An illumination optical system which illuminates an illumination objective surface with a light from a light source. The illumination optical system includes a spatial light modulator which includes a plurality of optical elements arranged within a predetermined plane and controlled individually, and which forms a light intensity distribution in an illumination pupil of the illumination optical system; and a polarization unit which is arranged in a position optically conjugate with the predetermined plane, and which polarizes an incident light beam having a first and second partial light beams, coming into the polarization unit such that the first and second partial light beams have polarization states different from each other, and emits the polarized incident light beam as an outgoing light beam, wherein the polarization unit changes, in a cross section of the outgoing light beam, a ratio between a cross sectional areas of the first and second partial light beams.

A new and useful illumination device, e.g. for a lithographic optical imaging system, is provided, and comprises a mirror array located between a radiation source and an illumination pupil. Each mirror element of the mirror array is individually steerable (controllable), and the polarization state of light from each mirror element of the mirror array can be selectively controlled, so that the illumination pupil can be filled with a distribution of light that is selectively controlled.

A method includes providing a photomask having a patterned absorption layer over a substrate. The photomask is irradiated with a beam having a mixture of transverse electronic (TE) waves and transverse magnetic (TM) waves. The irradiating includes generating surface plasmonic polaritons (SPP) on a sidewall of the patterned absorption layer. The SPP is used to suppress the TM waves while reflecting the TE waves. A target substrate is exposed to TE waves.

A polarization module and a laser exposure apparatus have a polarization module including a first lens and a second lens that reduce a one-directional length of a cross-section of an incident laser beam having an optical axis. A polarization beam splitter divides the laser beam passing through the first and second lenses into two laser beams that are polarized in different directions with respect to each other. A first prism lens and a second prism lens emit an output laser beam by controlling the two laser beams that are divided by the polarization beam splitter to positions that are symmetrical with respect to the optical axis. At least one half wave plate is disposed between the polarization beam splitter and the first prism lens.

Methods and apparatuses for measuring a plurality of structures formed on a substrate are disclosed. In one arrangement, a method includes obtaining data from a first measurement process. The first measurement process including individually measuring each of the plurality of structures to measure a first property of the structure. A second measurement process is used to measure a second property of each of the plurality of structures. The second measurement process includes illuminating each structure with radiation having a radiation property that is individually selected for that structure using the measured first property for the structure.

A polarization filter includes a multilayer structure including a first plurality of elements and a second plurality of elements alternating between each other. The first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements have different thicknesses, and the multilayer structure is configured to interact with unpolarized light incident on the multilayer structure and separate transverse electric (TE) waves and transverse magnetic (TM) waves of the unpolarized light.

The disclosure relates to an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus or of a wafer inspection apparatus having a first retardation manipulator, a second retardation manipulator, and a manipulator for displacing the second retardation manipulator independently of the first retardation manipulator in at least one direction that is transverse to the optical system axis of the optical system. The second retardation manipulator leaves the wavefront of light that passes through it during operation of the optical system unchanged. In a specified starting position of the first retardation manipulator and of the second retardation manipulator, the sum of the retardations caused by the first retardation manipulator and the second retardation manipulator coincides for all rays that travel parallel to the optical system axis during operation of the optical system.

Metrology apparatus and methods are disclosed for measuring a structure formed on a substrate. In one arrangement, different components of a radiation beam are selectively extracted after reflection from the structure and independently detected. For each component, radiation is selected from one of a plurality of predetermined regions in a downstream pupil plane of the optical system downstream from the structure. Radiation is further selected from one of two predetermined orthogonal polarization states. The predetermined orthogonal polarization states are oriented differently as a pair for each of at least a subset of components comprising radiation selected from different predetermined regions in the downstream pupil plane.

According to one embodiment, an illumination optical apparatus comprises: a light splitting device which splits the beam into a plurality of beams with respective polarization states different from each other; a spatial light modulation device which is arranged on at least one of a first optical path in which a first beam out of the plurality of beams travels and a second optical path in which a second beam out of the plurality of beams travels, and which has a plurality of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally and driven individually; and a control device which controls the spatial modulation device to combine the first beam and the second beam at least in part.

A delivery system for use within a lithographic system. The beam delivery system comprises optical elements arranged to receive a radiation beam from a radiation source and to reflect portions of radiation along one or more directions to form a one or more branch radiation beams for provision to one or more tools.