A method includes: producing a light beam made up of pulses having a wavelength in the deep ultraviolet range, each pulse having a first temporal coherence defined by a first temporal coherence length and each pulse being defined by a pulse duration; for one or more pulses, modulating the optical phase over the pulse duration of the pulse to produce a modified pulse having a second temporal coherence defined by a second temporal coherence length that is less than the first temporal coherence length of the pulse; forming a light beam of pulses at least from the modified pulses; and directing the formed light beam of pulses toward a substrate within a lithography exposure apparatus.

A phase modulation device includes an image data generator, a controller, a light reception signal detector, and a liquid crystal element. The image data generator generates image data. The controller generates a gradation control signal based on the image data. The liquid crystal element includes a first substrate and a light receiver. The first substrate has a pixel region in which a plurality of pixel electrodes constituting pixels are arranged. The light receiver photoelectrically converts light with which the pixel region is irradiated to generate a light reception signal. The light reception signal detector generates a drive control signal based on the light reception signal. The liquid crystal element changes an inclination angle of a wavefront of the light with which the pixel region is irradiated by applying different driving voltages to the plurality of pixel electrodes based on the gradation control signal.

An A liquid-crystal adaptive optics actuator comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels (14), wherein each pixel (14) is connected to a control circuit by means of a control line signal path (16, 20) that comprises an electrical interconnection (16) and a meandering resistor (20), each resistor having a resistance value selected to equalize the RC time constant of each control line signal path associated to each pixel. Each control line is thus capable of carrying one or more control signals and the control line signal path is configured such that all the pixels respond to the control signals with a uniform response time.

A tunable acoustic gradient index of refraction (TAG) lens and system are provided that permit, in one aspect, dynamic selection of the lens output, including dynamic focusing and imaging. The system may include a TAG lens and at least one of a source and a detector of electromagnetic radiation. A controller may be provided in electrical communication with the lens and at least one of the source and detector and may be configured to provide a driving signal to control the index of refraction and to provide a synchronizing signal to time at least one of the source and the detector relative to the driving signal. Thus, the controller is able to specify that the source irradiates the lens (or detector detects the lens output) when a desired refractive index distribution is present within the lens, e.g. when a desired lens output is present.

A system includes a spatial light modulator and a controller. The spatial light modulator is configured to perform phase modulation of a light that passes through a liquid crystal by applying individual voltages to the liquid crystal from each of a plurality of electrodes. The controller is configured to control the voltages applied to the liquid crystal from each of the plurality of electrodes based on phase image data. The phase image data represents values of each pixel corresponding to each of the plurality of electrodes by predetermined gradations. The controller converts gradation values, which are the values of each pixel, into voltages input to the electrodes corresponding to each pixel. The controller is configured to change a fluctuation width from a minimum value to a maximum value of the input voltages corresponding to a fluctuation width from a minimum value to a maximum value of the gradation values.

The phase modulation device 3 includes a first phase modulation element 11 which modulates a phase of a light flux in accordance with a voltage applied to each of a plurality of first electrodes in accordance with a first ratio of a second aberration component to a first aberration component of a wave front aberration generated by an optical system including an objective lens 4; a second phase modulation element 12 which modulates a phase of a light flux in accordance with a voltage applied to each of a plurality of second electrodes in accordance with a second ratio of the second aberration component to the first aberration component; and a control circuit 13 which controls voltages applied to each of first electrodes and each of second electrodes in accordance with a distance from the objective lens to a light focusing position of the light flux.

This semiconductor laser device includes a semiconductor laser chip and a spatial light modulator SLM which is optically connected to the semiconductor laser chip. The semiconductor laser chip LDC includes an active layer 4, a pair of cladding layers 2 and 7 sandwiching the active layer 4, and a diffraction grating layer 6 which is optically connected to the active layer 4. The spatial light modulator SLM includes a common electrode 25, a plurality of pixel electrodes 21, and a liquid crystal layer LC arranged between the common electrode 25 and the pixel electrodes 21. A laser beam output in a thickness direction of the diffraction grating layer 6 is modulated and reflected by the spatial light modulator SLM and is output to the outside.

Configurable optical device comprising an optical element (1) or various optical elements (1) arranged in series, wherein each element (1) comprises an active region (2) with an entry surface (21) and an exit surface (22) for light beams, and a perimeter (3); each element (1) comprising at least one first transparent electrode (4) and at least one transparent counter electrode (5) the corresponding electrical connections being located in the perimeter (3); the device being configured such that, upon application of a potential difference between electrodes (4, 5) of each element (1), an electric field that alters the degree of commutation in different regions of the active zone (2) of each element (1) is generated, thus creating a varying optical path profile in each element (1), which allows an incident light beam to be focused in different ways, depending on the electric field applied to each electrode.

A light irradiation device is an apparatus for irradiating an irradiation object, and includes a light source outputting readout light L1, a spatial light modulator modulating the readout light L1 in phase to output modulated light L2, and a both-sided telecentric optical system including a first lens optically coupled to a phase modulation plane of the spatial light modulator and a second lens optically coupled between the first lens and the irradiation object, and optically coupling the phase modulation plane and the irradiation object. An optical distance between the phase modulation plane and the first lens is substantially equal to a focal length of the first lens. The spatial light modulator displays a Fresnel type kinoform on the phase modulation plane.

A phase modulation device includes an image data generator, a controller, a light reception signal detector, and a liquid crystal element. The image data generator generates image data. The controller generates a gradation control signal based on the image data. The liquid crystal element includes a first substrate and a light receiver. The first substrate has a pixel region in which a plurality of pixel electrodes constituting pixels are arranged. The light receiver photoelectrically converts light with which the pixel region is irradiated to generate a light reception signal. The light reception signal detector generates a drive control signal based on the light reception signal. The liquid crystal element changes an inclination angle of a wavefront of the light with which the pixel region is irradiated by applying different driving voltages to the plurality of pixel electrodes based on the gradation control signal.