An optical characterization system is disclosed. The optical characterization system may comprise a synchrotron source, an optical characterization sub-system, and a sensor configured to receive a projected image from a set of imaging optics. The optical characterization sub-system may include at least the set of illumination optics, a set of imaging optics, and a diffractive optical element, a temporal modulator or an optical waveguide configured to match an etendue of a light beam output by the synchrotron source to the set of illumination optics. A method of matching the etendue of a light beam is also disclosed.

A grating for line-narrowing a laser beam that is outputted from a laser apparatus at a wavelength in a vacuum ultraviolet region may include: a grating substrate; a first aluminum metal film formed above the grating substrate, the first aluminum metal film having grooves in a surface thereof; and a first protective film formed by an ALD method above the first aluminum metal film.

In a method for producing a microstructure component, which is used in particular as an x-ray phase contrast grating in an x-ray device, a material absorbing x-rays is poured into a mold able at least to be deformed about one bending axis, which is formed by a silicon substrate and which has a plurality of cutouts running in a direction of the thickness of the silicon substrate with dimensions in the micrometer range. The mold into which the material is poured is heated up to a working temperature value lying above the room temperature and below a melting temperature value of the material which is poured into it and is formed into a final contour as per specifications.

A source grating structure (G0) for interferometric X-ray imaging cable of generating a non-uniform intensity profile behind a surface (S) of the grating structure when exposed to X-ray radiation.

A system for 3D printing utilizing near-UV and/or UV photons with engineered angular momentum, the system comprising: one of a coherent source and an incoherent source of one or more of near-UV photons and UV photons; means for obtaining one or more of super-resolved near-UV photons and super-resolved UV photons; and one or more angular momentum generators configured to impart the one or more of the near-UV photons and the UV photons with one or more of spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM); wherein the means for obtaining and the angular momentum generators are one or more of fabricated as stand-alone structures, fabricated on a package of the one of the coherent source and the incoherent source, and fabricated as an integral part of the one of the coherent source and the incoherent source.

A system for transferring near-UV and/or UV photons with engineered angular momentum on to matter, and treat organic and inorganic substances and/or impurities comprising a coherent or incoherent source of near-UV and/or UV photons, and one or more angular momentum generators configured to deliver near-UV and/or UV photons with optimized spin angular momentum (SAM), orbital angular momentum OAM, and/or a SAM/OAM combination to target organic or inorganic substance and/or impurity, wherein the angular momentum generators are scalable such that they can be fabricated as a stand alone structure, as a structure fabricated on the package of the near-UV and/or UV photon source, or as an integral part of the near-UV and/or UV photon source.

A membrane transmissive to EUV radiation, which may be used as a pellicle or spectral filter in a lithographic apparatus. The membrane has one or more high doped regions wherein the membrane is doped with a dopant concentration greater than 10.sup.17 cm.sup.?3, and one or more regions with low (or no) doping. The membrane may have a main substrate having low doping and one or more additional layers, wherein the high doped regions are within some or all of the additional layers.

An optical grating (8) includes a substrate (9), on the surface (9a) of which a periodic structure (10) is formed that is embodied to diffract incident radiation (11), in particular incident EUV radiation, with a specified wavelength (.sub.) into a predetermined order of diffraction, in particular into the first order of diffraction (m=+1). The optical grating also has a coating (12) applied onto the periodic structure with at least one layer (13, 14) that is embodied to suppress the diffraction of the incident radiation into at least one higher order of diffraction (m=+2, . . . ) than the predetermined order of diffraction.

An EUV collector for use in an EUV projection exposure apparatus includes at least one mirror surface having surface structures for scattering a used EUV wavelength () of used EUV light. The mirror surface has a surface height with a spatial wavelength distribution between a lower limit spatial wavelength and an upper limit spatial wavelength. An effective roughness (rmsG) below the lower limit spatial wavelength (PG) satisfies the following relation: (4 rmsG cos()/)2<0.1. denotes an angle of incidence of the used EUV light at the mirror surface. The following applies to an effective roughness (rmsGG) between the lower limit spatial wavelength (PG) and the upper limit spatial wavelength (PG): 1.5 rmsG<rmsGG<6 rmsG.

A membrane transmissive to EUV radiation, which may be used as a pellicle or spectral filter in a lithographic apparatus. The membrane includes one or more high doped regions wherein the membrane is doped with a dopant concentration greater than 10.sup.17 cm.sup.?3, and one or more regions with low (or no) doping. The membrane may have a main substrate having low doping and one or more additional layers, wherein the high doped regions are comprised within some or all of the additional layers.