US 7,542,217 B2
	Beam reshaping unit for an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus
Wolfgang Singer, Aalen (Germany); Markus Deguenther, Aalen (Germany); Birgit Kuerz, Aalen (Germany); Rafael Egger, Aalen (Germany); Johannes Wangler, Koenigsbronn (Germany); and Manfred Maul, Aalen (Germany)
Assigned to Carl Zeiss SMT AG, Oberkochen (Germany)
Filed on Dec. 17, 2004, as Appl. No. 11/15,312.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/531436, filed on Dec. 19, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2005/0219495 A1, Oct. 06, 2005
Int. Cl. G02B 13/08 (2006.01); G02B 3/02 (2006.01); G02B 9/00 (2006.01); G02B 3/00 (2006.01); G03B 27/54 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 359—709  [359/649; 355/67]

24 Claims

1. A beam reshaping unit for an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, comprising: a) an optical axis, b) a first beam reshaping element having a first beam reshaping surface, c) a second beam reshaping element having a second beam reshaping surface which faces the first beam reshaping surface, wherein the first beam reshaping surface and the second beam reshaping surface are rotationally symmetrical with respect to the optical axis, and wherein at least the first beam reshaping surface has a curved non-conical region.