Mounting apparatus, lithographic apparatus, and method for manufacturing the mounting apparatus - Patents.com

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mounting device (200) for supporting a first component (202) on a second component (204) of a lithographic apparatus (100A, 100B) having first and second components (202, 204) and an adhesive (212, 212') for fixing the first and second components (202, 204) to each other, the first component (202) having at least two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and a first contact (216') connecting the two surfaces (216). and a mounting surface (218), the second component (204) having at least one spherical portion (220) received between at least two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and including a spherical portion (226) and a second adhesive surface (230), the second adhesive surface (230) being disposed between two sub-portions (232, 234) of the spherical portion (226) when viewed in cross section, and an adhesive (212, 212') being disposed between the first and second adhesive surfaces (218, 230).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting apparatus, a lithographic apparatus comprising the mounting apparatus, and a method for manufacturing the mounting apparatus.

[0002] The content of the priority application German Patent Application No. 10 2021 206 515.5 is incorporated by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0003] Microlithography is used in the manufacture of finely structured components, such as integrated circuits. The microlithography process is carried out using a lithography apparatus that has an illumination system and a projection system. In this case, an image of a mask (reticle), illuminated by the illumination system, is projected by the projection system onto a substrate, such as a silicon wafer, that is covered with a light-sensitive layer (photoresist) and positioned in the image plane of the projection system, in order to transfer the mask structure into the light-sensitive coating of the substrate.

[0004] In the case of mechanical components that are fixed to the carrier of an optical element of a lithographic apparatus by adhesive connection, the curing of the adhesive used can lead to a displacement or tilting of the component. If the adhesive is applied over a large area, the curing can also lead to a force being applied to the carrier of the optical element, which can lead to a large tilting of the optical element. This can affect the optical properties of the optical elements, such as lens elements or mirrors. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting apparatus, a lithographic apparatus comprising such a mounting apparatus, and a method of manufacturing such a mounting apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Therefore, a mounting apparatus is proposed for mounting a first component to a second component of a lithographic apparatus. a first component and a second component; and an adhesive that secures the first component and the second component to one another. the first component having at least two mutually inclined surfaces and a first adhesive surface connecting the two surfaces; the second component has at least one spherical portion housed between at least two mutually inclined surfaces and including a spherical portion and a second adhesive surface, the second adhesive surface being disposed between two sub-portions of the spherical portion when viewed in cross section; An adhesive is disposed between the first adhesive surface and the second adhesive surface.

[0007] The first and second components are attached to each other by at least one spherical part inserted between two mutually inclined surfaces, so that the first and second components directly abut each other only with point contacts or small surface contacts in the attachment area. This makes it possible to avoid strong contacts in the form of surface contacts between the first and second components outside of this attachment. If the adhesive applied to the bonding surfaces of the first and second components shrinks during hardening, this avoidance of strong contacts reduces the forces on the first and / or second components. In particular, tilting of the first and / or second components caused by adhesive shrinkage can be avoided. For example, even if the second component (which is lighter than the first component) is displaced or tilted due to adhesive shrinkage during hardening, the proposed attachment (and the lack of strong surface contacts outside of the attachment) avoids the transmission of forces on the first component. In particular, the influence of adhesive hardening on the position of the first and / or second components can be reduced.

[0008] For example, the lithography apparatus is a DUV or EUV lithography apparatus. EUV stands for "extreme ultraviolet" (EUV) and denotes a wavelength of light used between 0.1 nm and 30 nm, in particular 13.5 nm. Furthermore, DUV stands for "deep ultraviolet" (DUV) and denotes a wavelength of light used between 30 nm and 250 nm.

[0009] DUV or EUV lithography equipment comprises a beam shaping and illumination system and a projection system. In particular, DUV or EUV lithography equipment is used to project an image of a mask (reticle) illuminated by the illumination system by means of a projection system onto a substrate, e.g. a silicon wafer, which is covered with a light-sensitive layer (photoresist) and placed in the image plane of the projection system, in order to transfer the mask structure into a light-sensitive coating on the substrate.

[0010] The first component and / or the second component are in particular mechanical components. For example, the first component and / or the second component are a carrier, a mount, a holder and / or a cover. The first component or the second component are for example a carrier and / or a mount for an optical element, such as a lens element or a mirror, of a DUV or EUV lithography apparatus. For example, the first component or the second component are a protective cover for an optical element. The first component and / or the second component can also be for example a holder, a diaphragm or another element of a measurement system of a lithography apparatus. For example, the first component and / or the second component are made of metal.

[0011] The adhesive is in particular an adhesive that is applied in a liquid or viscous state to the first and / or second adhesive surface and hardens to provide an adhesive connection. For example, the adhesive is a physically hardening adhesive or a chemically hardening adhesive. When hardened, the adhesive solidifies and in the hardened state forms a solid adhesive layer between the first and second components, in particular between the first and second adhesive surfaces. The adhesive layer thus formed is in particular located directly on the first and second adhesive layers and fixes them to one another.

[0012] The two mutually inclined surfaces and the first adhesive surface define or form a groove that in particular accommodates the spherical portion. For example, the first adhesive surface can be arranged at least partially perpendicular to the direction from the first component to the second component. The first adhesive surface can, for example, connect the two mutually inclined surfaces in a straight line when viewed in cross section. In other words, the first adhesive surface can be in a single plane. However, the first adhesive surface can also have other shapes and arrangements, as long as it connects the two mutually inclined surfaces in such a way that a groove is formed that closes on the side of the first adhesive surface when viewed in cross section.

