A method for analyzing the wavefront effect of an optical system includes: illuminating a measurement mask (110, 310) with illumination light, producing an interferogram in a specified plane using a diffraction grating (150) from a wavefront from the illuminated measurement mask and traveling through the optical system; and capturing the interferogram with a detector (170). Different angular distributions of the illumination light incident on the measurement mask are produced via a mirror arrangement of independently settable mirror elements. A plurality of interferograms are captured in a plurality of measurement steps, wherein these measurement steps differ respectively in angular distribution of the illumination light that is incident on the measurement mask. A matching wavefront deviation portion in the measurement results obtained respectively in the measurement steps is ascertained to determine the respective system wavefront deviations of the optical system for the pupil regions illuminated respectively in the individual measurement steps.

A projection exposure method for exposing a radiation-sensitive substrate with at least one image of a pattern includes providing the pattern between an illumination system and a projection lens of a projection exposure apparatus so that the pattern is arranged in the region of an object plane of the projection lens and can be imaged via the projection lens into an image plane of the projection lens. The image plane is optically conjugate with respect to the object plane, and imaging-relevant properties of the pattern can be characterized by pattern data. The method also includes illuminating an illumination region of the pattern with an illumination radiation provided by the illumination system in accordance with an illumination setting which is specific to a use case and which can be characterized by illumination setting data.

A method of correcting an optical image formed by an optical system, the method including obtaining a map indicative of a polarization dependent property of the optical system across a pupil plane of the optical system for each spatial position in an image plane of the optical system, combining the map indicative of the polarization dependent property of the optical system with a radiation map of the intensity and polarization of an input radiation beam to form an image map, and using the image map to correct an optical image formed by directing the input radiation beam through the optical system.

A method of correcting aberrations caused by a projection system of a lithographic apparatus, the method including performing a measurement of an aberration caused by the projection system using a sensor located in the lithographic apparatus, determining, based on a history of operation of the lithographic apparatus since a change of machine state, whether to average the measured aberration with one or more aberration measurements previously obtained using the sensor, calculating a correction to be applied to the lithographic apparatus using the measured aberration if it is determined that averaging should not be performed, calculating a correction to be applied to the lithographic apparatus using an averaged aberration measurement if it is determined that averaging should be performed, and applying the calculated correction to the lithographic apparatus.

A method for controlling a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes: determining a wavefront error of the projection exposure apparatus; generating a travel vector, suitable for correcting the wavefront error, with travels for each zone of the optical manipulator; establishing a constraint parameter with respect to the travel for at least one zone of the optical manipulator; and checking the travels of the generated travel vector with respect to implementability.

A method and a device for aligning two lenses, wherein the method is directed to aligning first and second optical partial systems of an optical system, which are arranged so as to be located opposite to one another. The method includes the steps of: projecting alignment marks into a first image plane of the first optical partial system, projecting the alignment marks from the first image plane onto a sensitive surface of the second optical partial system, and aligning the optical partial systems relative to one another, such that projections of the alignment marks in a depth of field of the sensitive surface are imaged at ideal positions.

A method of predicting deflection of a pellicle which will occur during movement of the pellicle in a lithographic apparatus, the method including receiving parameters regarding properties of the pellicle and receiving parameters regarding the expected movement of the pellicle. The parameters are applied to a model which predicts deflection of the pellicle as a function of those parameters. The model includes a plurality of sub-models which relate to different components of deflection of the pellicle. An output of the model may be used to predict.

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.

A device and a method for characterizing the surface shape of a test object. The device for characterizing the surface shape of a test object has a test arrangement (130, 230) for determining the surface shape of a test object (111, 112, 113, 211, 212, 213) using a test wave. The test wave has a wavefront generated by diffraction at a diffractive optical element. The device additionally has a first vacuum chamber (110, 210) and a second vacuum chamber (120, 220), wherein the second vacuum chamber (120, 220) has a magazine for mounting at least two diffractive optical elements (121, 122, 123, 221, 222, 223).

A method of predicting thermally induced aberrations of a projection system for projecting a radiation beam, the method comprising: calculating a change in temperature of the projection system from a power of the radiation beam output from the projection system using a dynamic linear function; and calculating the thermally induced aberrations from the calculated change in temperature using a static non-linear function.