26results about "Reflective surface testing" patented technology

The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus (10) for measuring the interference shape of the surface (12) of a test object (14-1; 14-2), the measuring apparatus comprising: a diffractive optical element (26-1; 26-2) for generating a test wave (28) from a measurement radiation (18) that has been radiated into the test object, the test wave being configured to radiate onto the surface of the test object; a deflection element (22) upstream of the diffractive optical element in the beam path of the measurement radiation; and a holding device (24, 124) for holding the deflection element, the holding device being configured to change the position of the deflection element (22) by a combination of tilting motion and translational motion.

The invention relates to a semiconductor technology system, in particular an EUV lithography system, comprising: a housing (25) in which a plurality of preferably reflective optical elements (M1, M2, ...) are arranged in a beam path (33) of the semiconductor technology system, and an inspection device, in particular a camera (30) which has an imaging optic (31) for imaging at least a partial area (T1, T2, ...) of an optical surface (M1', M2', ...) of at least one optical element (M1, M2, ...) to be inspected in the housing (25) onto a spatially resolving detector (32). The inspection device is designed to inspect at least the partial area (T2, T3, ...) of the optical surface (M2', M3', ...) of the optical element (M2, M3, ...) to be inspected via at least one optical surface (M1', M2', ...) of at least one in the beam path (33) between the optical element (M2, M3, ...) to be inspected.) and the optical element (M1, M2, ...) arranged in the housing (25) of the inspection device. The invention also relates to an associated method.

A method for reducing aberrations of an optical element (Mi) e.g., in a lithography system includes: determining a temporal change in an optical property of the optical element (Mi), e.g., a temporal change of a surface FIGURE(P(x,y)) of a surface (24a) of a substrate (24) of the optical element (Mi), that is expected over the operational life of the optical element (Mi), with the temporal change in the optical property over the operational life (T) of the optical element (Mi) causing varying aberrations, and reducing the aberrations that vary over the operational life of the optical element (Mi) by generating an allowance, in particular a surface figure allowance (∆PV), which compensates at least a portion of the total temporal change in the optical property (P(x,y)) that is expected over the operational life.

The invention relates to a method for characterizing an object having at least one reflective property, the method comprising: providing an optical system comprising a panel displaying a first model having asymmetric patterns and a second model having irregular patterns, and at least one sensor, the object to be characterized comprising a first surface; detecting, by the sensor, the first model and the second model in reflection on the first surface of the object; the detection being a single image capture by the sensor; determining coefficients of deformation of the first model reflected on the first surface and detected by the sensor, relative to the first model displayed on the panel; establishing a unique relationship between the patterns of the second model detected by the sensor after reflection on the first surface and the patterns of the second model displayed on the panel.

An apparatus (10) for interferometrically measuring a surface shape (12) of a test object (14) in relation to a reference shape (41) includes (a) a diffractive optical element (30) generating a test wave (32) from measurement radiation (22), whereas a wavefront (42) of the test wave is adapted to a target shape (43) of the surface (12) of the test object (14) and the target shape is configured as a first non-spherical surface, (b) a reference element (38) with a reference surface (40) having the reference shape (41), the reference shape being configured as a further non-spherical surface, (c) a first holder (60) configured to arrange the test object (14) in the beam path of the test wave (32) in a measurement configuration, and (d) a further holder (62) configured to arrange the reference element (38) in the beam path of a reference wave (34) in the measurement configuration.

The invention relates to a method for estimating a geometry of a reflective surface, which method comprises the steps of measuring (10) a slope field (I) of the surface by means of a deflectometry device (1) connected to a measurement processing computer, then integrating (20) the slope field by modelling the presence of a rotational component (II) in the field, and by jointly searching for a gradient component (ϕ) of said field and alignment errors (III), which consist of rotational components, of the deflectometry device.

Device (100) for determining the image quality of at least one image for a test specimen (105), wherein the device (100) has the following features: - at least one projection unit (115) for emitting light (120) in the direction of the test object (105) in order to project at least one luminous and / or illuminated object structure (300) onto the test object (105); - optical receiving unit (110) for receiving light rays (130) of the light (120) transmitted through or by the test object (105) or reflected, which represent at least one image of the projected object structure (300), wherein the receiving unit (110) comprises an optical device (135) and an optical detector (140) and wherein the receiving unit (110) is adjustable or variable in its spectral sensitivity; - a mounting unit (145) for holding the test specimen (105), wherein the mounting unit (145) is arranged between the projection unit (115) and the optical receiving unit (110); and - a computing unit (150) for simultaneously evaluating a first light parameter (825), representing at least one optical light parameter, and a second light parameter (830), representing at least one colorimetric and / or photometric light parameter, of light rays (130) of the light (120) transmitted through or on the test object (105) and received using the receiving unit (110), in order to determine the image quality of the at least one image for the test object (105), wherein the computing unit (150) is connected to the projection unit (115), the receiving unit (110) and / or the mounting unit (145).

