Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Julian Kaller

Guido Limbach

Guido Soyez

Harald Woelfle

Stephan Back

Joachim Buechele

Toralf Gruner

Jens Kugler

Bernhard Gellrich

Hans-Juergen Scherle

Alexander Epple

Aurelian Dodoc

Heiko Feldmann

Daniel Kraehmer

Franz Sorg

Olaf Conradi

Dirk Schaffer

Vladimir Kamenov

Ulrich Bingel

Ralf Winter

Tilman Schwertner

Karl-Stefan Weissenrieder

Thomas Okon

Jean-Claude Perrin

Michael Gerhard

Ulrich Loering

Christoph Zaczek

Wilfried Clauss

Thomas Schletterer

Herbert Fink

Hans Michael Stiepan

Dieter Schmerek

Detlev Mueller

Thomas Monz

Wolfgang Rupp

A method for measuring a surface shape of an optical element, wherein the optical element has a main body with a substrate and a reflective surface, and wherein at least one cooling channel for receiving a coolant is formed in the substrate, comprising: a) recording a cooling channel pressure, b) recording a measurement environment pressure, c) determining a pressure difference based on the cooling channel pressure and the measurement environment pressure, d) comparing the pressure difference with a predetermined target pressure difference, e) monitoring for a deviation between the pressure difference and the target pressure difference, wherein, if a deviation greater than a predetermined limit value is detected, the cooling channel pressure is adapted in such a way that the deviation becomes less than or equal to the predetermined limit value, and f) measuring the surface shape if the deviation is less than or equal to the predetermined limit value.

Production method and measurement method

An optical assembly includes: an optical element, which is transmissive or reflective to radiation at a used wavelength and has an optically used region; and a thermally conductive component, which is arranged outside the optically used region of the optical element. The thermally conductive component can include a material having a thermal conductivity of more than 500 W mK. Additionally or alternatively, the product of the thickness of the thermally conductive component in millimeters and the thermal conductivity of the material of the thermally conductive component is at least 1 W mm mK.

Optical assembly having a thermally conductive component

Microlithography projection objectives for imaging into an image plane a pattern arranged in an object plane are described with respect to suppressing false light in such projection objectives.

Microlithography projection objective

An optical element unit including a first optical element module and a sealing arrangement is disclosed. The first optical element module occupies a first module space and includes a first module component of a first component type and an associated second module component of a second component type. The first component type is optical elements and the second component type being different from the first component type. The sealing arrangement separates the first module space into a first space and a second space and substantially prevents, at least in a first direction, the intrusion of substances from one of the first space and the second space into the other one of the first space and the second space. The first module component at least partially contacts the first space and, at least in its area optically used, not contacting the second space. The second module component at least partially contacts the second space.

Optical element unit for exposure processes

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 element unit includes a first optical element module and a sealing arrangement. The first optical element module occupies a first module space and includes a first module component of a first component type and an associated second module component of a second component type. The first component type is optical elements and the second component type being different from the first component type. The sealing arrangement separates the first module space into a first space and a second space and substantially pre-vents, at least in a first direction, the intrusion of substances from one of the first space and the second space into the other one of the first space and the second space. The first module component at least partially contacts the first space and, at least in its area optically used, not contacting the second space. The second module component at least partially contacts the second space.

Optical element unit for exposure processes having sealing 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.

For the production of mirrors for EUV lithography, substrates are suggested having a mean relative thermal longitudinal expansion of no more than 10 ppb across a temperature difference &#x394;T of 15&#xb0; C. and a zero-crossing temperature in the range between 20&#xb0; C. and 40&#xb0; C. For this purpose, at least one first and one second material having low thermal expansion coefficients and opposite gradients of the relative thermal expansion as a function of temperature are selected and a substrate is produced by mixing and bonding these materials.

Substrates for mirrors for EUV lithography and their production

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.

In a projection exposure method, primary radiation having a center wavelength &#x3bb; is generated and guided through an illumination system along an illumination path and through a projection system along a projection path. The center wavelength is varied within a wavelength variation range &#x394;&#x3bb; having a lower limit &#x3bb;&#x2266;&#x3bb; and an upper limit &#x3bb;&#x2267;&#x3bb;. A specific absorption coefficient k(&#x3bb;) of at least one gaseous absorbent species selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O), ozone (O) and water vapor (HO) present in at least one gas-filled space along at least one of the illumination path and the projection path varies between a minimum absorption coefficient kand a maximum absorption coefficient kwithin the wavelength variation range such that an absorption ratio (k/k) exceeds 10. A concentration of the absorbent species within the gas-filled space is controlled such that an overall absorption variation effected by the absorbent species for all rays running along differing ray paths towards the image field is maintained below a predetermined absorption variation threshold value.

Projection exposure method and projection exposure system therefor

Described is an examination system () for locating contamination () on an optical element () installed in an optical system (), which examination system () comprises: a spatially resolving detector (); imaging optics () that magnify in particular at a magnification of between 2 times and 100 times, for magnified imaging of a surface sub-region () of the optical element () on the spatially resolving detector (); as well as a movement mechanism (), in particular a motorized movement mechanism (), for displacing the imaging optics () together with the detector () relative to the surface () of the optical element () such that any desired surface sub-region of the surface () can be imaged at magnification.

Devices and methods for inspecting optical elements with a view to contamination

Growing community of inventors

Koenigsbronn, Germany

Julian Kaller