Patent · US Active

Optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus

US8237918B2 · kind B2 · utility

10Cited by

2References

27Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH · DE

Inventors

Michael Totzeck · Schwäbisch Gmünd, DE
Toralf Gruner · Hennef (Sieg), DE
Damian Fiolka · Oberkochen, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Jul 7, 2009
Grant date	Aug 7, 2012
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Aug 26, 2030

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG03F7/70566
WIPO fieldOptics
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical system, such as an illumination device or a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, is disclosed. The optical system can include a polarization compensator which has at least one polarization-modifying partial element. The optical system can also include a manipulator by which the position of the at least one partial element can be altered. At least one operating mode of the optical system can be set in which the intensity, over a region which belongs to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis and which can be illuminated with light from the light source, does not exceed 20% of the maximum intensity in the plane, and the manipulator is arranged in the region.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.