Optical system for microlithographic projection exposure system for manufacturing e.g. LCDs, has beam-splitting optic element arranged such that degree of polarization of incident light beam is lesser than specified value

摘要

The system has a beam-splitting optic element for splitting a light beam incident on the beam-splitting optic element during operation of a microlithographic projection exposure system into partial beams (S101, S102), which comprise mutually orthogonal polarization directions. A diffractive optic element (DOE) generates a desired polarized illumination setting e.g. quadrupole or dipole illumination setting, for the partial beams. The beam-splitting optic element is arranged such that a degree of polarization of the incident light beam is lesser than 1, preferably lesser than 0.1. The beam-splitting optic element is designed as a polarization beam splitter (110), a sub-lambda lattice, a multi-layer membrane or a birefringent element. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a microlithographic exposure method (2) a method for microlithographically manufacturing micro-structured components.