[0013] For example, the spherical portion is integrally formed with the second component. Alternatively, the spherical portion can be a separate element that is attached (e.g., screwed, clamped, glued) to the second component. The spherical portion of the spherical portion is curved, in particular according to a sphere. For example, the spherical portion is flattened at the end adjacent the first component to provide the second adhesive surface. The spherical portion is interrupted by the second adhesive surface, in particular adjacent the first component.

[0014] When a spherical portion is inserted between two mutually inclined surfaces, there is a small surface contact, in particular a point contact or a contact related to tolerances and deformations, between the two mutually inclined surfaces and the spherical portion, i.e. its spherical surface.

[0015] The two mutually inclined surfaces are in particular rectilinear when viewed in cross section (for example in the case of V-grooves, conical grooves, grooves in the shape of a cone segment and / or funnel-shaped grooves). Alternatively, the two mutually inclined surfaces may be curved when viewed in cross section (for example in the case of bulbous grooves and / or grooves in the form of a bulbous cup).

[0016] For example, the two mutually inclined surfaces are two mutually inclined planes (e.g., in the case of a V-groove). Alternatively, the two mutually inclined surfaces can be any surface that is, for example, curved itself (e.g., in the case of a conical groove, a groove in the shape of a cone segment, and / or a funnel-shaped groove).

[0017] According to one embodiment, the first component comprises at least one groove, a V-groove, a conical groove, a groove in the shape of a cone segment, a funnel-shaped groove, a bulbous groove, a groove in the form of a bulbous cup, and / or a funnel-shaped groove having two mutually inclined surfaces, particularly when viewed in cross section.

[0018] For example, this is a V-groove, where the two mutually inclined surfaces are inclined in a V-shape when viewed in cross section. For example, the V-groove has a different design (e.g., flattened or has an additional depression / recess) at its tip to form the second adhesive surface. The V-groove with flattened tip may also be referred to as a cone segment.

[0019] According to yet another embodiment, the first and second components directly abut each other only at point or surface contacts formed by the two mutually inclined surfaces and the spherical portion, respectively, and further, the first and second components are adhesively bonded to each other at the first and second adhesive surfaces by an adhesive.

[0020] In particular, the first component and the second component are adhesively joined to each other only by other than point or surface contact (i.e. point or surface contact between the two mutually inclined surfaces and the spherical portion), in particular, the adhesive connection is only an indirect contact by the adhesive.

[0021] For example, the first component and the second component are only directly adjacent to each other with a total of six point or area contacts.

[0022] According to yet another embodiment, the first adhesive surface and the second adhesive surface each include a plurality of discrete adhesive surfaces.

[0023] This allows the amount of adhesive or the area covered by the adhesive to be reduced, which in turn further reduces the effect of adhesive curing on the position of the first component and / or the second component.

[0024] In particular, the mounting apparatus includes a plurality of mutually spaced apart, discrete layers of adhesive between the first component and the second component in a cured state of the adhesive, and in particular, the first adhesive surface and the second adhesive surface are not circumferential and / or annular adhesive surfaces.

[0025] For example, the mounting device may include a total of three discrete, spaced apart layers of adhesive when the adhesive is in a cured state.

[0026] According to yet another embodiment, the first component includes at least one recess communicating with the at least one V-groove, having a first adhesive surface, and having an adhesive disposed therein. Furthermore, the second component includes at least one protrusion on at least one spherical portion, protruding between two sub-portions of the spherical portion in cross section and having a second adhesive surface. Furthermore, the protrusion is inserted into the recess of the first component and adhesively bonded thereto by the adhesive.

[0027] In particular, the first adhesive surface is formed on an inner wall of the recess, and the second adhesive surface is formed on an outer wall of the protrusion.

[0028] By providing the first adhesive surface in the form of an inner wall of a recess, the adhesive can be applied even more specifically and more defined. In particular, it is possible to avoid adhesive being applied outside a given first adhesive surface. It is also possible to better prevent the adhesive in liquid or viscous form from spreading into the areas outside the first and second adhesive surfaces of the first and / or second component.

[0029] For example, the recess is a pot or has a pot shape. In particular, the recess is not an annular (circumferential) recess.

[0030] The protrusion has, for example, a pin shape. In particular, the protrusion is not an annular (circumferential) protrusion. For example, the protrusion is integrally formed with the second component. Alternatively, the protrusion can be a separate element that is attached (for example screwed, clamped, glued) to the second component. The protrusion protrudes in particular in the direction of the first component.

[0031] According to yet another embodiment, the second component has at least one threaded pin, a first end of the threaded pin being threaded into the threaded hole of the at least one spherical portion and a second end forming a protrusion having a second adhesive surface.

[0032] This facilitates the manufacture of the second component, and in particular the projection.

[0033] For example, the threaded pin is a grub screw without a threaded head.

[0034] According to yet another embodiment, the at least one protrusion is designed to be bendable with respect to the at least one spherical portion about a first bending axis and a second bending axis perpendicular to the first bending axis, the first bending axis and the second bending axis being arranged perpendicular to the direction from the first component to the second component.

[0035] Since the projections are able to bend relative to the spherical portion, it is possible to compensate for forces due to the adhesive during hardening, for example due to the occurrence of adhesive shrinkage.

[0036] For example, the protrusion may be formed by a threaded pin as described above, the threaded pin being designed in particular at its second end to be bendable about a first bending axis and a second bending axis.

[0037] According to yet another embodiment, the at least one protrusion has at least one first leaf spring bending about a first bending axis and at least one second leaf spring bending about a second bending axis.

[0038] This makes it easier to achieve bending characteristics centered on the first bending axis and the second bending axis.

