An optical system delivers illuminating radiation and collects radiation after interaction with a target structure on a substrate. A measurement intensity profile is used to calculate a measurement of the property of the structure. The optical system may include a solid immersion lens. In a method, the optical system is controlled to obtain a first intensity profile using a first illumination profile and a second intensity profile using a second illumination profile. The profiles are used to derive a correction for mitigating the effect of, e.g., ghost reflections. Using, e.g., half-moon illumination profiles in different orientations, the method can measure ghost reflections even where a solid immersion lens would cause total internal reflection. The optical system may include a contaminant detection system to control a movement based on received scattered detection radiation. The optical system may include an optical component having a dielectric coating to enhance evanescent wave interaction.

The disclosure relates to a device for transmitting electrical signals between a first interface element, arranged at a first structure of a lithography system, and a second interface element, arranged at a second structure of the lithography system. An electrical conductor connects the first interface element and the second interface element. The device has a hollow body which surrounds at least sections of the electrical conductor and which is designed to electromagnetically shield the electrical conductor. A gap is provided in the hollow body or between the hollow body and one of the structures and allows a relative movement of the first structure and the second structure to mechanically decouple the first structure from the second structure.

A method of generating a layout pattern includes disposing a photoresist layer of a resist material on a substrate and disposing a top layer over of the photoresist layer. The top layer is transparent for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and the top layer is opaque for deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation. The method further includes irradiating the photoresist layer with radiation generated from an EUV radiation source. The radiation passes through the top layer to expose the photoresist layer.

Microlithography projection objectives for imaging into an image plane a pattern arranged in an object plane are described with respect to suppressing false light in such projection objectives.

An optical element (14), in particular for EUV lithography, includes a substrate (15), a reflective coating (16) arranged on the substrate (15), and an electrically conductive coating (19) extending between the substrate and the reflective coating, and having at least one first layer (22a) under tensile stress and at least one second layer (22b) under compressive stress. The electrically conductive coating has at least one section (20) that extends on the substrate laterally beyond the reflective coating. Also disclosed is an optical assembly, in particular an EUV lithography system, provided with at least one optical element of this type.

A mask (M) for EUV lithography includes: a substrate (7), a first surface region (A.sub.1) formed by a surface (8a) of a multilayer coating (8) embodied to reflect EUV radiation (27), said surface (8a) facing away from the substrate (7), and a second surface region (A.sub.2) formed by a surface (18a) of a further coating (18) embodied to reflect DUV radiation (28) and to suppress the reflection of EUV radiation (27), said surface (18a) facing away from the substrate (7). The further coating is a multilayer coating (18). Also disclosed are an EUV lithography apparatus that includes such a mask (M) and a method for determining a contrast proportion caused by DUV radiation when imaging a mask (M) onto a light-sensitive layer.

An illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a spatial light modulator which varies an intensity distribution in a pupil surface. The modulator includes an array of mirrors that reflect impinging projection light into directions that depend on control signals applied to the mirrors. A prism, which directs the projection light towards the spatial light modulator, has a double pass surface on which the projection light impinges twice, namely a first time when leaving the prism and before it is reflected by the mirrors, and a second time when entering the prism and after it has been reflected by the mirrors. A pupil perturbation suppressing mechanism is provided that reduces reflections of projection light when it impinges the first time on the double pass surface, and/or prevents that light portions being a result of such reflections contribute to the intensity distribution in the pupil surface.

A method of generating a layout pattern includes disposing a photoresist layer of a resist material on a substrate and disposing a top layer over of the photoresist layer. The top layer is transparent for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and the top layer is opaque for deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation. The method further includes irradiating the photoresist layer with radiation generated from an EUV radiation source. The radiation passes through the top layer to expose the photoresist layer.

An optical proximity correction method includes loading a target layout for a mask, generating a correction density map based on manipulation of flare to correct global errors caused by exposing equipment, generating a flare map via convolution integration of the correction density map and a point spread function (PSF) regarding the flare, and correcting the target layout using the flare map and an OPC model.

A method for compensating for an exposure error in an exposure process of a lithographic apparatus that comprises a substrate table, the method comprising: obtaining a dose measurement indicative of a dose of IR radiation that reaches substrate level, wherein the dose measurement can be used to calculate an amount of IR radiation absorbed by an object in the lithographic apparatus during an exposure process; and using the dose measurement to control the exposure process so as to compensate for an exposure error associated with the IR radiation absorbed by the object during the exposure process.