A film element of an EUV-transmitting wavefront correction device is arranged in a beam path and includes a first layer of first layer material having a first complex refractive index n.sub.1=(1.sub.1)+i.sub.1, with a first optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a first layer thickness profile, and a second layer of second layer material having a second complex refractive index n.sub.2=(1.sub.2)+i.sub.2, with a second optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a second layer thickness profile. The first and second layer thickness profiles differ. The deviation .sub.1 of the real part of the first refractive index from 1 is large relative to the absorption coefficient .sub.1 of the first layer material and the deviation .sub.2 of the real part of the second refractive index from 1 is small relative to the absorption coefficient .sub.2 of the second layer material.

Described are optical systems for a digital micromirror device (DMD) illuminator. The optical systems include a LED array, a tapered non-imaging collection optic, a reflective stop and a telecentric lens system. The telecentric lens system is disposed along an optical axis defined between the tapered non-imaging collection optic and the reflective stop. The telecentric lens system is configured as a first half of a symmetric one to one imager for an object plane on the optical axis and as a second half of the symmetric one to one imager for optical energy reflected from the reflective aperture stop. The optical systems reclaim optical energy emitted by the LED array that does not initially pass through the reflective stop and provide an improved intensity distribution at the DMD. Reductions in stray light and the thermal loads on the illuminator and DMD are achieved relative to conventional illumination systems for DMDs.

A catadioptric projection objective has a multiplicity of lenses and at least one concave mirror, and also two deflection mirrors in order to separate a partial beam path running from the object field to the concave mirror from the partial beam path running from the concave mirror to the image field. The deflection mirrors are tilted relative to the optical axis of the projection objective about tilting axes running parallel to a first direction (x-direction). The first deflection mirror is arranged in optical proximity to a first field plane and the second deflection mirror is arranged in optical proximity to a second field plane, which is optically conjugate with respect to the first field plane. A displacement device for the synchronous displacement of the deflection mirrors is provided. The deflection mirrors have different local distributions of their reflection properties in first and second reflection regions, respectively.

A method of providing a catadioptric projection includes: providing a first partial objective for imaging an object field onto a first real intermediate image; providing a second partial objective for imaging the first real intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image, in which the second partial objective includes a concave mirror; providing a third partial objective for imaging the second intermediate image onto an image field, the third partial objective including an aperture stop; providing a first folding mirror and a second folding mirror; and providing an antireflection coating onto a surface of at least one lens that is directly adjacent to the concave mirror or that is separate from the concave mirror by a single lens, in which the antireflection coating is designed to have reflectivity of less than 0.2% for a wavelength between 150 nm and 250 nm and for an angle-of-incidence range between 0 and 30.

An illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a spatial light modulator which varies an intensity distribution in a pupil surface. The modulator includes an array of mirrors that reflect impinging projection light into directions that depend on control signals applied to the mirrors. A prism, which directs the projection light towards the spatial light modulator, has a double pass surface on which the projection light impinges twice, namely a first time when leaving the prism and before it is reflected by the mirrors, and a second time when entering the prism and after it has been reflected by the mirrors. A pupil perturbation suppressing mechanism is provided that reduces reflections of projection light when it impinges the first time on the double pass surface, and/or prevents that light portions being a result of such reflections contribute to the intensity distribution in the pupil surface.

An improved solid-state laser for generating sub-200 nm light is described. This laser uses a fundamental wavelength between about 1030 nm and 1065 nm to generate the sub-200 nm light. The final frequency conversion stage of the laser creates the sub-200 nm light by mixing a wavelength of approximately 1109 nm with a wavelength of approximately 234 nm. By proper selection of non-linear media, such mixing can be achieved by nearly non-critical phase matching. This mixing results in high conversion efficiency, good stability, and high reliability.

The disclosure provides an optical component that includes an optical element fixed in the transverse direction in a frame. The frame has a linear expansion of at most 0.01% in the transverse direction even in the case of a linear expansion of the optical element in the transverse direction by up to 1%.

A wavefront correction element for an optical system, in particular an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus or a mask inspection apparatus, has a carrier film (110, 210, 410) which at least partly transmits electromagnetic radiation that has an operating wavelength of the optical system and that impinges on the carrier film during operation of the optical system. The carrier film (110, 210, 410) is configured such that the real part of the complex refractive index of the carrier film varies over a used region of the surface of the carrier film (110, 210, 410).

An immersion projection optical system having, for example, a catadioptric and off-axis structure, reduces the portion of an image space filled with liquid (immersion 5 liquid), The projection optical system, which projects a reduced image of a first plane onto a second plane through the liquid, includes a refractive optical element (Lp) arranged nearest to the second plane. The refractive optical element includes a light emitting surface (Lpb) shaped to be substantially symmetric with respect to two axial directions (XY axes) perpendicular to each other on the second plane. The light emitting surface has a central axis (Lpba) that substantially coincides with a central axis of a circle corresponding to a circumference of a light entering surface (Lpa) of the refractive optical element. The central axis of the light emitting surface is decentered in one of the two axial directions (Yaxis) from an optical axis (AX).

An immersion projection optical system having, for example, a catadioptric and off-axis structure, reduces the portion of an image space filled with liquid (immersion 5 liquid), The projection optical system, which projects a reduced image of a first plane onto a second plane through the liquid, includes a refractive optical element (Lp) arranged nearest to the second plane. The refractive optical element includes a light emitting surface (Lpb) shaped to be substantially symmetric with respect to two axial directions (XY.Math.axes) perpendicular to each other on the second plane. The light emitting surface has a central axis (Lpba) that substantially coincides with a central axis (40a) of a circle (40) corresponding to a circumference of a light entering surface (Lpa) of the refractive optical element. The central axis of the light emitting surface is decentered in one of the two axial directions (Yaxis) from an optical axis (AX).