The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting optical properties of an optical composite component. Wherein the composite component comprises a plurality of transparent elements connected to one another and a reflective layer, the transparent elements and the reflective layer being arranged in such a way that light coupled in at the coupling-in section is split into a plurality of first partial beams by means of the plurality of transparent elements in a first section of the composite component, the first partial beam is conducted along different paths in the composite element, and wherein the first partial beam is partially reflected a plurality of times in the second section likewise by means of a plurality of transparent elements such that a plurality of second partial beams are emitted laterally as a result of the partial reflection, and wherein the second partial beams are detected by means of a detector, and determining a quality indicator for the plurality of second partial beams from the signal of the detector, and wherein the plurality of second partial beams are preferably selected according to an aggregation rule, a quality indicator is determined from the signal of said second partial beams such that the quality indicator can be assigned to a particular part of the composite component.

In order to inspect whether or not a spatial light modulator has a defective element, this exposure device exposes an object to pattern light corresponding to drawing data and generated by a spatial light modulator having a plurality of elements, and comprises: a data output unit that outputs the drawing data to the spatial light modulator; an illumination optical system that irradiates the spatial light modulator with illumination light; a fist mobile object that holds the object; a projection optical system that projects an image of the pattern light generated by the spatial light modulator onto the object; a detection unit that detects the projected image of the pattern light; and a determination unit that, on the basis of a detection result from the detection unit, determines whether or not the spatial light modulator can generate the pattern light corresponding to the drawing data outputted from the data output unit.　

The invention relates to a method for detecting a reflecting surface (200) of an object arranged in a measurement space, using a device comprising at least one two-dimensional illumination pattern (201) for reflection on the reflecting surface (200) and a plurality of cameras (203) for pixel-by-pixel acquisition of image data of the illumination pattern (201) reflected on the surface (200), wherein the positions and orientations of the plurality of cameras (203) and the at least one two-dimensional illumination pattern (201) are known in a common coordinate system and the illumination pattern is an illumination pattern that varies over time, and wherein object image data is generated by applying a measurement sequence in which the cameras capture portions of the measurement space. Processing the object image data by means of an evaluation device in order to generate output data relating to a detection task relating to the object in consideration of the determined segmentation information, wherein the detection task comprises, for example, generating defect information of the object and / or calculating the surface normal of a plurality of points in at least one region of the reflecting surface of the object and / or calculating the curvature of a plurality of points in at least one region of the reflecting surface of the object, and taking the result as output data. The invention also relates to a corresponding device, a calibration method and a computer program product.

The invention relates to a method for reducing aberration of an optical element (Mi), in particular of an optical element (Mi) in a lithographic system, comprising: determining a temporal variation of an optical property of the optical element (Mi), in particular a temporal variation of a surface shape (P (x, y)) of a surface (24a) of a substrate (24) of the optical element (Mi), which is expected during the service life of the optical element (Mi), a change in time of the optical property during the service life (T) of the optical element (Mi) causes a changing aberration; and reducing aberrations that vary during the service life of the optical element (Mi) by creating tolerances, in particular planar tolerances ([Delta] PV), which compensate for at least part of the total temporal variation of the optical property (P (x, y)) expected during the service life. The invention also relates to an optical element (Mi) and to a device for semiconductor lithography.

A measuring device (10) for the interferometric shape measurement of a surface (12) of a test object (14-1; 14-2) includes (i) a diffractive optical element (26-1; 26-2) that generates a test wave (28) from incoming measurement radiation (18), wherein the diffractive optical element radiates the test wave onto the surface of the test object, (ii) a deflection element (22) that is disposed upstream of the diffractive optical element in the beam path of the measurement radiation, and (iii) a holding device (24, 124) that holds the deflection element and that changes a position of the deflection element (22) through a combination of a tilting movement and a translation movement.

