Abstract: An illumination optical unit for projection lithography serves for illuminating an object field. A first transmission optical unit serves to guide illumination light emanating from a light source. An illumination-predetermining facet mirror is disposed downstream of the first transmission optical unit and comprises a multiplicity of illumination-predetermining facets. The facet mirror generates a predetermined illumination of the object field via an arrangement of illuminated illumination-predetermining facets. This results in an illumination of an illumination pupil of the illumination optical unit, which predetermines an illumination angle distribution in the object field. The illumination pupil has an envelope deviating from a circular form. The illumination pupil is subdivided into sub-pupil regions, which are present arranged in a line-by-line and/or column-by-column manner.

Abstract: A facet mirror is to be used as a bundle-guiding optical component in a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The facet mirror has a plurality of separate mirrors. For individual deflection of incident illumination light, the separate mirrors are in each case connected to an actuator in such a way that they are separately tiltable about at least one tilt axis. A control device, which is connected to the actuators, is configured in such a way that a given grouping of the separate mirrors can be grouped into separate mirror groups that include in each case at least two separate mirrors. The result is a facet mirror which, when installed in the projection exposure apparatus, increases the variability for setting various illumination geometries of an object field to be illuminated by the projection exposure apparatus. Various embodiments of separate mirrors for forming the facet mirrors are described.

Abstract: A facet mirror is to be used as a bundle-guiding optical component in a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The facet mirror has a plurality of separate mirrors. For individual deflection of incident illumination light, the separate mirrors are in each case connected to an actuator in such a way that they are separately tiltable about at least one tilt axis. A control device, which is connected to the actuators, is configured in such a way that a given grouping of the separate mirrors can be grouped into separate mirror groups that include in each case at least two separate mirrors. The result is a facet mirror which, when installed in the projection exposure apparatus, increases the variability for setting various illumination geometries of an object field to be illuminated by the projection exposure apparatus. Various embodiments of separate mirrors for forming the facet mirrors are described.

Abstract: An illumination optical unit for EUV projection lithography guides illumination light toward an object field. A field facet mirror of the illumination optical unit has a multiplicity of individual mirrors which are switchable between at least two tilting positions. A pupil facet mirror of the illumination optical unit has a plurality of stationary pupil facets and is disposed downstream of the field facet mirror in the beam path of the illumination light. The pupil facets serve for the at least sectionally superimposing imaging of a group of the individual mirrors of the field facet mirror into the object field via a group-mirror illumination channel.

Abstract: A micromirror array has the form of a sheared rectangle. In an arrangement in an illumination optical unit, one side is aligned perpendicular to a scanning direction.

Abstract: A deflection mirror (1, 501, etc.) for a microlithography projection exposure apparatus for illuminating an object field in an object plane of the projection exposure apparatus (1067) using the deflection mirror with grazing incidence. This deflection mirror has a substrate (3, 503, etc.) and at least one layer system (5, 505, etc.), and during operation light impinges on said mirror at a multiplicity of angles of incidence, wherein the layer system is designed such that, for light having a wavelength of less than 30 nm, for an angle of incidence of between 55° and 70°, the variation of the reflectivity is less than 20%, in particular less than 12%.

Abstract: A component for setting a scan-integrated illumination energy in an object plane of a microlithography projection exposure apparatus is disclosed. The component includes a plurality of diaphragms which are arranged alongside one another with respect to a direction perpendicular to the scan movement and which differ in their form and the position of which can be altered approximately in the scan direction so that a portion of the illumination energy can be vignetted by at least one diaphragm. The form of the individual diaphragm is specifically adapted to the form of the illumination in a diaphragm plane in which the component is arranged. This has the effect that at least parts of the delimiting edges of two diaphragms always differ in the case of an arbitrary displacement of the diaphragms.

Abstract: An illumination system for EUV microlithography includes an EUV light source which generates EUV illumination light with an etendue that is higher than 0.01 mm2. The EUV light source generates a sequence of EUV light pulses having a pulse sequence frequency. An illumination optics of the illumination system is used to guide the illumination light from the light source to an object field. At least one optical modulation component of the illumination system is preferably modulatable synchronously with the pulse sequence frequency. The result is an illumination system where a homogeneity of an object field illumination is improved.

Abstract: A field facet mirror for an illumination optics of a projection exposure apparatus for EUV microlithography transmits a structure of an object arranged in an object field into an image field. The field facet mirror has a plurality of field facets with reflection surfaces. The arrangement of the field facets next to one another spans a base plane. Projections of the reflection surfaces of at least two of the field facets onto the base plane differ with respect to at least one of the following parameters: size, shape, orientation. A field facet mirror results which can ensure a uniform object field illumination with a simultaneously high EUV throughput.