[0039] In particular, the main extension direction of the first leaf spring is arranged perpendicular to the main extension direction of the second leaf spring, and in particular the main extension directions of the first and second leaf springs are arranged parallel to the direction from the first component to the second component.

[0040] For example, the projection may comprise a pin having an internal cavity and a side wall surrounding the cavity, and the leaf spring is formed by appropriate notches (ie, gaps) in the side wall.

[0041] According to yet another embodiment, the second component includes at least one recess formed in the at least one spherical portion and having a second adhesive surface.

[0042] In particular, the second connection surface is formed by an inner wall of a recess formed in at least one spherical portion.

[0043] By providing the second adhesive surface in the form of an inner wall of the recess, the adhesive can penetrate into the recess, and thus it is possible to better prevent the adhesive from spreading outside the given first and second adhesive surfaces. For example, it is possible to better prevent the adhesive in liquid or viscous form from spreading into the area outside the first and second adhesive surfaces of the first and / or second component.

[0044] The recess formed in the at least one spherical portion is, for example, a pot or has a pot shape. The recess formed in the at least one spherical portion is in particular not an annular (circumferential) recess.

[0045] According to yet another embodiment, the second component has at least one screw having a first end that is threaded into the threaded hole of the second component and a ball head that forms one of the at least one spherical portion at a second end.

[0046] Thus, the manufacture of the second component, in particular of the at least one spherical projection, can be simplified.

[0047] According to yet another embodiment, one of the first and second components is a carrier for an optical element of the lithographic apparatus, and the other of the first and second components is an annular cover for an optical element of the lithographic apparatus.

[0048] As a result, the mounting device can be used to better avoid tilting of the carrier of the optical element and thus of the optical element, which prevents the optical properties of the optical element from being influenced by the curing of the adhesive of the adhesive connection.

[0049] The annular cover serves, for example, as protection against contamination.

[0050] According to another embodiment, the first component includes three V-grooves that are offset from one another by a non-zero angle; the second component includes three spherical sections offset from one another by a non-zero angle; the first component includes three recesses in communication with the at least one V-groove and offset from one another by a non-zero angle; the second component includes three protrusions that are offset from one another by a non-zero angle; and / or The second component includes three recesses formed in at least one spherical portion and positioned offset from one another by a non-zero angle.

[0051] The non-zero angles between the elements are, for example, 120° each, in other words, the elements are evenly distributed along the circle, however, the non-zero angles between the elements may also have values ​​other than 120°.

[0052] According to yet another embodiment, at least one spherical portion is a spherical truncated and / or spherical wedge, or The mounting arrangement includes exactly one spherical portion and exactly one V-groove, the spherical portion being a toroidal portion and the V-groove being an annular V-groove.

[0053] A spheroid is in particular a part of a sphere formed from a sphere by cutting in a (single) plane. For example, a spheroid has the shape of a dome with a disk as its base. The spherical surface of the dome forms for example the "spherical part" of a sphere. The opening angle of the spheroid is for example less than or equal to 90°. A spheroid can also be for example a hemisphere (opening angle 90°, the radius of the base of the spheroid corresponds to the radius of the sphere).

[0054] A spherical sector is in particular a conical cut from a sphere. In particular, a spherical sector has an opening angle of less than 90°. For example, a spherical sector is a conical cut from the center point of a sphere to its surface. For example, a spherical sector can also be a hemisphere (opening angle 90°).

[0055] The toroidal portion is in particular a part of a torus, in particular a rotating torus. In particular, the toroidal portion may have the same cross-sectional area as a spherical incision.

[0056] According to yet another aspect, a mounting device for attaching an annular cover to a carrier of an optical element of a lithographic apparatus is proposed. The mounting device comprises a carrier and an annular cover. Furthermore, the carrier and the annular cover directly abut each other only at six point contacts or surface contacts. Furthermore, the carrier and the annular cover are adhesively bonded to each other.

[0057] In particular, the adhesive connection between the carrier and the annular cover is only an indirect contact by adhesive, in particular the carrier and the annular cover are adhesively joined to each other only outside the six point or surface contacts.

[0058] The above-described embodiments and features of the mounting apparatus according to the first aspect also apply to the mounting apparatus according to the second aspect as appropriate and vice versa.

[0059] According to yet another aspect, a lithographic apparatus is proposed, comprising a mounting arrangement as described above.

[0060] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a mounting apparatus for a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a first component including at least two mutually inclined surfaces and a first adhesive surface connecting the two surfaces; b) providing a second component comprising at least one spherical portion having a spherical surface and a second adhesive surface arranged between two sub-portions of the spherical portion when viewed in cross section; c) placing the second component on the first component such that the at least one spherical portion is received between the at least two mutually inclined surfaces and the first adhesive surface is disposed adjacent to the second adhesive surface; d) applying an adhesive to the first adhesive surface and / or the second adhesive surface; e) curing the adhesive; Includes.

[0061] In particular, step d) can be carried out before or after step c).

[0062] In an embodiment, the first component comprises at least one recess communicating with at least two mutually inclined surfaces and having a first adhesive surface, and the adhesive is placed in the recess in step d). Furthermore, the second component has at least one protrusion on at least one spherical part, which has a second adhesive surface. The at least one protrusion is designed to be bendable with respect to the at least one spherical part about a first bending axis and a second bending axis perpendicular to the first bending axis, and both the first bending axis and the second bending axis are arranged perpendicular to the direction from the first component to the second component. Furthermore, in step c), the protrusion is inserted into the recess. Furthermore, the force exerted by the adhesive on the first component and / or the second component during the curing process of step e) is compensated by the bending of the protrusion about the first bending axis and / or the second bending axis.

