Microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective

1. An objective including an object plane, an image plane, a pupil plane, and an optical axis, the objective being configured to direct radiation from the object plane to the image plane during operation, the objective comprising:

a plurality of optical elements positioned along the optical axis between the object plane and an image plane, the plurality of optical elements comprising in sequence from the object plane to the image plane:

a first mirror, the first minor being a concave mirror positioned near the pupil plane;

one or more additional mirrors including at least one curved mirror; and

a plurality of lenses forming a positive lens group,

wherein:

the objective is a microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective;

the optical axis is a straight line extending between the object plane and the image plane;

each of the mirrors in the objective comprise a surface that is at least a portion of a symmetric surface that is rotationally symmetric about the optical axis; and

for each mirror surface that reflects the radiation, an entire area of the minor surface that reflects the radiation is a continuous area that does not surround an aperture in the minor surface.

2. The objective of claim 1 , wherein the first mirror is situated at a location where a marginal ray height exceeds 80% of the marginal ray height at the pupil plane.

3. The objective of claim 1 , wherein an aspheric surface is located on the concave minor.

4. The objective of claims 1 , wherein a second mirror in the beam path from the object side to the image side does not cross the optical axis of the objective.

5. The objective of claim 4 , wherein a real intermediate image is situated after the second mirror in the beam path from the object side to the image side.

6. The objective of claim 1 , wherein the last lens element in front of the image has positive refractive power and has a substantially flat surface towards the image.

7. The objective of claim 6 , wherein the last surface of the last lens element is an aspheric surface.

8. The objective of claim 1 , wherein the group comprising the concave minor comprises one or more negative lenses and generates axial chromatic aberration.

9. The objective of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additional minors comprises a plurality of mirrors including an odd number of curved mirrors.

10. The objective of claim 1 , wherein a total number of curved minors in the objective is even.

11. The objective of claim 1 , wherein a total number of minors in the objective is four.

12. The objective of claim 1 , wherein the surface of each of the plurality of lenses is rotationally symmetric about the optical axis.

13. The objective of claim 1 , wherein the surface of one or more of the mirrors is only a segment of the corresponding symmetric surface.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a light source selected from the group consisting of a deep ultraviolet (DUV) and a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light source;

an illumination system;

a reticle handling, positioning and scanning system;

a projection objective comprising an object plane, an image plane, a pupil plane, and an optical axis, the projection objective also comprising a plurality of optical elements positioned along an optical axis between an object plane and an image plane, the plurality of optical elements comprising in sequence from the object plane to the image plane:

a first mirror, the first minor being a concave mirror positioned near the pupil plane;

one or more additional mirrors including at least one curved mirror; and

a plurality of lenses forming a positive lens group,

wherein the optical axis is a straight line extending between the object plane and the image plane, and each of the mirrors in the projection objective comprises a surface that is at least a portion of a symmetric surface that is rotationally symmetric about the optical axis; and

a wafer handling, positioning and scanning system,

wherein:

the apparatus is a projection exposure apparatus;

during operation the illumination system directs radiation from the light source to a reticle positioned at the object plane using the reticle handling, positioning and scanning system;

the projection objective directs radiation from the reticle to a substrate positioned at the image plane using the wafer handling, positioning and scanning system; and

for each mirror surface that reflects the radiation, an entire area of the minor surface that reflects the radiation is a continuous area that does not surround an aperture in the minor surface.

15. The objective of claim 14 , wherein the surface of each of the plurality of lenses is rotationally symmetric about the optical axis.

16. The objective of claim 14 , wherein the surface of one or more of the mirrors is only a segment of the corresponding symmetric surface.

17. A microlithographic method of fabricating a microstructured device, comprising the following steps:

a) providing a substrate supporting a light sensitive layer;

b) providing a mask containing structures to be imaged onto the light sensitive layer;

c) providing an illumination system; and

d) projecting at least a part of the mask onto the light sensitive layer using a microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective to direct radiation from the illumination system to the light sensitive layer, the microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective including an object plane, an image plane, a pupil plane, and an optical axis, the microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective comprising:

a plurality of optical elements positioned along an optical axis between an object plane and an image plane, the plurality of optical elements comprising in sequence from the object plane to the image plane:

a first mirror, the first minor being a concave mirror positioned near the pupil plane;

one or more additional mirrors including at least one curved mirror; and

a plurality of lenses forming a positive lens group,

wherein:

the optical axis is a straight line extending between the object plane and the image plane;

each of the mirrors in the microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective comprises a surface that is at least a portion of a symmetric surface that is rotationally symmetric about the optical axis; and

for each mirror surface that reflects the radiation, an entire area of the minor surface that reflects the radiation is a continuous area that does not surround an aperture in the mirror surface.

18. The objective of claim 17 , wherein the surface of each of the plurality of lenses is rotationally symmetric about the optical axis.

19. The objective of claim 17 , wherein the surface of one or more of the mirrors is only a segment of the corresponding symmetric surface.

20. An objective including an object plane, an image plane, a pupil plane, and an optical axis, the objective being configured to direct radiation from the object plane to the image plane during operation, the objective comprising:

a plurality of optical elements positioned along the optical axis between the object plane and an image plane, the plurality of optical elements comprising in sequence from the object plane to the image plane:

a first mirror, the first minor being a concave mirror positioned near the pupil plane;

one or more additional mirrors including at least one curved mirror; and

a plurality of lenses forming a positive lens group,

wherein:

for each mirror surface that reflects the radiation, an entire area of the minor surface that reflects the radiation is a continuous area that does not surround an aperture in the minor surface;

the objective is a microlithographic reduction projection catadioptric objective; and

the optical axis is a straight line extending between the object plane and the image plane, and the objective includes no fold mirrors or beamsplitters.