Abstract: The invention relates to an objective designed as a microlithography projection objective for an operating wavelength. The objective has a greatest adjustable image-side numerical aperture NA, at least one first lens made from a solid transparent body, in particular glass or crystal, with a refractive index nL and at least one liquid lens (F) made from a transparent liquid, with a refractive index NF. At the operating wavelength the first lens has the greatest refractive index nL of all solid lenses of the objective, the refractive index nF of the at least one liquid lens (F) is bigger than the refractive index nL of the first lens and the value of the numerical aperture NA is bigger than 1.

Abstract: A method and an arrangement for microlithographic projection exposure at high aperture achieve a contrast increase by the polarization of the light perpendicular to the plane of incidence on the resist. Arrangements are provided which influence the tangential polarization or the linear polarization adapted to the dipole illumination in the illuminating system and in the reduction objective.

Abstract: An illumination system for a projection exposure machine, operating with ultraviolet light, for microlithography has an angle-conserving light mixing device with at least one integrator rod that has an entrance surface for receiving light from a light source, and an exit surface for outputting exit light mixed by the integrator rod. At least one prism arrangement for receiving exit light and for varying the state of polarization of the exit light is placed downstream of the integrator rod. A preferred prism arrangement has a polarization splitter surface, aligned transversely to the direction of propagation of the exit light, which passes light fractions with p-polarization without hindrance, and reflects fractions with s-polarization. The separated beams with orthogonal polarization are parallelized by means of a reflecting surface aligned parallel to the polarization splitter surface, and the same state of polarization is set for both partial beams by means of a suitable retarder.

Abstract: An imaging system for imaging an object field arranged in an object surface of the imaging system onto an image field arranged in an image surface of the optical system while creating at least one intermediate image including: a first imaging subsystem for creating the intermediate image from radiation coming from the object surface, the first imaging subsystem having a first optical axis; and a second imaging subsystem different in construction from the first imaging subsystem for imaging the intermediate image onto the image surface, the second imaging subsystem having a second optical axis; wherein the first optical axis is offset with respect to the second optical axis by an axis offset at the intermediate image and wherein the intermediate image has a correction status adapted to the axis-offset such that the correction status of the image field is essentially free from aberrations caused by the axis-offset.

Abstract: The invention concerns a microlithography projection objective and a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus with a microlithography projection objective, having at least one lens of birefringent material. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a microlithography projection objective has an optical axis and at least one lens of uniaxial birefringent crystal whose principal axis is oriented parallel to the optical axis, wherein all lenses of uniaxial birefringent crystal comprise the same crystal material, wherein light is tangentially polarised in the lens of uniaxial birefringent crystal and wherein the lens of uniaxial birefringent crystal has a diffractive power different from zero and has a plane exit face or a non-plane but refractive power-less exit face.

Abstract: There is provided a catadioptric projection objective that includes (a) an object plane having a rectangular object field, and (b) a beam splitter situated in a light path after the object plane, having a rectangular surface adapted to the object field and having an aspect ratio not equal to 1.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing semiconductor devices and other finely structured parts, a projection objective (5) is used in order to project the image of a pattern arranged in the object plane of the projection objective onto a photosensitive substrate which is arranged in the region of the image plane (12) of the projection objective. In this case, there is set between an exit surface (15), assigned to the projection objective, for exposing light and an incoupling surface (11), assigned to the substrate, for exposing light a small finite working distance (16) which is at least temporarily smaller in size and exposure time interval than a maximum extent of an optical near field of the light emerging from the exit surface. As a result, projection objectives with very high numerical apertures in the region of NA>0.8 or more can be rendered useful for contactless projection lithography.

Abstract: A projection objective includes a first lens group (G1) of positive refractive power, a second lens group (G2) of negative refractive power and at least one further lens group of positive refractive power in which a diaphragm is mounted. The first lens group (G1) includes exclusively lenses of positive refractive power. The number of lenses of positive refractive power (L101 to L103; L201, L202) of the first lens group (G1) is less than the number of lenses of positive refractive power (L116 to L119; L215 to L217) which are mounted forward of the diaphragm of the further lens group (G5).

Abstract: In a method for producing a zeroth- or low-order phase delay element, in particular a phase delay element for wavelengths ?<200 nm, the phase delay element is formed from a birefringent crystalline material. A temporary carrier plate (1) is produced, which is provided with a plane-processed side (3). Afterwards, an anisotropic crystal plate (2) is produced, after which the temporary carrier plate (1) is connected to the anisotropic crystal plate (2) by means of a connecting means/connecting layer (6). A large part of the anisotropic crystal plate (2) is then separated away except from a residual layer, after which an end thickness of the anisotropic crystal plate (2) is reached by meaOns of further production and polishing methods. A second final carrier plate (8), which is produced by means of production and polishing methods, is directly connected to the anisotropic crystal plate (2), after which finally the temporary carrier plate (1) is separated or detached from the anisotropic crystal plate (2).

