Patent ID: 8351023

Claim:
An illumination device, comprising: a deflection device configured to variably deflect first and second light beams impinging on the deflection device independently of one another by variation of the deflection angle in each case so that: the first light beam can be directed onto a location in a pupil plane of the illumination device along first and second beam paths which are different from each other, wherein the first light beam is influenced differently on the first and second beam paths so that an optical property of the first light beam directed onto a first location in the pupil plane along the first beam path is different from the optical property of the first light beam directed onto the first location in the pupil plane along the second beam path; and the second light beam can be directed onto a location in the pupil plane of the illumination device along third and fourth beam paths that are different from each other, wherein the second light beam is influenced differently on the third and fourth beam paths so that an optical property of the second light beam directed onto the second location in the pupil plane along the third beam path is different from the optical property of the second light beam directed onto the second location in the pupil plane along the fourth beam path, wherein: the optical property comprises a member selected from the group consisting of polarization state, intensity and wavelength; and the illumination device is configured to be used in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus.