Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Joachim Buechele

Guido Limbach

Julian Kaller

Guido Soyez

Harald Woelfle

Stephan Back

An optical system has a housing with a mount and an opening to a receiving region, the receiving region being located within the housing and including the mount. At least one optical element is inserted into and removed from the receiving region through the opening, and at least one gas supply device provides a flow of gas in the receiving region. An associated method of inserting or removing an optical element into or from a receiving region in a housing is also disclosed.

Lens module comprising at least one exchangeable optical element

An optical system has a housing with a mount and an opening to a receiving region, the receiving region being located within the housing and including the mount. At least one optical element is inserted into and removed from the receiving region through the opening, and at least one gas supply device provides a flow of gas in the receiving region. Alternatively or in addition, the optical system has a gas lock that receives the optical element. The opening interconnects the gas lock and the receiving region of the housing, and accommodates passage of the optical element between the gas lock and the receiving region.

Disclosed is a lens module, especially a projection lens for semiconductor lithography, comprising at least one replaceable optical element that is disposed in a lens housing. At least one gas exchange device is positioned in an area of the replaceable optical element in such a way that a receiving zone for the replaceable optical element can be flushed when the optical element is replaced.

Growing community of inventors

Westhausen, Germany

Joachim Buechele