Abstract: An FEL includes a feedback device for feeding back emitted illumination radiation.

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: An FEL includes a feedback device for feeding back emitted illumination radiation.

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 lithography apparatus includes a radiation source configured to produce radiation having a repetition frequency. The lithography apparatus also includes an optical component configured to guide the radiation within the lithography apparatus. The lithography apparatus further includes an actuator device configured to displace the optical component. In addition, the lithography apparatus includes a measurement device configured to determine a position of the optical component via a measurement signal having a measurement signal frequency. The measurement signal frequency is unequal to the repetition frequency, and the measurement signal frequency is unequal to integer multiples of the repetition frequency.

Abstract: An EUV mirror (1000) has a mirror element which forms a mirror surface of the mirror. The mirror element has a substrate (1020) and a multilayer arrangement (1030) applied on the substrate and having a reflective effect with respect to radiation from the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV). The multilayer arrangement has a multiplicity of layer pairs having alternate layers composed of a high refractive index layer material and a low refractive index layer material, has an active layer (1040) arranged between a radiation entrance surface and the substrate and consisting of a piezoelectrically active layer material, the layer thickness (z) of which active layer can be altered by the action of an electric field, and has an electrode arrangement to generate the electric field acting on the active layer.

Abstract: A facet mirror is to be used as a bundle-guiding optical component in a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The facet mirror has a plurality of separate mirrors. For individual deflection of incident illumination light, the separate mirrors are in each case connected to an actuator in such a way that they are separately tiltable about at least one tilt axis. A control device, which is connected to the actuators, is configured in such a way that a given grouping of the separate mirrors can be grouped into separate mirror groups that include in each case at least two separate mirrors. The result is a facet mirror which, when installed in the projection exposure apparatus, increases the variability for setting various illumination geometries of an object field to be illuminated by the projection exposure apparatus. Various embodiments of separate mirrors for forming the facet mirrors are described.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus includes a radiation source configured to produce radiation having a repetition frequency. The lithography apparatus also includes an optical component configured to guide the radiation within the lithography apparatus. The lithography apparatus further includes an actuator device configured to displace the optical component. In addition, the lithography apparatus includes a measurement device configured to determine a position of the optical component via a measurement signal having a measurement signal frequency. The measurement signal frequency is unequal to the repetition frequency, and the measurement signal frequency is unequal to integer multiples of the repetition frequency.

Abstract: An EUV mirror (1000) has a mirror element which forms a mirror surface of the mirror. The mirror element has a substrate (1020) and a multilayer arrangement (1030) applied on the substrate and having a reflective effect with respect to radiation from the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV). The multilayer arrangement has a multiplicity of layer pairs having alternate layers composed of a high refractive index layer material and a low refractive index layer material, has an active layer (1040) arranged between a radiation entrance surface and the substrate and consisting of a piezoelectrically active layer material, the layer thickness (z) of which active layer can be altered by the action of an electric field, and has an electrode arrangement to generate the electric field acting on the active layer.

Abstract: A facet mirror is to be used as a bundle-guiding optical component in a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The facet mirror has a plurality of separate mirrors. For individual deflection of incident illumination light, the separate mirrors are in each case connected to an actuator in such a way that they are separately tiltable about at least one tilt axis. A control device, which is connected to the actuators, is configured in such a way that a given grouping of the separate mirrors can be grouped into separate mirror groups that include in each case at least two separate mirrors. The result is a facet mirror which, when installed in the projection exposure apparatus, increases the variability for setting various illumination geometries of an object field to be illuminated by the projection exposure apparatus. Various embodiments of separate mirrors for forming the facet mirrors are described.

Abstract: An EUV lithography system 1 comprises an EUV beam path and a monitor beam path 51. The EUV beam path comprises a mirror system 13, which has a base and a multiplicity of mirror elements 17 having concave mirror surfaces, the orientation of which relative to the base is respectively adjustable. The monitor beam path 51 comprises at least one monitor radiation source 53, a screen 71, the mirror system 13, which is arranged in the monitor beam path 51 between the monitor radiation source 53 and the screen 71, and a spatially resolving detector 77. In this case, each of a plurality of the mirror elements generates an image of the monitor radiation source in an image plane assigned to the respective mirror elements, distances B between the image planes assigned to the mirror elements and the screen have a maximum distance, distances A between each of the plurality of mirror elements and the image plane assigned to it have a minimum distance, and the maximum distance B is less than half of the minimum distance A.

Abstract: An EUV mirror arrangement (100) has a multiplicity of mirror elements (110, 111, 112) which are arranged alongside one another and jointly form a mirror surface of the mirror arrangement. Each mirror element has a substrate (120) and a multilayer arrangement (130) applied on the substrate and having a reflective effect with respect to radiation from the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV), said multilayer arrangement comprising a multiplicity of layer pairs (135) having alternate layers composed of a high refractive index layer material and a low refractive index layer material. The multilayer arrangement has an active layer (140) arranged between a radiation entrance surface and the substrate and consisting of a piezoelectrically active layer material, the layer thickness (z) of which active layer can be altered by the action of an electric field. For each active layer provision is made of an electrode arrangement for generating an electric field acting on the active layer.

