1. A measuring method by using a measuring device, which comprises a distance measuring unit for performing distance measurement on a measuring point by projecting a distance measuring light and by receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the measuring point, an image pickup unit, having a reference optical axis, for acquiring a digital image of a measurement range, a distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit for deflecting a distance measuring optical axis of said distance measuring light, wherein said distance measuring optical axis is deflected with respect to said reference optical axis, and an image processing unit for extracting the measuring point by image processing of said digital image, comprising:
acquiring a digital image of said measurement range,
extracting the measuring point through image processing of the acquired digital image,
measuring an angle of each of the measuring points from the image, and
directing said distance measuring optical axis to each of the measuring points one after another based on the result of angle measurement, and measuring a distance to each of the measuring points, wherein measurement is performed on each of the measuring points within said measurement range in a condition that said reference optical axis is fixed.
2. A measuring method according to claim 1, wherein a distance measurement is performed while micro-scanning of said distance measuring optical axis is performed around the measuring point.
3. A measuring method according to claim 1, further comprising setting a measuring order of the measuring points based on a result of said angle measurement, and wherein directing said distance measuring optical axis to each of the measuring point one after another is based on said result of said angle measurement and said measuring order.
4. A measuring device, comprising
a distance measuring unit for performing distance measurement on a measuring point by projecting a distance measuring light and by receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the measuring point,
an image pickup unit, having a reference optical axis, for acquiring a digital image of a measurement range,
a distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit for deflecting a distance measuring optical axis of said distance measuring light, wherein said distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit deflects said distance measuring optical axis with respect to said reference optical axis,
an angle measuring unit for measuring an angle of said distance measuring optical axis,
an image processing unit for extracting the measuring point through image processing of said digital image, and
a control arithmetic unit, wherein said control arithmetic unit detects an angle of the measuring point on said digital image, controls said distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit based on the detected angle, directs said distance measuring optical axis toward the measuring point one after another and measures a distance to the measuring point.
5. A measuring device according to claim 4, wherein said distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit is a pair of MEMS mirrors provided at positions opposite to each other on said distance measuring optical axis, and said pair of MEMS mirrors have tilting direction deviated by 90\xb0 from each other.
6. A measuring device according to claim 4, wherein said angle measuring unit has a luminous flux splitting means disposed on said distance measuring optical axis and a two-dimensional position detecting element for receiving the luminous flux thus split, wherein said two-dimensional position detecting element has a coordinate system having a point to match said distance measuring optical axis as an origin, and by detecting a position of the split luminous flux in said coordinate system, detects a deflection angle and a deflecting direction of said distance measuring optical axis.
7. A measuring device according to claim 4, further comprising a display unit, wherein a digital image of said measurement range is displayed on said display unit, the extracted measuring point are disposed in superimposed manner on said digital image, and a measuring point not yet measured and a measuring point already measured are discriminated from each other and are displayed.
8. A measuring device according to claim 4, further comprising a display unit, wherein said distance measuring light is a visible light, a digital image of said measurement range is displayed on said display unit, and a distance measuring light to be projected to the measuring point is displayed on said digital image.
9. A measuring device according to claim 4, wherein said distance measuring unit has said distance measuring optical axis, said image pickup unit has a reference optical axis, wherein said distance measuring optical axis and said reference optical axis are disposed in a fixed relation with each other, said distance measuring optical axis and said reference optical axis are integrally deflected, and said distance measuring optical axis is directed to the measuring point.
10. A measuring device according to claim 4, wherein an optical axis of said image pickup unit commonly shares said distance measuring optical axis, a deflection mirror is installed on the optical axis portion commonly shared, and when said deflection mirror is rotated in horizontal direction and is rotated in vertical direction, said distance measuring optical axis is deflected.
11. A measuring device according to claim 4, wherein said control arithmetic unit sets a measuring order of the measuring points based on the detected angle, and controls said distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit based on the detected angle and the measuring order.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-35. (canceled)
36. A system, comprising:
a mirror having a curved mirror surface;
an apparatus comprising a plurality of actuators coupled to the mirror at eight discrete locations, the apparatus being configured so that during operation one or more of the actuators deform the mirror surface by applying a force to the mirror simultaneously at two or more of the discrete locations,
wherein the system is a microlithography projection objective.
