A method of manufacturing a patterned stamp (100) for patterning a contoured surface (10) is disclosed. The method comprises applying a layer (115) of a pliable material precursor over a master (50) carrying an inverse pattern (52) to form a desired pattern (112) in said layer; curing the pliable material precursor to form a pliable stamp layer (120) comprising said desired pattern; providing an intermediate stamp structure by adhering a porous pliable support layer (130) to the pliable stamp layer; releasing the intermediate stamp structure from the master; forcing the intermediate stamp structure onto the contoured surface with said pattern of features facing the contoured surface; forming the patterned stamp by filling the porous pliable support layer with a filler material to reduce the pliability of the support layer; and removing the patterned stamp from the contoured surface. A corresponding patterned stamp, imprinting method and imprinted article are also disclosed.

A projection exposure device projects exposure light onto a substrate via a microlens array. The projection exposure device includes a scanning exposure unit that moves the microlens array along a scanning direction from one end toward another end of the substrate, and a microlens array shift unit that moves the microlens array in a shift direction intersecting with the scanning direction during movement of the microlens array caused by the scanning exposure unit.

A system for mitigating damage to optical elements caused by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light exposure is disclosed. The system includes a light source configured to generate VUV and a chamber containing one or more gaseous fluorine-based compounds of a selected partial pressure. The system includes one or more optical elements. The one or more optical elements are located within the chamber and are exposed to the one or more gaseous fluorine-based compounds. The VUV light generated by the light source is of sufficient energy to dissociate the fluorine-based compound within the chamber into a primary product.

There is provided an optical imaging device, in particular for microlithography, comprising at least one optical element and at least one holding device associated to the optical element (109), wherein the holding device holds the optical element and a first part (109.1) of the optical element contacts a first atmosphere and a second part (109.2) of the optical element at least temporarily contacts a second atmosphere. There is provided a reduction device at least reducing dynamic fluctuations in the pressure difference between the first atmosphere and the second atmosphere.

An adjustment apparatus which is an optical system having an incident face and a light exit face that is parallel to the incident face. The optical system is disposed in an exposure device. The adjustment apparatus includes at least one wedge lens and a plurality of optical lenses configured such that at least one of focal plane adjustment, magnification adjustment and position adjustment for a field of view corresponding to the exposure device is made possible through changing relative positions of at least one pair of neighboring ones of the lenses. An adjustment method corresponding to the adjustment apparatus is also provided for the focal plane adjustment, magnification adjustment and position adjustment for the field of view corresponding to the exposure device.

The disclosure provides an optical system, having a first optical control loop, which is set up to regulate a position and/or spatial orientation of a first optical element relative to a first module sensor frame, and a first module control loop, which is set up to regulate a position and/or spatial orientation of the first module sensor frame relative to a base sensor frame. Related components and methods are also provided

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.

An overlay metrology target (T) is formed by a lithographic process. A first image (740(0)) of the target structure is obtained using with illuminating radiation having a first angular distribution, the first image being formed using radiation diffracted in a first direction (X) and radiation diffracted in a second direction (Y). A second image (740(R)) of the target structure using illuminating radiation having a second angular illumination distribution which the same as the first angular distribution, but rotated 90 degrees. The first image and the second image can be used together so as to discriminate between radiation diffracted in the first direction and radiation diffracted in the second direction by the same part of the target structure. This discrimination allows overlay and other asymmetry-related properties to be measured independently in X and Y, even in the presence of two-dimensional structures within the same part of the target structure.

Provided a lithography projection objective includes: first lens group, second lens group, third lens group, fourth lens group, and fifth lens group, wherein first lens group, second lens group, third lens group, fourth lens group, and fifth lens group are sequentially arranged along an optical axis; first lens group and third lens group each has negative optical power, second lens group and fourth lens group each has positive optical power, fifth lens group has optical power of 0, sum optical power of first lens group, second lens group, third lens group, fourth lens group, and fifth lens group is 0; lithography projection objective further includes diaphragm; and first lens group, third lens group, and fourth lens group each comprises aspheric lenses, one aspheric lens thereof includes an aspherical surface; and a number of aspheric lenses is greater than or equal to 4 and less than or equal to 8.

An optical lithography system for patterning semiconductor devices and a method of using the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes an optical path; a prism disposed on the optical path; a lens disposed on the optical path; and a tunable mirror disposed on the optical path, the tunable mirror including a mirror having a concave surface at a front-side thereof; a rear support attached to a backside of the mirror; and a plurality of fine-adjustment screws extending from the rear support to the backside of the mirror.