A magnification adjustable projection system includes an imaging system having a first pair of cylindrical lens plates located within an object or image space. The first pair of cylindrical lens plates includes a first cylindrical lens plate axially movable relative to a second cylindrical lens plate. A second pair of cylindrical lens plates is located within the object or image space in optical alignment with the first pair of cylindrical lens plates. The second pair of cylindrical lens plates includes a third cylindrical lens plate axially movable relative to a fourth cylindrical lens plates. First and second actuators adjusts distances between the first and second cylindrical lens plates and between the third and fourth cylindrical lens plates. The first and second pairs of cylindrical lens plates have first and second cylindrical transverse axes that are approximately 45° relative to each other.

An apparatus (e.g., a multi-spectral optical filter array, an optical wafer, an optical component) has an aperture mask printed directly thereon, the aperture mask including a positive or negative photoresist. The apparatus includes a substrate having the aperture mask printed on at least one of a light entrance surface or a light exit surface of the substrate so as to provide an aperture over a portion of the substrate. The photoresist from which the aperture mask is formed is photo-definable or non-photo-definable, and is deposited/printed to form the aperture mask on the substrate.

A projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography includes an optical correction element and an electromagnetic heating radiation source for at least partly irradiating an optically active region of the correction element with electromagnetic heating radiation. The optical correction element is provided with at least one electrical heating element outside the optically active region.

A semiconductor fabrication apparatus and a method of using the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the apparatus includes a holder configured to place a substrate and a radiation source configured to provide radiation to transfer a pattern onto the substrate. The apparatus also includes a plurality of sensing devices configured to provide a reference signal based on an intensity of the radiation when the substrate is not present. The apparatus further includes a controller, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensing devices, configured to adjust the intensity of the radiation based on the reference signal.

A stop, such as a numerical aperture stop, obscuration stop or false-light stop, for a lithography apparatus, includes a light-transmissive aperture and a stop element, in which or at which the aperture is provided. The stop element is opaque and fluid-permeable outside the aperture.

Embodiments described herein comprise extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticles and methods of forming EUV reticles. In an embodiment, the reticle may comprise a substrate and a mirror layer over the substrate. In an embodiment, the mirror layer comprises a plurality of alternating first mirror layers and second mirror layers. In an embodiment, a phase-shift layer is formed over the mirror layer. In an embodiment, openings for printable features and openings for non-printable features are formed into the phase-shift layer. In an embodiment, the non-printable features have a dimension that is smaller than a dimension of the printable features.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for stabilizing optical lens temperatures, including detecting infrared radiation emitted from one or more optical lens, generating an infrared sensor signal based upon the detected infrared radiation, directing emission of light from one or more infrared light sources to the one or more optical lenses, and regulating the emission of the light from the one or more infrared light sources based on the infrared sensor signal for adjusting the temperature of the one or more optical lens.

Apparatuses and techniques for suppressing a zeroth order portion of a configured radiation beam. In some embodiments, an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithographic apparatus for forming an image on a substrate by use of an EUV radiation beam that is configured by a patterning device comprising a pattern of reflective regions and partially reflective regions, wherein the partially reflective regions are configured to suppress and apply a phase shift to a portion of the EUV radiation beam, may include a projection system. The projection system may be configured to suppress a zeroth order portion of a configured EUV radiation beam, and direct an unsuppressed portion of a configured EUV radiation beam towards a substrate to form an image on the substrate.

An apparatus (e.g., a multi-spectral optical filter array, an optical wafer, an optical component) has an aperture mask printed directly thereon, the aperture mask including a positive or negative photoresist. The apparatus includes a substrate having the aperture mask printed on at least one of a light entrance surface or a light exit surface of the substrate so as to provide an aperture over a portion of the substrate. The photoresist from which the aperture mask is formed is photo-definable or non-photo-definable, and is deposited/printed to form the aperture mask on the substrate.

Provided a lithography projection objective includes: first lens group, second lens group, third lens group, fourth lens group, and fifth lens group, wherein first lens group, second lens group, third lens group, fourth lens group, and fifth lens group are sequentially arranged along an optical axis; first lens group and third lens group each has negative optical power, second lens group and fourth lens group each has positive optical power, fifth lens group has optical power of 0, sum optical power of first lens group, second lens group, third lens group, fourth lens group, and fifth lens group is 0; lithography projection objective further includes diaphragm; and first lens group, third lens group, and fourth lens group each comprises aspheric lenses, one aspheric lens thereof includes an aspherical surface; and a number of aspheric lenses is greater than or equal to 4 and less than or equal to 8.