An optical element for transmitting radiation includes: a first surface region surrounding an optically used area of the optical element; and a second surface region that adjoins the first surface region. A circumferential edge is formed between the first and second surface regions. The optical element further includes a one-piece film which covers the first surface region, the edge and the second surface region. The film includes a hydrophobic material at least on its side facing away from the first and the second surface regions. An optical assembly includes at least one such optical element. A method produces such an optical element.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a substrate; a multilayer stack of reflective layers on the substrate; a capping layer on the multilayer stack of reflecting layers; and an absorber layer including an alloy of tantalum and copper on the capping layer.

Systems and methods described herein relate to the manufacture of optical elements and optical systems. An example system may include an optical component configured to direct light from a light source to illuminate a photoresist material at a desired angle and to expose at least a portion of an angled structure in the photoresist material, where the photoresist material overlays at least a portion of a top surface of a substrate. The optical component includes a container containing an light-coupling material that is selected based in part on the desired angle. The optical component also includes a mirror arranged to reflect at least a portion of the light to illuminate the photoresist material at the desired angle.

A reflective optical element (1) for reflecting light having at least one wavelength in an EUV wavelength range has an optically effective region configured for reflecting the light incident on a surface (2) of the optically effective region. The reflective optical element (1) has an edge (4) forming at least part of a boundary of an edge-free surface (3) of the reflective optical element (1), wherein the edge-free surface (3) includes the surface (2) of the optically effective region. The edge (4) has a chamfer and/or a rounding. Also disclosed is a method for adapting a geometry of at least one surface region of a component of an optical arrangement, for example of a reflective optical element (1).

A method for generating an electromagnetic radiation includes the following operations. A target material is introduced in a chamber. A light beam is irradiated on the target material in the chamber to generate plasma and an electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation is collected with an optical device. A gas mixture is introduced in the chamber. The gas mixture includes a first buffer gas reactive to the target material, and a second buffer gas to slow down debris of the target material and/or plasma by-product, so as to increase an reaction efficiency of the target material and the first buffer gas, and to reduce deposition of the debris of the target material and/or the plasma by-product on the optical device.

A first diffusor configured to receive and transmit radiation has a plurality of layers, each layer arranged to change an angular distribution of EUV radiation passing through it differently. A second diffusor configured to receive and transmit radiation has a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is formed from a first material, the first layer including a nanostructure on at least one surface of the first layer. The second layer is formed from a second material adjacent to the at least one surface of the first layer such that the second layer also includes a nanostructure. The second material has a refractive index that is different to a refractive index of the first layer. The diffusors may be configured to receive and transmit EUV radiation.

Apparatus, methods and are disclosed for measuring refractive index of an absorber material used in EUV phase shift masks. The method and apparatus utilize a reference measurement and as series of reflectance measurements at a range of EUV wavelengths and thickness values for the absorber material to determine the refractive index of the absorber material.

A super-resolution system for nano-patterning is disclosed, comprising an exposure head that enables a super-resolution patterning exposures. The super-resolution exposures are carried out using electromagnetic radiation and plasmonic structure, and in some embodiments, plasmonic structures having specially designed super-resolution apertures, of which the “bow-tie” and “C-aperture” are examples. These apertures create small but bright images in the near-field transmission pattern. A writing head comprising one or more of these apertures is held in close proximity to a medium for patterning. In some embodiments, a data processing system is provided to re-interpret the data to be patterned into a set of modulation signals used to drive the multiple individual channels and multiple exposures, and a detection means is provided to verify the data as written.

The technology disclosed uses extreme beam shaping to increase the amount of energy projected through an AOD. First and second expanders and are described that are positioned before and after the AOD. In one implementation, the optical path shapes energy from a source, such as a Gaussian laser spot, deflects it, then reshapes it into a writing spot. In another implementation for image capture, rather than projection system, the disclosed optics reshape a reading spot from an imaged surface to a high-aspect ratio beam at an AOD exit, subject to deflection by the AOD. The optics reshape the radiation relayed by the high-aspect ratio beam through the AOD to a detector. Since light can travel in both directions through an optical system, the details described in terms of projecting a writing spot onto a radiation sensitive surface also apply to metrology sweeping a reading spot over an imaged surface.

An optical arrangement of an imaging device for microlithography, particularly for using light in the extreme UV range, includes an optical element and a holding device for holding the optical element. The optical element includes an optical surface and defines a plane of main extension, in which the optical element defines a radial direction and a circumferential direction. The holding device includes a base element and more than three separate holding units. The holding units are connected to the base element and arranged in a manner distributed along the circumferential direction and spaced apart from one another. The holding units hold the optical element with respect to the base element. Each of the holding units establishes a clamping connection between the optical element and the base element. The clamping connection for each holding unit is separate from the clamping connections of the other holding units.