[0063] In this case, "a" (an) should not necessarily be construed as limiting to exactly one element. There can be more precisely two, three, or more elements. Any other numbers used herein should not be construed as limiting to a precise recited number of elements. Instead, more or less numbers are possible unless otherwise indicated.

[0064] The embodiments and features described with respect to the mounting apparatus also apply to the lithographic apparatus and the proposed manufacturing method as appropriate and vice versa.

[0065] Further possible implementations of the invention also include unstated combinations of the features or embodiments described above or below with respect to the exemplary embodiments, in which case the person skilled in the art will be able to apply individual aspects as improvements or supplements to each basic form of the invention.

[0066] Further advantageous refinements and aspects of the invention are the subject of dependent claims and also of the exemplary embodiments of the invention which are described below. The invention is furthermore explained in more detail below on the basis of preferred embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0067] [Figure 1A] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an EUV lithography apparatus; [Figure 1B] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a DUV lithography apparatus; [Diagram 2] 1A or 1B shows a top view of a mounting arrangement according to a first embodiment of an EUV or DUV lithography apparatus; [Diagram 3] 3 shows a carrier with an annular V-groove of the mounting device from FIG. 2; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a view similar to FIG. 3, but with the carrier having three individual V-grooves instead of an annular V-groove. [Diagram 5] 3 shows the V-groove spherical mount of the mounting arrangement from FIG. 2 before assembly. [Figure 6]6 shows the V-groove spherical mount from FIG. 5 after assembly. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a V-groove spherical mount of the mounting apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the V-groove spherical mount from FIG. 7 before assembly. [Figure 9] 9 shows the V-groove spherical mount from FIG. 8 after assembly. [Figure 10] 13 shows the V-groove spherical mount of the mounting device according to the variant of the second embodiment after assembly. [Figure 11] 11 shows the shank of the threaded pin of the V-groove spherical mount from FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 13 shows a V-groove spherical mount of the mounting apparatus according to the third embodiment before assembly. [Figure 13] 13 shows the V-groove spherical mount from FIG. 12 after assembly. [Figure 14] 1 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for manufacturing a mounting apparatus according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0068] Unless otherwise indicated, identical elements or elements having identical functions are provided with the same reference numerals in the figures. It should also be noted that the illustrations are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0069] FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of an EUV lithography apparatus 100A equipped with a beam shaping and illumination system 102 and a projection system 104. EUV stands for "extreme ultraviolet" and indicates a wavelength of light used of 0.1 nm to 30 nm. The beam shaping and illumination system 102 and the projection system 104 are each provided in a vacuum housing (not shown), and each vacuum housing is evacuated using an exhaust device (not shown). The vacuum housing is surrounded by a machine room (not shown) in which a driving device that mechanically moves or sets optical elements is provided. Furthermore, an electric controller and the like can also be provided in the machine room.

[0070] The EUV lithography apparatus 100A comprises an EUV light source 106A. The EUV light source 106A may for example be a plasma source (or a synchrotron) emitting radiation 108A in the EUV range (extreme ultraviolet range), i.e. for example in the wavelength range of 5 nm to 20 nm. In the beam shaping and illumination system 102, the EUV radiation 108A is focused and a desired operating wavelength is filtered out from the EUV radiation 108A. The EUV radiation 108A generated by the EUV light source 106A has a relatively low transmittance in air, for which reason the light-guiding spaces of the beam shaping and illumination system 102 and the projection system 104 are evacuated.

[0071] 1A includes five mirrors 110, 112, 114, 116, and 118. After passing through the beam shaping and illumination system 102, the EUV radiation 108A is directed to a photomask (also called a reticle) 120. The photomask 120 may also be formed as a reflective optical element and may be located external to the systems 102, 104. Furthermore, the EUV radiation 108A may be directed to the photomask 120 by a mirror 122. The photomask 120 has a structure that is imaged by the projection system 104 in a reduced form, such as onto a wafer 124.

[0072] The projection system 104 (also referred to as a projection lens) has six mirrors M1-M6 for imaging the photomask 120 onto the wafer 124. In this case, the individual mirrors M1-M6 of the projection system 104 may be arranged symmetrically about the optical axis 126 of the projection system 104. It should be noted that the number of mirrors M1-M6 in the EUV lithography apparatus 100A is not limited to the number shown. More or fewer mirrors M1-M6 may be provided. Furthermore, the mirrors M1-M6 are generally curved at their front surfaces for beam shaping.

[0073] Figure 1B shows a schematic diagram of a DUV lithography apparatus 100B with a beam shaping and illumination system 102 and a projection system 104. In this case, DUV stands for "deep ultraviolet" and refers to the wavelength of the used light between 30 nm and 250 nm. As already described with reference to Figure 1A, the beam shaping and illumination system 102 and the projection system 104 may be arranged in a vacuum housing and / or surrounded by a machine room with corresponding drives.

[0074] The DUV lithography apparatus 100B comprises a DUV light source 106B. By way of example, the DUV light source 106B may be an ArF excimer laser emitting radiation 108B in the DUV range, for example at 193 nm.

[0075] 1B, beam shaping and illumination system 102 directs DUV radiation 108B to photomask 120. Photomask 120 may be formed as a transmissive optical element and located external to systems 102, 104. Photomask 120 contains structures that are imaged by projection system 104 in reduced form, such as onto wafer 124.

[0076] The projection system 104 has a number of lens elements 128, 130 and / or mirrors 132 for imaging the photomask 120 onto the wafer 124. In this case, the individual lens elements 128, 130 and / or mirrors 132 of the projection system 104 may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis 126 of the projection system 104. It should be noted that the number of lens elements 128, 130 and mirrors 132 of the DUV lithography apparatus 100B is not limited to the number shown. More or fewer lens elements 128, 130 and / or mirrors 132 may be provided. Furthermore, the mirror 132 is generally curved at the front surface for beam shaping.