A method is provided for analyzing a reflective surface through deflectometry, with a system including a display and imaging optics. The method includes the following steps: successively displaying n luminous images on the display, a luminous image having a binarized luminous intensity that is obtained by dithering the pattern M(x−xi), detecting, on the matrix detector, n images obtained by reflection of the n luminous images from the reflective surface, determining a function, referred to as object absolute phase function, based on the n detected images, the function g also satisfying the relationship: g(k·M)=g(M), with k being any real value, comparing the object absolute phase function with a reference absolute phase function, and deducing therefrom information about the shape of the surface.

The invention relates to methods for inspecting a reflective surface (200) of an object arranged in a measurement chamber, with a device which has at least one 2-dimensional illumination pattern (201) for reflection on the reflective surface (200) and a plurality of cameras (203) for pixel-by-pixel recording of image information of the illumination pattern (201) reflected on the surface (200), wherein the position and orientation of the plurality of cameras (203) and of the at least one 2-dimensional illumination pattern (201) are known in a common coordinate system and the illumination pattern represents a temporally varying illumination pattern, wherein object image information is generated by applying a measuring sequence in which the cameras capture sections of the measurement chamber. The object image information is processed by means of the evaluation device, in such a way that output data is generated therefrom with regard to an object-related inspection task taking into account determined segmentation information, wherein the inspection task comprises, for example, the generation of defect information on the object and / or the calculation of surface normals for a plurality of points in at least one section of the reflective surface of the object and / or the calculation of the curvature for a plurality of points in at least one section of the reflective surface of the object, as output data. The invention further relates to a corresponding device, a calibration method and a computer program product.

The present invention relates to an apparatus (1) for measuring a component (2), particularly an optical component (2) of a lithography system, comprising at least one vibration isolation device (3), a measuring system (4) attached to the at least one vibration isolation device (3), and a supply device (5) for supplying to the measuring system (4). At least one data connection (6) for transmitting data between the supply device (5) and the measurement system (4), and / or At least one current connection (7) for transmitting electrical energy between the supply device (5) and the measurement system (4), and / or At least one gas connection (8) for transmitting at least one gas between the supply device (5) and the measurement system (4), and / or At least one liquid connection (9) for transmitting at least one liquid between the supply device (5) and the measuring system (4), and / or At least one vacuum connection (10) for transmitting vacuum between the supply device (5) and the measurement system (4) The present invention relates to an apparatus (1) having a supply device (4) that provides supply via a decoupling device (5). According to the present invention, a decoupling device (11) is provided and configured to mechanically, at least partially, disconnect the measuring system (4) from the supply device (5) during the measurement of at least one component (2).

The approach presented here provides a test device (100) for an optical test specimen (105), wherein the test device (100) comprises a beam source (145) for emitting a beam of light (115) along an optical axis (117). Furthermore, the test device (100) includes an optical element configured as a filter element (125) for imprinting or filtering a specific polarization direction of the light from the beam of light (115) or of light reflected or transmitted by the test specimen (105). The test device (100) also includes a rotation unit (135) configured to rotate the test specimen (105) lying on the optical axis (117) relative to the filter element (125) by an angle of rotation (140).Finally, the test device (100) includes a detector unit (147) configured to determine a polarization axis of the test specimen (105) from the rotation angle (140) and a light beam of the beam (115) reflected by or transmitted through the test specimen (105), as well as a measure of the decentering of the test specimen.

Methods, and corresponding systems for, determining one or more aberrations of a projection system (for example a projection system of a lithographic apparatus) are disclosed. One method includes performing a phase stepping or phase scanning process using a first patterning device (at object level) that includes a specular diffraction grating. Also disclosed is a calibration method for determining calibration data which characterizes any differences between: aberrations of a projection system determined using a diffusive grating at object level and aberrations of a projection system determined using a specular grating at object level.

A failure determination system for a lighting apparatus determines whether a reflection unit has failed. In particular, the reflection unit forms a projected image by reflecting off light emitted from a light source. The system provides the normalization of the reflection unit and enables to maintain the visibility of the projected image.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for testing the optical properties of a composite optical component which includes a multiplicity of connected transparent elements and reflection layers which are arranged so that light introduced at an input portion is split in a first segment of the composite component with a plurality of transparent elements into a multiplicity of first partial beams, which are guided along different paths in the composite component. The first partial beams are partially reflected multiple times in a second segment which also includes a plurality of transparent elements, so that a plurality of second partial beams emerges from a side face due to the partial reflection. The second partial beams are recorded by a detector, and a quality coefficient is ascertained for a plurality of second partial beams selected according to an aggregation rule so the quality coefficient is assigned to a particular part of the composite component.