Abstract: A projection objective for microlithography is used for imaging an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. The projection objective comprises at least six mirrors of which at least one mirror has a freeform reflecting surface. The ratio between an overall length (T) of the projection objective and an object image shift (dOIS) can be smaller than 12. The image plane is the first field plane of the projection objective downstream of the object plane. The projection objective can have a plurality of mirrors, wherein the ratio between an overall length (T) and an object image shift (dOIS) is smaller than 2.

Abstract: An illumination system for an optical arrangement such as an EUV lithography apparatus, having: at least one optical element which has at least one optical surface, on which a coating which reflects illumination radiation is applied, and an actuator device aligning the optical surface in at least two angular positions in the radiation path. The coating either has a thickness (dOPT1) at which a mean value (½ (R1+R2)) formed from a thickness-dependent reflectivity (R1, R2) of the coating at the at least two angular positions is maximized or has a thickness (dOPT2) at which a maximum change (max(?R1/R1, ?R2/R2)) in the reflectivity (R1, R2) caused by a thickness tolerance of the coating is minimized at the respective angular positions or else the reflecting coating has a thickness (dO2) at which the reflectivity (R1, R2) of the coating has the same magnitude in the at least two angular positions.

Abstract: An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. A reflection face of at least one of the mirrors is configured as a free form face which cannot be described by a rotationally symmetrical function. The object field has an aspect ratio greater than 1. A ratio of a minimal and a maximal transverse dimension of the object field can be less than 0.9.

Abstract: An imaging optical system for microlithography is used to illuminate an object field. The illumination optical system has a first transmission optical system for guiding illumination light proceeding from a light source. An illumination presetting facet mirror with a plurality of illumination presetting facets is arranged downstream of the first transmission optical system. The illumination presetting facet mirror produces a preset illumination of the object field via an edge shape, which can be illuminated, of the illumination presetting facet mirror and individual tilting angles of the illumination presetting facets. An arrangement of the first transmission optical system and the illumination presetting facet mirror is such that telecentric illumination of the object field results.

Abstract: An illumination optical system for projection lithography has an optical assembly for guiding illumination light to an object field to be illuminated in an object plane. The illumination optical system divides a bundle of the illumination light into a plurality of part bundles, which are allocated to various illumination directions of the object field illumination. The illumination optical system is configured in such a way that at least some of the part bundles are superimposed on one another in a first superimposition plane according to a first superimposition specification and in a second superimposition plane, which is spaced apart from the first superimposition plane, according to a second superimposition specification. The result is an illumination optical system, in which an influencing and/or a monitoring of an illumination intensity distribution over the object field is made possible, as far as possible without influencing an illumination angle distribution.

Abstract: An EUV collector transfers EUV radiation from an EUV radiation source into an illumination far field. The collector has a normal mirror collector subunit including a mirror for normal incidence, and a grazing mirror collector subunit including a mirror for grazing incidence. The arrangement of the collector subunits is such that an intensity distribution of the EUV radiation over the far field results which is composed of an inner normal mirror intensity distribution, generated by reflection at least also at the normal mirror collector subunit, and of an outer grazing mirror intensity distribution, generated by reflection at least also at the grazing mirror collector subunit. The intensity distribution, at least over a section of the far field which is greater than 40% of the total far field, deviates by less than 20% from an average intensity in the section of the far field.

Abstract: An optical element for use in an illumination optical unit of an EUV microlithography projection exposure apparatus includes a plurality of reflective facet elements. Each reflective facet element has at least one reflective surface. In this case, at least one facet element is arranged in a manner rotatable about a rotation axis. The rotation axis intersects the at least one reflective surface of the facet element. With such an optical element, it is possible to alter the direction and/or the intensity of at least part of the illumination radiation within the illumination optical unit in a simple manner.

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

Abstract: An illumination optical unit comprises a first faceted element and a second faceted element having a multiplicity of displaceable micromirrors which can be grouped flexibly to form facets.

Abstract: An illumination optics for microlithography includes an optical assembly for guiding illumination light to an object field to be illuminated in an object plane. The illumination optics can divide an illumination light radiation bundle into a plurality of radiation sub-bundles which are assigned to different illumination angles of the object field illumination. The illumination optics is configured so that at least some of the radiation sub-bundles are superimposed in a superposition plane which is spaced from the object plane and which is not imaged into the object plane in which superposition takes place. This superposition is such that edges of the superimposed radiation sub-bundles coincide at least partially. In some embodiments, a field intensity setting device includes a plurality of adjacent individual diaphragms which at least attenuate illumination light when exposed thereon.

Abstract: An illumination intensity correction device serves for predefining an illumination intensity over an illumination field of a lithographic projection exposure apparatus. The correction device has a plurality of bar-shaped individual stops arranged alongside one another and having bar axes arranged parallel to one another, which are arranged in a manner lined up alongside one another transversely with respect to the bar axes. The individual stops are displaceable into a predefined intensity correction displacement position at least along their respective bar axis with the aid of a displacement drive individually for the purpose of predefining an intensity correction of an illumination of the illumination field.