Abstract: In the projection optical system that projects an image of the first object onto the second object with a fixed reduction ratio and a projection aligner equipped therewith, said projection optical system comprises, viewed from said first object side, in order of succession, the first group of lenses with positive refractive power, and the second group of lenses virtually consists of afocal system, and the third group of lens with positive refractive power, and if the focal length of the overall system is represented by F, the projection magnification ratio of said projection optical system is represented by B, the distance between said first object and said second object is represented by L, and when a ray from the second object side of said projection optical system that is parallel to the optical axis of said projection optical system is incident on said projection optical system, a distance between a point where an extension on the first object side of said ray intercepts the optical axis and said first ob

Abstract: The present invention relates to a both-side telecentric projection optical system and an exposure apparatus equipped with this projection optical system. In particular, the projection optical system has a structure for quite favorably correcting various kinds of aberration such as distortion in particular, while securing a relatively broad exposure area and a large numerical aperture.

Abstract: A shake-preventing correction optical system has in order from the object side a lens unit (Gf) fixed in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis and a shake-preventing correction lens unit (Gv) including a decentering lens unit arranged as movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis, wherein the lens unit (Gf) has a first lens unit (G1) having a positive refractive power, a focusing lens unit (G2) having a negative refractive power and arranged to move along the optical axis to effect focusing to a near object, and a lens unit (G3a), and wherein the shake-preventing lens unit (Gv) includes the decentering lens unit (G3b) having a positive lens and a negative lens. The shake-preventing correction optical system has the decentering lens unit composed of a small number of constituent lens or lenses and has good imaging performance even upon shake-preventing correction.

Abstract: A catadioptric reduction projection optical system having a first lens unit having negative refractive power and widening a light beam from a reticle, a prism type beam splitter for transmitting therethrough a light beam from the first lens unit, a concave reflecting mirror for returning the light beam emerging from the beam splitter to the beam splitter while converging it, and a second lens unit having positive refractive power and converging the light beam returned to the beam splitter and reflected by the beam splitter, and forming the reduced image of a pattern on the reticle on a wafer.

Abstract: This invention relates to a microscope objective lens system a part of which is immersed in a liquid to observe a sample present in the liquid. Particularly, this invention provides an apochromat-grade microscope objective lens system which can be machined cheaply and easily by the conventional technology, which is well corrected for chromatic aberration, and which is excellent in flatness of the image plane. This objective lens system has a plane-parallel plate on the most sample side, is constructed without using an embedded lens as used in the conventional objectives, and can take a variety of lens layouts.

Abstract: A catadioptric reduction projection optical system having a structure capable of increasing a numerical aperture without increasing the size of a beam splitter and achieves excellent performance of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The catadioptric reduction projection optical system comprises a first partial optical system having a first lens group, the beam splitter, a lens element, and a concave reflecting mirror to form an intermediate image of a first object, a second partial optical system for forming a reduced image of the intermediate image on a second object, the second partial optical system having a second lens group of a positive refracting power and arranged in an optical path between a second object surface and a surface on which the intermediate image is formed, and a third lens group arranged in an optical path between the beam splitter and the third lens group. The first lens group is arranged in an optical path between the first object and the beam splitter.

Abstract: A first partial optical system including a first group of lenses having a positive refractive power, a first concave reflection mirror and a second group of lenses having a positive refractive power, for forming a primary reduced image of an object, a second partial optical system including a second concave reelection mirror and a third group of lenses having a positive refractive power, for further reducing the primary reduced image and refocusing it, and a reflection mirror arranged between the first partial optical system and the second partial optical system, for deflecting a light path are arranged in a sequence as viewed from the object. A good image-forming ability as a projection optical system for fabricating a semiconductor device is attained with a simple construction.

Abstract: A catadioptric optical system includes, in succession from the object side, a first partial optical system having positive refractive power and for forming the primary image of an object, and a second partial optical system having positive refractive power and for forming a secondary image by light from the primary image, and at least one aperture stop may be provided in the optical path of the first partial optical system and at least one aperture stop may be provided in the optical path of the second partial optical system.