[0077] The air gap between the final lens element 130 and the wafer 124 can be replaced with a liquid medium 134 having a refractive index greater than 1. The liquid medium 134 can be, for example, high purity water. Such an arrangement is also referred to as immersion lithography and has high photolithographic resolution. The medium 134 can also be referred to as an immersion liquid.

[0078] 2 shows a top view of a mounting apparatus 200 of an EUV or DUV lithography apparatus 100A, 100B. The mounting apparatus 200 comprises a first mechanical component 202 and a second mechanical component 204, and is used to attach the two components 202, 204 to each other.

[0079] In the example shown in Fig. 2, the mounting device 200 is used to attach an annular cover 204 to a carrier 202 of an optical element 206. In Fig. 2, the annular cover 204 partially covers both the carrier 202 and the optical element 206 from above, in particular in the edge regions. The annular cover 204 is used, for example, for protection against contamination. The annular cover 204 is, for example, designed and arranged to allow air flow between the optical element 206 and the cover 204. In Fig. 2, the annular cover 204 is only shown in dashed lines to improve the visibility of the optical element 206 and the carrier 202. The annular cover 204 and the carrier 202 are, for example, metallic.

[0080] Optical element 206 is, for example, the final lens element 130 disposed in front of wafer 124 in DUV lithography apparatus 100B from Figure 1B. In other examples, optical element 206 can be another optical element in EUV or DUV lithography apparatus 100A, 100B from Figures 1A, 1B. For example, optical element 206 can be one of mirrors 110-118, 122, M1-M6 in EUV lithography apparatus 100A (Figure 1A), or one of lens element 128 or mirror 132 in DUV lithography apparatus 100B (Figure 1B).

[0081] The annular cover 204 is attached to the carrier 202 by a point attachment, for example by a V-groove spherical mount 208 (FIG. 5), as will be described in detail below, so that there are only point contacts or small surface contacts related to tolerances and deformations between the first component 202 and the second component 204 in the attachment area. Thus, a clear attachment of the annular cover 204 to the carrier 202 is possible, while a strong surface contact between the annular cover 204 and the carrier 202, both of which are for example made of metal, outside the attachment is avoided. Furthermore, the annular cover 204 is firmly adhesively bonded to the carrier 202 by adhesive connections 210 (FIG. 6) arranged outside the point or surface contacts of the V-groove spherical mount 208.

[0082] Figure 3 shows the carrier 202 in the same orientation as Figure 2, but without the optical element 206 or the annular cover 204. As can be seen in Figure 3, the carrier 202 has a groove, in the illustrated example an annular V-groove 214. Figure 5 shows the V-groove 214 in radial cross section (cross section along line BB in Figure 3).

[0083] Instead of the annular V-groove 214 (FIG. 3), the carrier 202′ may also have three individual V-grooves 214′, as shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the three individual V-grooves 214′ are offset relative to one another at angles α, β, and γ. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the three individual V-grooves 214′ are offset relative to one another at equal angles of 120° each (i.e., α=β=γ=120°). In other examples, the three individual V-grooves may be offset relative to one another at different angles α, β, and γ that are not zero. The cross sections of the V-grooves 214, 214′ shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 correspond to both the cross section of the annular V-groove 214 (FIG. 3) and the cross section of one of the three V-grooves 214′ (FIG. 4). It should be noted that instead of the annular V-groove 214 (FIG. 3) or the three separate V-grooves 214′, one or more different shaped grooves may be used, such as conical grooves, grooves in the shape of cone segments, funnel-shaped grooves, bulbous grooves, and / or grooves in the form of bulbous cups.

[0084] As shown in Fig. 5, the V-groove 214, 214' has two mutually inclined surfaces 216. Furthermore, the V-groove 214, 214' has a first adhesive surface 218 connecting the two surfaces 216 for adhesive connection to the annular cover 204. In particular, the V-groove 214, 214' has a V-shape that is truncated at the bottom (in Fig. 5), and the truncated surface has the first adhesive surface 218. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the first adhesive surface 218 is disposed perpendicular to the direction Z from the carrier 202 to the cover 204.

[0085] To mount the cover 204 to the carrier 202 with the V-groove spherical mount 208, the cover 204 has three spherical portions 220, one of which is shown in cross section in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows the V-groove spherical mount 208 before the spherical portions 220 are introduced into the V-groove 214 or 214'. Figure 6 shows the V-groove spherical mount 208 with the spherical portions 220 positioned in the V-groove 214 or 214'.

[0086] Each of the three spherical portions 220 protrudes from the lower surface 222 (FIG. 5) of the cover 204 in the direction of the carrier 202. The spherical portion 220 shown in FIG. 5 is in particular a hemisphere with a flattened lower end 224 in FIG. 5. Each of the three spherical portions 220 includes a spherical portion 226 that is spherically curved according to a sphere 228. Furthermore, each of the three spherical portions 220 has a second adhesive surface 230. The second adhesive surface 230 is arranged on the flattened end 224 of the spherical portion 220 in FIG. 5. Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the second adhesive surface 230 is arranged perpendicular to the direction Z. The second adhesive surface 230 is arranged in particular between two sub-portions 232 and 234 of the spherical portion 226 when viewed in cross section in FIG. 5.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 6, the liquid adhesive 212 is inserted between the first adhesive surface 218 and the second adhesive surface 230. Furthermore, each of the three spherical parts 220 is inserted into one annular V-groove 214 (Figs. 3 and 6) or into one of the three individual V-grooves 214' (Figs. 4 and 6), and is attached such that the spherical part 220 rests on the mutually inclined surface 216 of the V-grooves 214, 214' at two support points or two small support surfaces A1, A2. In particular, there are only point contacts or small surface contacts related to tolerance and deformation between the three spherical parts 220 and the V-groove 214 (or the three V-grooves 214'). For example, there are a total of six point contacts or surface contacts A1, A2 between the three spherical parts 220 and the V-groove 214 (or the three V-grooves 214'). In other words, the cover 204 contacts the carrier 202 only through point or surface contact in the area of ​​the V-groove spherical mount 208 .

