Lithographic pattern formation in the presence of aberrations in anamorphic optical systems

Abstract

Aberrations must be sufficiently controlled to make moving to a higher numerical aperture worthwhile. Traditional isomorphic imaging systems form the same image regardless of their rotation. Likewise, the aberration basis chosen for isomorphic optics is invariant under rotation. Anamorphic optics are not rotationally invariant though—they are only reflection invariant. We have shown in previous reports that a basis composed from a product of Legendre polynomials represents the balanced aberrations of anamorphic optics. Solutions have been presented under the presence of a circular central obscuration. This paper will examine the properties of these aberrations and their effects on image formation through analogies to the well-known Zernike aberrations. It will be shown that ray tracing simulations of the point spread function of an anamorphic optic in Code V matches predictions made by the proposed basis. A system will be described for computing an anamorphic aberration basis in the presence of an arbitrary obscuration. Based on this system we will analyze the effects of using the basis for the wrong type of obscuration.