Phase aberration induced by optical coatings can be a critical factor in image quality. When multilayer thin film high reflectors are used at oblique incidence, the two planes of polarization for the most part have different phase shift. This difference is known as phase retardance and is a function of the angle of incidence, coating design, and the spectral wavelength. Point spread function (PSF) calculation by geometrical ray tracing shows the phase aberration caused by the coating could influence the resolution of the lens system. In this paper we investigate phase retardance of three high reflector coating types and their impact on the final image quality in a Schwarzschild objective.
Polarization sensitive optical systems may contain optical components that are considered non-polarization optics, such
as multi-element collection/illumination lenses, relay lenses and focusing/imaging lenses. With conventional optical
design and optomechanical software tools to design these lenses, special consideration is required in choosing glass
materials, coatings, and optomechanical design for low intrinsic and stress-induced birefringence and thermal stability.
Optical design parameters are discussed to achieve overall minimum birefringence, by optimizing with low intrinsic
birefringence glass material, applying phase-controlled (balanced) coating design, and low stress mechanical design
approaches. Also discussed are options for matching thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) of the system components.
Analysis on transmissive phase retardation of a microbjective at its pupil plane, as well as its birefringence
measurement data, will be presented. It is shown that it is critical to design and optimize at multiple positions across the
lens pupil to achieve better polarization performance.
The construction of an extreme ultraviolet reflection imaging microscope at CREOL using an Ealing Schwarzschild objective and a laser-produced plasma source is summarized. Proposed operation of the present system in the 50 - 60 nm wavelength region is discussed.
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