Abstract: A retardation arrangement for converting an input radiation beam, incident from an input side of the retardation arrangement, into an output radiation beam which has over its cross section a spatial distribution of polarization states which can be influenced by the retardation arrangement and differs from the spatial distribution of polarization states of the input radiation, is designed as a reflective retardation arrangement. A useful cross section of the retardation arrangement has a multiplicity of retardation zones of different retardation effect. Such a mirror arrangement having a retardation effect varying as a function of location can be used to compensate undesired fluctuations in the polarization state over the cross section of an input radiation beam and/or to set specific output polarization states, for example in order to set radial or tangential polarization.

Abstract: In certain aspects, the disclosure relates to an imaging system, particularly an objective or an illumination device of a microlithography projection-exposure apparatus having an optical axis (OA), with at least one optical element of an optically uniaxial crystal material whose optical crystallographic axis is substantially parallel to the optical axis (OA) of the imaging system and which at a working wavelength has an ordinary refractive index no and an extraordinary refractive index ne, with the extraordinary refractive index ne being smaller than the ordinary refractive index no; wherein the optical element is arranged in the ray path pattern in such a way that, at least for rays of the working wavelength which meet the optical element at an angle that falls within an angular range from the optical axis, the p-polarized component is reflected more strongly than the s-polarized component.

Abstract: A retardation arrangement for converting an input radiation beam, incident from an input side of the retardation arrangement, into an output radiation beam which has over its cross section a spatial distribution of polarization states which can be influenced by the retardation arrangement and differs from the spatial distribution of polarization states of the input radiation, is designed as a reflective retardation arrangement. A useful cross section of the retardation arrangement has a multiplicity of retardation zones of different retardation effect. Such a mirror arrangement having a retardation effect varying as a function of location can be used to compensate undesired fluctuations in the polarization state over the cross section of an input radiation beam and/or to set specific output polarization states, for example in order to set radial or tangential polarization.

Abstract: A projection objective includes a first lens group (G1) of positive refractive power, a second lens group (G2) of negative refractive power and at least one further lens group of positive refractive power in which a diaphragm is mounted. The first lens group (G1) includes exclusively lenses of positive refractive power. The number of lenses of positive refractive power (L101 to L103; L201, L202) of the first lens group (G1) is less than the number of lenses of positive refractive power (L116 to L119; L215 to L217) which are mounted forward of the diaphragm of the further lens group (G5).

Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement of optical elements in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, particularly in a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The arrangement comprises a rigid first optical element, a rigid second optical element with a first optical surface and a second optical surface on opposite sides and a first liquid. The first optical element has a concave optical surface. The first side of the second optical element is facing the concave optical surface of the first optical element. The first liquid is at least partially filling the space between the first optical element and the second optical element.

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 polarizer device, for converting an entry light beam into an exit light beam with a defined spatial distribution of polarization states, has an angle varying input device for receiving the entry light beam and for generating a first light beam with a predeterminable first angular distribution of light rays; an angle-selectively active polarization influencing device for receiving the first light beam and for converting the first light beam into a second light beam according to a defined angle function of the polarization state variation; and an angle varying output device for receiving the second light beam and for generating the exit light beam with a second angular distribution from the second light beam. In particular, polarization states with a radial or tangential polarization can be provided cost-effectively in this way.

Abstract: In a device for reducing the peak power of a pulsed laser light source, in particular for a projection exposure system, there is arranged in the beam path (1) at least one beam splitter apparatus (3, 4) by means of which a detour line (5 or 11) is produced, via reflecting components (6, 7, 8 or 12, 13, 14) for at least one partial beam (1b) with subsequent recombination at a beam recombining element (9 or 15) with the other partial beam or beams (1b or 10b) to form a total beam.

Abstract: A method and an arrangement for microlithographic projection exposure at high aperture achieve a contrast increase by the polarization of the light perpendicular to the plane of incidence on the resist. Arrangements are provided which influence the tangential polarization or the linear polarization adapted to the dipole illumination in the illuminating system and in the reduction objective.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an optical imaging system for inspection microscopes with which lithography masks can be checked for defects particularly through emulation of high-aperture scanner systems. The microscope imaging system for emulating high-aperture imaging systems comprises imaging optics, a detector and an evaluating unit, wherein polarizing optical elements are selectively arranged in the illumination beam path for generating different polarization states of the illumination beam and/or in the imaging beam path for selecting different polarization components of the imaging beam, an optical element with a polarization-dependent intensity attenuation function can be introduced into the imaging beam path, images of the mask and/or sample are received by the detector for differently polarized beam components and are conveyed to the evaluating unit for further processing.

Abstract: A projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective suitable for microlithography projection exposure machines has a plurality of optical elements transparent for radiation at an operating wavelength of the projection objective. At least one optical element is a high-index optical element made from a high-index material with a refractive index n?1.6 at the operating wavelength.