An imaging optical system, in particular a projection objective, for microlithography, includes optical elements to guide electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in a path to image an object field into an image plane. The imaging optical system includes a pupil, having coordinates (p, q), which, together with the image field, having coordinates (x, y) of the optical system, spans an extended 4-dimensional pupil space, having coordinates (x, y, p, q), as a function of which a wavefront W(x, y, p, q) of the radiation passing through the optical system is defined. The wavefront W can therefore be defined in the pupil plane as a function of an extended 4-dimensional pupil space spanned by the image field (x, y) and the pupil (p, q) as W(x, y, p, q)=W(t), with t=(x, y, p, q).

A reflective relay spectrometer design based on reflective optical relay systems, which is more compact in physical size and superior in spectral imaging quality than previous designs, is disclosed.

An imaging optical unit includes a plurality of mirrors to guide imaging light along an imaging beam path. The plurality of mirrors includes a number of mirrors for grazing incidence (GI mirrors), which deflect a chief ray of a central object field point with an angle of incidence of more than 45. At least two of the GI mirrors are in the imaging beam path as basic GI mirrors so that the deflection effect thereof adds up for the chief ray. At least one further GI mirror is arranged in the imaging beam path as a counter GI mirror so that the deflection effect thereof acts in subtractive fashion for the chief ray in relation to the deflection effect of the basic GI mirrors. This can yield an imaging optical unit having enhanced flexibility in relation to an installation space used for mirror bodies of the mirrors of the imaging optical unit.

An image projection device includes: a light source 10 that emits a laser beam 40; a control unit 32 that generates the laser beam 40 based on input image data, and controls emission of the laser beam 40 from the light source 10; a scan mirror 14 that scans the laser beam 40 emitted from the light source 10 to emit a scanning light 42; and a projection unit 16 that irradiates a retina 52 of an eye 50 of a user with the scanning light 42 to project an image on the retina 52, wherein the projection unit 16 includes an optical system 18 which converges the scanning light 42 emitted from the scan mirror 14 on a virtual plane 62, which is located outside the eye 50 of the user, at an angle substantially equal to a scan angle of the scan mirror 14, and an optical system 24, which converges the scanning light 42 that has passed through the virtual plane 62 on a virtual plane 64, which is located inside the eye 50 of the user and near a pupil 54, at an angle substantially equal to an emission angle from the virtual plane 62.

Provided is a reflective optical element that is lightweight and excellent in damping capacity. In the reflective optical element, a resin layer having an optical surface is formed on a metal substrate, and a reflective film is formed on the optical surface, and also, the metal substrate includes an alloy containing Mg as a main component.

An imaging optical unit for projection lithography has a plurality of mirrors for guiding imaging light from an object field into an image field. The object field is spanned by two object field coordinates, with a normal coordinate being perpendicular thereto. Imaging light propagates in a first imaging light plane through at least one first plane intermediate image of the imaging optical unit. In a second imaging light plane, the imaging light propagates through at least one second plane intermediate image of the imaging optical unit. The number of first plane intermediate images and the number of second plane intermediate images differ from one another. An imaging optical unit with reduced production costs emerges.

An optical element reflects radiation, such as EUV radiation. The optical element includes a substrate with a surface to which a reflective coating is applied. The substrate has at least one channel through which a coolant can flow. The substrate is formed from fused silica, such as titanium-doped fused silica, or a glass ceramic. The channel has a length of at least 10 cm below the surface to which the reflective coating is applied. The cross-sectional area of the channel varies by no more than +/20% over the length of the channel.

A catoptric system having a reference axis and first, second, and third reflectors. The first reflector contains a pattern-source carrying a substantially one-dimensional pattern. A combination of the second and third reflectors is configured to form an optical image of the pattern, with a demagnification coefficient N>1 in extreme UV light, and with only two beams of light that have originated at the first reflector as a result of irradiation of the first reflector with light incident upon it. An exposure apparatus employing the catoptric system and method of device manufacturing with the use of the exposure apparatus.

An image offsetting apparatus for producing an offset image pathway and presenting the offset image pathway to an optic, including at least some of a mirror assembly wherein the mirror assembly comprises a first component mirror and a second component mirror, wherein the mirror assembly is attached or coupled so as to provide the offset image pathway that is offset from a direct image pathway between a target object and the optic.

A catoptric system having a reference axis and including a reflective pattern-source (carrying a substantially one-dimensional pattern) and a combination of two optical reflectors disposed sequentially to transfer EUV radiation incident onto the first optical component to the pattern-source the substantially one-dimensional pattern of which is disposed in a curved surface. In one case, such combination includes only two optical reflectors (each may contain multiple constituent components). The combination is disposed in a fixed spatial and optical relationship with respect to the pattern-source, and represents an illumination unit (IU) of a 1D EUV exposure tool that additionally includesincludes a projection optical sub-system configured to form an optical image of the pattern-source on an image plane with the use of only two beams of radiation. These only two beams of radiation originate at the pattern-source from the EUV radiation transferred onto the pattern-source.