Catadioptric projection objective

1. A catadioptric projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object surface of the projection objective onto an image surface of the projection objective comprising:

a first, refractive objective part for imaging the pattern provided in the object surface into a first intermediate image;

a second objective part for imaging the first intermediate image into a second intermediate image;

a third, refractive objective part for imaging, the second intermediate image onto the image surface;

wherein the second objective part includes a first concave mirror having a first continuous mirror surface and a second concave mirror having a second continuous mirror surface;

pupil surfaces are formed between the object plane and the first intermediate image, between the first and the second intermediate images and between the second intermediate image and the image plane;

all concave mirrors are arranged optically remote from a pupil surface;

wherein a first optical axis length OAL 1 is defined between the object surface and a vertex of a concave mirror geometrically closest to the object surface, and a third optical axis length OAL 3 is defined between a vertex of a concave mirror geometrically closest to the image surface and the image surface; and wherein the condition MG>0.7 holds for a mirror group position parameter MG=OAL 1 /OAL 3 .

2. The catadioptric projection objective of claim 1 ,

wherein the projection objective includes at least one double asphere having a first aspheric surface and a second aspheric surface immediately adjacent to the first aspheric surface, the double asphere being formed by facing adjacent aspheric surfaces of two consecutive lenses.

3. Projection objective according to claim 2 , wherein an axial distance between the first aspheric surface and the second aspheric surface of the double asphere is smaller than an axial thickness of a thinner of two consecutive lenses forming the double asphere.

4. Projection objective according to claim 2 , wherein the third objective part includes at least one double asphere.

5. Projection objective according to claim 4 , wherein the double asphere is positioned optically between the second intermediate image and the pupil surface of the third objective part.

6. Projection objective according to claim 2 , wherein the first objective part includes at least one double asphere.

7. Projection objective according to claim 6 , wherein the double asphere is positioned optically close to or at a pupil surface of the first objective part.

8. Projection objective according to claim 2 , wherein the first objective part and the third objective part each include at least one double asphere.

9. The catadioptric projection objective of claim 1 ,

wherein an aperture stop is positioned in the third objective part between a region of maximum beam diameter and the image surface in a region of a converging beam.

10. Projection objective according to claim 9 , wherein only three positive lenses are placed between the aperture stop and the image surface.

11. Projection objective according to claim 1 , wherein MG>0.8.

12. The catadioptric projection objective of claim 1 ,

wherein at least one of 8 and 9 consecutive lenses upstream of the image surface have positive refractive power.

13. Projection objective according to claim 12 , wherein an image side numerical aperture NA is larger than 1.2.