[0088] In another example, the spherical portion 220 can be replaced by a single toroidal portion (not shown) that also has a radial cross section as shown in FIG.

[0089] The adhesive 212 applied in liquid form between the first adhesive surface 218 and the second adhesive surface 230 is cured to form an adhesive layer 212' (FIG. 6) in a solidified form. The adhesive connection 210 between the annular cover 204 and the carrier 202 is created by the fixed adhesive layer 212'.

[0090] During curing, the adhesive 212, 212' may contract and exert forces on the annular cover 204 and / or the carrier 202. Because the adhesive 212, 212' is applied only at three discrete locations between the cover 204 and the carrier 202, i.e., on the second adhesive surfaces 230 of the three bulbous portions 220 located on the flat side 224 (FIG. 5), the forces exerted by the adhesive 212, 212' are reduced compared to a situation in which the adhesive is applied in a planar, annular fashion between a component such as the annular cover 204 and another component such as the carrier 202.

[0091] If displacement and / or tilting of the cover 204 occurs during curing of the adhesive 212, 212', the V-groove spherical mount 208 (FIG. 6) between the cover 204 and the carrier 202 prevents the carrier 202 from also tilting thereby. As a result, it is possible to prevent, in particular, the optical elements 206 (FIG. 2) held by the carrier 202, such as lens elements or mirrors, from being displaced and / or tilted.

[0092] 7-9 show a second embodiment of a mounting arrangement 300 having a V-groove spherical mount 308 and an adhesive connection 310. The mounting arrangement 300 according to the second embodiment has a carrier 302 for an optical element 206 (similar to the carrier 202 according to the first embodiment) and an annular cover 304 (similar to the annular cover 204 according to the first embodiment).

[0093] The carrier 302 has a V-groove 314 (similar to V-groove 214, 214', FIG. 5) and three recesses 340 (FIG. 8) in communication with the V-groove 314. As in the first embodiment, the V-groove 314 may be an annular V-groove corresponding to the V-groove 214 (FIG. 3) or there may be three separate V-grooves corresponding to the V-groove 214' (FIG. 4). The recesses 340 (FIG. 8) in communication with the V-groove 314 are specifically cup-shaped and formed in three discrete spaced apart locations on the carrier 302. In particular, the recesses 340 are circumferential or annular.

[0094] Each of the recesses 340, one of which is shown in cross section in Figures 8 and 9, has an adhesive surface 318 (first adhesive surface) on its inner wall 342 upon which an adhesive 312 (Figure 9) is disposed.

[0095] Additionally, the annular cover 304 has three spherical portions 320, one of which is shown in cross section in Figures 8 and 9. The spherical portion 320 has a spherical surface portion 326 having two subportions 332, 334, like the spherical portion 220 of the first embodiment (Figure 5).

[0096] The spherical portion 320 differs from the spherical portion 220 of the first embodiment (FIG. 5) by a protrusion 344 disposed thereon. The protrusion 344 may be integrally formed with the spherical portion 320 (not shown). Alternatively, the protrusion may be provided by a separate element 346 secured to the spherical portion 320, as shown in FIGS. 7-9. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 344 is provided by an external thread 346 having threads 350 at a first end 348.

[0097] The male thread 346 is threaded into a threaded hole 352 in the spherical portion 320 (FIG. 9) such that a protrusion 344 provided by a shank 354 (second end 354) of the male thread 346 projects, in cross section, between the two sub-portions 332, 334 of the spherical portion 326. The protrusion 344 also has a second adhesive surface 330 for adhesively fixing to the first adhesive surface 318 of the recess 340.

[0098] For the fastening of the annular cover 304 to the carrier 302, the adhesive 312 (FIG. 9) is filled in liquid form into the recess 340 of the carrier 302. The annular cover 304 is then placed on the carrier 320 such that the projections 344 are inserted into the recesses 340 of the carrier 302 and adhesively bonded thereto by the adhesive 312, 312′. Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, the spherical portion 320 is inserted into the V-groove 314 (FIG. 9) such that the spherical portion 320 abuts the mutually inclined surfaces 316 of the V-groove 314 with discrete point or surface contacts A1, A2. The hardening of the adhesive 312 forms a solid adhesive layer 312′, which results in an adhesive connection 310 between the annular cover 304 and the carrier 302.

[0099] The recess 340 with the first adhesive surface 318 and the protrusion 344 with the second adhesive surface 330 allow for a targeted application of the adhesive 312. In particular, it is possible to avoid the adhesive 312 in liquid form spreading to areas outside the first adhesive surface 318 and the second adhesive surface 330 of the annular cover 304 and / or the carrier 302.

