US 12,346,029 B2
Curved reticle by mechanical and phase bending along orthogonal axes
Donis G. Flagello, Half Moon Bay, CA (US); Daniel Gene Smith, Tuscon, AZ (US); Michael Birk Binnard, Belmont, CA (US); and Stephen Paul Renwick, Moss Beach, CA (US)
Assigned to Nikon Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Nikon Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on May 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/662,070.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/184,738, filed on May 5, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0357666 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01); G02B 5/08 (2006.01); G02B 5/18 (2006.01); G03F 1/60 (2012.01)
CPC G03F 7/70191 (2013.01) [G02B 5/1828 (2013.01); G02B 5/1838 (2013.01); G03F 1/60 (2013.01); G02B 5/0891 (2013.01)] 34 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An exposure apparatus which exposes a workpiece with an illumination beam from a grating reticle, the exposure apparatus comprising:
a workpiece stage operable to translate the workpiece along an axis parallel to grating lines in the grating reticle;
a projection optical system situated to receive the illumination beam from the grating reticle and operable to form a line pattern in a sensitized layer on a workpiece based on diffraction orders produced by the grating reticle; and
a control unit configured to select an exposure dose provided by the illumination beam to the sensitized layer operable to produce a selected duty cycle of the line pattern in the sensitized layer.