Abstract: A method of optimizing an imaging performance of a projection exposure system is provided, wherein the projection exposure system includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a patterning structure and a projection optical system for imaging a region of the illuminated patterning structure onto a corresponding field. The method involves setting the field to a first exposure field, setting optical parameters of the projection exposure system to a first setting such that the imaging performance within the first exposure field is a first optimum performance, changing the field to a second exposure field, and changing the optical parameters to a second setting such that the imaging performance within the second exposure field is a second optimum performance.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an optical apparatus including a light source that emits light in the form of light pulses having a pulse frequency, and including at least one optical element. The disclosure also relates to a projection exposure machine including a pulsed light source and a projection objective, and to a method for modifying the imaging behavior of such an apparatus, such as in a projection exposure machine.

Abstract: A device for the optical measurement of an optical system which, in a useful operating mode, receives useful radiation on a useful radiation entrance side and emits it on a useful radiation exit side. The device includes a measurement radiation source, by which at least one exit-side element, which emits measurement radiation to the optical system, can be positioned on the useful radiation exit side of the optical system, and a detector, by which at least one entrance-side element, which receives measurement radiation coming from the optical system, can be positioned on the useful radiation entrance side of the optical system. The measurement radiation source includes a source-side measurement structure mask for positioning on the useful radiation exit side and/or the detector includes a detector-side measurement structure mask for positioning on the useful radiation entrance side.

Abstract: Optical scattering disk, use and wavefront measuring apparatus. The optical scattering disk includes a transparent substrate (1) and a light scattering layer (2) adjoining a surface of the substrate and having light-scattering-active particles (3). The light scattering layer has an embedding medium (4) which is optically denser than air and directly adjoins the facing surface of the substrate without intervening air gaps and by which the light-scattering-active particles are surrounded. Such optical scattering disks may be used, e.g., in apparatuses for wavefront measurement of high-aperture microlithography projection objectives employing lateral shearing interferometry.

Abstract: A device for the optical measurement of an optical system, in particular an optical imaging system, is provided. The device includes at least one test optics component arranged on an object side or an image side of the optical system. An immersion fluid is adjacent to at least one of the test optics components. A container for use in this device, a microlithography projection exposure machine equipped with this device, and a method which can be carried out with the aid of this device are also provided. The device and method provide for optical measurement of microlithography projection objectives with high numerical apertures by using wavefront detection with shearing or point diffraction interferometry, or a Moiré measuring technique.

Abstract: A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a projection lens that is configured for immersion operation. For this purpose an immersion liquid is introduced into an immersion space that is located between a last lens of the projection lens on the image side and a photosensitive layer to be exposed. To reduce fluctuations of refractive index resulting from temperature gradients occurring within the immersion liquid, the projection exposure apparatus includes heat transfer elements that heat or cool partial volumes of the immersion liquid so as to achieve an at least substantially homogenous or at least substantially rotationally symmetric temperature distribution within the immersion liquid.

Abstract: In a method for improving the imaging properties of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, an appropriate illumination angle distribution adapted to a mask (24; 224) to be projected is selected. Then locations (40a, 40b; 60a, 60b; 80a, 80b, 80c) in an exit pupil of the projection objective (20), which are illuminated under these conditions by projection light during a projection of the mask, are determined. For at least one image point, an actual value of an imaging quantity, e.g. a wavefront profile or a polarization state, is determined that influences the imaging properties of the projection objective. Finally, corrective measures are calculated such that the actual value of the imaging quantity approximates a desired value at these locations. In this last step, however, deviations of the actual value from the desired value are taken into account exclusively at said locations illuminated in the exit pupil.

Abstract: A measuring system (100) for the optical measurement of an optical imaging system (150), which is provided to image a pattern arranged in an object surface (155) of the imaging system in an image surface (156) of the imaging system, comprises an object-side structure carrier (110) having an object-side measuring structure (111), to be arranged on the object side of the imaging system; an image-side structure carrier (120) having an image-side measuring structure (121), to be arranged on the image side of the imaging system; the object-side measuring structure and the image-side measuring structure being matched to each other in such a way that, when the object-side measuring structure is imaged onto the image-side measuring structure with the aid of the imaging system, a superposition pattern is produced; and a detector (130) for the locally resolving acquisition of the superposition pattern. The imaging system is designed as an immersion system for imaging with the aid of an immersion liquid (171).

Abstract: A device for polarization-specific examination of an optical system having a detector part that has polarization detector means for recording the exit state of polarization of radiation emerging from the optical system. Also, an associated optical imaging system, and a calibration method for the device. The device includes a polarization detector with a polarizing grating structure. Provided as an alternative is a device for snapshot polarimetry having a birefringent element and downstream polarizer element that adequately polarizes nonquasi-parallel radiation. The device may be used for determining the influence on the state of polarization of UV radiation by a microlithographic projection objective.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus for optical, for example interferometric, measurement of an optical imaging system, imaging of a useful pattern in an imaging operation, including a device for production of radiation information, for example interference information, which is indicative of imaging errors, having a mask structure arrangement which contains a measurement pattern, and a device for detection and evaluation of the interference information which is indicative of imaging errors; also a method for operation of the optical imaging system including imaging error correction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for measuring wavefronts and for determining scattered light, and related devices and manufacturing methods. 2.1. The invention relates to a method and apparatus for spatially resolved wavefront measurement on a test specimen, a method and apparatus for spatially resolved scattered light determination, a diffraction structure support and a coherent structure support therefor, and also to an objective or other radiation exposure device manufactured using such a method, and an associated manufacturing method. 2.2.

