Abstract: The disclosure concerns an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The illumination system includes a mirror arrangement which has a plurality of mirror units and at least one element arranged in front of the mirror arrangement in the light propagation direction to produce at least two different states of polarization incident on different mirror units. The mirror units are displaceable independently of each other for altering an angle distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement.

Abstract: A polarization measuring device (10) for determining the polarization of a light beam (16, 46) that includes a reflector (12, 58) and a detector (14, 20). The reflector (12, 58) is configured such that the plane of incidence of the light rays in the light beam (16, 46) varies in a location-dependent manner, such that the reflector (12, 58) reflects differing polarization components of the light beam (16, 46) to different extents depending on the plane of incidence. The detector (14, 20) serves to detect the differing polarization components.

Abstract: An EUV light source serves for generating a usable output beam of EUV illumination light for a projection exposure apparatus for projection lithography. The light source has an EUV generation device which generates an EUV raw output beam. The latter is circularly polarized. For the purposes of setting the polarization of the usable output beam and in respect of the polarization direction, a polarization setting device has a linearly polarizing effect on the raw output beam. This results in an EUV light source, which provides an improved output beam for a resolution-optimized illumination.

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: The invention relates to an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, in particular for operation in the EUV, comprising at least one polarization-influencing arrangement having a first reflection surface and a second reflection surface, wherein the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface are arranged at an angle of 0°±10° or at an angle of 90°±10° relative to one another, wherein light incident on the first reflection surface during the operation of the optical system forms an angle of 45°±5° with the first reflection surface, and wherein the polarization-influencing arrangement is rotatable about a rotation axis running parallel to the light propagation direction of light incident on the first reflection surface during the operation of the optical system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for compensating at least one defect of an optical system which includes introducing an arrangement of local persistent modifications in at least one optical element of the optical system, which does not have pattern elements on one of its optical surfaces, so that the at least one defect is at least partially compensated.

Abstract: An optical system has a light source having an original etendue of less than 0.1 mm2 for an illumination system for projection lithography. An optical assembly serves for simultaneously increasing the etendue of a used emission of the light source. The optical assembly is embodied such that an increase in the etendue by at least a factor of 10 results. A component of the optical assembly that is impinged on is displaced relative to the light source such that an impingement region of the emission of the light source on the optical component of the optical assembly varies temporally.

Abstract: Mirror having a fragmented total surface area, wherein the fragmentation forms an aperiodic arrangement.

Abstract: A mirror serves for use for guiding illumination and imaging light in EUV projection lithography. The mirror has a reflective surface, the reflective surface forming a magnetic field in such a way that at least one polarization property of the illumination and imaging light is influenced via the magnetic field upon reflection. A mirror system has, besides the mirror, additionally a magnetization predefining device for predefining a magnetization of the reflective surface of the mirror. An illumination optical unit has at least one mirror of this type or at least one facet mirror device comprising at least one individual mirror constructed in this way. In the case of a mirror of this type, the illumination and/or imaging properties of illumination and/or imaging light guided via the mirror are improved.

Abstract: A collector for a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography comprises a plurality of reflective sections which are embodied and arranged in such a way that they can be impinged upon during the focusing of radiation from a first focus into a second focus with angles of impingement in a predefined angular spectrum.

Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprising (a) a plurality of channels, each channel guiding a partial beam and at least one channel comprising at least one defect, and (b) at least one optical element arranged within the at least one channel having the at least one defect, the optical element being adapted to at least partially compensate the at least one defect of the partial beam of the channel.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical system, in particular of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, with an optical system axis (OA) and a polarization-influencing optical arrangement.

Abstract: A method of lithographically transferring a pattern on a light sensitive surface in a multiple exposure process comprises the following steps: a) providing a mask comprising a first mask pattern area and a second mask pattern area; b) directing projection light on the mask, thereby producing on the light sensitive surface a first exposed pattern area, which is an image of the first mask pattern area, and a second exposed pattern area, which is an image of the second mask pattern area. The projection light illuminating the first and second mask pattern area has different angular light distributions. c) repeating step b) using the same mask so that an image of the first mask pattern area is superimposed on the second exposure pattern area.

Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination system for an EUV lithography device, comprising: a first facet mirror having facet elements that reflect EUV radiation, and a second facet mirror having facet elements for reflecting the EUV radiation reflected by the first facet mirror onto an illumination field. At least one of the facet elements of the first facet mirror or of the second facet mirror is designed as a diffractive optical element for diffracting the EUV radiation. In particular, at least one of the facet elements of the second facet mirror is designed as a diffractive optical element for illuminating only a part of the illumination field. The invention also relates to an EUV lithography device comprising such an illumination system, and to a facet mirror comprising at least one diffractive facet element.

Abstract: An illumination optical unit for projection lithography has a first polarization mirror device to reflect and polarize of illumination light. A second mirror device, which is disposed downstream of the polarization mirror device reflects an illumination light beam. At least one drive device is operatively connected to at least one of the two mirror devices. The two mirror devices are displaceable relative to one another via the drive device between a first relative position, which leads to a first beam geometry of the illumination light beam after reflection at the second mirror device, and a second relative position, which leads to a second beam geometry of the illumination light beam after reflection at the second mirror device, which is different from the first beam geometry. This results in a flexible predefinition of different illumination geometries, in particular of different illumination geometries with rotationally symmetrical illumination.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to optical systems of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and to a microlithographic exposure method. According to an aspect of the disclosure, an optical system has a light source, a ray-splitting optical element, which splits a light ray incident on this element when the projection exposure apparatus is in operation into a first partial ray and a second partial ray, with the first and the second partial ray having mutually orthogonal polarization directions, and at least one ray-deflecting optical element for generating a desired polarized illumination setting from the first partial ray and the second partial ray, wherein the ray-splitting optical element is arranged such that light incident on this ray-splitting optical element when the projection exposure apparatus is in operation has a degree of polarization of less than one.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and to a microlithographic exposure method. An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises at least one mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements, wherein these mirror elements can be adjusted independently of one another for changing an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement, and a polarization-influencing optical arrangement which is arranged downstream of the mirror arrangement in the light propagation direction, wherein the polarization-influencing optical arrangement reflects a light beam incident on the arrangement in at least two reflections, which do not occur in a common plane, for at least one angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement.

Abstract: A light source includes: a generation device configured to generate a first EUV beam having a polarization that is a superimposition of two linearly polarized waves with directions of polarization that are perpendicular to each other and that have a phase difference with respect to each other that is non-zero and not an integral multiple of ?; and a polarization setting device configured to interact with the first EUV beam to provide a second EUV beam by exerting an effect on the first EUV beam that is linearly polarizing with respect to the direction of polarization to set a polarization of the second EUV beam.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and to a microlithographic exposure method. An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises at least one mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements, wherein these mirror elements can be adjusted independently of one another for changing an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement, and a polarization-influencing optical arrangement which is arranged downstream of the mirror arrangement in the light propagation direction, wherein the polarization-influencing optical arrangement reflects a light beam incident on the arrangement in at least two reflections, which do not occur in a common plane, for at least one angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, and to a microlithographic exposure method. An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a polarization-influencing optical arrangement, wherein the polarization-influencing optical arrangement comprises at least one first array of first polarization-influencing elements and a second array of second polarization-influencing elements, wherein the first and second arrays are arranged successively in the light propogation direction, wherein the first and second polarization-influencing elements in each case have a birefringence that is dependent on the presence of an electric field, and wherein the first polarization-influencing elements and the second polarization-influencing elements are transverse Pockels cells.