An apparatus and method for irradiating a fluid containing a material to be irradiated, comprising at least one irradiation chamber having at least one inlet port and outlet port, at least one fluid cooling chamber having at least one inlet port and outlet port, one or more UV radiation sources coupled to the irradiation chamber(s); and at least one heat exchange mechanism thermally coupled to the radiation source(s) and the cooling chamber(s). At least a portion of the interior surface of the cooling chamber(s) may comprise at least a portion of the exterior surface of the irradiation chamber(s) so the cooling chamber(s) is in fluid communication with the irradiation chamber(s).

An illumination optical unit for EUV projection lithography illuminates an object field with illumination light. The illumination optical unit has a first facet mirror including a plurality of first facets on a first mirror carrier. Disposed downstream of the first facet mirror is a second facet mirror including a plurality of second facets arranged on a second mirror carrier around a facet arrangement center. Partial beams of the illumination light are guided superposed on one another into the object field, respectively via illumination channels which have one of the first facets and one of the second facets. Second maximum angle facets are arranged at the edge of the second mirror carrier. The second maximum angle facets predetermine maximum illumination angles of the illumination light which deviate maximally from a chief ray incidence on the object field.

A reflective optical element, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus or a mask inspection apparatus. According to one aspect, the reflective optical element has an optically effective surface, a substrate (405, 505), a reflection layer system (410, 510) and at least one porous outgassing layer (450, 550), which at least intermittently releases particles adsorbed in the outgassing layer (450, 550) when the optically effective surface (400a, 500a) is irradiated by electromagnetic radiation.

A reflector (15) for cooling or trapping atoms or molecules, the reflector (15) having a reflecting surface (17) forming a perimeter around and facing a central axis (33), the reflecting surface (17) extending along the axis (33), and converging from a first end of the reflector (15) towards a second end of the reflector (15), such that the reflecting surface (17) is arranged to reflect input laser light to form a cooling region (21), wherein an aperture (23) for providing a beam (27) of cooled atoms or molecules from the cooling region (21) is formed in the reflecting surface (17), the aperture (23) perpendicular to the central axis (33), such that the reflector (15) forms a truncated pyramid, and wherein the reflecting surface (17) is formed by three or more planar mirrors (39a-d) arranged around and at an angle to the central axis (33).

A solid target irradiator system (10, 210) includes a target carrier feeding assembly (20, 220) coupled to a base (11, 211) for sequentially feeding individual target carriers (50, 250) from a stack of target carriers contained in a target magazine (21, 221), a target loader assembly (60, 260) coupled to the base for selectively holding each target carrier in the target magazine for subsequent advancement and retraction of a held target carrier through the solid target irradiator system, a selectively moveable dissolution assembly (100, 300) coupled to the base and selectively engageable with the target loader assembly for dissolution of target material thereon; and an airlock assembly (80, 280) coupled to the base to prepare the target carrier for subsequent irradiation.

A radioisotope production apparatus (RI) comprising an electron source arranged to provide an electron beam (E). The electron source comprises an electron injector (10) and an electron accelerator (20). The radioisotope production apparatus (RI) further comprises a target support structure configured to hold a target (30) and a beam splitter (40) arranged to direct the a first portion of the electron beam along a first path towards a first side of the target (30) and to direct a second portion of the electron beam along a second path towards a second side of the target (30).

An apparatus and method for irradiating a fluid containing a material to be irradiated, comprising at least one irradiation chamber having at least one inlet port and outlet port, at least one fluid cooling chamber having at least one inlet port and outlet port, one or more UV radiation sources coupled to the irradiation chamber(s); and at least one heat exchange mechanism thermally coupled to the radiation source(s) and the cooling chamber(s). At least a portion of the interior surface of the cooling chamber(s) may comprise at least a portion of the exterior surface of the irradiation chamber(s) so the cooling chamber(s) is in fluid communication with the irradiation chamber(s).

An apparatus and method for irradiating a fluid containing a material to be irradiated, comprising at least one irradiation chamber having at least one inlet port and outlet port, at least one fluid cooling chamber having at least one inlet port and outlet port, one or more UV radiation sources coupled to the irradiation chamber(s); and at least one heat exchange mechanism thermally coupled to the radiation source(s) and the cooling chamber(s). At least a portion of the interior surface of the cooling chamber(s) may comprise at least a portion of the exterior surface of the irradiation chamber(s) so the cooling chamber(s) is in fluid communication with the irradiation chamber(s).

A reflective optical element, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus or a mask inspection apparatus. According to one aspect, the reflective optical element has an optically effective surface, a substrate (405, 505), a reflection layer system (410, 510) and at least one porous outgassing layer (450, 550), which at least intermittently releases particles adsorbed in the outgassing layer (450, 550) when the optically effective surface (400a, 500a) is irradiated by electromagnetic radiation.

An illumination optical unit for EUV projection lithography illuminates an object field with illumination light. The illumination optical unit has a first facet mirror including a plurality of first facets on a first mirror carrier. Disposed downstream of the first facet mirror is a second facet mirror including a plurality of second facets arranged on a second mirror carrier around a facet arrangement center. Partial beams of the illumination light are guided superposed on one another into the object field, respectively via illumination channels which have one of the first facets and one of the second facets. Second maximum angle facets are arranged at the edge of the second mirror carrier. The second maximum angle facets predetermine maximum illumination angles of the illumination light which deviate maximally from a chief ray incidence on the object field.