Abstract: A wide angle lens system comprises a front lens group and a rear lens group having positive refractive power. The front lens group includes in the order from the object side, a negative meniscus lens component having a convex surface facing the object side, a cemented lens component having a negative lens element and a positive lens element and a convex cemented surface facing the object side. The rear lens group includes a cemented lens component having a positive lens element and a negative lens element and a convex surface facing the object side. The rear lens group is moved toward the object side for focusing operation from the infinite object distance to the shortest object distance.

Abstract: An objective lens system for a microscope comprises, sequentially from an object side, a first lens group having positive refracting power, a second lens group shiftable in an optical-axis direction and a third lens group. The first lens group has a cemented lens component composed of a plano-convex lens element with its plane surface toward the object side and a meniscus lens element with its concave surface toward the object side. The second lens group has a first sub-group having the positive refracting power and a second sub-group having negative refracting power. The second sub-group of the second lens group has a negative meniscus lens element with its concave surface toward an image side. The third lens group has a meniscus cemented lens component with its concave surface toward the image side.

Abstract: An inverse telescopic wide angle lens comprises a diaphragm; a front lens group of an integral positive or negative refractive power, positioned in the object side in front of the diaphragm and having a first lens group of a negative refractive power including a negative lens of which an image-side air-contacting surface is formed as an aspherical surface concave to the image side, and a second lens group of a positive refractive power positioned between the first lens group and the diaphragm; and a rear lens group of an integral positive refractive power, positioned behind the diaphragm and having plural lenses.

Abstract: In a cata-dioptric optical system having a combination of a reflection system and a refraction system for reduction-projecting an object on a first plane onto a second plane, a polarization beam splitter and a quarter wavelength plate are provided to split the incident light and the reflected light. The light beam directed to the polarization beam splitter is converted to a substantially collimated light beam by a first group of lenses. A second group of lenses are arranged between the polarization beam splitter and a concave reflection mirror to diverge the light beam. The light reflected by the concave reflection mirror is directed back to the polarization beam splitter with a substantially collimated state by the second group of lenses. The light beam from the second group of lenses transmitted through the polarization beam splitter is focused by a third group of lenses having a positive refraction power to form a reduced image.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus has a pattern lighting optical system including an exposure light source for lighting a pattern on a photomask, a projection optical system for forming an image of the pattern lighted by the exposure light source on the surface of a wafer, an alignment lighting optical system including an alignment light source for lighting alignment marks on the photomask and the wafer, and an alignment optical system for detecting relative positional relationship between the mask pattern and the wafer through the projection optical system, and further the projection optical system includes an image-forming system which exhibits two extremums of axial aberration as a function of wavelength.

Abstract: A projection type exposure apparatus for projecting an image of a pattern formed on a reticle onto a wafer in which the exposure is carried out with first light and the alignment between reticle and wafer is carried out with a second light having a wavelength different from that of the first light. The apparatus includes an optical member disposed between alignment optical system and projection optical system for reflecting the first light and transmitting the second light.

Abstract: An optical apparatus for detecting the position of an object by projecting a light image onto the object through a transparent plate and detecting the reflected light from the object through the transparent plate is disclosed. The projection optical system includes a first objective lens for forming the light image. The optical axis of the projection is disposed inclined to the above-said transparent plate. The detection optical system includes a second objective lens for refocusing the light reflected from the object. The optical axis of the reflection light detection between the second object lens and the object is disposed inclined to the transparent plate. The apparatus further comprises plane parallel optical members mounted obliquely so as to cancel the asymmetric aberrations generated by the above-said transparent plate.

Abstract: In dark field illumination apparatus for epi-illumination system, in order to attain the above and other objects, the present invention provides an annular light beam which is coaxial with the optical axis of the objective lens and is supplied along an optical path formed surrounding the objective lens. An annular condenser member is arranged near the object side end of the objective lens in such manner that the beam reaches the object surface while being concentrated in the direction toward the optical axis by the condenser member.