directions from the predetermined plane to a surface to be illuminated, so that they are superposed one upon another on the surface to be illuminated.

Claim 23

An exposure apparatus, comprising: p1 a laser; means for dividing a laser beam from said laser into plural beams and for applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the beams to provide plural mutually incoherent laser beams; and an optical system having a pupil plane, for directing the incoherent laser beams in different directions to a mask so that a wafer is exposed to a pattern of the mask, said optical system comprising scanning means for scanning the pupil plane with the incoherent laser beams.

Claim 24

An exposure apparatus, comprising: p1 a laser; means for dividing a laser beam from said laser into plural beams and for applying an optical path difference or optical path differences to the beams to provide plural mutually incoherent laser beams; and an optical system having a pupil plane, for directing the incoherent laser beams in different directions to a mask so that a wafer is exposed to a pattern of the mask, said optical system comprising scanning means for scanning the pupil plane with the incoherent laser beams.

Claim 25

An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said optical system further comprises an optical integrator for receiving the incoherent laser beams and for forming plural mutually incoherent beams spots distributed on the pupil plane, and wherein the mask is illuminated with laser beams from the beam spots distributed on the plane.

Claim 26

An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said laser comprises an excimer laser.

Claim 27

An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said scanning means comprises a rotatable reflection mirror for deflecting the incoherent laser beams by reflection.

Claim 28

An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said scanning means comprises a wedge-shaped transparent member rotatable about an optical axis of said optical system for deflecting the laser beams by refraction.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a projection optical arrangement provided between the mask and the wafer for projecting an image of the pattern of the mask onto the wafer.

Claim 30

An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said optical system is arranged to form plural beam spots with the incoherent laser beams being distributed on the pupil plane and to illuminate the mask with the laser beams from the beam spots.

Claim 31

An apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a projection optical arrangement for projecting an image of the pattern of the mask onto the wafer and wherein the pupil plane is defined at a position which is substantially optically conjugate with a pupil of said projection optical arrangement.