1. A pattern generator comprising:
an electromagnetic radiation source for emitting electromagnetic radiation to create a pattern on a workpiece; and
an optical system including an optical path for the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source; wherein
the optical system is configured such that an apodization of the electromagnetic radiation is sufficient to optimize a critical dimension linearity for the created pattern, and
the apodized electromagnetic radiation has a Gaussian shape.
2. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system is a partially incoherent imaging system.
3. The pattern generator of claim 2, wherein the partially incoherent imaging system uses immersion.
4. The pattern generator of claim 2, wherein the partially incoherent imaging system has multiple raster-scanning beams.
5. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a system aperture for creating a spot function with less than 2 percent outside of a center lobe component of the electromagnetic radiation.
6. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a system aperture having a numerical aperture and a critical dimension and critical dimension linearity error for the pattern generator is determined based on the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation and a size of the numerical aperture.
7. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is a light beam with a polarization that varies across an exit pupil.
8. The pattern generator of claim 7, wherein the modulator is one of an acousto-optical or electro-optical modulator.
9. The pattern generator of claim 8, wherein the optical system further includes a filter for filtering the electromagnetic radiation such that the apodization of the electromagnetic radiation is sufficient to optimize a critical dimension linearity for the created pattern.
10. The pattern generator of claim 9, wherein the filter is an amplitude pupil filter having an aperture size determined based on a wavelength of the light beam.
11. The pattern generator of claim 9, wherein the light beam has a wavelength of about 413 nm, about 406 nm, about 364 nm, about 257 nm, about 198 nm or about 193 nm.
12. The pattern generator of claim 9, wherein the light beam has a wavelength greater than, or equal to, about 32 nm.
13. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes,
a first lens positioned such that an apodization of the electromagnetic radiation is sufficient to optimize a critical dimension linearity for the created pattern,
a modulator modulating electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source to create a pattern,
a scanner for relaying the electromagnetic radiation toward the workpiece, and
a second lens for focusing the electromagnetic radiation such that the electromagnetic radiation impinges on the workpiece to create the pattern.
14. The pattern generator of claim 13, wherein the light beam has a radially non-monotonic distribution within a pupil of the optical imaging system.
15. The pattern generator of claim 14, wherein the radially non-monotonic distribution includes concentric rings having higher and lower intensities.
16. The pattern generator of claim 13, wherein the light beam has a wavelength greater than, or equal to, about 32 nm.
17. The pattern generator of claim 13, wherein the light beam has a wavelength of about 413 nm, about 406 nm, about 364 nm, about 257 nm, about 198 nm or about 193 nm.
18. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a spatial light modulator having a plurality of pixels for creating a pattern and for relaying electromagnetic radiation such that the electromagnetic radiation impinges on the workpiece.
19. The pattern generator of claim 18, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is a light beam.
20. The pattern generator of claim 19, wherein the light beam has a beamwidth, which is less than about 0.3 times the aperture size.
21. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is a light beam.
22. An integrated circuit comprising:
a pattern having a line width less than 0.25 microns, the pattern being produced using the pattern generator of claim 1.
23. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein said apodization of the electromagnetic radiation is applied after a system aperture in the optical path of the patent generator.
24. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein said apodization is creating a spot function with less than 0.8 percent outside of a center lobe.
25. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein said apodization is achieved by introducing at least one additional optical element.
26. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein said at least one additional optical element is one of a lens, a filter or an aperture.
27. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein said apodization is achieved by rearranging existing optical elements.
28. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a system aperture having an aperture size providing an apodization sufficient to minimize the smallest line width satisfying plusminus 40 nm CD linearity error.
29. The patent generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a system aperture having an aperture size providing an apodization sufficient to minimize the smallest line width satisfying plusminus 20 nm CD linearity error.
30. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a system aperture having an aperture size providing an apodization sufficient to minimize the smallest line width satisfying plusminus 10 nm CD linearity error.
31. The pattern generator of claim 1, wherein the optical system further includes a system aperture having an aperture size providing an apodization sufficient to minimize the smallest line width satisfying plusminus 5 nm CD linearity error.
