A pellicle membrane for a lithographic apparatus, the membrane including a matrix including a plurality of inclusions distributed therein. A method of manufacturing the pellicle membrane, a lithographic apparatus including the pellicle membrane, a pellicle assembly for use in a lithographic apparatus including the membrane, as well as the use of the pellicle membrane in a lithographic apparatus or method.

A system for deep ultraviolet (DUV) optical lithography includes an optical source apparatus including N optical oscillators, N being an integer number greater than or equal to two, and each of the N optical oscillators is configured to produce a pulse of light in response to an excitation signal; and a control system coupled to the optical source apparatus. The control system is configured to determine a corrected excitation signal for a first one of the N optical oscillators based on an input signal, the input signal including an energy property of a pulse of light produced by another one of the N optical oscillators.

An optical proximity correction (OPC) method of effectively imitating a mask topography effect for a mask having a curvilinear pattern includes generating a library for edge filters of a near field by using an electromagnetic field simulation; generating an any-angle edge filter by using the library; for a mask having a curvilinear pattern, generating a first mask image by using thin mask approximation; determining whether the curvilinear pattern satisfies a reference; when the curvilinear pattern satisfies the reference, performing skewed Manhattanization on the curvilinear pattern and then generating a second mask image by applying the any-angle edge filter to edges of the curvilinear pattern.

A control method for a spatial light modulator for an exposure apparatus having a projection optical system having an optical elements a state of each of which is allowed to be changed, the method sets states of optical elements located in a first area to a first distribution in which a first optical element in a first state and a second optical element in a second state are distributed in a first distribution pattern so that one portion of a light from the optical elements located in the first area enters the projection optical system and setting states of optical elements located in a second area to a second distribution in which the first optical element and the second optical element are distributed in a second distribution pattern to reduce a deterioration of the pattern image caused by a light that enters the projection optical system from the first area.

A pulse width expansion apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a polarization beam splitter and a transfer optical system. The transfer optical system includes ¼-wavelength and reflection mirror pairs. The ¼-wavelength mirror pair include first and second ¼-wavelength mirrors. The first ¼-wavelength mirror provides ¼-wavelength phase shift and reflects a pulse laser beam. The second ¼-wavelength mirror provides ¼-wavelength phase shift and reflects the pulse laser beam reflected by the first ¼-wavelength mirror. The reflection mirror pair are disposed on an optical path before and after or between the ¼-wavelength mirror pair. The transfer optical system transfers an image of an input pulse laser beam on the polarization beam splitter to the optical path between the ¼-wavelength mirror pair at one-to-one magnification as a first transfer image and transfers the first transfer image to the polarization beam splitter at one-to-one magnification as a second transfer image.

A magnification adjustable projection system is provided that includes an imaging system having an object or image space, a first deformable lens plate located within the object or image space for contributing a first magnification power to the imaging system as a function of an amount of curvature of the first deformable lens plate, and a second deformable lens plate located within the object or image space for contributing a second magnification power to the imaging system as a function of an amount of curvature of the second deformable lens plate. The projection system also has first and second bending apparatuses that adjust the curvature of the first and second deformable lens plate through a range of curvature variation for adjusting the magnification power of the imaging system.

An optical measuring system is used to reproduce a target wavefront of an imaging optical production system when an object is illuminated with illumination light. The optical measuring system comprises an object holder displaceable by actuator means and at least one optical component displaceable by actuator means. Within the scope of the target wavefront reproduction, a starting actuator position set (X.sub.0), in which each actuator is assigned a starting actuator position, is initially specified. An expected design wavefront (W.sub.D) which approximates the target wavefront and which the optical measuring system produces as a set wavefront is determined. A coarse measurement of a starting wavefront (W.sub.0) which the optical measuring system produces as actual wavefront after actually setting the starting actuator position set (X.sub.0) is carried out. Then, the object holder is adjusted by actuator means until a coarse target wavefront (W.sub.1) is obtained for a coarse actuator position set (X.sub.1) in the case of a minimum wavefront deviation between the actual wavefront and the design wavefront (W.sub.D). Said coarse target wavefront is then subjected to a fine measurement and the at least one optical component is displaced until a fine target wavefront (W.sub.2) is obtained for a fine actuator position set (X.sub.2) in the case of a minimum deviation between the actual wavefront setting-in in that case and the design wavefront (W.sub.D). This reproduction method allows wavefront deviations of the optical measuring system generated by way of targeted misalignment to provide a good approximation of corresponding deviations of the optical production system.

A mirror, e.g. for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, includes an optical effective surface, a mirror substrate, a reflection layer stack for reflecting electromagnetic radiation incident on the optical effective surface, at least one first electrode arrangement, at least one second electrode arrangement, and an actuator layer system situated between the first and the second electrode arrangements. The actuator layer system is arranged between the mirror substrate and the reflection layer stack, has a piezoelectric layer, and reacts to an electrical voltage applied between the first and the second electrode arrangements with a deformation response in a direction perpendicular to the optical effective surface. The deformation response varies locally by at least 20% in PV value for a predefined electrical voltage that is spatially constant across the piezoelectric layer.

Disclosed are a photomask, an exposure apparatus, and a method of fabricating a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device using the same. The photomask may include a mask substrate, a first mask pattern on the mask substrate, and an optical path modulation substrate. The optical path modulation substrate may include a first region on a portion of the first mask pattern, and a second region on another portion of the first mask pattern. The second region has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the first region.

The invention relates to a lithography system, for example for projecting an image or an image pattern on to a target (1) such as a wafer, said target being included in said system by means of a target table (2), clamping means being present for clamping said target on said table. Said clamping means comprises a layer of stationary liquid (3), included at such thickness between target and target table that, provided the material of the liquid (C) and of the respective contacting faces (A, B) of the target (1) and target table (2), a pressure drop (P.sub.Cap) arises.