The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 11, 2012
Filed:
Jul. 02, 2009
Damian Fiolka, Oberkochen, DE;
Manfred Maul, Aalen, DE;
Markus Schwab, Herzogenaurach, DE;
Wolfgang Seitz, Rainau, DE;
Olaf Dittmann, Bopfingen, DE;
Damian Fiolka, Oberkochen, DE;
Manfred Maul, Aalen, DE;
Markus Schwab, Herzogenaurach, DE;
Wolfgang Seitz, Rainau, DE;
Olaf Dittmann, Bopfingen, DE;
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Oberkochen, DE;
Abstract
The disclosure relates to an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The illumination system can include a depolariser which in conjunction with a light mixing system disposed downstream in the light propagation direction at least partially causes effective depolarisation of polarised light impinging on the depolariser. The illumination system can also include a microlens array which is arranged upstream of the light mixing system in the light propagation direction. The microlens array can include a plurality of microlenses arranged with a periodicity. The depolariser can be configured so that a contribution afforded by interaction of the depolariser with the periodicity of the microlens array to a residual polarisation distribution occurring in a pupil plane arranged downstream of the microlens array in the light propagation direction has a maximum degree of polarisation of not more than 5%.