A doubly bent X-ray spectroscopic device (1) according to the present invention includes: a glass plate (3) which is deformed into a shape having a doubly bent surface by being sandwiched between a doubly curved convex surface (21a) of a convex forming die (21) and a doubly curved concave surface (22a), of a concave forming die (22), that matches the doubly curved convex surface (21a), and being heated to a temperature of 400° C. to 600° C.; and a reflection coating (5) configured to reflect X-rays, which is formed on a concave surface (3a) of the deformed glass plate (3 ).

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, production systems therefor, and methods of reducing roughness are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a multilayer reflective stack on a substrate comprising a plurality of pairs of alternating layers comprising a first layer and a second layer, the first layer including a first element selected from the group consisting of Si, B, Al, Mg, Zr, Ba, Nb, Ti, Gd, Y, and Ca; and the second layer including a second element selected from the group consisting of Ru, Mo, Ta, Sb, Tc, Nb, Ir, Pt, and Pd. Some EUV mask blanks described herein include interface layer between the first layer and the second layer, the interface layer including an interface element selected from the group consisting of Si, B, C, Al, Mo, and Ru.

A method for producing a diffractive optical element and a diffractive optical element are disclosed. In an embodiment a method for producing a diffractive optical element includes generating a surface structure by implanting ions into a material of a substrate, a layer or a layer system, wherein the surface structure includes a structure height of less than 10 nm.

A microscope system for flexibly, efficiently and quickly inspecting patterns and defects on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography photomasks. The system includes a stand-alone plasma-based EUV radiation source with an emission spectrum with a freestanding line emission in the spectral range from 12.5 nm to 14.5 nm has a relative bandwidth of λ/Δλ>1000, means for the broadband spectral filtering λ/Δλ<50 for selecting the dominant freestanding emission line, means for suppressing radiation with wavelengths outside of the EUV spectral region, zone plate optics for magnified imaging of the object with a resolution which corresponds to the width of an outermost zone of the zone plate, a numerical aperture corresponding to more than 1000 zones, and a EUV detector array for capturing the patterned object.

A multilayer mirror for reflecting Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and a method for producing the same are disclosed. In an embodiment a multilayer mirror includes a layer sequence having a plurality of alternating first layers and second layers, the first layers including lanthanum or a lanthanum compound and the second layers including boron, wherein the second layers are doped with carbon, and wherein a molar fraction of carbon in the second layers is 10% or less.

A microscope system for flexibly, efficiently and quickly inspecting patterns and defects on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography photomasks. The system includes a stand-alone plasma-based EUV radiation source with an emission spectrum with a freestanding line emission in the spectral range from 12.5 nm to 14.5 nm has a relative bandwidth of λ/Δλ>1000, means for the broadband spectral filtering λ/Δλ<50 for selecting the dominant freestanding emission line, means for suppressing radiation with wavelengths outside of the EUV spectral region, zone plate optics for magnified imaging of the object with a resolution which corresponds to the width of an outermost zone of the zone plate, a numerical aperture corresponding to more than 1000 zones, and a EUV detector array for capturing the patterned object.

A mirror including a substrate (110), a reflection layer system (120), and at least one continuous piezoelectric layer (130, . . . ) arranged between the substrate and the layer system. An electric field producing a locally variable deformation is applied to the piezoelectric layer via a first, layer-system-side electrode arrangement and a second, substrate-side electrode arrangement. At least one of the electrode arrangements is assigned a mediator layer (170) setting an at least regionally continuous profile of the electrical potential along the respective electrode arrangement. The electrode arrangement to which the mediator layer is assigned has a plurality of electrodes (160, . . . ), each of which is configured to receive an electrical voltage relative to the respective other electrode arrangement. In the region that couples two respectively adjacent electrodes, the mediator layer is subdivided into a plurality of regions (171, . . . ) that are electrically insulated from one another.

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 herein is an x-ray interferometer for x-ray phase contrast imaging including an x-ray source, an x-ray source grating, two x-ray phase gratings, an x-ray analyzer grating and an x-ray detector. An alternative interferometer includes a periodically structured x-ray source, two x-ray phase gratings, an x-ray analyzer grating and an x-ray detector. The phase gratings are placed much closer to the x-ray detector than to the x-ray source and the image object is positioned upstream and close to the phase gratings to achieve high sensitivity and large field-of-view simultaneously.

Methods for the manufacture of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks and production systems therefor are disclosed. A method for forming an EUV mask blank comprises forming a bilayer on a portion of a multi-cathode PVD chamber interior and then forming a multilayer stack of Si/Mo on a substrate in the multi-cathode PVD chamber.