Patent ID: 8804234

Claim:
A catadioptric projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective comprising: a first objective part for imaging the pattern provided in the object plane into a first intermediate image; a second objective part for imaging the first intermediate image into a second intermediate image; a third objective part for imaging the second intermediate image onto the image plane; wherein at least one concave mirror having a continuous mirror surface is arranged upstream of the second intermediate image; a first pupil surface is formed between the object plane and the first intermediate image, a second pupil surface is formed between the first and the second intermediate image and a third pupil surface is formed between the second intermediate image and the image plane; and at least one plate having essentially parallel plate surfaces is positioned in the first objective part near the first pupil surface, wherein the at least one plate surface is aspherized to correct for aberrations.