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.

Date of Patent:
Apr. 25, 2017

Filed:

Jan. 22, 2014
Applicant:

Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh, Oberkochen, DE;

Inventors:

Stefan-Wolfgang Schmidt, Aalen, DE;

Dirk Heinrich Ehm, Lauchheim, DE;

Markus Walter, Aalen, DE;

Assignee:

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Oberkochen, DE;

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G03B 27/52 (2006.01); G03B 27/54 (2006.01); G03F 7/20 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G03F 7/70883 (2013.01); G03F 7/70891 (2013.01); G03F 7/70916 (2013.01); G03F 7/70925 (2013.01); G03F 7/70983 (2013.01);
Abstract

An optical assembly including: a beam generating system generating radiation () at an operating wavelength, an optical element () arranged in a residual gas atmosphere () and subjected to the radiation, which induces a degradation of a surface of the optical element, and a feed device feeding at least one gaseous constituent into the residual gas atmosphere, to suppress the degradation of the surface. Either a beam diameter (d) of the radiation at the surface of the optical element, lies above a threshold value (d), thereby suppressing the degradation by the gaseous constituent, or, if the beam diameter (d) at the surface () of the optical element () lies below the threshold value (d) so that the effectiveness of the suppression of the degradation is reduced, at least one further device () enhancing suppression of the degradation of the surface () is assigned to the optical element ().


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