A microlithography projection exposure apparatus includes a projection lens at least one manipulator to change an optical effect of at least one optical element of the projection lens, and a travel establishing device for generating a travel command for the at least one manipulator.

The invention concerns a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus designed for EUV, for imaging an object plane illuminated in operation of the projection exposure apparatus into an image plane. The projection objective has at least one mirror segment arrangement comprising a plurality of separate mirror segments. Associated with the mirror segments of the same mirror segment arrangement are partial beam paths which are different from each other and which respectively provide for imaging of the object plane (OP) into the image plane (IP). The partial beam paths are superposed in the image plane (IP). At least two partial beams which are superposed in the same point in the image plane (IP) were reflected by different mirror segments of the same mirror segment arrangement.

A film element of an EUV-transmitting wavefront correction device is arranged in a beam path and includes a first layer of first layer material having a first complex refractive index n.sub.1=(1−δ.sub.1)+iβ.sub.1, with a first optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a first layer thickness profile, and a second layer of second layer material having a second complex refractive index n.sub.2=(1−δ.sub.2)+iβ.sub.2, with a second optical layer thickness, which varies locally over the used region in accordance with a second layer thickness profile. The first and second layer thickness profiles differ. The deviation δ.sub.1 of the real part of the first refractive index from 1 is large relative to the absorption coefficient β.sub.1 of the first layer material and the deviation δ.sub.2 of the real part of the second refractive index from 1 is small relative to the absorption coefficient β.sub.2 of the second layer material.

A mirror arrangement (30) includes: a substrate (31) with a front side (31a) having a mirror face (32a) reflecting radiation (5), and a rear side (31b) facing away from the front side and on which at least one actuator (27) generating deformations of the mirror face is arranged. A water vapor (36)-sorbing material (33, 42) is formed on the rear side (31b) and forms an adhesive layer (33) for securing the actuator. The layer extends into interspaces (35) between the actuators (27). A surface (33a, 42a) of the water vapor-sorbing material is covered at least partly by a coating (37) which forms a water vapor diffusion barrier.

A metrology system comprises a radiation source, an optical element, first and second detectors, an integrated optical device comprising a multimode waveguide, and a processor. The radiation source generates radiation. The optical element directs radiation toward a target to generate scattered radiation from the target. The first detector receives a first portion of the scattered radiation and generates a first detection signal based on the received first portion. The multimode waveguide interferes a second portion of the scattered radiation using modes of the multimode waveguide. The second detector receives the interfered second portion and generates a second detection signal based on the received interfered second portion. The processor receives the first and second detection signals. The processor analyzes the received first portion, the received interfered second portion, and a propagation property of the multimode waveguide. The processor determines the property of the target based on the analysis.

The present disclosure relates to a lithography scanner including: a light source configured to emit extreme ultra-violet (EUV) light; a pellicle including an EUV transmissive membrane that is configured to scatter the EUV light into an elliptical scattering pattern having a first major axis; a reticle configured to reflect the scattered EUV light through the pellicle; and an imaging system configured to project a portion of the reflected light that enters an acceptance cone of the imaging system onto a target wafer, wherein a cross section of the acceptance cone has a second major axis, and wherein the pellicle is arranged such that the first major axis is oriented at an angle relative to the second major axis.

An optical system, for example in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, comprises a mirror and a temperature-regulating device. The mirror has an optical effective surface and a mirror substrate. A plurality of temperature-regulating zones are arranged in the mirror substrate. The temperature-regulating device is used to adjust the temperatures present in each of the temperature-regulating zones independently of one another. The temperature-regulating zones are arranged in at least two planes at different distances from the optical effective surface. The temperature-regulating zones in the at least two planes are configured as cooling channels through which, independently of one another, a cooling fluid at a variably adjustable cooling fluid temperature is able to flow. A method for operating such an optical system is provided.

A projection optical unit for microlithography includes a plurality of mirrors and has a numerical aperture having a value larger than 0.5. The plurality of mirrors includes at least three grazing incidence mirrors, which deflect a chief ray of a central object field point with an angle of incidence of greater than 45°. Different polarized light beams passing the projection optical unit are rotated in their polarization direction by different angles of rotation. The projection optical unit includes first and second groups of mirrors. The second group of mirrors includes the final two mirrors of the plurality of mirrors at the image side. A linear portion in the pupil dependence of the total geometrical polarization rotation of the projection optical unit is less than 20% of a linear portion in the pupil dependence of the geometrical polarization rotation of the second group of mirrors.

There is provided a reflective image-forming optical system which is applicable to an exposure apparatus using, for example, EUV light and which is capable of increasing numerical aperture while enabling optical path separation of light fluxes. In a reflective imaging optical system (6) forming an image of a first plane (4) onto a second plane (7), the numerical aperture on a side of the second plane with respect to a first direction (X direction) on the second plane is greater than 1.1 times a numerical aperture on the side of the second plane with respect to a second direction (Y direction) crossing the first direction on the second plane. The reflecting imaging optical system has an aperture stop (AS) defining the numerical aperture on the side of the second plane, and the aperture stop has an elliptic-shaped opening of which size in a major axis direction (X direction) is greater than 1.1 times that in a minor axis direction (Y direction).

An optical system for a lithography apparatus includes an optical element. The optical element comprises a substrate, an optically effective area provided on the substrate, and a plurality of channels which run through the substrate and to which a pressure can be applied via a fluid. An initial surface profile and a target surface profile different from the initial surface profile are associated with the optically effective area. The optically effective area can be switched from the initial surface profile to the target surface profile by applying pressure and a resulting deformation of the channels.