Requirements on optical density and phase dispersion of imperfect band-limited occulting masks in a broadband coronagraph

We investigate the effects of the parasitic phase of imperfect band-limited occulting masks on the broadband contrast performance of a high-contrast imaging system through modeling and simulations. We also examine the effects of the phase and the optical-density dispersions of occulting masks whose parasitic phase has been compensated at the center wavelength but is nonzero at other wavelengths. Two types of occulting masks are considered: gray-scale masks such as those made on a high-energy beam-sensitive glass, and recently proposed spatially profiled metal masks, both having 1D Sinc2(linear-Sinc2) amplitude transmission coefficient (Sinc4 intensity transmittance) profiles. We determine the conditions for obtaining 1x10(-9) and 1x10(-10) contrast values with a light centered at a 785 nm wavelength and having a 10% bandwidth in a coronagraphic telescope having ideal optical surfaces but imperfect band-limited image-plane occulting masks.     

Limits on achievable intensity reduction with an optical occulter: comment

An external occulter is used as a means to suppress starlight and enable the observation of faint, Earth-like planets. A recent paper in this journal [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 28, 1668 (2011)] suggested there were unrecognized limits on starlight intensity suppression with an external occulter. It claimed that, at the level of intensity reduction needed, tips of petal-shaped occulters are too small to be manufactured. We present analysis of that publication's apodization function and show that it is mathematically distinct from the external occulter apodization functions being discussed in the literature. Their broad conclusion that the tips cannot be built is therefore invalid. They suggest that transmitting screens might be superior but do not explain why. We show their transmission function is substantially similar to those in use for the last five years and therefore may not represent an advance in the field.     

Experimental study of external occulters for the large angle and spectrometric coronagraph 2: LASCO-C2

To reduce the level of stray light in a new-generation externally occulted space coronagraph, we consider new concepts for its external occulter and its associated diaphragm and report extended measurements of their light-rejection properties. The experimental setup, which includes an artificial Sun, uses both photometric and CCD imaging techniques and permits the study of the sensitivity to misalignement of the instrument's performance. Conic occulters that have either a multithreaded or a polished surface are found to give performances superior to those of the classical three-disk system and further are highly tolerant to misalignement. Serrated diaphragms outperform circular ones, as the bulk of the diffracted light is diverted from the coronagraphic objective.     

Annular Pupil Arrays

Any modification of the uniform amplitude distribution in the pupil of an optical system by a non-uniformly absorbing filter leads to changes in its spread function. Radially symmetrical pupil masks with a continuously varying transmittance have been used for this purpose. These can be made by vacuum deposition or photographic integration, but the manufacturing process is difficult and involves the use of rotating masks. An alternative is to use a binary mask consisting of a concentric array of annuli which approximates to the continuously varying absorption. The potential of such annular pupils for modifying the point spread of a confocally scanned imaging system is discussed, and some experimental results are presented.     

Imaging systems based on the encoding of optical coherence functions

An imaging scheme is described that is based on the transmission of image-forming information encoded within optical coherence functions. The scheme makes use of dynamic random-valued encoding-decoding masks placed in the input-output planes of any linear optical system. The mask transmittance functions are complex conjugates of each other, as opposed to a similar coherence encoding scheme proposed earlier by two of this paper's authors that used identical masks. [Rhodes and Welch, in Euro-American Workshop on Optoelectronic Information Processing, SPIE Critical Review Series (SPIE, 1999), Vol. CR74, p. 1]. General analyses of the two coherence encoding schemes are performed by using the more general mutual coherence function as opposed to the mutual intensity function used in the earlier scheme. The capabilities and limitations of both encoding schemes are discussed by using simple examples that combine the encoding-decoding masks with free-space propagation, passage through a four-f system, and a single-lens imaging system.     

Scanning methods for production of blazed relief gratings

Abstract

New methods for the production of blazed relief grating profiles using grating masks with either binary or harmonic transmittance have been developed. These methods are based on the recording of a scanning wave, properly modulated by a mask, through a grating period into photoresist. The applicability of the gratings produced by this method would be especially in the infrared or near-infrared wavelength regions in the reflection mode. These methods have been theoretically analysed and the principal ideas of the methods were experimentally verified.     

