Abstract: Proposed for cleaning optical elements for the ultraviolet wavelength range having at least one metal-containing layer on a surface is a process that includes: —supplying activated hydrogen to the surface having the metal-containing layer; subsequently supplying inert gas having an H2O volume fraction of below 5 ppm, preferably below 1 ppm, particularly preferably below 0.2 ppm. To this end, an optical system (1) includes a housing (122), a supply line (161) of activated hydrogen, a supply line (162) of inert gas having an H2O volume fraction of below 5 ppm and a discharge line (163) for pumping gas out of the housing.

Abstract: For the purposes of measuring structures of a microlithographic mask, a method for capturing absolute positions of structures on the mask and a method for determining structure-dependent and/or illumination-dependent contributions to the position of an image of the structures to be imaged, or of the edges defining this structure, are combined with one another. As a result of this, establishing an edge placement error that is relevant to the exposure of a wafer and, hence, a characterization of the mask can be substantially improved.

Abstract: The present application relates to an apparatus for processing a photolithographic mask, said apparatus comprising: (a) at least one time-varying particle beam, which is embodied for a local deposition reaction and/or a local etching reaction on the photolithographic mask; (b) at least one first means for providing at least one precursor gas, wherein the precursor gas is embodied to interact with the particle beam during the local deposition reaction and/or the local etching reaction; and (c) at least one second means, which reduces a mean angle of incidence (?) between the time-varying particle beam and a surface of the photolithographic mask.

Abstract: An optical system includes a scanning unit, a first lens-element group including at least a first lens element, and a focusing unit which is designed to focus beams onto a focus, wherein the focusing unit includes a second lens-element group including at least a second lens element and an imaging lens. The imaging lens further includes a pupil plane and a wavefront manipulator. The wavefront manipulator is arranged in the pupil plane of the imaging lens or in a plane that is conjugate to the pupil plane, or the scanning unit of the optical system is arranged in a plane that is conjugate to the pupil plane and the wavefront manipulator is arranged upstream of the scanning unit in the light direction. The focus of the second lens-element group lies in the pupil plane of the imaging lens in all focal positions of the focusing unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining an imaging function of a mask inspection microscope, wherein the mask inspection microscope comprises an imaging optical element, a tube, a recording device, an object stage, an illumination unit for measurement with transmitted light and an illumination unit for measurement in reflection, comprising the following method steps: a) measuring the intensities in the pupil plane of the imaging optical element in a reflective measurement, b) measuring the intensities in the pupil plane of the imaging optical element in a transmitted-light measurement, d) Determining the imaging function of the intensities of the imaging optical element, d) determining the imaging function of the intensities of the illumination optical element comprised in the illumination unit for the transmitted-light measurement.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for transforming measurement data of a photolithographic mask for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range from first surroundings into second surroundings. The method includes the steps of: (a) determining the measurement data for the photolithographic mask in the first surroundings, wherein the measurement data are influenced by the effects of internal stresses on the photolithographic mask; (b) ascertaining at least one change in the measurement data during the transition from the first surroundings into the second surroundings, in which change the effects of the internal stresses on the photolithographic mask are at least partly compensated; and (c) correcting the measurement data determined in step (a) with the at least one change in the measurement data ascertained in step (b).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for examining a measuring tip of a scanning probe microscope, wherein the method includes the following steps: (a) generating at least one test structure before a sample is analyzed, or after said sample has been analyzed, by the measuring tip; and (b) examining the measuring tip with the aid of the at least one generated test structure.

Abstract: The present application relates to an apparatus for a scanning probe microscope, said apparatus having: (a) at least one first measuring probe having at least one first cantilever, the free end of which has a first measuring tip; (b) at least one first reflective area arranged in the region of the free end of the at least one first cantilever and embodied to reflect at least two light beams in different directions; and (c) at least two first interferometers embodied to use the at least two light beams reflected by the at least one first reflective area to determine the position of the first measuring tip.

Abstract: An arrangement for an EUV lithography apparatus includes a reflective optical element (60) having an optically effective surface (62) configured to reflect incident EUV radiation, and a filament arrangement (65) configured to produce a reagent that cleans the optically effective surface (62). The filament arrangement (65) has at least one filament (66) configured as a glow or heating element. The at least one filament (66) is arranged along the optically effective surface (62) of the reflective optical element (60) wherein a thickness and/or positioning of the at least one filament (66) are/is chosen so as to minimize an optical influence of the at least one filament (66) in the far field of the EUV radiation reflected by the optically effective surface (62).

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for designing optical systems are provided. In this case, on a plurality of known optical systems, machine learning is carried out in order to train a computing device. After this training, the computing device can generate a design for an optical system on the basis of parameters describing desired properties of an optical system.

Abstract: A method for polishing a workpiece in the production of an optical element, in particular for microlithography, wherein a relative movement takes place between a polishing tool (300) and a workpiece surface (110, 120, 210) being machined. A polishing tool surface (215, 315) of the polishing tool (300) is formed by a viscoelastic polishing medium (303), wherein the polishing tool surface has an average diameter which is less than 50% of the average diameter of the workpiece surface being machined. The polishing tool surface during polishing is guided by an overrun distance beyond at least one edge (110a, 110b, 120a, 120b, 210a, 210b) delimiting the workpiece surface being machined, wherein the average diameter of the polishing tool surface is at least twice the overrun distance.

