US RE50,571 E1
Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, and method of correcting a mask
Johannes Catharinus Hubertus Mulkens, Valkenswaard (NL)
Assigned to ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Aug. 15, 2018, as Appl. No. 15/998,388.
Application 15/998,388 is a reissue of application No. 13/438,491, filed on Apr. 3, 2012, granted, now 9,417,519, issued on Aug. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/472,935, filed on Apr. 7, 2011.
Int. Cl. G03B 27/52 (2006.01); G03F 1/70 (2012.01); G03F 1/72 (2012.01); G03F 7/00 (2006.01); G03F 7/20 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 1/70 (2013.01) [G03F 1/72 (2013.01); G03F 7/70283 (2013.01); G03F 7/7065 (2013.01)] 32 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lithographic apparatus, comprising:
a mask support configured to support [ structure having a body, the body having a surface that, in use, supports ] a mask bearing a pattern and to position the mask in a first radiation beam so as to impart the pattern to the first radiation beam;
a projection [ optical ] system configured to project [ that receives, in use, ] the first radiation beam patterned by the mask [ and has one or more refractive and/or reflective elements to direct the first radiation beam ] onto a substrate; and
a mask correction system configured to controllably and locally deform material constituting part of, or alter a materials property within, the integral physical structure of the mask for use of the mask having the locally deformed material or altered property in patterning of the first radiation beam, wherein the mask correction system comprises a focusing optical system configured to direct [ one or more optical elements that receive, in use, ] a second radiation beam [ different from the first radiation beam and direct the second radiation beam ] to the mask so that the property of the mask is locally altered by the second radiation beam [ ; and
a non-transitory computer program product comprising instructions, that when executed by one or more computers, cause setting of one or more properties of the second radiation beam to enable the second radiation beam to controllably and locally alter a geometry of material constituting part of, or controllably and locally alter a materials property within, a portion of the integral physical structure of the mask to respectively a desired altered geometry or desired altered materials property for use in incidence of the first radiation onto that portion of the mask having the locally altered geometry or altered materials property in patterning of the first radiation beam] .