A pulse multiplier includes a polarizing beam splitter, a wave plate, and a set of mirrors. The polarizing beam splitter receives an input laser pulse. The wave plate receives light from the polarized beam splitter and generates a first set of pulses and a second set of pulses. The first set of pulses has a different polarization than the second set of pulses. The polarizing beam splitter, the wave plate, and the set of mirrors create a ring cavity. The polarizing beam splitter transmits the first set of pulses as an output of the pulse multiplier and reflects the second set of pulses into the ring cavity. This pulse multiplier can inexpensively reduce the peak power per pulse while increasing the number of pulses per second with minimal total power loss.

A multilayer optical film including a stack of microlayers arranged into optical repeat units. At a design angle of incidence, such as normal incidence, the stack provides a 1.sup.st order reflection band, a 2.sup.nd order reflection band, and optionally a 3.sup.rd order reflection band. The 2.sup.nd order reflection band substantially overlaps the 1.sup.st and/or 3.sup.rd order reflection bands to form a single wide reflection band. The wide reflection band may cover at least a portion of visible and infrared wavelengths. The multilayer optical film may include an additional optical layer which maybe be an anti-glare layer and/or may be an absorbing layer. The multilayer optical film is suitable for use as a window film.

A mirror, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has an optically effective surface (11), a mirror substrate (12), a reflection layer stack (21) for reflecting electromagnetic radiation that is incident on the optical effective surface, and at least two piezoelectric layers (16a, 16b, 16c), which are arranged successively between the mirror substrate and the reflection layer stack in the stack direction of the reflection layer stack and to which an electric field can be applied to produce a locally variable deformation, wherein at least one intermediate layer (22a, 22b) made of crystalline material is arranged between the piezoelectric layers (16a, 16b, 16c), wherein the intermediate layer is designed to leave an electric field, which is present in the region of the piezoelectric layers (16a, 16b, 16c) that adjoin the intermediate layer (22a, 22b) in the stack direction of the reflection layer stack (21), substantially uninfluenced.

Examples are disclosed relating to reducing orders of diffraction patterns in phase modulating devices. An example phase modulating device includes a phase modulating layer having first and second opposing sides, a common electrode adjacent the first side of the phase modulating layer, a plurality of pixel electrodes adjacent the second side of the phase modulating layer, and blurring material disposed between the phase modulating layer and the pixel electrodes. In the example phase modulating device, the blurring material is configured to smooth phase transitions in the phase modulating layer between localized areas associated with the pixel electrodes, the pixel electrodes have a pixel pitch by which the pixel electrodes are distributed along the phase modulating layer, and the pixel electrodes are separated from one another by an inter-pixel gap, where the ratio of the inter-pixel gap to the pixel pitch is between 0.50 and 1.0.

A projection lens of an EUV-lithographic projection exposure system with at least two reflective optical elements each comprising a body and a reflective surface for projecting an object field on a reticle onto an image field on a substrate if the projection lens is exposed with an exposure power of EUV light, wherein the bodies of at least two reflective optical elements comprise a material with a temperature dependent coefficient of thermal expansion which is zero at respective zero cross temperatures, and wherein the absolute value of the difference between the zero cross temperatures is more than 6K.

A method of manufacture of an extreme ultraviolet reflective element includes: providing a substrate; forming a multilayer stack on the substrate, the multilayer stack includes a plurality of reflective layer pairs having a first reflective layer and a second reflective layer for forming a Bragg reflector; and forming a capping layer on and over the multilayer stack, the capping layer formed from titanium oxide, ruthenium oxide, niobium oxide, ruthenium tungsten, ruthenium molybdenum, or ruthenium niobium, and the capping layer for protecting the multilayer stack by reducing oxidation and mechanical erosion.

This optical device comprises an ophthalmic lens and a light source emitting in the deep red and near infrared region. The ophthalmic lens has front and rear faces coated with interferential coatings. The mean reflectance of the rear interferential coating is lower than or equal to 2.5% for wavelengths ranging from 700 nm to a predetermined maximum wavelength lower than or equal to 2500 nm, at an angle of incidence lower than or equal to 45°. At an angle of incidence lower than or equal to 45°, for wavelengths ranging from 700 nm to the predetermined maximum wavelength, the mean reflectance of the front interferential coating is either lower than or equal to 2.5% if the source is directed towards the front face of the ophthalmic lens, or higher than or equal to 25% if the source is directed towards the rear face of the ophthalmic lens.

A light controlling film comprises a light reflecting film and a light controlling layer that are laminated. The light reflecting film comprises at least two laminated light reflecting layers including at least one of light reflecting layers PRL-1 to PRL-3 that a central reflection wavelength of 400 nm-500 nm, 500 nm-600 nm, and 600 nm-700 nm, respectively, and a reflectance to ordinary light at the central reflection wavelength of 5%-25%. The at least two light reflecting layers have central reflection wavelengths that are different from each other. All of the at least two laminated light reflecting layers have a property of reflecting polarized light having the same orientation. The light controlling layer comprises two quarter wave plates, and the light reflecting film is laminated so as to be interposed between the two quarter wave plates.

Provided are a mask inspection apparatus and a mask inspection method that can prevent a reduction in a reflectance of a drop-in mirror, which is caused by carbon contaminants. A mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a drop-in mirror including multi-layer film and a reflective surface. The drop-in mirror is configured to reflect illumination light incident on the reflective surface and illuminate the mask. An area of the reflective surface is configured to be greater than an area of an illuminated spot irradiated with the illumination light on the reflective surface. The drop-in mirror is configured to be movable. A position of the illuminated spot on the reflective surface is configured to be moved when the drop-in mirror is moved.

The disclosure is directed to a highly reflective multiband mirror that is reflective in the VIS-NIR-SWIR-MWIR-LWIR bands, the mirror being a complete thin film stack that consists of a plurality of layers on a selected substrate. In order from substrate to the final layer, the mirror consists of (a) substrate, (b) barrier layer, (c) first interface layer, (d) a reflective layer, (e) a second interface layer, (f) tuning layer(s) and (g) a protective layer. In some embodiments the tuning layer and the protective are combined into a single layer using a single coating material. The multiband mirror is more durable than existing mirrors on light weight metal substrates, for example 6061-Al, designed for similar applications. In each of the five layer types, methods and materials are used to process each layer so as to achieve the desired layer characteristics, which aid to enhancing the durability performance of the stack.