Abstract: A reflective optical element (1) for reflecting light having at least one wavelength in an EUV wavelength range has an optically effective region configured for reflecting the light incident on a surface (2) of the optically effective region. The reflective optical element (1) has an edge (4) forming at least part of a boundary of an edge-free surface (3) of the reflective optical element (1), wherein the edge-free surface (3) includes the surface (2) of the optically effective region. The edge (4) has a chamfer and/or a rounding. Also disclosed is a method for adapting a geometry of at least one surface region of a component of an optical arrangement, for example of a reflective optical element (1).

Abstract: A compensation optical unit (30) for a measurement system (10) for determining a shape of an optical surface (12) of a test object (14) by interferometry generates a measuring wave (44), directed at the test object, with a wavefront that is at least partly adapted to a target shape of the optical surface from an input wave (18). The unit includes first (32) and second (34) optical elements disposed in a beam path of the input wave. The second optical element is a diffractive optical element configured to split the input wave into the measuring wave and a reference wave (42) following an interaction with the first optical element. At least 20% of a refractive power of the entire compensation optical unit is allotted to the first optical element, and this allotted refractive power has the same sign as the refractive power of the entire compensation optical unit.

Abstract: A method for at least partially removing a contamination layer (24) from an optical surface (14a) of an optical element (14) that reflects EUV radiation includes: performing an atomic layer etching process for at least partially removing the contamination layer (24) from the optical surface (14a), which, in turn, includes: exposing the contamination layer (24) to a surface-modifying reactant (44) in a surface modification step, and exposing the contamination layer (24) to a material-detaching reactant (45) in a material detachment step. The optical element (14) is typically taken, before the atomic layer etching process is performed, from an optical arrangement, in particular from an EUV lithography system, in which the optical surface (14a) of the optical element (14) is exposed to EUV radiation (6), during which the contamination layer (24) is formed.

Abstract: An optical diffraction component is configured to suppress at least one target wavelength by destructive interference. The optical diffraction component includes at least three diffraction structure levels that are assignable to at least two diffraction structure groups. A first of the diffraction structure groups is configured to suppress a first target wavelength ?1. A second of the diffraction structure groups is configured to suppress a second target wavelength ?2, where (?1??2)2/(?1+?2)2<20%. A topography of the diffraction structure levels can be described as a superimposition of two binary diffraction structure groups. Boundary regions between adjacent surface sections of each of the binary diffraction structure groups have a linear course and are superimposed on one another at most along sections of the linear course.

Abstract: An optical assembly includes: an optical element, which is transmissive or reflective to radiation at a used wavelength and has an optically used region; and a thermally conductive component, which is arranged outside the optically used region of the optical element. The thermally conductive component can include a material having a thermal conductivity of more than 500 W m?1 K?1. Additionally or alternatively, the product of the thickness of the thermally conductive component in millimeters and the thermal conductivity of the material of the thermally conductive component is at least 1 W mm m?1 K?1.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for determining at least one property of an EUV source in a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography, wherein the property is determined on the basis of the electromagnetic radiation emanating from the EUV source, and wherein a thermal load for a component of the projection exposure apparatus is determined and the property is deduced on the basis of the thermal load determined.

Abstract: A method and a device for characterizing a mask for microlithography in a characterization process carried out using an optical system, wherein the optical system includes an illumination optical unit and an imaging optical unit and wherein in the characterization process structures of the mask are illuminated by the illumination optical unit, the mask is imaged onto a detector unit by the imaging optical unit and image data recorded by the detector unit are evaluated in an evaluation unit. A method includes the following steps: determining a temporal variation of at least one variable that is characteristic of the thermal state of the optical system, and modifying the characterization process depending on the temporal variation determined.

Abstract: A mirror for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and a method for operating a deformable mirror. In one aspect, a mirror includes an optical effective surface (11), a mirror substrate (12), a reflection layer stack (21) for reflecting electromagnetic radiation incident on the optical effective surface, and at least one piezoelectric layer (16) arranged between the mirror substrate and the reflection layer stack and to which an electric field for producing a locally variable deformation is able to be applied by a first electrode arrangement situated on the side of the piezoelectric layer (16) facing the reflection layer stack, and by a second electrode arrangement situated on the side of the piezoelectric layer facing the mirror substrate. The piezoelectric layer has a plurality of columns spatially separated from one another by column boundaries, wherein a mean column diameter of the columns is in the range of 0.1 ?m to 50 ?m.

Abstract: A projection exposure method and apparatus are disclosed for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask under the control of an operating control system of a projection exposure apparatus, part of the pattern lying in an illumination region is imaged onto the image field on the substrate with the aid of a projection lens, wherein all rays of the projection radiation contributing to the image generation in the image field form a projection beam path.