Abstract: An illumination system comprises (a) a first optical element upon which a light beam impinges, where the first optical element has first raster elements that partition said light beam into light channels; (b) a second optical element that receives said light channels, where the second optical element has a second raster elements; (c) an object plane that receives said light channels via said second optical element; and (d) an exit pupil that is provided with an illumination via said object plane. The system is characterized by an assignment of a member of said first raster elements and a member of said second raster elements to each of said light channels to provide a continuous beam path from said first optical element to said object plane for each of said plurality of light channels. The assignment is changeable to provide an adjustment of said illumination in said exit pupil.

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 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: 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 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: There is provided a multi-mirror-system for an illumination system, especially for lithography with wavelengths ?193 nm. The system includes light rays traveling along a light path from an object plane to an image plane, andan arc-shaped field in the image plane, whereby a radial direction in the middle of the arc-shaped field defines a scanning direction. The first mirror and the second mirror are arranged in the light path in such a position and having such a shape, that the edge sharpness of the arc-shaped field in the image plane is smaller than 5 mm in the scanning direction. Furthermore, the light rays are impinging on the first mirror and the second mirror with incidence angles ?30° or ?60° relative to a surface normal of the first and second mirror.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system. The illumination system includes a first light source and a second light source, each of which are for providing light having a wavelength≦193 nm, and an optical element. The first light source illuminates a first area of the optical element and the second light source illuminates a second area of the optical element.

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.

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: The present invention relates to novel components of the cleavage/polyadenylation machinery of precursor mRNA as well as to the complex containing the new components and its use. The complex is obtained by using one component thereof as a bait and isolating a highly organized complex consisting of at least 13 distinct proteins.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system for light having wavelengths ≦193 nm. The system includes (a) a first raster element for receiving a first diverging portion of the light and directing a first beam of the light, (b) a second raster element for receiving a second diverging portion of the light and directing a second beam of the light, where the first raster element is oriented at an angle with respect to the second raster element to cause a center ray of the first beam to intersect with a center ray of the second beam at an image plane, and (c) an optical element for imaging secondary sources of the light in an exit pupil, where the optical element is situated in a path of the light after the first and second raster elements and before the image plane.

Abstract: An illumination system comprises (a) a first optical element upon which a light beam impinges, where the first optical element has first raster elements that partition said light beam into light channels; (b) a second optical element that receives said light channels, where the second optical element has a second raster elements; (c) an object plane that receives said light channels via said second optical element; and (d) an exit pupil that is provided with an illumination via said object plane. The system is characterized by an assignment of a member of said first raster elements and a member of said second raster elements to each of said light channels to provide a continuous beam path from said first optical element to said object plane for each of said plurality of light channels. The assignment is changeable to provide an adjustment of said illumination in said exit pupil.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system for EUV-wavelengths. The illumination system includes a plurality of EUV-light sources and an optical unit combining the plurality of EUV-light sources.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus for microlithography using a wavelength≦193 nm, includes (A) a primary light source, (B) an illumination system having (1) an image plane, (2) a plurality of raster elements for receiving light from the primary light source, and (3) a field mirror for receiving the light from the plurality of raster elements and for forming an arc-shaped field having a plurality of field points in the image plane, and (C) a projection objective. The illumination system has a principle ray associated with each of the plurality of field points thus defining a plurality of principle rays. The plurality of principle rays run divergently into the projection objective.

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: The invention relates to a multi-mirror-system for an illumination system, especially for lithography with wavelengths ≦193 nm comprising am imaging system, wherein said imaging system comprises at least a first mirror and a second mirror, an object plane, an image plane, wherein the imaging system forms an image of the object, an arc-shaped field in said image plane, whereby the radial direction of in the middle the arc-shaped field defines a scanning direction. The multi-mirror-system is characterized in that at least said first mirror and said second mirror of said imaging system are arranged in the optical path of the imaging system in such a position and having such a shape, that the edge sharpness of the arc-shaped field in the image plane is smaller than 5 mm, preferably 2 mm, most preferably 1 mm in scanning direction.

Abstract: There is provided an illumination system for light having wavelengths ≦193 nm. The system includes (a) a first raster element for receiving a first diverging portion of the light and directing a first beam of the light, (b) a second raster element for receiving a second diverging portion of the light and directing a second beam of the light, where the first raster element is oriented at an angle with respect to the second raster element to cause a center ray of the first beam to intersect with a center ray of the second beam at an image plane, and (c) an optical element for imaging secondary sources of the light in an exit pupil, where the optical element is situated in a path of the light after the first and second raster elements and before the image plane.

Abstract: The invention relates to a lighting system for a projection lighting system that comprises: a light source (1) that emits light of wavelengths of ≦193 nm, especially wavelengths between 10 nm and 20 nm; a collector unit (30, 32) for illuminating a mirror device that produces secondary light sources (14), said mirror device comprising at least one mirror (34) that is subdivided into grid elements (10, 40, 42, 100, 102); a diaphragm plane (16); one or more optical elements (36, 38) that represent the diaphragm plane (16) in the exit pupil (390) of the lighting system; an object plane (39) in which the images of the grid elements are substantially in line and illuminate a predetermined filed with an intensity distribution; an optical element (30, 310, 320, 330) that produces an intensity distribution in the exit pupil (390) that is defined by the kind and/or filling degree, said kind and/or filling degree of the intensity distribution being modifiable buy exchanging, displacing or deforming the optical elemen

Abstract: Partial objective for illumination of an image field in an illuminating device of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, arranged between a aperture plane and an image plane. The partial objective comprises a first lens group and a second lens group with a lens with a first aspheric lens surface. The second lens group has at least a first lens with negative refractive power and at least a second lens with positive refractive power. The maximum field height Yimmax within the image field is at least 40 mm; the image-side numerical aperture is at least 0.15. The distribution of the chief ray angles PF over the field heights Yim within the image field is given by a pupil function PF(Yim), which consists of a linear contribution c1·Yim and a non-linear contribution PFNL(Yim), the non-linear contribution PFNL(Yim) being at least +15 mrad for the maximum positive field height Yimmax.