An optical unit, in particular a facet mirror unit, includes an optical element and a supporting device. The optical element has an optical surface, in particular an elongate optical surface, which defines a plane of main extension and a direction of main extension in the plane of main extension. The supporting device includes a supporting unit and an actuator unit. The actuator unit is configured for tilting the optical surface, in that a tilting moment is exerted on the optical element by way of the actuator unit. The tilting moment runs in an inclined manner in relation to the plane of main extension. The supporting unit is configured to predefine a tilting axis for the optical surface that lies substantially in the plane of main extension of the optical surface when there is tilting of the optical surface by the tilting moment of the actuator unit.

A beam homogenizer for homogenizing a beam of radiation and an illumination system and metrology apparatus comprising such a beam homogenizer as provided. The beam homogenizer comprises a filter system having a controllable radial absorption profile and configured to output a filtered beam and an optical mixing element configured to homogenize the filtered beam. The filter system may be configured to homogenize the angular beam profile radially and said optical mixing element may be configured to homogenize the angular beam profile azimuthally.

A facet mirror for EUV projection lithography has a plurality of facets for reflecting EUV illumination light. At least some of the facets are in the form of alignment facets and have a reflection surface, the edge contour of which is aligned along two alignment coordinates of an overall facet arrangement. The reflection surface of at least one of the alignment facets has a surface shape that exhibits different curvatures along two axes of curvature. The axes of curvature are tilted about a finite axis tilt angle relative to the alignment coordinates of the overall facet arrangement. The result is a facet mirror with increased EUV throughput, particularly for prolonged operation of a projection exposure apparatus that is equipped therewith.

A mirror assembly (32) for directing a beam (28) includes a base (450), and an optical element (454) that includes (i) a mirror (460), (ii) a stage (462) that retains the mirror (460), (iii) a mover assembly (464) that moves the stage (462) and the mirror (460) relative to the base (450), and (v) a thermally conductive medium (466) that is positioned between the stage (462) and the base (450) to transfer heat between the stage (462) and the base (450). The thermally conductive medium (466) has a thermal conductivity that is greater than the thermal conductivity of air. The thermally conductive medium (466) can include an ionic fluid or a liquid metal.

An operating method of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography device includes defining a target image to render an illumination system, assigning priorities to respective positions of facets of a pupil facet mirror corresponding to the target image, assigning a mirror according to the assigned priorities using linear programming, generating the illumination system by selecting one of the facets of the pupil facet mirror based on a symmetry criterion, and converting mirror assignment information and source map information corresponding to the selected facet into a form recognizable by an EUV scanner.

An object is to provide an illumination apparatus that achieves illumination with a uniform illuminance distribution, while reducing a light quantity loss. An illumination apparatus for illuminating an illumination target surface has: a deflection member configured to form an illuminance distribution with a periodic pattern along a predetermined direction on a predetermined face traversing an optical path; and an optical integrator system having a plurality of wavefront division facets arrayed on the predetermined face and configured to form secondary light sources with use of a beam from the deflection member; the deflection member forms the illuminance distribution with the periodic pattern of an integer times or a unit fraction times an array period of the plurality of wavefront division facets.

A component for a projection exposure apparatus includes a printed circuit board arranged in an encapsulated housing and having electronic component parts, and a heat conducting structure for dissipating heat from the electronic component parts to an outer side of the housing.

An illumination system of a microlithographic projection apparatus includes a spatial light modulator having a modulation surface including a plurality of micromirrors. Each micromirror includes a mirror surface having an orientation that can be changed individually for each micromirror. For at least one of the micromirrors, at least one parameter that is related to the mirror surface is measured. The orientation of the mirror surfaces is controlled depending on the at least one measured parameter. A light pattern is produced on the modulation surface, and an image of the light pattern is formed on an optical integrator that has a plurality of light entrance facets. Images of the light entrance facets are superimposed on a mask.

A method includes identifying a first contamination region of a collector of a light source and enabling a subset of a plurality of temperature control elements positioned on the collector to cause a second contamination region to be formed on the collector symmetric to the first contamination region.

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.