Abstract: A beam guidance system serves for the focusing guidance of radiation from a high-power laser light source toward a target. The beam guidance system has at least one mirror as reflective beam guidance component and at least one transmission component which is at least partially transmissive to the radiation as refractive beam guidance component. The arrangement of the at least one mirror and of the at least one transmission component is such that beam-induced changes to the beam guidance properties of the at least one mirror are at least partly compensated for by beam-induced changes to the beam guidance properties of the at least one transmission component. This results in a beam guidance system in which beam-induced changes to the beam guidance properties of the beam guidance system do not have a disturbing effect on the focusing guidance of the radiation from the laser light source.

Abstract: A facet mirror is to be used as a bundle-guiding optical component in a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The facet mirror has a plurality of separate mirrors. For individual deflection of incident illumination light, the separate mirrors are in each case connected to an actuator in such a way that they are separately tiltable about at least one tilt axis. A control device, which is connected to the actuators, is configured in such a way that a given grouping of the separate mirrors can be grouped into separate mirror groups that include in each case at least two separate mirrors. The result is a facet mirror which, when installed in the projection exposure apparatus, increases the variability for setting various illumination geometries of an object field to be illuminated by the projection exposure apparatus. Various embodiments of separate mirrors for forming the facet mirrors are described.

Abstract: An EUV collector for collecting and transmitting radiation from an EUV radiation source includes at least one collector mirror for reflecting an emission of the EUV radiation source, which is rotationally symmetric with respect to a central axis. The EUV collector also includes a cooling device for cooling the at least one collector mirror. The cooling device has at least one cooling element, which has a course with respect to the collector mirror, in each case, such that the projection of the course into a plane perpendicular to the central axis has a main direction, which encloses an angle of at most 20° with respect to a predetermined preferred direction. The collector transmits improved quality radiation to illuminate an object field.

Abstract: A beam guidance system serves for the focusing guidance of radiation from a high-power laser light source toward a target. The beam guidance system has at least one mirror as reflective beam guidance component and at least one transmission component which is at least partially transmissive to the radiation as refractive beam guidance component. The arrangement of the at least one mirror and of the at least one transmission component is such that beam-induced changes to the beam guidance properties of the at least one mirror are at least partly compensated for by beam-induced changes to the beam guidance properties of the at least one transmission component. This results in a beam guidance system in which beam-induced changes to the beam guidance properties of the beam guidance system do not have a disturbing effect on the focusing guidance of the radiation from the laser light source.

Abstract: Substrates suitable for mirrors which are used at wavelengths in the EUV wavelength range have a main body (2) and a polishing layer (3). The polishing layer (3) has a thickness of less than 10 ?m and a root-mean-square roughness of less than 0.5 nm and the main body (2) is produced from an aluminum alloy. Moreover, a highly reflective layer (6) is provided on the polishing layer (3) of the substrate (1) of the EUV mirror (5).

Abstract: A bundle-guiding optical collector collects an emission of a radiation source and forms a radiation bundle from the collected emission. A reflective surface of the collector is the first bundle-forming surface downstream of the radiation source. The reflective surface is formed such that it converts the radiation source into a family of images in a downstream plane. The family of images includes a plurality of radiation source images which are offset to each other in two dimensions (x, y) in a direction perpendicular to the beam direction of the transformed radiation bundle and are arranged relative to each other in a non-rotationally symmetric manner relative to the beam direction of the transformed radiation bundle. The transformed radiation bundle in the downstream plane has a non-rotationally symmetric bundle edge contour relative to the beam direction of the transformed radiation bundle. The result is a collector in which the radiation bundle shape generated by the collector.

Abstract: An EUV mirror arrangement (100) has a multiplicity of mirror elements (110, 111, 112) which are arranged alongside one another and jointly form a mirror surface of the mirror arrangement. Each mirror element has a substrate (120) and a multilayer arrangement (130) applied on the substrate and having a reflective effect with respect to radiation from the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV), said multilayer arrangement comprising a multiplicity of layer pairs (135) having alternate layers composed of a high refractive index layer material and a low refractive index layer material. The multilayer arrangement has an active layer (140) arranged between a radiation entrance surface and the substrate and consisting of a piezoelectrically active layer material, the layer thickness (z) of which active layer can be altered by the action of an electric field. For each active layer provision is made of an electrode arrangement for generating an electric field acting on the active layer.

Abstract: A projection illumination installation for EUV microlithography includes an EUV synchrotron light source for producing EUV used light. An object field is illuminated with the used light using illumination optics. The object field is mapped into an image field using projection optics. A scanning device is used to illuminate the object field by deflecting the used light in sync with a projection illumination period. The result is a projection illumination installation in which the output power from an EUV synchrotron light source can be used as efficiently as possible for EUV projection illumination.