Optimal one-dimensional apodizations and shaped pupils for planet finding coronagraphy

The realization that direct imaging of extrasolar planets could be technologically feasible within the next decade or so has inspired a great deal of recent research into high-contrast imaging. We have contributed several design ideas, all of which can be described as shaped pupil coronagraphs. We offer a complete and unified survey of one-dimensional shaped pupil designs, some of which have been published in our previous papers. We also introduce a promising new design, which we call bar-code masks. With these masks we can achieve the required contrast with a fairly large discovery zone and throughput, but most importantly they are perhaps the easiest to manufacture and might therefore stand up best to refined analyses.     

Optical modeling of Fresnel zoneplate microscopes

Defect free masks remain one of the most significant challenges facing the commercialization of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Progress on this front requires high-performance wavelength-specific metrology of EUV masks, including high-resolution and aerial-image microscopy performed near the 13.5?nm wavelength. Arguably the most cost-effective and rapid path to proliferating this capability is through the development of Fresnel zoneplate-based microscopes. Given the relative obscurity of such systems, however, modeling tools are not necessarily optimized to deal with them and their imaging properties are poorly understood. Here we present a modeling methodology to analyze zoneplate microscopes based on commercially available optical modeling software and use the technique to investigate the imaging performance of an off-axis EUV microscope design. The modeling predicts that superior performance can be achieved by tilting the zoneplate, making it perpendicular to the chief ray at the center of the field, while designing the zoneplate to explicitly work in that tilted plane. Although the examples presented here are in the realm of EUV mask inspection, the methods described and analysis results are broadly applicable to zoneplate microscopes in general, including full-field soft-x-ray microscopes routinely used in the synchrotron community.     

Comparison of depth-of-focus-enhancing pupil masks based on a signal-to-noise-ratio criterion after deconvolution

We consider optimization of hybrid imaging systems including a pupil mask for enhancing the depth of field and a digital deconvolution step. In a previous paper [Opt. Lett. 34, 2970 (2009)] we proposed an optimization criterion based on the signal-to-noise ratio of the restored image. We use this criterion in order to optimize different families of phase or amplitude masks and to compare them, on an objective basis, for different desired defocus ranges. We show that increasing the number of parameters of the masks allows one to obtain better performance.     

Validity of the thin mask approximation in extreme ultraviolet mask roughness simulations

In the case of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, modeling has shown that reflector phase roughness on the lithographic mask is a significant concern due to the image plane speckle it causes and the resulting line-edge roughness on imaged features. Modeling results have recently been used to determine the requirements for future production worthy masks yielding the extremely stringent specification of 50 pm rms roughness. Owing to the scale of the problem in terms of memory requirements, past modeling results have been based on the thin mask approximation in this application. EUV masks, however, are inherently three-dimensional (3D) in nature and thus the question arises as to the validity of the thin mask approximation. Here, we directly compare the image plane speckle calculation results using the fast two-dimensional thin mask model to rigorous finite-difference time-domain results and find the two methods to agree to within 10% in the computation of the speckle magnitude and 20% in the computation of the line-edge roughness limited depth of focus. For both types of computation, the two-dimensional method provides a conservative estimate. The 3D modeling is also used to show that layer-to-layer correlated roughness is indeed the roughness metric of most concern.     

用于100nm节点ArF准分子激光光刻的相移掩模技术

用于100nm节点ArF准分子激光光刻的相移掩模(PSM)技术主要有无铬相移掩模(CPM),交替相移掩模(APSM)、衰减相移掩模(AttPSM)和混合相移掩模技术。对这些掩模的基本原理、制作方法及性能比较进行了分析研究。研究表明,无铬相位光刻(CPL)PSM和高透AttPSM 相结合构成的混合掩模最适合用于193nmArF光刻,以产生100nm节点抗蚀剂图形。     

Determination of refractive index profiles of Ag+ -Na+ ion-exchange multimode strip waveguides by variable wavefront shear double-refracting interferometry microinterferometry

The results of experimental determination of multimode strip waveguide refractive index profiles and Ag concentration profiles obtained by using the variable wavefront shear double-refracting interferometry microinterferometer Biolar PI and an electron microprobe are presented. The strip waveguides under investigation are formed in soda lime glass in an external electric-field-assisted Ag+ -Na+ ion-exchange process from the molten AgNO3 salt by use of dielectric masks with channel apertures. A dry electrochemical technique of dielectric mask formation is applied. The influence of waveguide-forming parameters on the shape of Ag concentration profiles and the range of silver diffusion are shown. Changes in the usually assumed boundary conditions of electric-field calculations in ion-exchange numerical modeling are suggested.     