Abstract: A device and method for the interferometric measurement of phase masks, particularly from lithography. Radiation passing through a coherence mask is brought to interference by a diffraction grating. A phase mask is arranged in or near the pupil plane of the first imaging optics which can be positioned exactly in the x-y direction by which interferograms are generated which are phase-shifted in the x-y direction by translational displacement of the coherence mask or of the diffraction grating. The interferograms are imaged onto the spatially resolving detector by second imaging optic and the phase and transmission functions of the phase mask are determined by an evaluation unit. The invention can, of course, generally be applied to planar phase objects, such as biological structures, for example, points of establishment with respect to an interference microscope.

Abstract: Device and method for wavefront measurement of an optical imaging system by means of phase-shifting interferometry, having a mask structure (6a) to be arranged on the object side, and/or a grating structure (7a) to be arranged on the image side. The object-side mask structure includes one or more one-dimensional mask structure patterns, and the image-side grating structure includes one or more two-dimensional grating structure patterns. Alternatively, conversely, the mask structure includes one or more two-dimensional patterns, and the grating structure includes one or more one-dimensional patterns.

Abstract: A device for the optical measurement of an optical system, in particular an optical imaging system, is provided. The device includes at least one test optics component arranged on an object side or an image side of the optical system. An immersion fluid is adjacent to at least one of the test optics components. A container for use in this device, a microlithography projection exposure machine equipped with this device, and a method which can be carried out with the aid of this device are also provided. The device and method provide for optical measurement of microlithography projection objectives with high numerical apertures by using wavefront detection with shearing or point diffraction interferometry, or a Moiré measuring technique.

Abstract: A measuring system for the optical measurement of an optical imaging system, which is provided to image a pattern arranged in an object surface of the imaging system in an image surface of the imaging system, comprises an object-side structure carrier having an object-side measuring structure, to be arranged on the object side of the imaging system; an image-side structure carrier having an image-side measuring structure, to be arranged on the image side of the imaging system; the object-side measuring structure and the image-side measuring structure being matched to each other in such a way that, when the object-side measuring structure is imaged onto the image-side measuring structure with the aid of the imaging system, a superposition pattern is produced; and a detector for the locally resolving acquisition of the superposition pattern. The imaging system is designed as an immersion system for imaging with the aid of an immersion liquid.

Abstract: An arrangement for microlithography includes a projection objective having a plurality of optical elements; an aberration control circuit controlling imaging properties of the projection objective; and at least one operating element associated with an optical element of the projection objective to control imaging properties of the projection objective in response to operating signals generated by the control circuit.

Abstract: A device, a microlithography projection exposure system, and a method for the determination of imaging errors of an optical imaging system using a radiation-superposition measuring technique which operates with lateral phase offset, having an optical element arranged on the object side of the imaging system, having a first periodic structure on the object side with a predetermined periodicity direction, an optical element arranged on the image side of the imaging system, having a second periodic structure on the image side with a periodicity direction corresponding to the first periodic structure, and a detector to detect the superposition pattern of an image of the first periodic structure with the second periodic structure.

Abstract: An apparatus having a wavefront measuring device (1, 2, 7), which is designed to determine a wavefront tilt in one or more non-parallel transverse directions perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical imaging system, at a plurality of measurement points which are mutually offset in the direction of the optical axis. An evaluation unit (5) determines a telecentricity error value from the wavefront tilt measurement values obtained by the wavefront measuring device.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for setting optical imaging properties using radiation treatment, specifically a method and an apparatus for setting the imaging properties of an optical system with radiation treatment of at least one optical element of the optical system in the installed state, and a method for setting the imaging properties of an internal optical element with radiation treatment. A measurement is carried out on the optical system in order to determine one or more aberrations in a spatially resolved fashion, a correction that changes the shape and/or refractive index of the internal optical element is calculated in order to reduce the measured aberration or aberrations, and the optical element is irradiated with the aid of a processing radiation that changes the shape and/or refractive index, in accordance with the calculated correction.

Abstract: A device and a method for wavefront measurement of an optical system (7), in particular by an interferometric measurement technique. A dynamic range correction element (12, 12a) is arranged in the beam path upstream of the detector arrangement (11) and is designed such that the variation in the spatially dependent characteristic of a phase of the wavefront forming the interference pattern is kept below a prescribed limit value throughout a detection area. In addition or as an alternative, a set of several diffraction structures of different period length can be used with a shearing interferometry technique and/or a set of several pairs of a reference pinhole and a signal passage opening with different hole spacings can be used with a point diffraction interferometry technique for different sub-areas of the detection area. A remaining distortion error can be taken into account by determining a corresponding distortion transformation and applying the inverse distortion transformation.