Abstract: The invention relates to a method for thermally stable joining of a glass element to a support element, wherein the glass element has a first coefficient of expansion and the support element has a second coefficient of expansion differing from the first coefficient of expansion. The method thus comprises a step of attaching an intermediate glass material to the support element, wherein the intermediate glass material has a third coefficient of expansion which substantially corresponds to the second coefficient of expansion. In addition, the method comprises a step of local heating of the intermediate glass material in order to join the glass element to the support element via the intermediate glass material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for theiiiially stable joining of a glass element to a support element, wherein the glass element has a first coefficient of expansion and the support element has a second coefficient of expansion differing from the first coefficient of expansion. The method thus comprises a step of attaching an intermediate glass material to the support element, wherein the intermediate glass material has a third coefficient of expansion which substantially corresponds to the second coefficient of expansion. In addition, the method comprises a step of local heating of the intermediate glass material in order to join the glass element to the support element via the intermediate glass material.

Abstract: A method of forming a radiation filter for a lithographic system, the method including forming at least one structure in or on a filter body, wherein the at least one structure provides a filtering effect and least one of a), b), c) or d): a) the at least one structure includes a plurality of transmissive, reflective, absorbing or fluorescent structures, and the method includes providing a desired distribution of the structures to provide a desired filtering effect; b) forming the at least one structure includes forming at least one transmissive, absorbing, reflective or fluorescent layer that has a variable thickness; c) forming the at least one structure includes altering at least one optical property to provide a variation of the optical property with position; d) the at least one structure includes a fluorescent layer that provides variation of at least one fluorescence property with position and/or angle of incidence.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for generating EUV radiation based on a hot plasma using liquid emitter material. The object of the invention is to find a novel possibility for generating EUV radiation which allows a continuous supply of liquid, particularly metal, emitter material (2) under a defined high pressure without having to interrupt the continuous supply of emitter material (2) when consumed emitter material (2) must be replenished.

Abstract: An arrangement for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation by an electrically operated gas discharge which achieves an improvement in the adjustment of the layer thickness when applying a molten metal to the electrode surfaces and provides better protection against the uncontrolled spreading of molten metal into the environment that is associated with an increase in the rotational speed of the electrodes. It should be possible to increase the rotational speed to the extent that unconsumed discharge zones of the electrodes are always situated in the discharge area at repetition frequencies of several kilohertz. An edge area to be covered has at least one receiving area which extends circumferentially in a closed manner along the edge of the electrode on the electrode surface and which is constructed so as to be wetting for the molten metal and to which a liquid dispensing nozzle is directed for regenerative application of the molten metal.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for generating EUV radiation based on a hot plasma using liquid emitter material. The object of the invention is to find a novel possibility for generating EUV radiation which allows a continuous supply of liquid, particularly metal, emitter material (2) under a defined high pressure without having to interrupt the continuous supply of emitter material (2) when consumed emitter material (2) must be replenished.

Abstract: The object of an arrangement and a method for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation by an electrically operated gas discharge is to improve the adjustment of the layer thickness and, in particular, to prevent an uncontrolled accumulation of the metal layer to be applied to the rotary electrodes during pauses in the pulse operation for generating radiation when, e.g., liquid flows through these rotary electrodes for efficient cooling. In this connection, the rotating speed of the rotary electrodes can be increased in particular until there is always a freshly coated surface region of the electrodes in the discharge area at repetition frequencies of several kilohertz. An edge area to be coated on at least one electrode has at least one receiving area which extends in a closed circumference along the electrode edge on the electrode surface and which is formed so as to be wetting for the molten metal.

Abstract: An arrangement for the generation of radiation by a gas discharge has the object of achieving a considerable reduction in the inductance of the discharge circuit for the gas discharge while simultaneously increasing the lifetime of the electrode system. Also, the use of different emitters is ensured. A rotary electrode arrangement accommodated in the discharge chamber contains electrodes which are rigidly connected to one another at a distance from one another and are mounted so as to be rotatable around a common axis. Capacitor elements of a high-voltage power supply for generating high-voltage pulses for the two electrodes are arranged in a free space formed by the mutual distance. The electrodes are electrically connected to the capacitor elements and to a voltage source for charging the capacitor elements.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation based on a plasma that is generated by electric discharge. It is the object of the invention to provide a novel possibility for radiation sources based on an electric discharge by which a long lifetime of the electrodes that are employed and the largest possible solid angle for bundling the radiation emitted from the plasma are achieved. According to the invention, this object is met by providing coated electrodes in the form of two endless strip electrodes which circulate over guide rollers and which have at a short distance between them an area in which the electric discharge takes place.

Abstract: The object of an arrangement and a method for the generation of extreme ultraviolet radiation is to construct the radiation source with an increased lifetime of the electrodes for using various emitters, wherein deposits inside the discharge chamber are reduced considerably when using metal emitters. The starting material is supplied as a continuous series of individual volumes which are introduced successively by directed injection and are pre-ionized by a pulsed energy beam. At least the electrode that is thermally loaded to a comparatively greater degree is constructed as a rotating electrode.