[0100] FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment variant of the mounting device 300' with a V-groove spherical mount 308'. In the following, only the differences from the second embodiment will be described. In the mounting device 300', the protrusion 344' is designed to bend relative to the spherical part 320 to compensate for the forces during the curing of the adhesive 312, 312'. In particular, the protrusion 344' can bend relative to the spherical part 320 about a first bending axis X (parallel to the X direction in FIG. 10) and about a second bending axis Y (parallel to the Y direction in FIG. 10) perpendicular to the first bending axis. Both the first bending axis X and the second bending axis Y are arranged perpendicular to the direction Z from the carrier 302 to the cover 304.

[0101] In the example shown in FIG. 10, the flexibility of the projection 344' is achieved by a cut 356 in the wall of the shank 354' of the male thread 346'. Although FIG. 10 shows a cross section, two cuts 356, which are actually only visible in a top view, are shown in FIG. 10 for the sake of illustration. Between the two cuts 356 remains a web 358 forming a first leaf spring 360. At the rear side of the shank 354', a leaf spring 360 symmetrical to the first leaf spring 360 is formed by the two cuts 356. The two first leaf springs 360 each have a main extension plane in the YZ direction, allowing the shank 354' (i.e. the projection 344') to bend around a bending axis in the X direction. Furthermore, the shank 354' has two further cuts 362, 364 (FIG. 11), which form two second leaf springs 366 (one of which is visible in FIG. 11). The two second leaf springs 366 have a main extension plane in the XZ plane and are capable of bending the shank 354' (ie, the protrusion 344') about a bending axis in the Y direction.

[0102] The flexibility of the shank 346' allows for compensation of forces that arise during the curing of the adhesive 312, 312'. This compensation makes it possible to prevent tilting of the carrier 302, and therefore of the optical element 206 (FIG. 2), caused by the curing of the adhesive 312, 312' of the adhesive connection 310.

[0103] 12 and 13 show a third embodiment of a mounting arrangement 400 having a V-groove spherical mount 408 and an adhesive connection 410. The mounting arrangement 400 according to the third embodiment has a carrier 402 for the optical element 206 (similar to the carrier 202 according to the first embodiment) and an annular cover 404 (similar to the annular cover 204 according to the first embodiment). In the following, only the differences with respect to the first embodiment will be described.

[0104] In the mounting device 400, the spherical portion 420 has a recess 440 with a second adhesive surface 430. Moreover, the spherical portion 420 is not formed integrally with the annular cover 404 (as in the first embodiment, FIG. 5), but is formed as a separate element 442. In particular, the mounting device 400 has a screw 442 as a separate element, which has a thread at a first end 444 so that it can be screwed into a threaded hole 446 in the annular cover 404. Furthermore, the screw 442 has a ball head 450 at its second end 448, which forms the spherical portion 420 with the recess 440. In other examples, the spherical portion 420 formed by the ball head 450 of the separate screw 442 can also be realized without the recess 440, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 13 shows the mounting device 400 of the third embodiment in an assembled state, attached with support points or discrete contact surfaces A1, A2 and a hardened adhesive connection 410.

[0105] In the following, a method of manufacturing the mounting device 200 of the lithographic apparatus 100A, 100B according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5, 6 and 14.

[0106] In a first step S1 of the method, a first component, such as a carrier 202 (FIGS. 2 and 5) for an optical element 206, is provided, comprising at least one mutually inclined surface 216 and a first adhesive surface 218 connecting the two surfaces 216.

[0107] In a second step S2 of the method, a second component is provided, such as an annular cover 204 (FIGS. 2 and 5) that includes at least one spherical portion 220 having a spherical portion 226 and a second adhesive surface 230. The second adhesive surface 230 is disposed between two sub-portions 232 of the spherical portion 226 when viewed in cross section.

[0108] In a third step S3 of the method, the second component 204 is positioned on the first component 202 such that at least one spherical portion 220 is received between at least two mutually inclined surfaces 216 and the first adhesive surface 218 is positioned adjacent to the second adhesive surface 230.

[0109] In a fourth step S4 of the method, adhesive 212 is applied to the first adhesive surface 218 and / or the second adhesive surface 230.

[0110] In a fifth step S5 of the method, the adhesive 212 is cured to form a solid adhesive layer 212'.

[0111] Although the invention has been described based on exemplary embodiments, it can be varied in many ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 100A EUV Lithography Equipment 100B DUV Lithography Equipment 102 Beam shaping and lighting system 104 Projection system 106A EUV light source 106B DUV light source 108A EUV radiation 108B DUV radiation 110 Mirror 112 Mirror 114 Mirror 116 Mirror 118 Mirror 120 Photomask 122 Mirror 124 Wafers 126 Optical axis 128 Lens Elements 130 Mirror 132 Medium 200 Mounting Device 202 1st Component 204 Second Component 206 Optical Elements 208 Mount 210 Adhesive Connection 212, 212' Adhesive 214 Groove 216 sides 218 1st adhesive surface 220 Spherical part 222 sides 224 edge 226 Spherical part 228 Sphere 230 Second adhesive surface 232 Subsection 234 Subsection 300, 300' Mounting Device 302 Component (Carrier) 304 Component (Cover) 308, 308' Mount 310 Adhesive Connection 312, 312' Adhesive 314 Groove 316 sides 218 1st adhesive surface 320 Spherical part 326 Spherical part 330 Second adhesive surface 332 Subsection 334 Subsection 340 Recess 342 Interior wall 344, 344' protrusion 346 Element (Male Thread) 348 End 350 Screw 352 Screw hole 354 Shank (end) 356 Cut 358 Web 360 Leaf spring 362 Cut 364 Cut 366 Leaf Spring 400 Mounting Device 402 Component (Carrier) 404 Component (Cover) 408 Mount 410 Adhesive Connection 420 Spherical part 430 2nd adhesive surface 440 Recess 442 Screw 444 End 446 Screw hole 448 End 450 Ball head A1 Support point / support surface A2 Support point / support surface M1 Mirror M2 Mirror M3 Mirror M4 Mirror M5 Mirror M6 Mirror S1~S5 Method steps X direction, axis Y direction, axis Z direction

