Abstract: There is provided a collector. The collector includes a first mirror shell positioned inside a second mirror shell that has a chamfered end.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system. The illumination system includes a source for light having a wavelength ?193 nm, a field plane, and a collector having a mirror shell for receiving a part of the light. The mirror shell is arranged so that a real image of the source is formed and comes to lie in a plane that is defocused relative to the field plane by more than 30 mm, so that the field plane is illuminated in a predetermined region, substantially homogeneously.

Abstract: An illumination system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a masking device and a masking objective which projects the masking device onto an image plane. The illumination system further includes an optical correction element having a surface that is either aspherically shaped or supports diffractive structures that have at least substantially the effect of an aspherical surface. This surface is arranged at least approximately in a field plane which precedes the image plane of the masking objective The aspherically acting surface is designed such that a principal ray distribution generated by the illumination system in the image plane matches a principal ray distribution required by a projection objective.

Abstract: An optical imaging system for a microlithography projection exposure system is used for imaging an object field arranged in an object plane of the imaging system into an image field arranged in an image plane of the imaging system. A projection objective or a relay objective to be used in the illumination system can be involved, in particular. The imaging system has a plurality of lenses that are arranged between the object plane and the image plane and in each case have a first lens surface and a second lens surface. At least one of the lenses is a double aspheric lens where the first lens surface and the second lens surface is an aspheric surface. Lenses of good quality that have the action of an asphere with very strong deformation can be produced in the case of double aspheric lenses with an acceptable outlay as regards the surface processing and testing of the lens surfaces.

Abstract: An illumination system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a light source, a first optical unit having an exit pupil, an optical raster element positioned in or in close proximity to the exit pupil of the first optical unit and a field plane that is conjugated to the exit pupil of the first optical unit by Fourier transformation. The illumination system further comprises a second optical unit imaging the field plane into an image plane and having at its object side a homocentric entrance pupil that at least substantially coincides with the exit pupil of the first optical unit. This allows to dispense with a condenser lens that is usually required for conjugating the exit pupil to the field plane.

Abstract: An illumination system for a microlithographic projection exposure step-and-scan apparatus has a light source, a first optical raster element and a second optical raster element. The first optical raster element extends in a first pupil plane of the illumination system and is designed such that the geometrical optical flux of the system is increased perpendicular to a scan direction of the projection exposure apparatus. The second optical raster element extends in a second pupil plane of the illumination system, which is not necessarily different from the first pupil plane, and is designed such that the geometrical optical flux of the system is increased in the scan direction and perpendicular thereto. This makes it possible to improve the irradiance uniformity in a reticle plane.

Abstract: An illumination system for a microlithography projection exposure installation is used to illuminate an illumination field with the light from a primary light source (11). The illumination system has a light distribution device (25) which receives light from the primary light source and, from this light, produces a two-dimensional intensity distribution which can be set variably in a pupil-shaping surface (31) of the illumination system. The light distribution device has at least one optical modulation device (20) having a two-dimensional array of individual elements (21) that can be controlled individually in order to change the angular distribution of the light incident on the optical modulation device. The device permits the variable setting of extremely different illuminating modes without replacing optical components.

Abstract: There is provided a collector for illumination systems for light having a wavelength ?193 nm comprising. The collector includes (a) a first mirror shell adjacent to, and positioned inside of, a second mirror shell around a common axis of rotation, in which the first and second mirror shells are rotationally symmetric, and (b) a component in a region between the first and second mirror shells. The collector is for receiving the light from a light source via an object-side aperture and for illuminating an area in an image-side plane, and the region is not used by the light.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical device that includes (a) a first optical element with at least one first raster element, where the first raster element has a first axis, (b) a second optical element with at least one second raster element, where the second raster element has a second axis. The first raster element can be changed in its position relative to the second raster element, so that a distance between the first axis and the second axis is variable.

Abstract: There is provided a projection objective for a projection exposure apparatus that has a primary light source for emitting electromagnetic radiation having a chief ray with a wavelength ?193 nm. The projection objective includes an object plane, a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, a fourth mirror; and an image plane. The object plane, the first mirror, the second mirror, the third mirror, the fourth mirror and the image plane are arranged in a centered arrangement around a common optical axis. The first mirror, the second mirror, the third mirror, and the fourth mirror are situated between the object plane and the image plane. The chief ray, when incident on an object situated in the object plane, in a direction from the primary light source, is inclined away from the common optical axis.

