Abstract: The invention is directed to an illuminating arrangement for a projection microlithographic apparatus having a laser 1 and an objective 2. Diffractive optical raster elements (8, 9) having a two-dimensional raster structure are mounted in the exit pupil and the object plane, respectively, of the objective 2 or in planes equivalent thereto. The illuminating arrangement provides an adapted increase of the light-conductance value and shapes the light beam, for example, into a circular shape, an annular shape or a quadrupole shape. The illuminating arrangement is suitable for combining with a zoom lens or an axicon objective 2 as well as with a glass rod 5.

Abstract: A REMA objective 123 images an object plane 1 onto the reticle plane 33 and has a lens group 300 disposed in the half of the objective close to the reticle. The object plane 1 lies at a finite spacing. In the lens group 300, the principal ray elevations are greater in magnitude than the elevations of the peripheral rays. A scattering surface 28 is arranged in the lens group 300 having a largest magnitude of sine of the angle of incidence of the principal ray in air with respect to the surface normal (.vertline.sin (i.sub.princ).vertline.) greater than 0.35 and preferably greater than 0.5.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an illuminating arrangement for selectively providing a projection microlithographic exposure apparatus with various types of illumination including conventional illumination having an adjustable coherence factor (.sigma.), illumination via an annular aperture and symmetrically inclined illumination from two or four directions.