32. A pattern generator comprising:
an electromagnetic radiation source for emitting electromagnetic radiation to create a pattern on a workpiece; and
an optical system including an optical path for the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source; wherein
the optical system is configured such that an apodization of the electromagnetic radiation is sufficient to optimize a critical dimension linearity for the created pattern, and
the optical system further includes a system aperture for creating a spot function with less than 0.8% percent outside of a center lobe component of the electromagnetic radiation.
33. The pattern generator of claim 32, wherein the system aperture has a numerical aperture greater than or equal to about 0.68.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An AD converter comprising:
a light source unit which provides an optical signal;
at least one waveguide unit which consists of a photonic crystal and transmits the optical signal;
a modulation unit which applies a RF signal to the at least one waveguide unit, thereby modulating an optical signal output from the at least one waveguide unit; and
a digital conversion unit which converts the modulated optical signal to a digital signal.
2. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one waveguide unit comprises:
an electrode to which the RF signal is applied;
a first waveguide which is connected to the electrode; and
a second waveguide which is symmetrical to the first waveguide in shape to share the optical signal with the first waveguide, and, if the RF signal is applied to the first waveguide, outputs an optical signal having a phase difference from that of the optical signal output from the first waveguide,
wherein the first and the second waveguides each has a Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguide (CROW) structure.
3. The AD converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein, a plurality of waveguide units is provided, and electrodes included in the waveguide units have different lengths from one another.
4. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one waveguide unit comprises a waveguide which has a Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguide (CROW) structure and is provided with at least one resonator,
wherein the modulation unit moves optical signals output from the at least one waveguide unit parallel with one another.
5. The AD converter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one waveguide unit further comprises an electrode which is connected to the waveguide to apply the RF signal.
6. The AD converter as claimed in claim 5, wherein, a plurality of waveguide units is provided, and electrodes included in the waveguide units have different lengths from one another.
7. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one waveguide unit comprises:
a waveguide; and
a resonator which is disposed on the waveguide.
8. The AD converter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the modulation unit moves optical signals output from the at least one waveguide unit parallel with one another.
9. The AD converter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the resonator comprises:
a plurality of first dielectrics which is formed on the waveguide; and
a second dielectric which has a different permittivity from that of the plurality of first dielectrics and is arranged between the plurality of first dielectrics to allow an optical signal output from the waveguide to resonate at a specific wavelength.
10. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one waveguide unit comprises:
a first waveguide;
a second waveguide which is symmetrical to the first waveguide in its shape to share the optical signal with the first waveguide; and
at least one filter which is disposed between the first and the second waveguides and pulls one of optical signals input to the first waveguide that has a specific wavelength toward the second waveguide.
11. The AD converter as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one filter comprises a plurality of resonators each comprising a plurality of first dielectrics which is disposed between the first and the second waveguides and a second dielectric which has a different permittivity from that of the plurality of first dielectrics and is disposed between the plurality of first dielectrics.
12. The AD converter as claimed in claim 10, wherein the modulation unit moves optical signals output from the second waveguide parallel with one another,
wherein the digital conversion unit digitally converts the optical signals output from the second waveguide and moved parallel.
13. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
an input silicon waveguide which receives the optical signal output from the light source unit;
an input photonic crystal waveguide which transmits the optical signal output from the input silicon waveguide to the at least one waveguide unit; and
a connector which connects the input silicon waveguide and the input photonic crystal waveguide and is in a tapered shape.
14. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
an output photonic crystal waveguide which receives the optical signal output from the at least one waveguide unit;
an output silicon waveguide which transmits the optical signal output from the output photonic crystal waveguide to the digital conversion unit; and
a connector which connects the output silicon waveguide and the output photonic crystal waveguide and is in a tapered shape.
15. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital conversion unit comprises:
a light detector which detects a magnitude of the optical signal output from the at least one waveguide unit;
an amplifier which amplifies the magnitude of the signal detected by the light detector; and
a comparator which compares the amplified signal with a reference signal and outputs a comparison result value.
16. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulation unit changes a refraction index of a waveguide of the at least one waveguide unit using a plasma dispersion effect.
17. The AD converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulation unit performs a modulation using either a reversed biased PN junction or a forward biased p-i-n junction.