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 micromirror of a micromirror array in an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus can be tilted through a respective tilt angle about two tilt axes. The micromirror is assigned three actuators which can respectively be driven by control signals in order to tilt the micromirror about the two tilt axes. Two control variables are specified, each of which is assigned to one tilt axis and which are both assigned to unperturbed tilt angles. For any desired combinations of the two control variables, as a function of the two control variables, one of the three actuators is selected and its control signal is set to a constant value, in particular zero. The control signals are determined so that, when the control signals are applied to the other two actuators, the micromirror adopts the unperturbed tilt angles as a function of the two control variables.

An optical system for field imaging and/or pupil imaging has an optical axis, a stop plane and an image plane. The optical system includes a lens element system that has three lens element groups, each including at least one lens element. The lens element groups are spaced apart from each other along the optical axis between the stop plane and the image plane. The three lens element groups have a first lens element material and/or a second lens element material that differs from the first lens element material.

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.

An image display device includes an image light generation unit configured to generate image light, a projection system optical unit configured to project the image light, a correction system optical unit configured to correct aberrations, a first diffraction element configured to deflect the image light incident on a first incident surface, and a second diffraction element configured to deflect the image light incident on a second incident surface. The projection system optical unit, the second diffraction element, the correction system optical unit, and the first diffraction element are arranged in this order in a direction of the image light emitted from the image light generation unit, and the image light deflected and dispersed into rays of respective wavelengths by the second diffraction element is focused by the first diffraction element.

A system for generating a lithographic image contains a alight source that emits a diverging light beam and a reflective concave curvilinear surface onto which the diverging light beam falls and which reflects the diverging beam in the form of a converging beam. A digital hologram, which is coded in accordance with the initial lithographic image either preliminarily or dynamically with the use of a spatial light modulator, is placed into the converging beam between the reflective surface and the image-receiving object. The image of an initial lithographic image formed on the image-receiving object is subsequently used in the processes of microlithography.

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.

An optical element for incorporation into a holding device for forming an assembly for constructing an optical system comprises a body transparent to light from a used wavelength range, on which a first light passage surface and an opposing second light passage surface are formed. Each light passage surface has an optical used region for arrangement in a used beam path of the optical system and an edge region outside the optical used region and designated as an engagement region for holding elements of the holding device. Each light passage surface is of optical quality in the optical used region and has a surface shape designed in accordance with a used region specification specified by the function of the optical element in the used beam path. Light deflection structures with a geometrically defined surface design are in the edge region of at least one of the light passage surfaces.

A method for heating an optical element in an optical system, such as in a microlithographic projection exposure system comprises using a thermal manipulator to introduce a heating power into the optical element to produce a thermally induced deformation. Before starting operation of the optical system in which useful light impinges on the optical element, the heating power is adjusted with respect to a desired state of the optical element in which a first optical aberration is at least partially compensated. After starting operation of the optical system, the heating power is regulated to the desired state depending on the heat load of the useful light impinging on the optical element. The heating power is regulated in such a way that the average temperature of the optical element remains constant up to a maximum deviation of 0.5 K.