An interferometer (10) is provided for measuring the surface (108) or optical thickness of an optically smoothed test object (122), wherein the interferometer (10) is configured to simultaneously illuminate the optically smoothed test object with multiple object waves (14.1, 14.2, 14.3) having different wavelengths from each other, and to superimpose the object waves (14.1, 14.2, 14.3) deformed by the illuminated test object onto a coherent reference wave on an image capturing device (K), and to decompose the spectrum of the superimposed interferogram into wavelength-specific partial interferograms.

The present disclosure provides an optical element inspection method, system and application. The method includes: collecting point cloud data of an optical element under inspection; performing fitting and reconstruction according to the point cloud data to obtain freeform surface data; performing simulation calculation on the freeform surface data to obtain a virtual image tested pattern; and performing quality inspection according to the virtual image tested pattern to obtain a quality inspection result of the optical element under inspection. By performing simulation calculation on the freeform surface of the optical element under inspection to obtain the virtual image tested pattern, obtaining the quality inspection result of the optical element under inspection through the virtual image tested pattern, and replacing optical elements and cameras actually used for inspection using the simulation technique, the inspection process can be simplified, the system deviation accumulated by a plurality of components can be reduced or even eliminated, the inspection accuracy and efficiency can be improved, thereby realizing the low-cost and high-precision optical element inspection.

Measurement method for measuring the reflectivity of a test object (PR) that reflects EUV radiation using an EUV reflectometer as a function of the wavelength of the EUV radiation and the angle of incidence of the EUV radiation on a reflecting surface (OB) with the following steps: Generating a surface-directed measuring beam (STR) using EUV radiation, by imaging an EUV radiation-emitting source spot (QF) onto an exit slit (SP) of the monochromator by means of a first subsystem (TS1) of a beam shaping unit comprising a monochromator and by means of a second subsystem (TS2) of the beam shaping unit to image the exit slit onto the surface (OB) of the test specimen (PR) to generate the measurement spot (MFL), Holding the test specimen (PR) and positioning the test specimen in relation to the measuring beam (STR) in several degrees of freedom such that, during operation, the measuring beam (STR) hits the reflecting surface (OB) in the area of ​​a measuring spot (MFL) at a predefinable angle of incidence; Changing the position of the measurement spot on the surface of the test object by controlling the direction of the measurement beam (STR) in a beam direction control operation; Detecting a property of a beam reflected from the surface of the test object using a detector (DET) to generate detector signals representing the EUV radiation reflected from the test object; Evaluating the detector signals to determine reflectivity measurements, characterized by the fact that In the beam direction control operation, the position of the measurement spot on the surface of the test object is changed by a first mirror and at least one second mirror of the second subsystem connected downstream in the beam direction forming a reflective manipulator and being moved in a coordinated manner in at least one rigid body degree of freedom in response to control signals from the control unit.

The invention relates to a method and a device for testing the optical properties of an optical composite component (1), wherein the composite component (1) comprises a plurality of interconnected transparent elements (8) and reflective layers (9), wherein the transparent elements (8) and the reflective layers (9) are arranged such that light coupled into a coupling section (4) in a first segment (3) of the composite component (1) with several transparent elements (8) is split into a plurality of first partial beams (41), which are guided along different paths in the composite element (1), and wherein the first partial beams (41) are partially reflected multiple times in a second segment (5), also with several transparent elements (8), such that several second partial beams (42) emerge from a side surface (11) by the partial reflection, wherein - the second partial beams (42) are detected by means of a detector (12), and - a quality factor is determined from the signals of the detector (12) for several second partial beams (42), and wherein - the several second partial beams (42), from whose signals the quality index is determined, are preferably selected according to an aggregation rule such that the quality index can be assigned to a specific part of the composite component (1).

The disclosure describes various aspects of different for automated testing of optical assemblies. A system is described that includes an arm (e.g., a motorized arm) configured to be positioned over an optical assembly having a base plate with multiple optical elements that form one or more optical beam paths. The system also includes at least one optical tool that is configured to be removably attached to the arm and has a measurement instrument to perform a specified test on at least one of the optical beam paths. The arm is configured to adjust its position over the optical assembly to move the optical tool to the correct place to perform the specified test. The system may also include an optical tool changer configured to hold the optical tool in a tool holder when not attached to the arm and to hold additional optical tools in respective tool holders.