Abstract: There is provided a projection objective for a projection exposure apparatus that has a primary light source for emitting electromagnetic radiation having a chief ray with a wavelength ?193 nm. The projection objective includes an object plane, a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, a fourth mirror; and an image plane. The object plane, the first mirror, the second mirror, the third mirror, the fourth mirror and the image plane are arranged in a centered arrangement around a common optical axis. The first mirror, the second mirror, the third mirror, and the fourth mirror are situated between the object plane and the image plane. The chief ray, when incident on an object situated in the object plane, in a direction from the primary light source, is inclined away from the common optical axis.

Abstract: This invention relates to an illumination system for scanning lithography especially for wavelengths ?193 nm, particularly EUV lithography, for the illumination of a slit, comprising at least one field mirror or at least one field lens and being characterized in that at least one of the field mirror(s) or the field lens(es) has (have) an aspheric shape.

Abstract: An Illumination system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has a light source and a first optical raster element that is positioned in or in close proximity to a first plane. The first plane is conjugated to a pupil plane of the illumination system by Fourier transformation. A second optical raster element is positioned in or in close proximity to the pupil plane. A third optical raster element is positioned in or in close proximity to a second plane that is also conjugated to the pupil plane by Fourier transformation. The third optical raster element, which can be a diffractive optical element, introduces an additional degree of design freedom for the modification of the angular distribution of the projection light bundle.

Abstract: A reticle-masking (REMA) objective for imaging an object plane onto an image plane has a condenser portion, an intermediate portion, and a field lens portion. The three portions together have no more than 10 lenses with a combined total of no more than five aspheric lens surfaces. Each of the three portions of the REMA objective has one or two aspheric lens surfaces.

Abstract: There is provided a projection exposure system operable in a scanning mode along a scanning direction. The projection exposure system includes a collector that receives light having a wavelength 193 nm and illuminates a region in a plane. The plane is defined by a local coordinate system having a y-direction parallel to the scanning direction and an x-direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. The collector includes (a) a first mirror shell, (b) a second mirror shell within the first mirror shell, and (c) a fastening device for fastening the first and second mirror shells. The mirror shells are substantially rotational symmetric about a common rotational axis. The fastening device has a support spoke that extends in a radial direction of the mirror shells, and the support spoke, when projected into the plane, yields a projection that is non-parallel to the y-direction.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system. The illumination system includes a light source for emitting light having a wavelength ?193 nm, an optical system, and a radiation protection wall situated between the light source and the optical system.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system for microlithography with wavelengths?193 nm. The illumination system includes a primary light source, a first optical component, a second optical component, an image plane, and an exit pupil. The first optical component transforms the primary light source into a plurality of secondary light sources that are imaged by the second optical component in the exit pupil. The first optical component includes a first optical element having a plurality of first raster elements that are imaged into the image plane producing a plurality of images being superimposed at least partially on a field in the image plane. The first raster elements that are imaged into the image plane are illuminated almost completely.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system for scannertype microlithography along a scanning direction with a light source emitting a wavelength ?193 nm. The illumination system includes a plurality of raster elements. The plurality of raster elements is imaged into an image plane of the illumination system to produce a plurality of images being partially superimposed on a field in the image plane. The field defines a non-rectangular intensity profile in the scanning direction.

Abstract: A reticle-masking (REMA) objective for imaging an object plane onto an image plane has a condenser portion, an intermediate portion, and a field lens portion. The three portions together have no more than 10 lenses with a combined total of no more than five aspheric lens surfaces. Each of the three portions of the REMA objective has one or two aspheric lens surfaces.

Abstract: This invention relates to an Ilumination system for scanning lithography especially for wavelengths?193 nm, particularly EUV lithography, for the illumination of a slit, comprising at least one field mirror or at least one field lens and being characterized in that at least one of the field mirror(s) or the field lens(es) has (have) an aspheric shape.