37. The system of claim 36, wherein each actuator is coupled to the mirror at two or four of the eight discrete locations.
38. The system of claim 36, wherein each actuator is coupled to the mirror at a subset of the discrete locations and each actuator is configured to simultaneously apply a force to the mirror at each of the discrete locations at which it is coupled to the mirror.
39. The system of claim 36, wherein the mirror surface has a symmetry axis and each actuator is coupled to the mirror at discrete locations that are symmetrically arranged with respect to the symmetry axis.
40. The system of claim 39, wherein the symmetry axis corresponds to an optical axis of the microlithography projection objective.
41. The system of claim 36, wherein the microlithography projection objective is a catadioptric projection objective.
42. The system of claim 36, wherein the microlithography projection objective is a reduction objective.
43. The system of claim 36, wherein the microlithography projection objective is configured to have a rectangular image field.
44. The system of claim 36, wherein the apparatus is configured to deform the mirror to correct imaging errors of the microlithography projection objective.
45. The system of claim 44, wherein the imaging errors comprise an astigmatism or a coma of the microlithography projection objective.
46. The system of claim 36, wherein the force comprises an axial force.
47. The system of claim 36, wherein the force comprises a moment.
48. A system, comprising:
a mirror having a curved mirror surface having a symmetry axis;
an apparatus comprising a plurality of actuators each coupled to the mirror at two or more discrete locations, the apparatus being configured so that during operation one or more of the actuators deform the mirror surface by applying a force to the mirror at the corresponding discrete locations,
wherein the deformation is non-rotationally symmetric with respect to the symmetry axis and the system is a microlithography projection objective.
49. The system of claim 48, wherein the apparatus is configured to deform the mirror to correct imaging errors of the microlithography projection objective, where the errors are not distributed rotationally symmetrically with respect to the symmetry axis of the mirror surface.
50. The system of claim 49, wherein the imaging errors comprise an astigmatism or a coma of the microlithography projection objective.
51. The system of claim 48, wherein the symmetry axis coincides with an optical axis of the microlithography projection objective.
52. The system of claim 48, wherein the microlithography projection objective is configured to have a rectangular image field.
53. The system of claim 48, wherein the force comprises an axial force.
54. The system of claim 48, wherein the force comprises a moment.
55. A system, comprising:
a microlithography projection objective an image plane, the microlithography projection objective comprising:
a mirror having a mirror surface;
a first adjusting element comprising an actuator coupled to the mirror at two discrete locations, the adjusting element being configured to that during operation the actuator deforms the mirror surface by applying a force simultaneously to the two discrete locations;
a sensor configured so that during operation of the system the sensor measures a parameter related to the imaging quality of the microlithography projection objective; and
a control unit in communication with the first adjusting element and the sensor, wherein during operation the control unit causes the first adjusting element to deform the mirror to correct imaging errors if of the microlithography projection objective based on measurements made by the sensor.
56. The system of claim 55, wherein the sensor is positioned at the image plane.
57. The system of claim 55, wherein the imaging errors comprise an astigmatism or a coma of the microlithography projection objective
58. The system of claim 55, wherein the sensor is a wavefront sensor.
59. The system of claim 55, wherein the sensor is an interferometer.
60. The system of claim 55, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the parameter during exposure of a wafer by the system.
61. The system of claim 55, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the parameter between exposures of different wafers by the system.
62. The system of claim 55, wherein the microlithography projection objective comprises at least one other mirror.
63. A system, comprising:
a mirror having a mirror surface; and
an adjusting element comprising a first actuator coupled to the mirror at a first location and a second location, the first location being different from the second locations and the adjusting element being configured so that during operation the first actuator deforms the mirror surface by applying a moment to the mirror in a direction non-parallel to the optical axis at the first and second locations,
wherein the system is a microlithography projection objective.
64. A system, comprising:
a mirror having a mirror surface;
a first adjusting element comprising an actuator coupled to the mirror at a first location and a second location, the first location being different from the second locations and the adjusting element being configured so that during operation the actuator deforms the mirror surface by applying a moment to the mirror in a direction non-parallel to the optical axis at the first and second locations; and
a control unit in communication with the first adjusting element, wherein during operation the control unit causes the first adjusting element to deform the mirror to correct imaging errors of the microlithography projection objective,
wherein the system is a microlithography projection objective.