METHOD FOR HIGH NUMERICAL APERTURE THRU-SLIT SOURCE MASK OPTIMIZATION

Described herein is a method for source mask optimization with a lithographic projection apparatus. The lithographic projection apparatus comprises an illumination source and projection optics configured to image a mask design layout onto a substrate. The method comprises determining a multi-variable source mask optimization function using a plurality of tunable design variables for the illumination source, the projection optics, and the mask design layout. The multi-variable source mask optimization function accounts for imaging variation across different positions in an exposure slit corresponding to different stripes of the mask design layout exposed by the same slit position of the exposure apparatus. The method comprises iteratively adjusting the plurality of tunable design variables in the multi-variable source mask optimization function until a termination condition is satisfied. 本文描述了一种利用光刻投影设备进行源掩模优化的方法。光刻投影设备包括照射源和被配置为将掩模设计布局成像到衬底上的投影光学器件。该方法包括使用针对照射源、投影光学器件和掩模设计布局的多个可调谐设计变量来确定多变量源掩模优化函数。多变量源掩模优化函数考