Abstract: The object of the invention in an arrangement for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation based on an electrically operated gas discharge is to reduce the time required for charging the electrodes by reducing the inductance of the discharge circuit. A high-voltage power supply connected to the electrodes which are constructed as disk electrodes and are rotatably mounted has a capacitor battery comprising capacitor elements which are arranged along a ring concentric to the axis of rotation of the electrodes with a ring plane directed parallel to the disk surface. Electrical connections are guided to the disk surfaces from the capacitor elements along a ring concentric to the axis of rotation.

Abstract: The object of an arrangement and a method for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation by an electrically operated gas discharge is to improve the adjustment of the layer thickness and, in particular, to prevent an uncontrolled accumulation of the metal layer to be applied to the rotary electrodes during pauses in the pulse operation for generating radiation when, e.g., liquid flows through these rotary electrodes for efficient cooling. In this connection, the rotating speed of the rotary electrodes can be increased in particular until there is always a freshly coated surface region of the electrodes in the discharge area at repetition frequencies of several kilohertz. An edge area to be coated on at least one electrode has at least one receiving area which extends in a closed circumference along the electrode edge on the electrode surface and which is formed so as to be wetting for the molten metal.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for providing target material for the generation of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation, in particular EUV radiation. It is the object of the invention to find a novel possibility for providing target material for the generation of short-wavelength radiation based on an energy beam induced plasma which makes it possible to supply a reproducible successive flow of mass-limited targets in the interaction chamber in such a way that only the amount of target material needed for efficient generation of radiation achieves plasma generation. This object is met, according to the invention, in that the target generator opens into a selection chamber which precedes the interaction chamber and which has, along the target path, an outlet opening into the interaction chamber and in which a target selector is arranged.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for providing a reproducible target flow for the energy beam-induced generation of short-wavelength radiation. It is the object of the invention to find a novel possibility for providing a reproducibly supplied target flow for the generation of a plasma that emits short-wavelength radiation which ensures a high directional stability of the target flow over a large number of individual plasma generation process for any target materials under given process conditions. According to the invention, this object is met in that a nozzle protection device is provided in the interaction chamber between the target nozzle and the interaction point for the generation of the plasma, and the nozzle protection device contains a gas pressure chamber which has an aperture along the target path for unobstructed passage of the target flow and which is filled with a buffer gas that is maintained at a pressure of some 10 mbar.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for metering target material for the generation of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation from an energy beam induced plasma, in particular X radiation and EUV radiation. The object of the invention is to find a novel possibility for metering target material for the generation of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation from an energy beam induced plasma which makes it possible to provide reproducibly supplied mass-limited targets in such a way that only the amount of target material for plasma generation that can be effectively converted to radiating plasma in the desired wavelength region arrives in the interaction chamber and, therefore, debris generation and the gas burden in the interaction chamber are minimized.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an arrangement for generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation based on a plasma that is generated by electric discharge. It is the object of the invention to provide a novel possibility for radiation sources based on an electric discharge by which a long lifetime of the electrodes that are employed and the largest possible solid angle for bundling the radiation emitted from the plasma are achieved. According to the invention, this object is met by providing coated electrodes in the form of two endless strip electrodes which circulate over guide rollers and which have at a short distance between them an area in which the electric discharge takes place.

Abstract: The object of the invention in an arrangement for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation based on an electrically operated gas discharge is to reduce the time required for charging the electrodes by reducing the inductance of the discharge circuit. A high-voltage power supply connected to the electrodes which are constructed as disk electrodes and are rotatably mounted has a capacitor battery comprising capacitor elements which are arranged along a ring concentric to the axis of rotation of the electrodes with a ring plane directed parallel to the disk surface. Electrical connections are guided to the disk surfaces from the capacitor elements along a ring concentric to the axis of rotation.

Abstract: The object of the invention in an arrangement for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation by an electrically operated gas discharge is to achieve an improvement in the adjustment of the layer thickness when applying a molten metal to the electrode surfaces and to provide better protection against the uncontrolled spreading of molten metal into the environment that is associated with an increase in the rotational speed of the electrodes. In particular, it should be possible to increase the rotational speed to the extent that unconsumed discharge zones of the electrodes are always situated in the discharge area at repetition frequencies of several kilohertz. An edge area to be covered has at least one receiving area which extends circumferentially in a closed manner along the edge of the electrode on the electrode surface and which is constructed so as to be wetting for the molten metal and to which a liquid dispensing nozzle is directed for regenerative application of the molten metal.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an apparatus for generating soft x-radiation, particularly EUV radiation, by laser-induced plasma. The object of the invention, to find a novel possibility for generating EUV radiation by means of a laser-induced plasma by which a temporally stable radiation emission in the desired wavelength region is ensured when interacting with the target without active regulation of the laser beam, is met according to the invention in that at least one laser is directed to the target, wherein the laser has at least one defined plane with a highly stable spatial distribution of the power density of the laser, and this defined plane is imaged on the target by an optical imaging system so as to be reduced so that the optical image of the defined plane is active for the plasma generation instead of the laser focus. The invention is applied in exposure machines for semiconductor lithography for spatially stable generation of radiation.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and an arrangement for the plasma-based generation of intensive short-wavelength radiation, particularly EUV radiation.