Band-limited image plane masks for the Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraph: materials and designs for broadband performance

Coronagraphs for detection and characterization of exosolar earthlike planets require accurate masks with broadband performance in the visible and near infrared spectrum. Design and fabrication of image plane masks capable of suppressing broadband starlight to 10(-10) level contrast presents technical challenges. We discuss basic approaches, material choices, designs, and fabrication options for image plane masks with particular focus on material properties to obtain adequate spectral performance. Based on theoretical analysis, we show that metals such as Pt and Ni, and alloys such as Inconel, may be employed as promising mask materials that can meet broadband performance requirements.     

Influence of the mask magnification on imaging in hyper-NA lithography

Argon fluoride laser (ArF) lithography using immersion technology has the potential to extend the application of optical lithography to 45 nm half-pitch and possibly beyond. By keeping the same 4x magnification factor, the dimensions of the structures on masks are becoming comparable to the exposure wavelength or even smaller. The polarization effect induced by mask features is, however, an issue. The introduction of a larger mask magnification should be strongly considered when poor diffraction efficiencies from subwavelength mask features and the resulting image degradation would be encountered in hyper-NA lithography. The dependence of the diffraction efficiencies on mask pitch and illuminating angle are evaluated. The near-field intensity and phase distributions from the mask are calculated. The imaging performance of 4x and 8x masks for the sub-45 nm node are explored. A rigorous coupled-wave analysis is developed and employed to analyze the optical diffraction from the 3D topographic periodic features.     

Efficiency of the Hartmann test with different subpupil forms for the measurement of turbulence-induced phase distortions

The reconstruction quality of turbulence-induced phase distortions from Hartmann data is calculated for masks with different subpupil forms by means of computer simulations. Four subpupil forms are considered: the circle, the square, the hexagon, and the polar segment. We show that, for the case of a circular aperture, the mask with polar segment subpupils provides the best reconstruction quality.     

Imaging the ionosphere with the global positioning system

Observing the Global Positioning System with a satellite in low earth orbit in an occulting geometry provides a powerful means of imaging the ionosphere. Tomographic imaging of the ionosphere from space and ground is examined using singular value decomposition analysis. The resolution and covariance matrices are examined, and simulations are performed that indicate that space data are significantly more effective than ground data in resolving both horizontal and vertical structures, such as the E layer, can be probed with occultation data.©1994 John Wiley & Sons Inc     

衍射光学元件灰度掩模板激光制作系统研究

根据灰度掩模的制作理论,提出了由PP8000胶片输出仪、远心成像透镜组、平行准直He-Cd激光器构成的精缩投影曝光灰度掩模制作系统。通过灰度掩模平面不同位置处提供可变的透过率,经一次光刻后得到所需的衍射光学元件。该系统不仅可采用黑白胶片制作高分辨率灰度掩模板,还可根据彩色灰度等效理论,利用彩色等效胶片实现256灰度级的扩展细分,以进一步提高灰度掩模板制作的分辨率。对于16台阶灰度掩模,其分辨率可以从0~255扩展到0~1280灰度级。利用该系统给出了二元光栅精缩后的感光图片。     

Directional and angle-resolved optical scattering of high-performance translucent polymer sheets for energy-efficient lighting and skylights

Transparent refractive-index matched micro (TRIMM) particles have proved to be an excellent scattering component for use in translucent sheets. Measurements of hemispheric transmittance and reflectance versus angle of incidence, as well as angle-resolved studies of such translucent sheets, have been carried out to complement earlier published hemispheric reflectance and transmittance spectral measurements carried out at normal angle of incidence. Hemispheric values relative to angle of incidence are of interest for daylighting applications and building simulations, and angle-resolved measurements are vital for verifying that our modeling tools are reliable. Ray-tracing simulations based on Mie scattering for the individual TRIMM particles and angle-resolved measurements are in good agreement, indicating that the simulation method used is practical for the design of new scattering profiles by varying particle concentration or refractive index.     

Line-edge roughness transfer function and its application to determining mask effects in EUV resist characterization

The control of line-edge roughness (LER) of features printed in photoresist poses significant challenges to next-generation lithography techniques such as extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Achieving adequately low LER levels will require accurate resist characterization as well as the ability to separate resist effects from other potential contributors to LER. One significant potential contributor is LER on the mask. Here we explicitly study the mask to resist LER coupling using both analytical and computer-simulation methods. We present what is to our knowledge a new imaging transfer function referred to as the LER transfer function (LTF), which fundamentally differs from both the conventional modulation transfer function and the optical transfer function. Moreover, we present experimental results demonstrating the impact of current EUV masks on projection-lithography-based LER experiments.