Claims

1. A mounting apparatus (200) for mounting a first component (202) to a second component (204) of a lithographic apparatus (100A, 100B), comprising: the first component (202) and the second component (204); and an adhesive (212, 212') that secures the first component (202) and the second component (204) to each other. the first component (202) having at least two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and a first adhesive surface (218) connecting the two surfaces (216); the second component (204) has at least one spherical portion (220) housed between the at least two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and including a spherical portion (226) and a second bonding surface (230), the second bonding surface (230) being disposed between two sub-portions (232, 234) of the spherical portion (226) when viewed in cross section; The adhesive (212, 212') is disposed between the first adhesive surface (218) and the second adhesive surface (230).

2. 2. The mounting device of claim 1, wherein the first component (202) has at least one groove (214, 214'), a V-groove (214, 214'), a conical groove, a groove in the shape of a cone segment, a funnel-shaped groove, a bulbous groove, a groove in the form of a bulbous cup, and / or a funnel-shaped groove having two mutually inclined surfaces (216), particularly when viewed in cross section.

3. 3. The mounting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first component (202) and the second component (204) directly abut each other only at point contacts or surface contacts (A1, A2) formed by the two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and the spherical portion (220), respectively, and further, are adhesively bonded to each other at the first adhesive surface (218) and the second adhesive surface (230) by the adhesive (212, 212').

4. 3. The mounting apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first adhesive surface (218) and the second adhesive surface (230) each include a plurality of discrete adhesive surfaces (218, 230).

5. 3. The mounting device according to claim 2, the first component (302) includes at least one recess (340) in communication with the at least one V-groove (314), has the first adhesive surface (318), and has the adhesive (312, 312') disposed thereon; the second component (304) includes at least one projection (344) on the at least one spherical portion (320), the projection (344) projecting, when viewed in cross section, between the two sub-portions (332, 334) of the spherical portion (326) and having the second adhesive surface (330); The protrusion (344) is inserted into the recess (340) of the first component (302) and adhesively bonded thereto by the adhesive (312, 312').

6. 6. The mounting device of claim 5, wherein the second component (304) has at least one threaded pin (346), a first end (348) of the threaded pin (346) threaded into a threaded hole (352) of the at least one spherical portion (320) and a second end (354) forming the protrusion (344) having the second adhesive surface (330).

7. 7. A mounting device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the at least one protrusion (344') is designed to be bendable relative to the at least one spherical portion (320) about a first bending axis (X) and a second bending axis (Y) perpendicular to the first bending axis (X), and both the first bending axis (X) and the second bending axis (Y) are arranged perpendicular to a direction (Z) from the first component (302) to the second component (304).

8. 8. The mounting device of claim 7, wherein the at least one protrusion (344') has at least one first leaf spring (360) that bends about the first bending axis (X) and at least one second leaf spring (366) that bends about the second bending axis (Y).

9. 3. The mounting device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second component (404) includes at least one recess (440) formed in the at least one spherical portion (420) and having the second adhesive surface (430).

10. 3. A mounting device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second component (404) has at least one screw (442) having a first end (444) that is threaded into a screw hole (446) of the second component (404) and a ball head (450) at a second end (448) that forms one of the at least one spherical portion (420).

11. 3. The mounting device of claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the first component (202) and the second component (204) is a carrier (202) of an optical element (206) of the lithographic apparatus (100A, 100B), and the other of the first component (202) and the second component (204) is an annular cover (204) of the optical element (206) of the lithographic apparatus (100A, 100B).

12. 3. The mounting device according to claim 1, The first component (202) includes three V-grooves (214') that are offset from one another by non-zero angles (α, γ, β); the second component (204) includes three spherical portions (220) that are offset from one another by the non-zero angles (α, β, γ); the first component (302) includes three recesses (340) that communicate with the at least one V-groove (314, 314') and are offset from one another by the non-zero angles (α, β, γ); said second component (304) comprises three protrusions (344, 344') arranged offset from one another by said non-zero angles (α, β, γ); and / or The second component (404) includes three recesses (440) formed in the at least one spherical portion (420) and positioned offset from one another by the non-zero angles (α, β, γ).

13. 3. The mounting device according to claim 1, the at least one spherical portion (220) is a spherical truncated and / or spherical wedge; or The mounting device includes exactly one spherical portion (220) and exactly one V-groove (214), said spherical portion (220) being a toroidal portion and said V-groove (214) being an annular V-groove (214).

14. A lithographic apparatus (100A, 100B) comprising a mounting device (200) according to claim 1 or 2.

15. A method of manufacturing a mounting apparatus (200) for a lithographic apparatus (100A, 100B), comprising the steps of: a) providing (S1) a first component (202) including at least two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and a first adhesive surface (218) connecting the two surfaces (216); b) providing (S2) a second component (204) including at least one spherical portion (220) having a spherical portion (226) and a second bonding surface (230) disposed between two sub-portions (232, 234) of the spherical portion (226) when viewed in cross section; c) placing (S3) the second component (204) on the first component (202) such that the at least one spherical portion (220) is received between the at least two mutually inclined surfaces (216) and the first bonding surface (218) is disposed adjacent to the second bonding surface (230); d) applying an adhesive (212, 212') to the first adhesive surface (218) and / or the second adhesive surface (230); e) a step (S5) of curing the adhesive (212, 212'); The method includes:

Images