Abstract: An illumination intensity correction device serves for predefining an illumination intensity over an illumination field of a lithographic projection exposure apparatus. The correction device has a plurality of bar-shaped individual stops arranged alongside one another and having bar axes arranged parallel to one another, which are arranged in a manner lined up alongside one another transversely with respect to the bar axes. The individual stops are displaceable into a predefined intensity correction displacement position at least along their respective bar axis with the aid of a displacement drive individually for the purpose of predefining an intensity correction of an illumination of the illumination field.

Abstract: A projection lens is disclosed for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane of the projection lens into an image plane of the projection lens via electromagnetic radiation having an operating wavelength ? from the extreme ultraviolet range. The projection lens includes a multiplicity of mirrors having mirror surfaces arranged in a projection beam path between the object plane and the image plane so that a pattern of a mask in the object plane is imagable into the image plane via the mirrors. A first imaging scale in a first direction running parallel to a scan direction is smaller in terms of absolute value than a second imaging scale in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The projection lens also includes a dynamic wavefront manipulation system for correcting astigmatic wavefront aberration portions caused by reticle displacement.

Abstract: A method of providing a catadioptric projection includes: providing a first partial objective for imaging an object field onto a first real intermediate image; providing a second partial objective for imaging the first real intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image, in which the second partial objective includes a concave mirror; providing a third partial objective for imaging the second intermediate image onto an image field, the third partial objective including an aperture stop; providing a first folding mirror and a second folding mirror; and providing an antireflection coating onto a surface of at least one lens that is directly adjacent to the concave mirror or that is separate from the concave mirror by a single lens, in which the antireflection coating is designed to have reflectivity of less than 0.2% for a wavelength between 150 nm and 250 nm and for an angle-of-incidence range between 0° and 30°.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus includes a projection lens, a wavefront manipulator and a wavefront measuring device for measuring a wavefront in the projection lens. The wavefront measuring device includes a Moiré grating arrangement having an object grating and an image grating which are designed to be arranged in an object plane and an image plane, respectively, of the projection lens. The object grating and the image grating are coordinated with one another in a manner true to scale in such a way as to generate a Moiré superimposition pattern from an imaging of the object grating onto the image plane and the image grating. The Moiré grating arrangement is designed in such a way as to simultaneously generate the Moiré superimposition pattern for a plurality of field points of an object field in the object plane and/or of an image field in the image plane.

Abstract: A film element of an EUV-transmitting wavefront correction device is arranged in a beam path and includes a first layer of first layer material having a first complex refractive index n1=(1??1)+iß1, with a first optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a first layer thickness profile, and a second layer of second layer material having a second complex refractive index n2=(1??2)+iß2, with a second optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a second layer thickness profile. The first and second layer thickness profiles differ. The deviation ?1 of the real part of the first refractive index from 1 is large relative to the absorption coefficient ß1 of the first layer material and the deviation ?2 of the real part of the second refractive index from 1 is small relative to the absorption coefficient ß2 of the second layer material.

Abstract: A projection objective with obscurated pupil for microlithography has a first optical surface, which has a first region provided for application of useful light, and at least one second optical surface, which has a second region provided for application of useful light. A beam envelope of the useful light extends between the first region and the second region. At least one tube open on the input side and on the output side in the light propagation direction severs to screen scattered light. The at least one tube is between the first optical surface and the second optical surface. The wall of the tube is opaque in the wavelength range of the useful light. The tube extends in the propagation direction of the useful light over at least a partial length of the beam envelope and circumferentially surrounds the beam envelope.

Abstract: Mirror elements (2a, 2b) include a substrate (4a, 4b) and a multilayer arrangement (5a, 5b). The multilayer arrangement includes a reflective layer system (6a, 6b) having a radiation entrance surface (7a, 7b) and a piezoelectric layer (8a, 8b) arranged between the radiation entrance surface and the substrate. Each mirror element includes an electrode arrangement (9a, 9b, 9c) associated with the piezoelectric layer. A layer thickness (tp) of the piezoelectric layer is controlled by the electric field generated. An interconnection arrangement (10) electrically interconnects adjacent electrodes of adjacent electrode arrangements. According to one formulation, the interconnection arrangement generates an electric field in a gap region (11) between the adjacent electrodes.

Abstract: An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and a microlithographic exposure method are disclosed. In an embodiment an optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes at least one mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements which are displaceable independently of each other for altering an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement. The optical system also includes at least one manipulator downstream of the mirror arrangement in the light propagation direction. The manipulator has a raster arrangement of manipulator elements so that light incident on the manipulator during operation of the optical system is influenced differently in its polarization state and/or in its intensity in dependence on the incidence location.

Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective has a multiplicity of lenses and at least one concave mirror, and also two deflection mirrors in order to separate a partial beam path running from the object field to the concave mirror from the partial beam path running from the concave mirror to the image field. The deflection mirrors are tilted relative to the optical axis of the projection objective about tilting axes running parallel to a first direction (x-direction). The first deflection mirror is arranged in optical proximity to a first field plane and the second deflection mirror is arranged in optical proximity to a second field plane, which is optically conjugate with respect to the first field plane. A displacement device for the synchronous displacement of the deflection mirrors is provided. The deflection mirrors have different local distributions of their reflection properties in first and second reflection regions, respectively.

Abstract: A method of providing a catadioptric projection includes: providing a first partial objective for imaging an object field onto a first real intermediate image; providing a second partial objective for imaging the first real intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image, in which the second partial objective includes a concave mirror; providing a third partial objective for imaging the second intermediate image onto an image field, the third partial objective including an aperture stop; providing a first folding mirror and a second folding mirror; and providing an antireflection coating onto a surface of at least one lens that is directly adjacent to the concave mirror or that is separate from the concave mirror by a single lens, in which the antireflection coating is designed to have reflectivity of less than 0.2% for a wavelength between 150 nm and 250 nm and for an angle-of-incidence range between 0° and 30°.

Abstract: A projection exposure method for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask in a projection exposure apparatus includes using an anamorphic projection lens

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus includes a projection lens, a wavefront manipulator and a wavefront measuring device for measuring a wavefront in the projection lens. The wavefront measuring device includes a Moiré grating arrangement having an object grating and an image grating which are designed to be arranged in an object plane and an image plane, respectively, of the projection lens. The object grating and the image grating are coordinated with one another in a manner true to scale in such a way as to generate a Moiré superimposition pattern from an imaging of the object grating onto the image plane and the image grating. The Moiré grating arrangement is designed in such a way as to simultaneously generate the Moiré superimposition pattern for a plurality of field points of an object field in the object plane and/or of an image field in the image plane.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus includes a catadioptric projection objective, an illumination system, a stage, and a control unit. The catadioptric projection objective includes multiple objective parts, and one or more active manipulators coupled to one or more optical elements of the projection objective. The control unit is programmed to cause the one or more active manipulators to act on one or more corresponding optical elements while the stage scans a wafer with respect to an image field to reduce errors in the image at the image field.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, such as are used for the production of large-scale integrated electrical circuits and other microstructured components. The disclosure relates in particular to coatings of optical elements in order to increase or reduce the reflectivity.

Abstract: An optical component for coupling out an individual output beam from a collective output beam includes a plurality of radiation-reflecting regions which are grouped in such a way that regions of the same group serve for guiding different partial beams of the individual output beam to the same scanner.

Abstract: A mirror, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has an optically effective surface (11), a mirror substrate (12), a reflection layer stack (21) for reflecting electromagnetic radiation that is incident on the optical effective surface, and at least two piezoelectric layers (16a, 16b, 16c), which are arranged successively between the mirror substrate and the reflection layer stack in the stack direction of the reflection layer stack and to which an electric field can be applied to produce a locally variable deformation, wherein at least one intermediate layer (22a, 22b) made of crystalline material is arranged between the piezoelectric layers (16a, 16b, 16c), wherein the intermediate layer is designed to leave an electric field, which is present in the region of the piezoelectric layers (16a, 16b, 16c) that adjoin the intermediate layer (22a, 22b) in the stack direction of the reflection layer stack (21), substantially uninfluenced.

Abstract: A projection exposure method for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern of a mask in a projection exposure apparatus includes using an anamorphic projection lens

Abstract: A film element of an EUV-transmitting wavefront correction device is arranged in a beam path and includes a first layer of first layer material having a first complex refractive index n1=(1??1)+i?1, with a first optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a first layer thickness profile, and a second layer of second layer material having a second complex refractive index n2=(1??2)+i?2, with a second optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a second layer thickness profile. The first and second layer thickness profiles differ. The deviation ?1 of the real part of the first refractive index from 1 is large relative to the absorption coefficient ?1 of the first layer material and the deviation ?2 of the real part of the second refractive index from 1 is small relative to the absorption coefficient ?2 of the second layer material.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus (10) for microlithography has a plurality of optical components (M1-M6) forming an exposure beam path, as well as a distance measurement system (30, 130, 230) configured to measure a distance between at least one of the optical components and a reference element (40, 140, 240). The distance measurement system comprises a frequency comb generator (32, 132, 232), which is configured to generate electromagnetic radiation (36, 236) having a comb-shaped frequency spectrum.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, such as are used for the production of large-scale integrated electrical circuits and other microstructured components. The disclosure relates in particular to coatings of optical elements in order to increase or reduce the reflectivity.