Abstract: A method for producing a mirror of a lithography system includes providing first and second mirror parts. Cooling channels having elongate cooling channel openings in the region of a first connecting surface of the first mirror part are formed in the first mirror part, and/or cooling channels having elongate cooling channel openings in the region of a second connecting surface of the second mirror part are formed in the second mirror part. The method also includes bringing together the first and second mirror parts so that initially a partial region of the first connecting surface and a partial region of the second connecting surface come into contact and form a common contact surface. The common contact surface is enlarged by continuing to bring the first and second mirror parts together in a direction along the longitudinal extents of the cooling channel openings.

Abstract: A method for producing a mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises providing a first mirror part having a first connecting surface and a second mirror part having a second connecting surface is provided. Cooling channels and/or auxiliary channels are formed in the second mirror part. The method also includes bringing together the first and second mirror parts so that initially a partial region of the first connecting surface and a partial region of the second connecting surface come into contact and form a common contact surface. The method further includes enlarging the contact surface by continuing to bring the first and second mirror parts together in a transverse direction with respect to the cooling channels or auxiliary channels.

Abstract: A method for producing a mirror of a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography includes providing at least one material blank. The material blank comprises a material with a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and has fault zones within which at least one material parameter deviates from a specified value by more than a minimum deviation. A first mirror part having a first connecting surface is produced from the material blank. A second mirror part having a second connecting surface is produced from the material blank or a further material blank. The first and second mirror parts are permanently connected to one another in the region of the first and second connecting surfaces.

Abstract: Reflective optical element with extended service life for VUV wavelengths includes a substrate (41) and a metal layer (49) thereon. At least one metal fluoride layer (43) on the metal layer faces away from the substrate and at least one oxide layer (45) on the metal fluoride layer faces away from the substrate. The thicknesses of the layers on the metal layer facing away from the substrate are selected so that the electrical field of a standing wave, formed when a relevant wavelength is reflected, has a minimum in the region of the oxide layer. In addition, the relevant wavelength is selected so that, from a minimum VUV wavelength range to the relevant wavelengths, the integral over the extinction coefficients of the material of the at least one oxide layer is between 15% and 47% of the corresponding integral from the minimum wavelengths to a maximum wavelength.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical element having a main body with a first side surface, which has a first optical coating, and at least one second side surface, which is not plane-parallel to the first side surface and has a second optical coating, is proposed. The method includes the steps of: determining the stress induced in the optical element by the first optical coating of the first side surface; determining a counter-stress, so that the resultant overall stress induced in the optical element is as small as possible; determining the second optical coating while taking into account the determined counter-stress and the optical parameters of the second optical coating; applying the first optical coating on the first side surface; and, applying the second optical coating on the at least one second side surface.

Abstract: Reflective optical element with extended service life for VUV wavelengths includes a substrate (41) and a metal layer (49) thereon. At least one metal fluoride layer (43) on the metal layer faces away from the substrate and at least one oxide layer (45) on the metal fluoride layer faces away from the substrate. The thicknesses of the layers on the metal layer facing away from the substrate are selected so that the electrical field of a standing wave, formed when a relevant wavelength is reflected, has a minimum in the region of the oxide layer. In addition, the relevant wavelength is selected so that, from a minimum VUV wavelength range to the relevant wavelengths, the integral over the extinction coefficients of the material of the at least one oxide layer is between 15% and 47% of the corresponding integral from the minimum wavelengths to a maximum wavelength.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical element having a main body with a first side surface, which has a first optical coating, and at least one second side surface, which is not plane-parallel to the first side surface and has a second optical coating, is proposed. The method includes the steps of: determining the stress induced in the optical element by the first optical coating of the first side surface; determining a counter-stress, so that the resultant overall stress induced in the optical element is as small as possible; determining the second optical coating while taking into account the determined counter-stress and the optical parameters of the second optical coating; applying the first optical coating on the first side surface; and, applying the second optical coating on the at least one second side surface.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical element having a main body with a first side surface, which has a first optical coating, and at least one second side surface, which is not plane-parallel to the first side surface and has a second optical coating, is proposed. The method includes the steps of: determining the stress induced in the optical element by the first optical coating of the first side surface; determining a counter-stress, so that the resultant overall stress induced in the optical element is as small as possible; determining the second optical coating while taking into account the determined counter-stress and the optical parameters of the second optical coating; applying the first optical coating on the first side surface; and, applying the second optical coating on the at least one second side surface.

Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective for images an object field onto an image field via imaging radiation. The projection objective includes at least one reflective optical component and a measuring device. The reflective optical component, during the operation of the projection objective, reflects a first part of the imaging radiation and transmits a second part of the imaging radiation. The reflected, first part of the imaging radiation at least partly contributes to the imaging of the object field. The transmitted, second part of the imaging radiation is at least partly fed to a measuring device. This allows a simultaneous exposure of the photosensitive layer at the location of the image field with the imaging radiation and monitoring of the imaging radiation with the aid of the measuring device.

Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective for images an object field onto an image field via imaging radiation. The projection objective includes at least one reflective optical component and a measuring device. The reflective optical component, during the operation of the projection objective, reflects a first part of the imaging radiation and transmits a second part of the imaging radiation. The reflected, first part of the imaging radiation at least partly contributes to the imaging of the object field. The transmitted, second part of the imaging radiation is at least partly fed to a measuring device. This allows a simultaneous exposure of the photosensitive layer at the location of the image field with the imaging radiation and monitoring of the imaging radiation with the aid of the measuring device.

Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective for images an object field onto an image field via imaging radiation. The projection objective includes at least one reflective optical component and a measuring device. The reflective optical component, during the operation of the projection objective, reflects a first part of the imaging radiation and transmits a second part of the imaging radiation. The reflected, first part of the imaging radiation at least partly contributes to the imaging of the object field. The transmitted, second part of the imaging radiation is at least partly fed to a measuring device. This allows a simultaneous exposure of the photosensitive layer at the location of the image field with the imaging radiation and monitoring of the imaging radiation with the aid of the measuring device.

Abstract: An EUV mirror with a substrate and a multilayer arrangement including: a periodic first layer group having N1>1 first layer pairs of period thickness P1 and arranged on a radiation entrance side of the multilayer arrangement; a periodic second layer group having N2>1 second layer pairs of period thickness P2 and arranged between the first layer group and the substrate; and a third layer group having N3 third layer pairs arranged between the first and second layer groups. N1>N2. The third layer group has a third period thickness P3 which deviates from an average period thickness PM=(P1+P2)/2 by a period thickness difference ?P. ?P corresponds to the quotient of the optical layer thickness (?/4) of a quarter-wave layer and the product of N3 and cos(AOIM), AOIM being the mean incidence angle for which the multilayer arrangement is designed.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical element having a main body with a first side surface, which has a first optical coating, and at least one second side surface, which is not plane-parallel to the first side surface and has a second optical coating, is proposed. The method includes the steps of: determining the stress induced in the optical element by the first optical coating of the first side surface; determining a counter-stress, so that the resultant overall stress induced in the optical element is as small as possible; determining the second optical coating while taking into account the determined counter-stress and the optical parameters of the second optical coating; applying the first optical coating on the first side surface; and, applying the second optical coating on the at least one second side surface.

Abstract: An optical element (14) transparent for radiation with a wavelength ? in the ultraviolet wavelength range below 250 nm, in particular at 193 nm, comprises a substrate (17) with a refractive index ns larger than 1.6, and an antireflection coating (16) formed on at least part of the surface of the substrate (17) between the substrate (17) and an ambient medium with a refractive index nA, preferably with nA=1.0. The antireflection coating (16) consists of a single layer of a material with a refractive index nL of about nL=?{square root over (nAnS)}, in particular nL>1.3, and the optical thickness dL of the single layer is about ?/4. The optical element (14) is preferably part of a projection objective (5) in a microlithography projection exposure apparatus (1) and located adjacent to a light-sensitive substrate (10).

Abstract: A mirror (1a; 1a?; 1b; 1b?; 1c; 1c?) for the EUV wavelength range and having a substrate (S) and a layer arrangement, wherein the layer arrangement includes at least one surface layer system (P??) consisting of a periodic sequence of at least two periods (P3) of individual layers, wherein the periods (P3) include two individual layers composed of different materials for a high refractive index layer (H??) and a low refractive index layer (L??), wherein the layer arrangement includes at least one surface protecting layer (SPL, Lp) or at least one surface protecting layer system (SPLS) having a thickness of greater than 20 nm, and preferably greater than 50 nm.

Abstract: An EUV mirror with a substrate and a multilayer arrangement including: a periodic first layer group having N1>1 first layer pairs of period thickness P1 and arranged on a radiation entrance side of the multilayer arrangement; a periodic second layer group having N2>1 second layer pairs of period thickness P2 and arranged between the first layer group and the substrate; and a third layer group having N3 third layer pairs arranged between the first and second layer groups. N1>N2. The third layer group has a mean third period thickness P3 which deviates from an average period thickness PM=(P1+P2)/2 by a period thickness difference ?P. ?P corresponds to the quotient of the optical layer thickness (?/4) of a quarter-wave layer and the product of N3 and cos(AOIM), AOIM being the mean incidence angle for which the multilayer arrangement is designed.

Abstract: An optical imaging system serving for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane of the imaging system into an image plane of the imaging system with the aid of electromagnetic radiation from a wavelength range around a main wavelength ?0 has a multiplicity of mirrors. Each mirror has a mirror surface having a reflective layer arrangement having a sequence of individual layers.

Abstract: A projection exposure system includes an illumination system configured to illuminate a mask with radiation. The projection exposure system also includes a projection objective configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto a radiation-sensitive substrate. The projection exposure system further includes an angle-selective filter arrangement arranged at or close to a field surface of the projection objective in a projection beam path optically downstream of the object surface. The angle-selective filter arrangement is effective to filter radiation incident on the filter arrangement according to an angle-selective filter function.

Abstract: To prevent reflective optical elements (2) for EUV lithography from becoming electrically charged as they are irradiated with EUV radiation (4), an optical system for EUV lithography is proposed, having a reflective optical element (2), including a substrate (21) with a highly reflective coating (22) emitting secondary electrons when irradiated with EUV radiation (4), and a source (3) of electrically charged particles, which is arranged in such a manner that electrically charged particles are applied to the reflective optical element (2), wherein the source (3) for the charge carrier compensation is exclusively a flood gun applying electrons to the reflective optical element (2).

Abstract: A projection exposure system includes an illumination system configured to illuminate a mask with radiation. The projection exposure system also includes a projection objective configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto a radiation-sensitive substrate. The projection exposure system further includes an angle-selective filter arrangement arranged at or close to a field surface of the projection objective in a projection beam path optically downstream of the object surface. The angle-selective filter arrangement is effective to filter radiation incident on the filter arrangement according to an angle-selective filter function.