In a second direction (y direction) substantially orthogonal to a first direction (x direction), a distance between a light transmission region formed on a mask and an optical axis Ax is A times as long as a distance between an exposure pattern formed on a substrate W by light that passed through the light transmission region (A is a number that is equal to or greater than 1).

A lithography system includes an electron source, a lens, and a stencil mask. The electron source emits a beam of electrons. The lens converts the emitted beam of electrons into a diffuse beam of parallel electrons. The stencil mask is positioned between the lens and a semiconductor wafer with an electron-sensitive resists. The stencil mask has a pattern to selectively pass portions of the diffuse beam of parallel electrons onto the electron-sensitive resist of the wafer.

Light homogenizing elements are described. The light homogenizing elements include lens arrays with corrective features designed to improve the uniformity of light fields produced by optical sources. The corrective features include masks placed at selected positions of selected lenslets in a lens array. The corrective features block or reduce the transmission of light through the lens array at the selected position to correct for spatial or angular non-uniformities in a light field produced by an optical source. Illumination systems that include a corrected lens array coupled to a light source produce highly uniform light fields. Applications include microlithography.

The illumination optical system for illuminating an illumination target surface with light from a light source is provided with a polarization converting member which converts a polarization state of incident light to form a pupil intensity distribution in a predetermined polarization state on an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system; and a phase modulating member which is arranged in the optical path on the illumination target surface side with respect to the polarization converting member and which transmits light from the pupil intensity distribution so as to convert linearly polarized light thereof polarized in a first direction, into required elliptically polarized light and maintain a polarization state of linearly polarized light polarized in a second direction (X-direction or Y-direction) obliquely intersecting with the first direction, in order to reduce influence of retardation caused by a subsequent optical system between the polarization converting member and the illumination target surface.

A sensor device for capturing the displacement position of an optical component includes a plurality of stator electrodes and a mechanism or restricting the electric field that is relevant to the measurement of the displacement position to the region of the stator electrodes.

The disclosure relates to a method for producing an illumination system for an EUV apparatus in and to an illumination system for an EUV apparatus.

A projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography has a connecting element for connecting a component of the apparatus to a supporting cooling structure of the s apparatus. The connecting element has a receiving region for receiving the component, and the connecting element has a foot region for connecting the connecting element to the supporting cooling structure. At least one joint is arranged between the receiving and foot regions, and at least one heat conducting element is arranged between the receiving and foot regions. The heat conducting element is soft in the actuation direction of the joint and has a stiffness perpendicularly to the actuation direction of the joint that is at least twice as large as in the actuation direction of the joint.

An optical apparatus, which illuminates a first area with light from a light source while the first area is longer in a second direction intersecting a first direction than in the first direction, includes a collector optical member which is arranged in an optical path between the light source and the first area, and condenses the light from the light source to form a second area in a predetermined plane, the second area being longer in a fourth direction intersecting a third direction than in the third direction; and a first fly's eye optical member which is provided within the predetermined plane including the second area, and has a plurality of first optical elements guiding the light of the collector optical member to the first area.

An illumination correction apparatus for correcting a radiation beam incident on a reticle from an exposure apparatus includes a plurality of fingers each having a surface facing an incident direction of the radiation beam, the plurality of fingers being arranged in a first direction to be adjacent to a path of the radiation beam, and configured to adjust an amount of the incident radiation beam by moving in a second direction, intersecting the first direction, a controller connected to the plurality of fingers and configured to control movement of the plurality of fingers such that an intensity of the radiation beam has uniformity in the first direction, at least one optical sensor on the surface of at least one finger of the plurality of fingers, and a measurement unit configured to measure, based on an output of the at least one optical sensor, the intensity of the radiation beam.

A high performance EUV microscope device with a freeform illumination system having an elliptical mirror, includes: an EUV source for outputting EUV light; a spherical mirror having a two-axis driving unit which receives and reflects the EUV light output from the EUV light source and controls a reflection direction of the incident light through two-axis angle scanning; an optical path changing means for receiving the reflected light reflected from the spherical mirror and providing illumination light to a target object to be measured; a zone plate lens for focusing the light reflected after entering the target object; and a photodetector for receiving the light focused by the zone plate lens.