Collector for an illumination system with a wavelength of less than or equal to 193 nm

A collector for guiding light with a wavelength of ≦193 nm onto a plane, said collector comprising:

• a first mirror shell for receiving a first ring aperture section of said light and irradiating a first planar ring section of said plane with a first irradiance;
• and
• a second mirror shell for receiving a second ring aperture section of said light and irradiating a second planar ring section of said plane with a second irradiance,
• wherein said first and second mirror shells are rotationally symmetrical and concentrically arranged around a common axis of rotation,
• wherein said first and second ring aperture sections do not overlap with one another,
• wherein said first planar ring section substantially abuts said second planar ring section,
• wherein said first irradiance is approximately equal to said second irradiance, and
• wherein said first mirror shell includes a first segment with a first optical surface and a second segment with a second optical surface.

A collector for guiding light with a wavelength of ≦193 nm onto a plane, said collector comprising:

• a first mirror shell for receiving a first ring aperture section of said light and irradiating a first planar ring section of said plane with a first irradiance;
• a second mirror shell for receiving a second ring aperture section of said light and irradiating a second planar ring section of said plane with a second irradiance;
• and
• a central aperture obscuration with a numerical aperture≦0.30,
• wherein said first and second mirror shells are rotationally symmetrical and concentrically arranged around a common axis of rotation,
• wherein said first and second ring aperture sections do not overlap with one another,
• wherein said first planar ring section substantially abuts said second planar ring section, and
• wherein said first irradiance is approximately equal to said second irradiance.

An illumination system for illuminating an object plane with radiation≦193 nm from a light source, comprising:

• a collector, wherein said collector has a mirror shell and an optical system arranged in a light path from the light source to the object plane behind said collector,
• a plane conjugated to said light source in said light path, situated between said collector and said optical system, in which an intermediate image of said light source is formed;
• and
• a diaphragm in or near said intermediate image, wherein said diaphragm separates a space containing said light source and said collector from a portion of said illumination system downstream of said diaphragm.

A collector for guiding light with a wavelength≦193 nm comprising:

• a first mirror shell;
• and
• a second mirror shell,
• wherein said first and second mirror shells are rotationally symmetrical and concentrically arranged around a common axis of rotation, and
• wherein said collector has a central aperture obscuration with a numerical aperture≦0.30.